When Melissa Dopp hurt her back and was unable to do aerobics, she was left looking for a different way to stay fit.

The 62-year-old Enfield resident turned to her bicycle, and began to explore the many area trails. She's now turned that passion into a new activity at the Enfield Senior Center.

Since May, a group of a dozen Enfield senior citizens have been meeting about four times a month for two-hour bike rides on area trails. Dopp said it's a great way to stay physically active and meet new people.

"There are days where my back freezes up on me but there's no stress on my back whatsoever when I'm bike riding," Dopp said. "Biking is good for your heart. It's good for your knees. It's an overall very good activity."

The group has ridden on bike paths in Southwick, Mass., and in the Farmington Valley. They plan to try a trail in Northampton, Mass.

Werner Glatz, a member of the biking crew, said he has been riding trails since the 1970s. Glatz, who often takes his bike out on errands around Enfield, is 75 years old and looks at his bike as another way to stay in shape, in addition to his frequent trips to the senior center's gym.

"The other day we took about a 16-mile trip," Glatz said. "It was on a rail trail. That really is not very challenging. We don't go that fast, because not everyone has the same ability."

Glatz bikes along with his wife, Donna Glatz.

Dopp said there's a mix of riders in their 50s and 60s, male and female. In a short period of time, they have become close friends, she said.

"We are a group and we want to look out for each other," Dopp said.

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Bike Group A Way For Seniors To Get Out And About

MIRI: Mention Zumba and almost anyone would give a vigorous nod, indicating how famous the name is, and how it has set young and old twirling to the same workout these days.

In short, Zumba is becoming a household word here and worldwide too, for those who love exercise to keep fit and of course, stay healthy.

Joining the health fad is Gymkhana Club Miri (GCM), where it charges just RM6 per person per session for club members and RM10 for non-members.

The Zumba dance class is held at its multi-purpose hall on Wednesdays and Fridays, with Filipino instructors Joe Michael P Sanguyo and Julito or Lito Ame. To join the class, call GCM at 085-434655.

As Zumba has overtaken aerobics as a fitness workout, one ponders the origin of the Latin-sounding dance.

Beto Perez was an aerobics instructor from Colombia, but found it quite a boring routine. One day, in the 1990s when he went to class, he left his regular aerobics music at home. He looked into his bag, took out some salsa and meringue tapes, popped them into the sound system, and taught the first-ever Zumba class.

He realised that traditional salsa and meringue music with a combination of non-traditional aerobic music was a good mix for a dance workout.

He tried it out and finding the initial success in Columbia, he moved to the US in 2001 where he teamed up with a co-founder Alberto Periman and a childhood friend, Coo Alberto Aghiton.

The trio produced a demo reel and the concept was discovered and licensed by a company Fitness Quest which was established to create a direct marketing campaign and a line of home video.

As Zumba offers different options, its proponents claim that it is safe for all ages. Some classes are aimed at the elderly, to build strength, improve motion and posture, and of course, to socialise.

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How much are you willing to work out in order to dine out?

Thats the tongue-in-cheek question posed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog group that released its latest list of high-calorie, high-fat, high-sodium and high-sugar meals served at chain restaurants.

CSPI reviews menu and nutritional information for more than 200 of the top U.S. chain restaurants and we just look for the worst items that we can find, said Paige Einstein, registered dietitian with CSPI.

This years Xtreme Eating Awards, the groups sixth such compilation, come as some restaurants have started to list calorie contents for their items on their menus or online. (See nine of the "winners" in the photo gallery above.)

In the future, chains with at least 20 locations will be required to list calories on their menus. For now, federal regulations on the issue have not been finalized.

I think when that happens theres going to be a higher demand for healthy items. People may not be ordering the healthy items now because they just dont know how bad the other items are Einstein said.

Some chains, including The Cheesecake Factory, have added some lighter dishes to their menus. Still, The Cheesecake Factory, known for its massive entrees, salads and desserts, was given three of this years nine awards from CSPI.

In general, restaurant meals with too many calories remain the standard, industry watchers say.

You can expect about 1,000 calories in any typical appetizer, 1,000 calories in a typical entre and 1,000 calories in a typical dessert. Its not just these extreme items that people need to be aware of when dining out, Einstein said.

The amount of calories a person should consume daily varies depending on factors such as weight, gender, age and activity level. The U.S. Department of Agricultures 2010 dietary guidelines suggested that Americans who are 14 years and older reduce sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams daily, or to 1,500 milligrams among certain groups.

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Watchdog group names 'worst restaurant foods'

NOWADAYS, physical fitness enthusiasts and health advocates in Bacolod City converge in malls, dance studios or parks to "party" and dance to the music that comes from the following dance styles: cumbia, salsa, merengue, mambo, flamenco, chachacha, reggaeton, soca, samba, tango and hiphop.

This latest dance craze also involves martial arts and aerobic elements and is approximated to have converted 14 million people in over 140,000 locations across more than 185 countries in the world.

It's called Zumba, and Bacolod is gearing up for its own ZumBacolod!

Zumba is a dance fitness program borne out of aerobics improvisation. In the 1990s, Columbian dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez forgot his tape of aerobics music for a class he was teaching. He foraged traditional salsa and merengue music from his car and improvised a class using this non-traditional music.

In 2001, Beto moved to USA and teamed up with Alberto Periman and Alberto Aghion in producing a demo reel, and the concept was discovered and licensed by a company called Fitness Quest that created a direct marketing campaign and a line of home videos.

The three of them have since turned the Zumba program into a global movement as the largest branded dance-fitness program in the world.

Zumba sessions are typically about an hour long and are taught by licensed instructors. The exercise includes fast and slow movements as well as resistance training.

There are types of classes for different levels of age and exertion. Zumba Gold is specifically designed for the needs of the elderly. Zumba Gold-Toning is a toning class for older participants with goals of improving muscle strength, posture, mobility and coordination. Zumba Step tones and strengthens the legs through Zumba routines and step aerobics.

Zumba Toners do their workouts with toning sticks. It targets the abs, thighs, arms and other muscles throughout the body. Aqua Zumba is done in a shallow water of a swimming pool. It combines the same dance movements in a Zumba fitness class with those used in aqua fitness classes.

Zumba in the circuit usually last 30 minutes and uses strength exercises in various stations in timed intervals. ZumbaKids is designed for children between the ages 4 and 12. ZumbaSentao is a chair workout that uses body weight to strengthen and tone the body.

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Gearing up for ZumBacolod