And Now for Something Completely Different

First off, my thanks to Giselle for advising me to take yoga rather than cycling the night after Zumba. My abs  were on fire yesterday from Zumba, so yoga was definitely the better option. Good call, Giselle!

Yoga was the opposite experience of Zumba. Zumba was crowded, loud, crazy and intense. Yoga was extremely quiet and calm. While I didn't take Zumba seriously going in, yoga intimidated me. I tried taking yoga years ago during undergrad, and it was a disaster. The classroom was insanely full, so there was no room to really move. The instructor expected everyone to already have knowledge of the poses so I was completely lost and had no idea if I was doing anything correctly. I was miserable. I wasn't looking too forward to yoga last night, but decided to give it another try, encouraged by my fiancé’s aunt, who teaches yoga, and my friend Scott, both of whom have said many good things that convinced me to give it a chance. 

Last night after work I walked into the gym and immediately felt good about my decision. The room was quiet and dimly lit, except for a single overhead light and some white Christmas lights in trees in the corners of the room. Less than 10 people took the class so there was plenty of spacing between the mats. The instructor introduced herself to me and put me at ease by asking me knowledge and comfort level and assuring me that she would demonstrate the poses for us, and also walk around to check our alignment during the class. 

I was surprised that I was able to do all of the poses with no problems. I think in my mind I had built up yoga to be extremely difficult because of my past bad experience, but it actually feels really good. The instructor had a very calm voice and was good at explaining how to do each pose. She also told us what each pose does, (cooling, flexibility, etc) which I liked.

I tend to have a billion different thoughts in my mind at any given second and also have a tendency to be fidgety, so at first I had a little trouble staying in a pose for extended periods because I was impatient to move on to the next one. I think it’s good for me to have an activity that forces me to focus on a single position and clear my mind. At one point I realized I hadn’t thought about anything since the beginning of class – I hadn’t made mental checklists of things I needed to do or worried about work or family or friends or weekend plans. It kind of felt magical and indulgent.  When the instructor said we only had a few minutes left I was shocked. The hour passed so quickly but I didn't feel exhausted as I had with Zumba. For the final stretch we had our backs on the floor and our legs straight up against a wall, which we did for about 5 minutes with our eyes closed. It was awesome.

I am really glad I have overcome my fear of yoga. I felt great after class and I'd like to make it part of my weekly workout plan. So with positive Zumba and yoga experiences, my fitness week is a success so far. I hope to have another good experience with tonight’s indoor cycling class.

Things That Make You Go Zum(ba)

Upon realizing that my student ID doesn't expire until four years from now, I decided to take advantage of it by getting involved in some of the free fitness classes on campus. I run and swim, but these are solitary and somewhat repetitive, so I thought it would be fun to try new things and check out some group classes. So with the help of Giselle (of thingsthatmakegisellelaugh fame) I created an ambitious schedule for this week, trying a new class each night with the thought that if I don't like it, at least I didn't lose any money on it.

For my first night, I tried Zumba. I've heard a lot of positive reviews of Zumba from friends and coworkers, but I was dubious. (One friend described it as "That class where them girls drop they booties to Latin songs.") In my mind it was just Jazzercise with salsa music, something for people who can't really work out. I imagined old women with sweatbands on their arms and Olivia Newton John outfits. I though I'd be walking into a Hot Sundae video. When my friend said "My mom loves Zumba!" this did little to change my bias. Before going my friend and I jokingly tried to guess what the demographics would be, banking on old, severely out of shape, etc. 
 
I arrived a few minutes early to stretch and took in my surroundings. It was a mix of older women (professors) and college girls at varying levels of fitness. I was not the only first-timer, and I heard many of the other new girls begging their friends not to mock them if they couldn't keep up. Some old woman came up to me and asked if I was new. I told her it was indeed my first Zumba experience. She then  told me to listen to my body and not to worry if I couldn't make it the whole hour, take breaks if I needed to and not feel bad if I couldn't figure out the routines. because they can be really complicated. "Back the F off, Miss Havisham!" I thought to myself before sweetly assuring her I would modify any moves I found too challenging. Then because I had called her Miss Havisham in my head I thought of Pip, and his friend Herbert Pocket and what a perfect name Herbert Pocket is. 
 
So, how was Zumba?

Well, to my happy surprise it was really intense. During the hour you learn about 10 fast paced dance routines. A friend had advised me to bring a towel because of how much it makes you sweat, and that was good advice.
 
The music was way too loud. You aren't always facing the instructor, and I am hard of hearing so I had trouble hearing when the instructor said it was time to move to a new routine over the loud loud loud music. Thankfully I quickly figured out that new song = new routine.
 
My favorite moves were those that combined salsa and boxing, probably because of my comfort with shaking my hips and throwing punches.
 
Some people have no rhythm. At all. 
 
Some women don't know how to move their hips and have trouble dropping it's like it's lukewarm, much less hot. Loosen up, people! 
 
MC Hammer? Really? That just makes me think of elementary school when we had to do dance units in gym class, which consisted of the electric slide (boogie woogie woogie!), line dancing, and student-choreographed routines. My group once had to dance to 2 Legit 2 Quit. It was sad.
 
Two of the routines felt a little goofy, like we were practicing to be in "Step It Up 13: Latin Beat-down" or "Step it Up 15: The Rhythm is Gonna Get You...in 3D!!!" which made me wonder why Channing Tatum's abs weren't in class with us.
 
In one of the songs, the singer kept talking about making desayuno for his amor after she stayed overnight. This made me want migas, which made me think of how gross it would feel to eat a big Mexican breakfast right before an hour of working out. Chorizo + cardio = no bueno.
 
Do not go to Zumba if you can't run or at least jog for an hour straight. There are no breaks at all. It starts fast and gets faster from there. People started leaving at the half hour mark because they were exhausted. Only about 2/3 of the class lasted the whole hour. 
 
Do not go to Zumba if you have no hand-eye coordination. If you can't pick up a dance move just by watching someone do it, the class will probably be frustrating for you. There was one person who left because she spent most of the first 3 routines standing still trying to understand the basic steps and wasn't able to combine them.It helps to have some background in dancing because the instructor doesn't explain the moves at all. She just jumps right into a new routine with multiple steps and you have to copy what she's doing. 
 
I wore my running shoes (Nike Torch). It would have been better to wear Pumas or dance shoes.
 
I'm not used to sweaty dancing to Latin beats in a healthy context. At the 45 minute mark I was momentarily confused by the lack of margaritas and chili con carne.

Over all, it was fun, it was different, and it was a good workout. I will definitely go again. Hopefully I will have another positive experience with tonight's class, yoga.