Why Zumba?

When I first started Zumba, I was just as skeptical and unsure about it as everyone else who has never tried. I had seen pictures and videos of women shaking around in brightly colored outfits that quite frankly made them look like care bears. I had befriended people on Facebook. Yes, I added total strangers to stalk them in order to form an opinion based on their Zumba Facebook posts. SO SUE ME. I had even looked up classes and instructors on Zumba.com to judge by their picture and "About Me" section who seemed the most friendly and likeable. Even after all that effort, I still couldn't take that step to go try it!

A couple of months after I had joined Snap Fitness, I started noticing signs around the gym advertising a free trial week of Zumba Fitness classes. Free? Okay! Super convenient? Yes! Why not try it? I got Helen on board, and we were excited to try our very first Zumba class! When I walked into the class, I was warmly greeted by Megan Hannah, our lovely instructor, whom I had known for almost my entire life! Not going to lie, that made things a little easier! All of the ladies stood around and chatted together about how nervous we were to try this illustrious workout known as Zumba! Others that had taken Zumba classes before comforted us and assured us that we could do it. I'm sure we were all simultaneously thinking "yeah, yeah, heard it before lady!" The music started, and believe it or not, we did do it! We laughed, and we danced, and then we laughed some more, and the class was over in what seemed like 20 minutes! I LOVED everything about it.

I want to write this to you as a Zumba participant, not as an instructor because I want everyone to realize that we were all part of a Zumba class before we chose to lead one. I have proof! See...

Friendships
First and foremost, above everything else, I love the friendships I have formed through Zumba. What started out as an hour long workout quickly turned into trying to get there 15 minutes before and staying 15 minutes (or more!) after for social time with my Zumba pals! It was no longer just a workout because we had become emotionally invested in each other’s lives. I wanted to know who Susie was fighting, what Jan's kids were up to, and whether or not Patsy was going to date Bill with the tats! When I bought my house, my real estate agent was from my Zumba class. I even met Matthew because of Zumba! (Not because he attended, but because his mom did ;) ) This type of bonding is huge for fitness because it holds you accountable without that guilt feeling! Who doesn't hate that feeling!? You genuinely want to come to class to dance and party with your friends. Not only did I make new friends and grow closer with acquaintances, but Helen and I had found something that we both loved and could bond with. I didn't know that Helen could shake'a'tailfeather quite like she does! I truly get it from my momma! Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, we had a date! I know I said I wasn't going to talk about being an instructor, but knowing other instructors and attending their classes is also a fun way to change things up and meet new people!

The workout
Let me break it down for you. There are some people out there who actually enjoy running on the treadmill. Those people are weird. I do it, but not because it's fun. I can spend 30 miserable, long, boring, minutes, busting my butt on a treadmill and burn half the calories I burn in a Zumba Fitness class. I wear a Polar heart rate monitor, and in an hour I burn no less than 600 calories, and almost always more! Not talking numbers, the bottom line is that if you actually like a workout, you will keep doing the workout. It's that simple! Zumba is fun and effective. It's great cardio and muscle toning (especially Zumba Toning) and it is also wonderful for memory and working your brain! Right, old people!? ;)

ANYONE can do it
Kids can do it. Teenagers can do it. Adults can do it. Senior Citizens can do it. People in great shape can do it. People who have never worked out a day in their life can do it. When I say anyone, I mean anyone. Most instructors will alternate high impact songs with low impact songs throughout the class, so I promise you won't die! We've heard it all! "I hope you have an ambulance on speed dial!" or "I hope you know CPR!" For the record, we do, but have never, ever needed it! The beauty of Zumba is that you can modify any move to fit your fitness level. You can make a move easier or even harder! If you can't figure it out on your own, please ASK! Instructors are more than happy to break down a step for you!

Music and moves
One of the best parts of Zumba for me is the music! You can seriously do Zumba to most any genre of music! It isn't ONLY Latin! I think that is a common misconception! We do rap, hip hop, country, rock, you name it! You would be amazed at what we can come up with to make you shake your booty to! Another common misconception is that all the moves are latin-esq. That is definitely not the case! No two dances are the same, and instructors make sure of that! We like variety just as much as you do!

Give Zumba a chance! I promise, you'll like it! Go 2-3 times to get a feel for it, and sometimes you need to go instructor or class "shopping" to find a place where you feel like you really fit in! No two classes or instructors are the same! Feel free to message me or Megan Hannah on Facebook about our classes at Snap Fitness in Winfield! Or check out our Zumba websites at http://kellielewis.zumba.com/ or http://meganhannah.zumba.com/ We would LOVE to have you join us!