why I love Zumba Fitness!

as I write this I am onto my 3rd glass of wine, and to say I'm a cheap date is a huge understatement.... so i may well look back at this in the morning and go "oh dear god" - either at the content or at the spelling lol

OK so why I love Zumba

first and foremost I've met some absolutely fanstastic people through Zumba, both as a participant and as an instructor, there are some truely inspirational people out there and i now have to pleasure to say I know them, some I am even able to call my friends.

it gives you a real all natural buzz!
if I'm feeling totally rubbish either physically or emtionally, I know if I can summon up the enegry to get my arse to a Zumba class then those feelings quickly become a distant memory :) i'm not saying if you really are physically exhausted or if you're ill you should push through, you gotta listen to your body and rest when you need to - but if you're just generally feeling 'blah' or a bit 'meh' and are tempted to reach for that chocolate bar then get your backside to a Zumba class and those feelings of 'blah' and 'meh' totally go away :)
Zumba has got me through some hard times this past year, it's been my escape from all my stresses and worries, it's been my hour of the day where nothing has been a concern but following a mad pair of feet on a stage in front of me.
generally speaking Zumba instructors are nuts (and yes i include myself in that!), so you will have a giggle if nothing else :P

you lose inches!
notice I say inches and not weight, although more than likely you will lose weight too - I've been doing Zumba for a year and a half now and I've actually only lost about 6lb but I have dropped 3 dress sizes!! In Zumba you both burn fat and build muscle - but remember, muscle weighs more than fat so it is quite possible to actually gain weight and still lose the inches! go by your measuring tape and how your clothes fit, NOT by what your scales say!
when I started Zumba around my hips/bum I was a whopping 49" at the widest and 46" at narrowest - i am now, at the last i measured, 41" at the widest and 37" at the narrowest :) I went into my old work last week, I've not been there in 2 years, and the first thing one of my old colleagues said when she saw me was "you've lost half your arse!!" - nope, not lost it, left it at Zumba!
i am battling against a couple of hormone imbalance conditions which make it really hard for me to lose weight, even slogging it out at Zumba 4 times a week my loss has been slow, but boy has it been fun!! i have loved every single sweaty moment of it!

you get a confidence boost!
In Zumba it doesn't matter if you've danced all your life or of you've never danced a day in your life, on the Zumba dance floor everyone is equal, as long as you are moving and you are having fun that is all that matters. Zumba routines are specially choreographed so that ANYONE can follow them. everyone can Zumba because however you move is PERFECT :) and PLEASE believe me when I say that no-one is watching or judging you, everyone is far too busy following the instructor to care what anyone else is doing!

Zumba opens up exercise to everyone!
whether you're a fitness nut or completely new to any form of exercise there is a Zumba Fitness class for you! from chair Gold classes for those with very limited mobility through to the body sculpting Zumba Toning, there is a class for everyone to get their grove on to the rhythms we have come to know and love :) I have recently taken some classes for people with learning disabilities and the classes were just fab!
you do NOT need to know how to dance to know how to Zumba!! just follow your instructor and let the music move you! honestly the best advice i can give to any Zumba newbies is to just relax and let the music guide you, a lot of the steps and rhythms are very natural once you let go :) i tend to find i am more likely to trip over my own feet if i am trying too hard, just relax and let the music move you!
you'll find classes will vary from instructor to instructor- uniqueness is celebrated and encouraged both with students and instructors, but i 100% believe that there is a class and instructor out there for everyone!

it opens you up to a whole new world of music and dance!
i had never even heard of Reggaeton, Cumbia or Axe before I started going to Zumba classes, let alone knowing how to move to these rhythms! my music pallet is now so much wider... even if I don't understand what's being said in the music (be assured that Zumba music is clean both in language and in topic no matter what language it's being sung in!)

all in all, I love Zumba! I have loved Zumba from the first class I went to well over a year ago, I love the change it has made to my life, it has boosted my confidence, I've dropped 3 dress sizes, I've made new friends, not to mention the fact I am now fitter than I probably have ever been in my life :)

ZUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMBA!!!!