Zumba is one of the many classes offered at the gym. It’s a Latin inspired dance workout that originated in Colombia in the 90’s and is now a worldwide phenomenon. If you’ve never tried it, then you should! You’ll lose yourself in the music and discover that it’s a workout cleverly disguised in fun.
I’ve never liked group classes like aerobics and those ballet inspired fads that come and go. Mainly because I have no rhythm, seriously I wasn’t there the day rhythm was handed out. So when my friend suggested we try Zumba during my gym trial period, I was more than reluctant. But she raved on and on about this one instructor’s class that soon curiosity got the best of me, and I found myself hiding at the back of a very packed class wondering how I’d ever be able to follow the instructor’s moves from there. Still, knowing my rhythm impediment, there was no way I was going to the front of the class or so I thought…
My friend, knowing that I was really self-conscious about how goofy I would look dancing around with two left feet, sent me a Zumba meme, and said “don’t worry, a lot of people look funny and they’ve been coming for a while”, we laughed. Diana, our instructor, got her music set-up, and asked the new people in her class to raise their hands. This part my friend had neglected to tell me (making mental note of this)…So there I was with my hand in the air, looking around the gym floor at a handful of new people, and a lot of smiling faces.
Diana then introduced herself, and said in her lovely Colombian accent that we’ve all come to love: “Welcome to my class, my name is Diana, I ask if there are new people in my class because every Zumba instructor is different. Sometimes we have the same songs but different choreos. I don’t use a mic, I don’t talk, I just give you cues. Try to follow my steps, if you can’t, then follow the person in front of you. Listen to your body, and if you can’t do some of the moves then just dance. This class is a big party. I have two rules in my class, I like noise, and if the music doesn’t stop then you don’t stop! Got it? Yep,Yep?”. And with that she turned to the rest of the class with her typical question “any particular songs ladies?” and once the requests were in, the music started and the rest of the hour, well, like I said it was just one big party!
My initial dancing in public apprehension was long gone by the second song. I realized that the meme my friend sent me was pretty accurate, and best of all it didn’t matter. Everyone was having way too much fun to even care if the person beside them was doing the right step or not. People were dancing, jumping, signing, and smiling, yes smiling during a workout! Who would have thought??? Halfway through the class, Diana made her way to the mirrors at the back of the class, near us newbs and flipped the class room around. So all of a sudden we were the front of the class, and I was having such a great time that I didn’t even care.
My first Zumba class left me sweaty, out of breath, exhausted and yet re-energized. I finally understood the why of my friend’s constant: “OMG you’ve got to try Zumba with me” and “This Zumba instructor is so awesome! You just have to come with!”. It also sealed the deal on my gym membership decision, and I can happily say that after 9 months of going it’s still one big party! It’s the one activity that gets me into the gym 3 times a week, and everyone who knows me finds it funny when I pass on other things because I’ve started saying things like “oh, no can’t make it that day I’ve got to get ready for Zumba”. I can’t even believe those words come out of my mouth, but they do, and I’m not afraid to say it, Zumba is my favorite part of the day!
Now it’s my turn to say OMG, I’ve turned into “that girl”, who is all about how Aca-Awesome Zumba is! I enjoy it so much that about a week ago I finally convinced my mom to try it, and thanks to our amazing instructor Diana, a.k.a. motivation in dance form, my mom is now all for Zumba too! If you have the chance to try a class in your area, do it! Zumba is for everyone, don’t be afraid to try it, it’s easy to follow even if you don’t have a dancing bone in your body, you’ll dance away a ton of calories, and with the right instructor each class can be one big party!
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