Kukuwa Kyereboah-Nuamah's Kukuwa® Dance Workout makes fitness a celebration.

Kukuwa Kyereboah-Nuamah’s Kukuwa® Dance Workout makes fitness a celebration.

I can help you burn off hundreds of calories an hour, but I promise you, it won’t feel like you’re working out. I created the Kukuwa® Dance Workout as an uplifting, fun celebration of fitness carried out to an African beat.

As a certified fitness trainer who grew up in Ghana, I’ve combined the rhythms of the Motherland with the basic principles of highly effective cardiovascular and body-sculpting workouts to create a dance routine that will give you all of the benefits of a hard-core gym routine. But with Kukuwa, the music and the movements will do more than work your body — they are a spiritual journey for your mind.

While you swing and sway to the beat, you will also:

♦ Enhance your cardiovascular fitness.

♦ Improve your flexibility and balance.

♦ Strengthen your core.

♦ Increase your endurance.

And depending on how energetically you dance, you will burn up to 1,000 calories in 60 minutes (about the same as running 6 miles per hour for about an hour).

Over time, you will watch excess body fat melt away as you develop lean muscle mass.

So cue the music and get ready to move your boombsey!

The 15-minute Kukuwa® Dance Workout

We are going to work out together using the video (below), but first, I’ll walk you through a warm-up and share a few tips for getting the most out of dance steps. Make sure you’re wearing something comfortable that will allow you to move freely. It’s also best to dance in bare feet.

Kukuwa Nuamah Workout from Cassandra Nuamah on Vimeo.

Warm up:

First move your head up and down, and then begin to move your shoulders forward and back. Do five reps.

Now, bend your knees and rock your pelvis forward and back 10 times to loosen up your hips.

As you dance:

▪ Remember, the more effort you put into the movements, the more calories you will burn.

▪ Remember to breathe as you move through the dance steps. Never hold your breath.

▪ Be sure to move your entire body, extend your arms and stretch your legs out as much as possible to get the full effect of the workout.

▪ When you bend and crouch, go as close to the ground as you can to work your glutes and hamstrings.

▪ Use your core for strength and balance throughout the workout.

▪ Pace yourself, stay hydrated and take a break when needed.

▪ Follow the breakdowns of each step. Stop the video and repeat a step as often as you need to until you are comfortable with your form and the movement.

And don’t forget to smile because it’s really all about having a fun, while getting fit.