As a podiatrist, Beth Hochstein was used to telling patients what medical condition was behind their symptoms. But in November 2007, just a month before her 37th birthday, the tables turned and she was on the receiving end of a diagnosis: young-onset Parkinson’s disease. When Hochstein retired in 2010 on her own terms—"I didn’t want to ever hurt a patient because of my symptoms," she says—she refocused her energy on another one of her passions: dancing. "I became a Zumba addict," she says. "I knew that I could help others with Parkinson’s Disease start exercising by teaching what I loved."
Hochstein received her Zumba license in February 2011, and she now teaches two classes a week at a local community center and at RhythmZ Studio in Bellerose, New York. "If you love to dance and need to start an exercise program, Zumba is the place to be," she says. "You get so lost in the music and movement, you forget that you are exercising." Here's her high-energy mix from a recent class:
