Ready for a summer rhythm refresher? We asked celebrity Zumba instructor (and Z-LIFE cover girl) Kass Martin to break down a few of the basics, namely the side-to-side salsa, the Reggaeton stomp and the infamous Beto shuffle. Click above for Kass’s mini-lesson as well as a sneak peek at her Miami Beach cover shoot!

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Everyone’s talking about it. Now here’s the lowdown. From Health benefits to recipes and appliances, we answer your juicing questions.

Drinking your fruits and veggies is gaining in popularity, with organic juice bar chains (think New York’s Organic Avenue) opening in more locations and sales of pricey juicers and blenders, such as those by Vitamix, surging by more than 52 percent last year. What’s driving the demand? The juicing trend can make it easier to fit whole foods into your diet so you’re less apt to rely on processed foods. It’s also a quick way to get the recommended five daily servings of produce in a single glass. Moreover, you can boost your nutrition by juicing whole vegetables, like cucumbers, that you might otherwise only eat with the skin peeled.

Pretty much anything goes when it comes to juicing produce. “Fruits and vegetables are naturally high in water content, so most types are easily juiced,” says Molly Morgan, RD, owner of Creative Nutrition Solutions in Vestal, N.Y., and author of “The Skinny Rules.” “Some juicing enthusiasts recommend juicing fruit and vegetables separately. However, adding a little fruit to your green juice will give it a more acceptable taste.” Indeed, people who find vegetables hard to swallow might better enjoy their spinach or kale in a juice blended with, say, apples or pineapples for added sweetness. On the other side, combining some veggies with your fruits can cut back on sugar, since juices blended with only very sweet fruits can make it all too easy to exceed your daily limit. For example, the recommended daily allowance (or RDA) for a 1600-calorie diet is only 22 grams of sugar, but you could gulp down 24 grams in a glass of fructose-packed orange juice alone.

While juicing or blending can help you get a bigger variety of produce — and therefore more immune-boosting phytonutrients — it’s best to add a glass of juice to one or two of your meals rather than to use it as a liquid meal replacement. “Green juices tend to be loaded with nutrient-packed vegetables like kale or spinach and are a great way to get an antioxidant boost,” says Morgan. “However, relying on juices by themselves for breakfast or lunch means you may actually be lacking key ingredients for optimum health.”

For example, most fruits and vegetables are relatively low in protein, which is needed to build and maintain muscle; they are also naturally fat free, which means you won’t be getting healthy fats that are vital for supple skin and brain function. Healthy, unsaturated fats also can help slash bad cholesterol and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. (See chart for how to give your juice a nutrient boost.)

Sampling different juices at a juice bar or signing up for a delivery service may be a good bet if you’re a juicing virgin and want to test it out before investing in a costly at-home machine. However, if you plan on adding one or two glasses of juice to your daily diet, it might be worth the initial investment in equipment to save money on juicing in the long term.

Generally, there are three kinds of juicers: “fast,” “slow” and “whole food.” Traditional fast juicers, or extractors, quickly grind produce into a thin liquid, and you discard the solid pulp that’s left over. Slow juicers press produce into a pulpy juice so there’s less waste, and this type can better handle tricky leafy greens and nuts. But Morgan thinks whole food juicers are best. “Some [blenders,] like those by Vitamix, allow you to make juices that have more of a smoothie texture because the pulp isn’t discarded,” she says. “Juicers that strain the juice and remove the pulp are also removing nutritious fiber. Fiber naturally lowers cholesterol levels, fills you up and slows down digestion.”

Ginger Greens Digestion Helper

• 3 cups spinach

• 3 cups kale

• 2 kiwis

• 1 thumb-sized bit of ginger root, peeled

• 1/2 cup cold water

Health benefits: Green leafy vegetables like spinach are especially high in magnesium, which helps regulate blood sugar to prevent diabetes. Kiwis are packed with vitamin C and have been found to ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome; ginger also aids digestion. 

