zumba

Top 5 reasons why Zumba is so amazing:

1) The “Sexy Factor”: our instructor had us literally whipping our hair around and shaking our money makers for everything. Throw in some cute workout clothes, a room filled with mirrors and you feel like a million bucks! Where else can you do that? Except in the mirror at home where your kids smirk at you?

2) The Music: Zumba will never give you a slow tune. Even with a semi slow salsa tune your hips are still moving and your inner goddess* is glowing. Most tunes are extremely fast paced, fun and just make you feel so goooood when you are dancing (ahem, working out).

*fifty shades of grey reference

3) The “do your own thing” factor: Some steps are easy some steps are like…um can we try that again?! Slowwwwly? But the best part is you can have a blast and burn calories just trying your hardest, as long as you are giving it your all and that heart rate is up, you are golden! It totally doesn’t matter if you are moving to the left when the instructor is going right, as long as you are landing the steps you are A-OK!

4) The “music video” factor: somehow being in class dancing all those steps with all these other women made me feel like I was a part of some crazy sexy flash mob! Dancing these high energy sexy moves with everyone else makes you feel like a rockstar! So much fun!

5) The Calorie Burn: no, really. I am now a believer. A true believer. I was drenched in 45 minutes, and I do not easily perspire. I remember when I first started to do Zumba I had to grab on to my knees and collect myself. (And I call myself an athlete! Smh!) Zumba generally burns an average of 600-800 calories per one hour class, I am proof!

If you have taken Zumba before and it hasn’t been “all that” then you have not found the right instructor. Some instructors like to keep things slow and some love to keep it high energy (like me!) Keep trying and you will find the right instructor for you!

[Tweet “5 Reasons Why You Should Try #Zumba! #fitness #health”]

Have you taken Zumba before? What reasons would you add to this list?

Zumba Pro Skills – A Review

So remember when I told you guys that I was starting to feel a little stagnant in my Zumba routine? I was really uninspired and everytime I went to go choreograph, it was the same stuff happening. I had hit a wall in my teaching so I decided to do something about it, I took Zumba Pro Skills.

When I woke up last Friday morning, I was SO excited. I got up and left the house with more than enough time to get all the way out to Long Island in time…unfortunately the commute turned out to be a nightmare that had me go from Brooklyn to Queens to Manhattan and finally to Great Neck, Long Island. It was a total mess and I was so frustrated but I would not let that get me down!

When I walked in the MasterClass was already underway. Our instructor for the day was the famous Jani Roberts, she is one of the original Zumba people, and she also taught my original Zumba class. I was so excited because I knew exactly what to expect, fun, high energy and a great personality.

When the masterclass was over we got a little break and I made a beeline to the Zumba wear that was available at discounted rates for us. I was in love. You put two of my favorite things together Zumba and shopping and we have got an explosive situation! I have an insane amount of Zumba clothes, like one day I will do a vlog on how much I have, I may need a separate closet.

Breaking It Down

After that we went through the technical aspects of instructing, it wasn’t just for Zumba but it really was for teaching in general. How to introduce yourself to your class, creating good energy and preparation techniques. We also broke out into groups throughout the day and learned one on one how to implement our new skills. I found this to be the coolest part because in the basic class we were focused in learning moves, this broke it right down to the nitty gritty.

I also had some real a-ha moments that will change the way I manage my class and also help my class to learn quicker while retaining the moves for next time.

Performer or Educator?

We had lunch, did some more drills and we came to a section where she asked us, “Are you more of a performer or educator?” I honestly wasn’t sure how to handle that question, I know I love to make sure my students are getting a good workout by doing the moves correctly but there are certainly times when the music is so good that I put a fancy twist on things. (I can’t help it!)

When it was all said and done I was beyond inspired, I was ready. I got new moves, new songs and I am so excited to implement them on September 14th, for the new session. I have since choreographed 5 new songs and I hope a can do a fully new set (12 songs) for the fall class. Here is one of the new songs that I adore and can’t wait to teach!

Here is one of my newly choreo’d songs:

httpv://youtu.be/NUMOdDx8fmM

What was the last thing you did that left you inspired?

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Try Zumba!