BULLHEAD CITY Leah Heald has a goal: making fitness fun.

Heald, who teaches physical education at Sunrise Elementary School, recently introduced Zumba to the schools PE routine.

After having each PE class practice the routine, which combines dance, martial arts and aerobics, Heald capped the fun it off with a one-hour Zumbathon.

Its a fun way to improve student fitness, she said. Were trying to show them that you dont have to do jumping jacks and pushups to be fit.

But once that music came on and they followed my movements, they were in the front row dancing and smiling the whole time, she said. They didnt want any water breaks they just wanted to keep going.

All the teachers at Sunrise got copies of the CD used in the routine, Heald said, and students practiced their moves in the classroom.

Theyre talking about it all day, she said. They cant get the songs out of their heads.

For the Zumbathon, the student body used the multipurpose room, with classes rotating in and out during the event.

During one song, Heald would shout shuffle, at which point the kids would break out of the choreography and each do his or her own moves within safety guidelines, of course.

In the PE classes, Heald said, the students would check their pulses and heart rates and measure the impact that exercise had on them.

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Zumba a hit at Sunrise Elementary