With Health Risks High, Hispanic Women Turn to Fitness

Group Classes Provide Renewed Resolve to an Exercise-Shy Population

CARLSBAD, CA (Wednesday, July 07, 2004) - Lidia Soto opened the doors to her Temecula, Calif., Jazzercise Center in 2002 hoping to improve her community’s health one dance step at a time. It wasn’t long before that vision evolved into a larger effort to share her newfound healthy lifestyle with fellow Hispanic Americans.

In just two years, Soto, who originally hails from Mexico City, has grown her center to a diverse participant base of more than 700, seen a fivefold growth in sales and significantly increased the number of Hispanic women who attend class in pursuit of a motivating, proactive method to maintain their health.

For the participants who arrive to class for the first time, the vision behind the success is clear. There is much more to this operation than just exercise.

“We’ve tried to build a fitness community that people of all backgrounds can relate to,” Soto says. “The goal is to make it fun and inspire all participants to take charge of their health and fitness. We learn everyone’s name, incorporate salsa and cha-cha dance moves, and sing along to the Latin artists in both Spanish and English.”

Rising Health Risks

Soto’s work to encourage her participants to become their own health advocates couldn’t fall during a more crucial time. Apart from being one of the most sedentary subgroups of the U.S. population, according to the Centers for Disease Control, Hispanic Americans are also facing disproportionately high rates of obesity and diabetes. CDC statistics indicate Hispanics have the second-largest rate of obesity in the United States — more than 60 percent — and are facing a prevalence of diabetes nearly 100 percent higher than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. It’s a trend Jazzercise Founder and CEO Judi Sheppard Missett says she’d like to see changed.

“For 35 years I’ve seen how exercise can truly change people’s lives for the better, so it’s sad to see how many Americans remain physically inactive,” Missett says. “But Lidia and her students are great examples of how taking simple steps together toward better fitness can make a big impact.”

Fit Among Friends

More Hispanic women are finding motivation through group exercise classes, which foster a fun environment that balances both sweat and support. In the past two years alone, Soto has seen the number of Hispanic participants increase to 16 percent of her total customer base and noticed that even the most reluctant participants come to class repeatedly after establishing a comfort level and making friends.

Case in point: Martha Yorke. After losing her mother to breast cancer nearly eight years ago, 45-year-old Yorke found new resolve to take charge of her health and fitness. Yorke, whose family came to the United States from Santa Maria, Jalisco, Mexico, says she tried joining gyms and working with personal trainers, but found group exercise classes the most motivating.

“The great music and group environment are a tremendous inspiration,” Yorke says. “I was raised in a typical ‘heavy is healthy’ Latin environment with plenty of food, people and parties. But since starting Jazzercise classes I’ve lost more than 15 pounds and was even able to wear a backless dress to my son’s wedding.”

According to Missett, setting simple goals is one of the best ways to start down a healthier path.

“By just being aware of the everyday choices that impact our health, we can all take steps to improve our well being,” Missett says. “As Lidia and Martha have shown us, the most important thing is to find an activity you love and stick with it.”



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Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world's leading dance-fitness program with more than 6,300 instructors teaching 20,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information, go to jazzercise.com or call 1(800)FIT-IS-IT.

For More Infromation Please contact:
Tomi Kagei
Phone: (760) 602-7119
Email: pr@jazzercise.com

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