For more on juicing check out the Summer 2013 issue of Z-LIFE

By Holly C. Corbett

Illustrations by Peter Crowther

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Here’s what we’re reading this week:

The secret to happiness may lie in how many fruits and veggies you eat per day. [Chatelaine]

Avoiding sugar? DIY  your sweet tooth with this super easy fruit sweetening paste. [Primally Inspired]

Those stickers on your fruit are a lot less annoying once you read about what they really mean! [Dr. Frank Lipman]

Spring clean the chemical-free way. [Greatist]

Because we’re really excited for warm weather, but we know it also comes with a caveat: natural bug sprays. [Refinery 29]

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In Christina Mendez’s line of work, a fit, curvy body is a must. The Dominican beauty began her plus-size modeling career in 2006 and has since appeared in countless magazines (Essence and Latina, to name a few), high-fashion runway shows, films, television spots and retail campaigns. Most recently, Mendez wrapped up a photo shoot for the trendy plus-size women’s apparel and accessories retailer Ashley Stewart.

But maintaining her curvy, camera-ready physique isn’t an easy feat. Add to the mix a new baby and a general dislike for elliptical machines, and those perfect curves become even harder to maintain. “I have never been a fan of the gym life,” says Mendez, a mom of two. “I get bored really easily. I was trying to get back into working out [after I had my daughter] and I was doing the elliptical and it just wasn’t working.” That’s when Mendez spied the group fitness schedule at her local Equinox fitness club, ditched the traditional gym equipment and tried her, well, feet at a Zumba class. The verdict? “I fell in love with the class and my instructor,” she says. “I always knew Zumba class involved dancing, I just didn’t think it involved the kind of dancing that I was used to.” As a kid, Mendez mastered salsa dancing, the merengue and the cha-cha at family gatherings. In her Zumba workouts, her instructor incorporates all of her favorite moves, plus works in a little samba, hip-hop and even reggaeton to the routines.

With her three-day-a-week Zumba regimen, Mendez has transformed her post-baby body into the firm, toned and curvy shape it once was. “Being a plus-size model I’m never trying to lose massive amounts of weight or be a size two,”she says. She also credits those intense, full-body, booty-shaking, sweat-inducing workouts as a professional model must-have: The high-energy dance moves help her endure working long hours on fashion shows or photo shoots; and she’s experienced a great increase in her flexibility, which has improved her poses when she’s in front of the camera. “When you’re in Zumba class you feel so sexy,” she says. “And I think that also helps me as a model. If I’m [on a shoot] and I’m not in the mood, I can channel my ‘Zumba face’ in my thoughts and it shows in my pictures and poses.”–Lauren Mang

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PS- Got a great summer ponytail tip? Leave your comment below to be entered to win your own set of Sparkly Soul hair bands!

Plus, from May 31 through June 7 Z-LIFE readers can get 10% off their order at Sparklysoul.com with promo code: ZUMBA!

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Staffers at the Zumba Home Office went nuts for these sparkly headbands, which not only add a pop of color but actually hold hair in place during Zumba class. Even better? They're the most comfortable bands we've come across! Sparkly Soul hair bands, $15-$17, sparklysoul.com

Photographs by Laura Tillinghast

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Trisha Araujo’s Zumba students might have a difficult time recognizing her if they were to see her during her regular workday. They’re used to seeing her show up to classes in what she calls her “Zumba Mojo” outfit complete with pigtails, cropped athletic top and sport skirt. “I look like an anime character,” she laughs, explaining that the outfit helps her to transition from her corporate day job to her gig as an instructor.

It’s a stark contrast to what Araujo wears to work every day. “I am knee deep in the corporate world,” she says. “It’s business casual every day.” As a Director of Engineering at a large food company, Araujo is one of the few females in her position within the company. “It’s always been like that. I work with mostly men, and they’re mainly all engineers.”

