I love attending Zumba ® class!

In fact, I like to Zumba, Zumba!

Can you hear it? The song “I Like To Move It” by Reel 2 Real… but instead the lyrics are:

I like to Zumba, Zumba.
I like to Zumba, Zumba.
I like to Zumba, Zumba.
I like to… ZUMBA!

What started as a curiosity has turned into somewhat of an obsession. Yes ladies and gents (if there’s any gents out in cyberspace reading this)… I like Zumba.

First, I digress, I am not a good dancer. In fact in Grade 3 I was the cause of a collision on stage in the school Christmas play. It’s one of those dreadful childhood memories… I was going in the opposite direction than everyone else on stage and ended up colliding with the whole row of dancers. Oh my… those were the days.

Anyway, back to Zumba! So if you weren’t already aware, Zumba is a fitness program/class which consists of various styles of dance and aerobic moves, set to the soundtrack of hip and fun music.

I love it but the love wasn’t always there. I remember my first Zumba class… my legs were shaking, I felt like puking, I couldn’t keep up and then I looked at the clock and saw we were only 10 minutes into the hour-long class.

So how did this curiosity turn into a love? Well, I’m going to share a few tips with you.

photo credit: © depositphotos.com / PawelSierak

Don’t eat for at least a couple hours before Zumba class.

I know this should be a standard workout rule. However, my first Zumba class was about an hour after I had a dinner of sliders and french fries. Oh my goodness, did I ever want to puke! I remember reaching for my water bottle on the floor behind me and seeing a sign above a red button that said “EMERGENCY BUTTON”… it took every ounce of willpower to keep me from pushing that button!

Water. Water. Water.

Speaking of water, make sure to bring a water bottle to class. Trust me, you’re going to need it.

Also, make sure to drink lots of water after class. If drinking water is a challenge for you, try some of these tips to increase your water intake.

Dress appropriately.

Make sure to wear your work out clothes and dress lightly because you’re going to get hot (and I’m talking most than “Salsa moves” hot… I mean physically, dripping wet, sweaty hot). Although, I must say my first Zumba instructor would wear a hoodie for the first half hour of class. It used to annoy me so much because I was dripping sweat and here he was wearing his hoodie, “inflicting” the pain of this class on me!

Try classes with several instructors.

I’ve liked all my Zumba instructors but my current instructor is absolutely fantastic. She’s so energetic and enthusiastic, she chooses great music and she changes the routines every couple of months.

Scared of class? Try it out at home.

You can always buy the Zumba DVD set. Also, Playstation 3, Wii and Xbox Kinect have Zumba games. I have a Zumba game and I love it! Although I prefer the “energy” of a live class. You could also purchase the DVD set!

Wear good shoes.

You will be dancing… a lot, so make sure you’re wearing good shoes. The instructors wear these great Zumba-brand shoes. They look like running shoes but they aren’t as “grippy” as regular running shoes so the instructors have a bit more “slide” to their steps. I wear regular running shoes but the grips are quite worn down… it’s sufficient, but one day I’ll get my Zumba shoes.

Smile and laugh.

Sometimes the instructor will make an obvious sign to the class that we need to smile. It reminds me not to take things too seriously… it’s not a competition, it’s a fun workout! Or you can always be like me and laugh through most of it. Whether it’s the dance in which we’re pretending to rope a cow, or the dance-offs with the instructor or my ridiculous attempts at doing body rolls… I can’t help but laugh (and laughter is one of my favourite ab workouts).

Do you Zumba? Do you have any tips you would like to share?

Jennifer Bly

Author of My Kitchen, My Classroom: An Introduction to Homeschool and creator of The Deliberate Mom. Jennifer writes about parenting, homeschooling, her faith, and life with her husband and two girls. Jennifer has a Bachelor of Applied Human Service Administration Degree with a specialization in Early Learning in Child Care.