Zumba has been chosen by Sacramento State students as the best fitness class to take at The WELL in The State Hornet’s Best of Sac State 2018 survey.

Alex Zamora, a Sac State alumnus with an undergraduate degree in kinesiology, teaches Zumba classes every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:15-7:15 p.m., and instructor Ramona Koob teaches Zumba on Saturdays from 10:00-10:45 a.m.

“I became a Zumba instructor because I was obese at 11 years old,” Zamora said. “I was on high blood pressure medication and I had really bad cardiovascular issues.

“As soon as I was old enough, at 16 years old, I became a Zumba instructor, so I’ve been doing that for over 13 years now.”

Most fitness classes are included in fees paid at the same time as tuition. As long as a student is enrolled, fitness classes can be taken for no additional charge.

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In order to participate, students need to create a MINDBODY account, which can be done online or at The WELL. Zamora said it’s a good idea to sign up for classes ahead of time because they can fill up.

“I think Zumba is important because people want to find something that they can feel part of,” Zamora said. “It’s something that you can just come and have fun, dance, party and you can forget that you’re burning 500-1,000 calories in an hour.”

Marisol Ferreira, an undeclared student at Sac State, said she participates in Zumba classes every Tuesday and Thursday because it can help with de-stressing.

“I’ve taken Zumba since I was 12 years old, so I just wanted to continue with it,” Ferreira said. “My advice is to just try it out. Just do it.”

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Zamora said Zumba is a popular class at The WELL. He said he has been teaching it at Sac State for about five years.

Jessica Garcia, a Sac State alumna with an undergraduate degree in biology, said she comes to Zumba classes every Tuesday and Thursday and also does Zamora’s total body conditioning class on Mondays.

“I really like the rhythm of this class and the way Alex instructs it, so I just kept coming,” Garcia said. “He’s very diverse, so you learn how to dance to different styles, too.”

Zamora’s advice to those who might be nervous to join is not to worry, since everyone else is too consumed with keeping up with him to notice how anyone else looks.

“If you come a couple times a week, you’ll be good to go. If not, you’ll burn more calories trying to freestyle and catch up,” Zamora said.