This month is all about trying out new workouts! One reason is because I am in super-training mode getting ready to do a fitness competition in May and I need to be doing all sorts of cardio a day so I might as well make it enjoyable, challenging, and fun rather than just pedaling away on my stationary bike in the basement (which also happened to break at the start of the month - I took it as a sign to get out and do some other forms of exercise!) Another reason I want to try out all this new stuff is I am a fitness professional myself and feel I need to put more effort into knowing what's out there, getting re-inspired, and keeping my stuff fresh so I can help my students and clients as much as I possibly can! So far I've gotten back into outdoor running, done P90X and Insanity DVDs at home, tried Skyrobics (trampoline workout), gonna check out Crossfit again, went to Zumba tonight, and who knows what else!
I've always kind of laughed about Zumba and didn't think it was really hardcore enough for me. I've also watched some ridiculous videos of their bellydance routines and as a professional bellydancer was mildly offended at what they were doing as bellydance. It seems really cult-like and is EVERYWHERE - that scare me a bit too... My good friend was saying she wanted to do Zumba last week and I was mocking and making fun, but then when I saw there was a Zumba class at my community centre gym on a day I don't teach my own classes, I called her up and asked if she wanted to go. She asked if I was joking or if I was going to laugh at her and the class the whole time... ha ha ha - maybe, but maybe this would be a fresh new fun way to get an hours-worth of cardio in at a time I usually wouldn't.
We arrived at the packed aerobic studio of the community centre (you need to arrive early to get a pass to get in and by 10 minutes before class it was almost all full up!) and were greeted by a perky instructor. Everyone was taking their places in the room, me and my friend decided it would be best to hide in the back corner for our first class. It has been a very long time since I did a group exercise class like this - totally brought back great memories of my teenage years at the YMCA! The music comes on and we start to Zumba!!! There was no annoying stretch or slow warm-up at the start which I liked. Lots of high energy Merengue, Cumbia, Salsa, Lambada, Samba, Axe, and maybe even a few bellydance arms in there all smooshed together. It was a fun time and I got pretty sweaty within the first few songs, so that was good! Every now and then there would be a slower piece (which I guess is so people can catch their breath) which I could've done without, but all in all it was a pretty good 45 minutes of good cardio within the hour class. I learned some fun new moves that I would never have done myself but that I might pull out at a club one of these days - I loved the Black Eyed Peas Boom Boom Pow dance! I was taking classes, and later teaching classes just like this back in the 90's, we just called it salsaerobics, so it wasn't something crazy new to me. The thing that really registered with me the most was how totally awesome it is that this workout is making tons of regular people from all different walks of life who never dance, get out there and shake their booties full force, have fun doing it, and get a great workout at the same time! That's beautiful to me! I'll be back next class!
