Zumbathon could lead to healthy teeth

Maricopa Smiles and Anytime Fitness held a free health expo and Zumba session at the UltraStar Multi-tainment Center Saturday.

“We decided on February as a good time because it’s National Heart Month, so we started reaching out to other organizations,” said Lindsey Reuter, marketing coordinator for Maricopa Smiles.

Held at the UltraStar’s amphitheater, the expo featured booths from various health-driven organizations such as the American Heart Association and Sun Life Family Health Care and culminated in an hour-long free Zumba course.

“They’re calling it a Zumbathon,” said Burke Devlin, a dental hygienist at Maricopa Smiles. “I was doing it at the start but I don’t have the dance skills of everyone else.”

Claudia Ceja, Anytime Fitness’ Zumba instructor, called Zumba “exercise in disguise.”

“People don’t even know they’re working out,” Ceja, who directed Saturday’s course, said.

Maricopa Smiles also has participated in other community events including the Salsa Festival, Stagecoach Days and the Our Lady of Grace Parish Festival.

“We like getting out there and getting involved with the community,” Devlin said. “We want people to be overall healthy and a healthy body affects healthy teeth.”