ZUMBA, Baby!

At the end of the hour of agony with Ms Aerobics von Perky last Wednesday, she invited the entire class to come to Zumba on Friday from 6-7 pm. What's Zumba? I didn't know either and von Perky said it was easier to google than to explain - which is actually true. Basically, Zumba is a combination of aerobics and dancing set to some excellent Latin American music. IT'S SWEEPING THE NATION!!!!! IT'S THE NEWEST FITNESS CRAZE!!!!!!!


Seriously, it looks like fun while it incorporates several different Latin dance moves. No more than four moves are ever used per song so it's easy to follow no matter what your skill level is (bonus!). Being able to follow along is quite important to me when taking a dance class. I mean, who wants to feel or look like a dork, right? (ahem! Kathy Smith, you may want to take some notes on that.)

So, on Friday I showed up for class. I was disappointed to learn that it was a one time offering, but once was better than never. I ran into von Perky in the parking lot who made a point to tell me that she was glad I decided to come. Now I feel kinda bad about all the perkiness snark - or at least I will until I take her next class at which point I'll be reminded why it's justified.


Way more people than I expected showed up for class and some of these women were SERIOUS about this whole Latin dancing thing. For a few minutes, I wasn't sure if I was in the right place and wondered if I had stumbled into an audition to "So You Think You Can Dance" or the remake of "Fame". There was a lot of stretching and prancing going on. I heard von Perky say that she'd been asked to help teach the class. Hmmm... I wanted to take this class start to finish without needing oxygen or medical intervention. It's not looking good.


Eventually the class started as a reporter/photographer from the base paper started taking shots. Well, that's just great! But you know, the class was SO much fun that after a few minutes, I forgot that was happening. It was a great workout. You can easily adjust it to your skill level and make it comfortable for yourself. I think the instructor said that you can burn up around 800 calories an hour. At the end of the class I was sweaty but exhilarated and really hope that someone gets certified so I can take it regularly. As all this dang exercising and nutritional overhauling begins to pay off, it will be nice to shake my booty without having aftershocks. Trust me, I'll be posting in big, bold letters when that day happens. Seriously - try it if you have the opportunity!