Zumba fitness program is a popular group exercise all around the world. Not only Zumba fitness, but also other recreational activities have been assuming an increasing amount of our free time, as we are more and more aware of their importance for our existence and well-being.
The question that arises is why people with intellectual disabilities should be deprived of quality living, as there is lack of customized workouts on the market. This is why we decided to devote our thesis work to developing adapted Zumba program, which can be followed by people with intellectual disabilities.
The first part of our thesis represents the importance of movement and aerobic activities for the well-being and vitality of our body and the Zumba fitness program. Theoretically, we covered areas of customization of the program to be suitable for people with intellectual disabilities. In different studies we identified several good theoretical standpoints for the preparation of the customized program. Based on those ideas, we prepared choreographies and the method of instructing the exercise. We then tested the theoretical standpoints by executing a five-hour customized Zumba fitness program. We also prepared a questionnaire for other Zumba fitness instructors, to receive their opinions regarding the program.
The goals of our research were to examine whether we can adapt Zumba fitness program for people with intellectual disabilities to prepare an exercise program that will choreographically and in terms of duration maintain the motivation of our participants, and to obtain feedback from fitness instructors on adequacy of the adapted program.
The findings of the thesis work showed that the adapted program is appropriate for people with intellectual disabilities in terms of content and duration. Furthermore, Zumba fitness instructors assisted us in improving the adapted Zumba fitness program.
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