Posts tagged Trepidation
Have You Tried Zumba?
Sep 28th
Zumba is one of the fastest growing exercise classes in the world today, cropping up in village and town halls, health clubs, in leisure centres and even colleges across the UK. Originating from South America, Zumba is a cardio based dance work out designed to tone and sculpt the body. Containing a huge serving of Latin flavour and includes moves from Salsa, Merengue and Samba, there are over 7.5 million people across the world jumping on the Zumba bandwagon. It looks set to be the next great fitness trend.
To find out what all the fuss was about, I decided to take myself down to a Leisure Centre nearby where a new class was starting. Although my first love is running I’ve been through most of the exercise classes available. I’ve tried my hand at Step’n'Pump, have been bored in Bodypump, yawned my way through Yoga but absolutely loved Circuits. Analysing this I now believe that anything slow or with any form of a routine doesn’t really float my boat, but this could be down to me not being issued with my full quota of coordination at the time of conception. With this in mind I entered the class with nervous in trepidation.
Obviously word had got around and it wasn’t the poorly attended session I’d had in mind. There must have been 16 to 20 ladies of all ages, shapes and sizes. The instructor was really lovely and was obviously lulling me into a false sense of security. I had a chat with her beforehand and made my way to the back of the room to hide. In hindsight, I really should have been at the front but never mind, at least if I were to vomit, nobody would see me.
The class started relatively slowly with basic steps being introduced. There wasn’t an awful lot of verbal instruction but to be honest, it wasn’t needed as we all eagerly copied the instructors every move.
The slow moves at the start gradually increased and before I knew it, was partying away the pounds to awe inspiring Latin vibes and rhythms.Now I consider myself to be fairly fit, and at the start was sure that the 65 year old lady to my left would do nothing but make me feel even better about myself. Unfortunately, I now believe that she was in disguise and was actually an ex-professional athlete, possibly mid 30′s and obviously on something. She was amazing.
The class was absolutely exhilarating, the vivacious moves, the mix of fast, slow and resistance left you dripping in sweat and feeling like you’ve had the best workout in years; you could feel the calories being burnt away. It was fun, energising and captivating. The instructor wasn’t lulling me in to a false sense of security, she was genuinely nice and her enthusiasm was infectious.
In conclusion, anybody can join a Zumba class and enjoy it. The 65 year old lady in disguise was inspirational and who needs coordination to enjoy yourself. I didn’t vomit. I left and wanted more. I was completely knackered.

