Zumba

For awhile people have told me I had to check out Zumba. I was hesitant, it seemed like a fad. This week I was looking to mix up my workouts so I thought I'd try it. I know Zumba is popular so I called ahead. NYSC allows you to reserve the day before, calling at noon the day before I was still the last one on the list! Clearly this is a popular class!

From the start it was ill-fated. I went to the wrong NYSC location! I knew it was near Rock center so I went to the Rock center club. When I didn't see Zumba on the schedule, I asked about it and found out I should have been at 49th/Broadway. I had 8 minutes to run (literally). The club is in a hotel so it was more to navigate but I made it at 5:44. I immediately raised my hand as a rookie and the instructor started to describe the hand signals. There are hand signals?!? I am hosed.... I really enjoyed the first part of the class, it had lots of jumps and hops to get my heart rate up but it was crowded. I was slightly annoyed, the instructor didn't check the list so there were definitely people there that shouldn't have been and it was affecting my experience! As the class progressed, the choreography got harder, I struggled to keep up, and my heart rate started to fall. By the end, I was so ready for class to be over - I was tired of watching my feet to make sure I didn't run into someone else or the wall (I was totally hiding in the back as I always do in a new class).

Overall, it seems like a great thing for people who want something fun, different and dance-based but there were a few people who seemed to get a minimal cardio workout. There were a few ladies in the front who knew the moves and appeared to get a good workout but I thought there were too many breaks (water/towel break after every song was excessive). The class seems to be what you make of it. Not to sound judgmental but it seems like something those that want to say they "worked out" but not really have to work hard enjoy doing. They were a few that barely did the moves, you could easily slack off/stop whenever you want. Clearly it works for some (the instructor was in amazing shape), but it wasn't my cup of tea (320 calories in 45 minutes isn't enough). I won't go back but I'm glad I went. At least I can say I've tried it!