MM & BB Zumba It Up

Yesterday, Margo and I went to our first-ever Zumba class at the LivingSocial building downtown.  It was our second foray into the world of LS's sponsored fitness classes (the first being the yoga and wine shindig we partook in a few weeks ago).

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I had been excited about doing a Zumba class for quite some time - I felt like people were constantly rave about how fun they are and how effective they are as a cardio workout.

I was also nervous, though.  Despite the hours I've been clocking at the gym lately, I still didn't feel that my cardio strength was up to par to endure an hour of straight hardcore aerobic dancing.  In fact, I was fairly certain before attending that I was going to be the girl who passed out in the middle of an intense number.  I also thought that my lack of grace and dance ability would be a hindrance - that I would end up making a fool out of myself and/or being the laughing stock of the room.

I am elated to report that I had absolutely nothing to worry about.  For starters, I don't think I stopped grinning the entire hour that the class was going on.  Seriously.  It's really, really, really, really, really fun. 

The dance routines and the accompanying music were peppy, energized, and completely varied (one of the songs was Mambo Number 5 by Lou Bega - need I say more?), so I didn't have time to think about how my muscles were hurting or how tired I could be feeling, as I am apt to do on cardio machines in the gym.  The dances challenged different muscles, too!  Our thigh muscles were impacted with squat-influenced moves, our arms were feeling it as we continually waved and pumped them in the air, and our chest, hips, and abs benefited greatly from the bumping, hip-swishing, and shimmying the routines required.

I did this all with a huge smile on my face, and not just me: the whole class was laughing, cheering,  and clapping throughout the class.

sweaty and happy after being Zumba-fied!

Don't get me wrong, though - Zumba is far from a walk in the park.  I was continually drenched in sweat, my heart was incessantly pounding, and I was constantly gulping down water in between songs.  It's not an easy class, but it's one that can be performed to your own ability, which is amazing.  Our instructor, Shashana, constantly reminded us that we didn't have to go 100% the entire time, and to be aware of the way we were feeling and to keep that in check (by the way, she teaches a Zumba class at Crunch Gym downtown if anyone wants to check it out - I highly recommend it!).

Zumba was everything I wanted from a cardio workout and more:  tons of fun, communal, and effective in helping me reach my fitness goals.

I cannot wait to go back.