So how does an executive with a degree in Chemical Engineering wind up teaching Zumba classes? A move to a new town prompted her to give the class a try. “I’m a single mom and I just wanted to do something to meet people since I didn’t know anyone here,” says Araujo. “I joined a gym and thought to myself, ‘I hate group fitness, but I’m going to try this again because I’m not getting enough cardio.’ It was around the third time I took the class that I totally fell in love with Zumba.”

Her “Zumba Mojo” persona has been an evolution of sorts. “I started in sweats, then moved on to wearing a tank top, and then I moved on to my current look of sports top, skirt and pigtails,” she says.

Araujo definitely needs her transition time from the corporate world to Zumba class. “I notice that if I’m rushing from work and changing into my Zumba Mojo outfit really quickly, that’s when I might mess up some steps,” she laughs. “I need that transition of changing from being in charge at the office to just letting loose and laughing.”

Not many of her Zumba students know that she spends her days in a high-power executive role, but her coworkers have heard about her teaching. “They laugh and say that it actually makes a lot of sense,” she says. “I have a lot of energy. The men I work with have told me that they won’t come to my class because they’re afraid I’ll kill them with the workout.”– Tamsen Butler

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Z-LINKS: A quick roundup of what we’re loving (and reading) online right now…

Get into the mint! 13 common ailments you can treat with peppermint oil. (Mind Body Green)

Is food dye a do or a don’t? Greatist breaks down the debate on food dyes. (Greatist)

Send this article to your boss! A new study says less hours spent at the desk and more hours spent on things like vacation time and naps can actually boost your productivity at work.  (NYTimes)

Hydration boost! These water bottle infusers let you flavor your water with fruits and herbs while on the go. (Uncommon Goods)

In case you were wondering… 16 foods that will regrow from kitchen scraps. (Wakeup World)

Rough feet be gone! A homemade hack for getting rid of rough, cracked heels. (KSL)

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As a constant snacker, I often find myself gravitating toward my favorite grab-and-go items but wishing for something a little more exciting. Something new but still flavorful; something healthy, yet filling; something totally delicious that doesn’t make me feel deprived. Since I’m usually on the move, I try to find the right balance of protein, carbs and fat that will give me energy, prevent a mid-afternoon slump and won’t leave me reaching for some mini-peanut butter cups within 20 minutes.

For years, my go-to snack was a combination of fruit and nut butter. Any fruit, any nut butter, I don’t discriminate. When Greek yogurt became more widely available, I started incorporating it into my meals, and it seemed like such a treat. It’s incredibly versatile and can even be frozen for a quick and easy homemade fro-yo fix.

Even though I adore all fruits, all nut butters and all yogurts, I am not exactly a creature of habit when it comes to my food — I crave variety. When I’m bored, I make an unhealthy choice, and when I make an unhealthy choice, it all just starts to spiral out of control. So, I’ve taken eight of my most commonly used ingredients (yes, even spinach!) and spun them into different, exciting snacks that make me want to eat fruit and vegetables all day long. And that’s, well… huge. Enjoy!

1. Spinach

2.Greek Yogurt

3. Raw Almonds

4. Apples

5. Natural Peanut Butter

6. Ground Cinnamon

7. Whole Wheat Tortillas

8. Blueberries

SNACK 1 Dip apple wedges in Greek yogurt mixed with cinnamon, then sprinkle with chopped almonds for crunch.

SNACK 2 Shred or grate apples and mix with cinnamon and chopped blueberries. Use it as a fruit salsa for homemade cinnamon tortilla chips.

Snack 3 Spinach snack salad Mix fresh spinach with chopped apples and almonds, then add a dollop of Greek yogurt.

For more snack recipes check out the Spring 2013 issue of Z-LIFE

By Jessica Merchant

Photography by Francesco Tonelli

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Darryl Dawkins was a beast on the basketball court for 15 years, literally changing the way backboards and rim were constructed after shattering a pair of backboards during the 1979-80 season. Dawkins, who came to the NBA straight out of high school in Orlando, claimed to be an alien from the planet Lovetron.

