I Admit it::

I

Love

ZUMBA!!

I just can't hide it any longer.  If you know me in real life, this is probably somewhat of a shock.  There is a lot of wiggling in Zumba, something which I do NOT do well.  But, Zumba with an instructor, in a big room full of other people is Waay better than trying to keep up with one of the Zumba videos.  Seriously, why pay so much for DVDs when you don't ever really know what they are doing?!  We tried Zumba once with a group of girls I worked out with while we were still in Herrick.  It did not go well.  I was pretty discouraged because I really wanted to like Zumba.  But my mind is just too controlled for those types of movements.  My hips don't jirate (is that how you spell it?), my top have doesn't shimmy correctly, the list goes on.  So I pretty well had written Zumba off my list.  I planned to stick with the Biggest Loser Boot Camp and running.  So let me tell you exactly how I came to this new-found love:

At the Warren Christmas get-together this past December, one of our cousins, Christopher, brought his girlfriend with him to meet the family.  This might not seem like that big of a deal, but Chris isn't really one to commit to any girl, so to actually bring her to meet this crazy clan of Warrens was a pretty big deal.  Her name is Paulette and she really held her own.  I was impressed. (O:  So, she was in the kitchen talking to my father-in-law, Mark.  I walked in and Mark told me he was going to pay for me, his wife/myMIL Treasa and my SIL Amy to all go to Zumba classes.  I just blurted out, "Oh, I hate Zumba!" ...it was at this point that Mark explains that Paulette is a Zumba instructor in town and he is going to pay for all of us to go to her classes...So much for welcoming her into our family! (He is really good about setting people up to get to know each other and was probably trying to make connections between some Warren women and Paulette- a Warren-to-be...but in my defense, he should have Started his story with, Hey Annie, Paulette is a Zumba instructor and I'm going to send you guys to her classes...).  Not that there is really any way to retract from my previous statement, but I did my best.  I tried to explain that I'm just not a mover and a shaker, and that my only experience was an advanced video version.  She didn't seem to mind that I hated her profession, or if she did, she didn't let on.  But, I said I would go with the girls and give it my best.

My first class was about a month ago and I will fully admit that I was wrong.  I'm hooked.  She is pretty intense, which I love.  She also doesn't do as much shimmy-shaking as I expected.  There are some hip rotations and shoulder shakes (polite way to put that..), but I just try to keep moving until those are over.  (haha).  It's a pretty high-cardio kind of work out with lots of squats, arm raises, jumping, etc.  The songs are up beat and fun.  They are mostly rap songs that I do not normally listen to, but something about a really thumping base beat keeps you going hard.  (Yes, I said thumping.  Don't judge me.)

So, that is my admission of the day.  My name is Annie, I love Zumba and I am determined to continue working on my fitness.  Maybe someday I will tell you all about how I am no longer addicted to Diet soda and actually prefer veggies and fruit to fries or chips.  (Not today, I don't want to overload your brains!) ;-)

Make it a great day! (O: