2013 is knocking on the door, and one of the all-time top
new year’s resolutions is to get in shape. For six years I’ve been shaking it
and sweating in ZumbaR classes. If you’ve decided to Zumba yourself into shape,
I’ve got some pointers for you.
Even
though Zumba was invented by a man, Beto Perez, most of the people in my Zumba class are
women, so my advice is more female oriented.
women, so my advice is more female oriented.
Before you go to class, get two good pairs
of shoes.
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| Nike Musique IV shoes with pivot point. |
Nike makes Musique dance/cheer shoes that have a pivot point under
the ball of the foot. Cross training shoes are also good. I’ve found that heel
support is not as important as a shoe that can flex, because I dance more up on
the balls of my feet than on my heels. Running shoes can trip you up when you
move side to side. You can use them, but beware. Two pairs of shoes allow you
to alternate them so they won't wear out as fast.
Absorbent socks are a good
thing. When I get home from Zumba, I put my shoes in front of a heating vent to
help them dry out.
After you’re done shoe shopping,
pick up a few good, supportive, sports bras. Be prepared. A whole lotta shakin’
and shimmying goes on in class. You can wear anything over the sports bra, a tight
tank top, a loose t-shirt, or whatever you’re most comfortable in. If you get too
hot, and you're daring enough, you can go with just the sports bra.
I usually pull my hair up in a
pony tail to keep it out of my face. Others use head bands, or have the
foresight and time to braid their hair. Some have short hair and don’t need to
do a thing.
As for what to wear on your lower
half, in my class, there’s a lot of variety: Yoga pants, capris, running shorts,
and tennis skirts, depending mostly on the temperature outside. Fabrics made to
wick away moisture are the way to go. Keep in mind that dark colors are better
at hiding sweat.
Sometimes for fun I’ll wear a belly dance hip scarf over my
yoga pants. Keeping the coins jingling on beat is a challenge, and I like to
think of it as doing Zumba with weights.
Don't buy too many new workout clothes though because it probably won't be long before you have to buy more in smaller sizes. Zumba melts the fat off quickly.
Finally, before you leave home,
fill up a water bottle. You’ll need at least 20 ounces to stay hydrated during
an hour of 600-800 calorie burning Zumba. Some people like ice in their water.
I prefer mine room temperature. Smart Water with electrolytes is another option.
If I’m doing a 90-minute class, I’ll bring either two 20 oz. water bottles, two
bottles of G-Series Performance Gatorade, or a combination of both.
Now that you’re ready, on to
class. Get there before class to meet the teacher, and fill out any forms. Trust
me, everybody’s nervous before their first Zumba class. Will you know the
steps? No. Will you make mistakes? Yes. Will everybody be watching you? No, unless
you make the mistake of standing in the front row.
Don’t stand in the front row
until you’ve been doing Zumba for awhile and know most of the routines. If you
stand in the back, staggered between the two people in front of you, you will
be able to watch everybody in front of you and follow them even if you can’t
see the teacher. The gals in the front row usually know what they’re doing, and
when they started, they started in the back. It won’t take long before you too
will know the difference between a cha cha and salsa, hip hop and belly
dancing. Then the new people will be pushing you up to the front row.
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| My Halloween Zumba class. |
Put your water bottle, somewhere
nearby, but not where anyone can trip on it. You can grab a drink between
songs. Introduce yourself to the people around you because sooner or later,
you’ll be turning the wrong way and running into them, so you may as well get
to know them before hand. They were all beginners before, so they know how you
feel. A quick smile and the ability to laugh at yourself go a long way toward making class fun.
One of the great things about
Zumba is that you don’t have time to over analyze what you’re doing or fret
over any mistakes you make. If everybody is moving left, you better be too,
even if your footwork isn’t perfect. Keep moving with the school of fish. Don’t
stop dead or you’ll get run over. The music dictates how fast you better be
moving.
Sometimes you can divide how
fast you move your feet in half if you need to, but you’ve still got to pay
attention to the beat. If you can’t find the beat, find someone else’s feet to
watch, or if there’s a cowbell clanging, follow it. When I get lost, I focus on
correcting my feet first, arms second. You can adjust your movements to be high
energy, or low impact. When you’re just starting out, don’t go too big or it’s
hard to recover and get back to where you should be. As with anything, the more you practice, they better you'll get, so keep showing up for class if you want to improve.
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| Ready for a Zumba flash mob. |
With thousands of Zumba miles on
my many pairs of dancing shoes, the thing that keeps me going back for more, is
that I don’t think of it as grueling exercise that I have to endure. It’s an
energy filled dance party that I get to go to five or more times a week. There
are new songs and routines to figure out each week. My teachers also rotate and
keep things fresh. Each one has her own style or “flava.”
Before every class, before the
music takes over, my Zumba Maniacs teachers call out to us, “Bend your knees! Pick up
your feet! Have fun!” That’s not hard to do at all!
