Zumba Ass-Kicking Extravaganza

Zumba kicks your ass. Plain and simple. Like MacGyver on a drug dealer, it beats you down until you cry. This weekend, after 3 months of not going to the gym and letting my sister and K cook amazing meals for me, I decided to join my girlfriends in a 2-hour class of non-stop booty kicking action.

Now, my friend Jes is one of the instructors--and she is PHENOMENAL. I had a bit of a time trying to follow along with the other instructors, seeing as how I'm notorious in my family for being the klutziest klutz who ever lived and they are Zumba-awesome. So considering that, I think I did a pretty damn good job. And I had a really fun time with my girls doing it.

So if you've never done it, here is Zumba in a nutshell: spicy Latin music and some current hits that I recognized (You wouldn't peg me for a hip-hop loving girl, would you? I like to keep you on your toes, readers.) a seemingly simple repetition of steps that you follow along with the instructor, and some crazy arm movements that prove to be the cherry on top of the ass-kicking extravaganza. Individually, the leg movements and the arm movements are manageable. But trying to put those two together was the real challenge for me. So I chose to do my own interpretation of most of the moves, and stayed WAY in the back so I wouldn't knock into the other, obviously more Zumba-inclined members of this class.

The thing that's awesome about it is that nobody judges you. Several times throughout the class (more than I'd like to admit, actually) I stopped and sat out a song for a water break. (I was WINDED, okay? Don't judge me.) And I just kind of bopped along with the music, still watching the instructor on the stage. I was still having an awesome time, just needed a little break for some agua. And they were totally cool about it! Nobody turned and gave you the stink eye, they just got their dance on.

So if you're in the mood for changing up (or starting) your workout routine, I'd totally recommend it. Just maybe do some stretches first, and don't eat a stuffed pepper and an elephant ear beforehand, or you might pass out from exhaustion.