04/19/2011 11:17
If you can't beat em, order Zumba!
Ok. Well, maybe not "Zumba". I joined a local health club that offers something similiar, called "Latin Heat". I'd never tried "Zumba" or "Latin Heat" before, and I was really excited to give it a shot. I regretted my choice immediately.
Honestly, I should have known I was in for it, when I went to the first class and it was cancelled; and we ended up doing the step class from Hell. I should have seen it as a bad omen. Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment. But after that, I figured there was no possible way this could be worse, could it? After all that step class was the most uncoordinated effort of a hot mess I'd ever seen. And this was a popular well loved class, so this had to be good right? Right?
So I walk in and take my place among several rows of cargo pant clad women,... if you've ever been to a Zumba class you will understand the cargo pants. The more brightly colored ribbons you have hanging off the said cargo's, the cooler you are. I didn't get this at all. Cargo pants? I was wearing my leggings and my Olivia Newton John leg warmers. Already, I was uncool. This wasn't good. About 5 minutes later, in bounds the instructor. Ribbons flying in the wind, rubber braceletts covering each arm with little bells hanging off them. Was this a belly dance class??? I was confused. As a bellydancer, for a brief second I had hope.... but that hope was very soon to be shattered to bits.
Now mind you, I am coordinated. I have great rythmn skills - I'm a musician by profession, and I can dance! I honestly figured I had this in the bag. So she bops in, hits the music, and with no warning or even an introduction, just goes right into it. Step ball change, kick kick, hip hip, hop hop, woo woo - OMG! What the HELL is she DOING??? Did the woman just drink 4 red bulls or WHAT?!!! The music was on hyper warp speed - didn't she believe in a warm up? The serious students were all over it... like they'd done this a million times. All 2 of them. The rest of the class were like deer in the headlights. Oh, we tried... we gave it our college best to keep up. And let me tell you, it just got better and better. Gloria Estefan up there was in her own little world, at warp speed, and the songs, one after the other just got faster and faster! I felt like I was on some bad caffeine trip having a nightmare. No explanation of the moves.... no real warning of when she was going to switch to the next move.... no eye contact or real interaction with the class!!! This just made me angry. What instructor doesn't interact at all with their class? No acknowledgement at ALL that we were even there! She may has well have been auditioning for "So You Think You Can Dance". Taking things seriously is one thing, but this was supposed to be fun - not to mention several of these people must have been new like me, because there were some pretty lost people in that class. I just kept telling myself keep moving, keep moving.... as long as you keep moving you keep your heart rate up, at least your doing something! Throw a hip shake in there and do a hip circle every once in a while, with a woo hoo and you have them fooled! I have to say, it was definitely hot - one big fat hot mess!!!!
At least after the class when I talked to a couple of the ladies I learned that not all the instructors are like that. Apparently she likes the faster songs, and they don't all teach that way. I would hope not. You don't just launch into things like that without explaining a bit about posture and how not to hurt yourself - some of the moves she was doing could definately hurt you IF you aren't using correct posture. Scary.
So there's my rant - please forgive me. But I'm not going to let some boppy red bulled instructor put me off of this - so I went home and ordered the real deal - Zumba. It came today, complete with the shakers. And imagine this! Even though the moves ARE fast and furious, they break everything down first. (I knew it!) And as you start out, the songs aren't 90 mph... they work you into that as you go. You don't have to start out going 900 mph with your hair on fire to get a good work out! Infact, most of the moves, if you do them right, you're going to sweat going half speed as long as you're keeping steady and dancing it up!!! Do know this. My girlfriend takes Zumba classes at a local community center and just loves them. Apparently you can burn up to 1,000 calories an hour and now I can see why! So I hope you won't let my little rant discourage you at all if you've been considering trying out this very fun dance/excersize class. If I hadn't ordered my Zumba set, I would have asked the instructor to show me some moves - and I would have talked to her. Infact, I still might, because she needs to know that someone new like me is going to be completely clueless in there. But maybe she was just having an off day, and I'll give her another chance. I just can't imagine someone who has a hard time with coordination; it intimidated me! What would you do? Would you say something to her?
Regardless, my plan is to learn the moves, and get comfy with it, and then I'm hitting the class up again. It really does look like too much fun and is such a good workout, it would be a shame to give up on it. Besides, I'm invested in it now! ha! So, back to class I will go.
I'll be the one wearing lots and lots of brightly colored ribbons...... sewn onto my leggings!!!!.