I had been putting off going to Zumba for a couple of reasons. Zumba looks like so much fun that I was afraid that once I started I wouldn't want to do other things. My main concern however is that I can't dance. How bad am I? My wife and I went for six weeks of ballroom dance class so that I could look cool dancing with my daughter at her wedding. The big moment came - with my favorite Beach Boy song, "Don't Worry Baby," - and I forgot everything; yes everything! Blessedly, that song is only about two minutes long.
However, never being one to let failure stop me I had to give this Latin dance craze a try and see if an "Old Dog" could learn new tricks. In a word, Zumba rocks. There's a reason why this is the most popular single activity at the YMCA for all ages. The music is infectious and you just have to move to it, even if like me you don't always move in the right direction. One of my friends the "Zumba Cat," (more about that later) had told me to try and get the feet motion right and then work the arm motions in later so that is what I did. I am fairly fit with all my training, but this class can do it to you. We were doing the Tina Turner version of "Proud Mary," you know the one that starts slow and then really gets going, and big dummy here hadn't brought water I felt just a tad dizzy and went downstairs to get a drink. I made the same mistake in Power Hour, so you would think I would learn by now. Zumba is a true workout and my heart rate was in the upper range, sometimes over 90% for more than half the time.
Zumba is all the devotees say it is. It is an awesome workout, great fun and actually good for all ages. Now some of the participants did modifications of the moves that weren't as strenuous or as rapid, but everyone loved it. Try it sometime. Not only may you see the "Zumba Cat," there may be "Zumba Dog," visiting again as well.
Next: The Zumba Cat....
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