Zumba - dancing for those who can't dance?

When I was twelve, I tore my left ACL twice. I had the perfect athlete's triad - which basically means I completely destroyed my knee. It was devastating, to say the least.

Now when I try to keep active, I have a hard time balancing between doing what I want/know I'm capable of doing versus what I'm actually able to do. I've been running and doing yoga consistently (and longboarding if you consider that a form of exercise). I love dancing, so Zumba was a great choice of exercise for me.

For those of you who aren't aware of Zumba's existence and/or those of you who have heard of it but don't really know what it is, Zumba is a program in which participants follow a choreographed routine that works certain muscles. The music is a mix of Latin and hip-hop which I can't help but wiggle along to anyway. What's especially nice about Zumba is that it incorporates a warm-up and cool-down into the class which is really good when exercising. It can get hard on my knees, especially during sequences where I have to turn on one leg repeatedly, but most of the time I'm too busy enjoying myself to notice!

It sounds/looks slightly ridiculous, but it truly is a lot of fun. I couldn't really dance before I started Zumba, but it doesn't matter. All I have to do is keep an eye on the instructor and follow his or her moves. There's also Zumba Toning in which participants use hand weights during certain sequences of a routine. I would suggest anyone willing to try it start with light weights, just in case. The first time I tried the toning class I started out with some light weights my aunt brought me, but switched about half way through the class to the heavier weights my aunt was using. I couldn't imagine doing the entire class with the heavy weights - my arms were aching after just half the class!

I'm sure Zumba isn't for everyone, but I strongly encourage you to try it if you have the opportunity. If it hadn't been for a friend of mine who danced, I would've never tried it. Last year I even did it with the entire group of Resident Advisors (and Area Directors!) as part of RA training at Linfield! We dressed up in bright workout clothes (and the occasional tutu) and made an evening of it. Now that I'm back home, I've been dropping in on classes in Tacoma at Studio 6 Ballroom with my aunt. There are classes offered all over - just check the Zumba website for details.