He was Chocolate Thunder. His brashness knew no bounds, naming his first glass-shattering dunk “The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam.”

That was then. Now, 17 years retired from playing, Dawkins learned that staying in shape when his time as a professional athlete is done is a lot harder than while he was playing against the greats of the game. With three active kids to keep up with, the Allentown, Pa., resident knew something had to change. “My wife challenged me to go to Zumba [class] and I went,” Dawkins says.  We caught up with the NBA legend to talk weight loss, his Zumba classmates and, of course, basketball.

Z-LIFE: So, Zumba Fitness. Not a lot of 7-footers in Zumba classes are there?

Darryl Dawkns: My first thought was that it was a bunch of old ladies getting out the house to get away from their husbands. I didn’t know it had such dynamic moves. I’m more impressed that my wife, Janice, was going, sticking with it, and losing weight. We’ve got ladies from 73(-years-old) to 19. And they’re doing stuff that I could not do.

Z-LIFE: How often are you going to class?

DD: I try to go four days a week. I’m hooked. I’ve danced off almost 55 pounds. [Instructor] Nancy [Otero] always keeps some new flavor. Grace (one of the class goers whose age I won’t say), has more pep in her step than I ever had. First I was going down a pant size, then going down a shirt size. I don’t want to lose too much weight, though. Ladies don’t want to be seen with you when your pants are falling down.

Z-LIFE: What was the turning point for you?

DD: When you’re playing basketball, it only takes a few injuries makes you realize you won’t play forever. But when the games are over, you see guys looking like Santa Claus’s brother. I remember lying in bed and looking over my belly at the TV, and I thought ‘I really don’t like this.’ Now, I never thought I’d be in a store buying these sizes. Not only am I able to slim down, but also I can maintain it.

Z-LIFE: What would your old crew say about you in Zumba classes?

DD: I’m not the typical guy in Zumba class, but I’m always up for a challenge. I know Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday I’m going to Zumba class. I’m in the back and you know I’m not quiet, but they put up with me and laugh.

Z-LIFE: You played in the NBA and brought a level of power that really hadn’t been seen. You were Shaquille O’Neal before Shaquille O’Neal. Do the other people in class have any idea that you’re Chocolate Thunder?

DD: They know I’m Chocolate Thunder. They pull me up on YouTube. They know I played ball, kids come in and take pictures. They’ll say ‘You down with Zumba?’ and I tell them ‘Oh I’m all the way down, baby.’ I went to a “glow” Zumba class. You wouldn’t expect a 7-foot-tall black guy with fluorescent thing around his neck, but I’m having so much fun it’s ridiculous. Whoever invented it, I’m greatly indebted to. I like staying fit and staying toned, and eating healthier does help, but it’s a fun way to do it. It’s more fun than having a personal trainer screaming at you. –Lonny Goldsmith

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Facebook games may seem to take over your life at times, but what if that game could change someone’s life? That’s the idea behind a new game launching this month from Half the Sky and Games For Change. Inspired by the book “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide,” the game allows users a glimpse inside the everyday life of “Radhika,” a woman living in a small village in India. By playing the game, users help Radhika embark on a journey of empowerment, doing everything from picking fruits and vegetables to sell at the village market to pay for her daughter’s medical treatment, to helping a local school buy more books and fighting off international sex traffickers. Eventually this journey places Radhika in a position of leadership, taking her to Kenya, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the US and allowing her to find a voice in her own house and gain financial and social independence. Players also learn about various organizations working to empower women and girls and can donate their own money as they complete their quests (e.g., get a virtual goat – donate a real goat through Heifer International) as well as unlock free sponsored donations. Engaging, educational and completely addictive, the game is an uncensored peek into the lives of women who sometimes seem very far away. Click here to play now!

For more information on the movement, visit  Half The Sky on Facebook or follow the game on Twitter at @halfthegame!

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