NewlyNested: Zumba! Zumba! Zumba!
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a blogumn by Debra Goykhman
When I was a child I saw Fame for the first time and instantly thought I could do some serious dance moves. The music moved me, but the sad truth is that I might not have two left feet. I defiantly lack some serious coordination and rhythm. So there was no major dance sequences in my life…. until I joined my local gym.
- Photo by Gauri Lama
I am seriously obsessed with my gym for many reasons (I’ll get back to the dancing in a second). First off, it’s the kind of gym that I don’t have to worry about getting the alcohol to wipe the machines down. There is so much cleaning staff around to do that, so while the gym is the last place for laziness, I can definitely be a lazy person while I’m there. Second, there’s a TV on each piece of cardio. If I can get lost in The Daily Show, CNN, or E! then I am a happy sweater. And the biggest reason I like my gym is because the people there aren’t too chatty, but yet still friendly.
For the first time I felt comfortable trying out a work out class by myself. So one day I found myself at the gym, standing on the wooden floor in the aerobic room with several other women and a sprinkle of men. When the two instructors came in they announced: “This is Zumba. We give no instruction. Just have fun.” The latin/hip-hop inspired music (mostly all in Spanish) began and so did the dancing.
It was like my dreams of being a part of Fame.
People were shaking, swaying, jumping, and twirling as a group. At first, I admit I was nervous. The social, but shy girl in me knew the moment that I began to show how bad of a dancer I was would be the moment I would lose all chances of making a friend in the gym class. That was until ten minutes in when I realized that if I didn’t let loose, I would be the odd girl in the class. There my love of Zumba began.
However, though my love for a great workout and dance session began, it wasn’t until I realized that Zumba could turn into a full out party that I became a loyal attendee. This began when I went to a Zumba two hour happy-hour. For a flat rate of ten dollars we had two hours of non-stop Zumba accompanied by margaritas, beer, chips, and some healthy snacks too.
Originally I wanted to see how many people passed out or puked from the drinking/aerobic combination, but no one did. They did chug beers and margaritas within seconds between songs. There were over a hundred dancer/exercisers doing the salsa, samba, and other informal forms of Latin dancing. I was in a room full of people just trying to sweat and have fun at the same time. After completing a dance number, people cheered and high-fived strangers that they had only met that night. I’ve never seen such a sense of community in a workout class.
If you are in the mood to sweat and dance check it out for yourself at www.zumba.com.