ZUMBA!!- It's not just for your nalgas...

Any given evening you can find me gyrating my body and dripping sweat everywhere. No, I'm not giving out lap dances or hanging upside down on a pole. No, I'm dancing, dancing with a bunch of strangers who really aren't strangers at all, they're more like family now. I am a self-proclaimed zumba addict!! 

It's been a little over a year since I went to my first zumba class. My best friend sold me at "dancing" and "reggaeton". I made the drive all the way to Westminister just to shake my ass. I remember seeing the instructor a small little asian guy. He was so tiny and buff and dripping with sweat. I thought to myself,  HE is going to teach me how to sway my hips and roll my body? He does salsa??? Boy oh boy did he know more than a thing or two about salsa.
It was that day that I threw myself into cumbia, salsa, Bollywood, even Greek. I could hardly keep up with the instructor. He was a hyper little ball of energy. He moved so effortlessly and his hips did things I could not get mine to do. Halfway through the class I looked at my friend as if I was going to drop to the floor and die. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't keep up. I thought to myself, "Your fat ass is so out of shape!!" However at the same time I didn't want to stop.

It was that day that I caught the bug, the zumba bug. I started looking up classes everywhere and asking other people about what classes to take. I became Facebook friends with my instructors and practically showed up at everyone of their classses. I looked forward to every class. All day I yearned to dance. 

I have always loved dancing. Prior to Zumba I could be found on any dance floor in any club busting a move from dusk til dawn, breaking in heels, drinking my drink, believing I was having the best time. While I loved dancing at the club, getting dressed up and being with my friends; I hated the wasted money, the assholes, the hangovers and the loneliness at the end of the night.
After Zumba I noticed I felt the same adrenaline rush that clubbing gave me. I also noticed that I was happier and had more energy and then I started losing weight. After gaining most if not all the weight I lost since high school I became depressed and unmotivated. I worked out here and there but nowhere near as hard as I used to. I couldn't seem to get myself back to the gym rat I had once become. I couldn't get back into my skinny jeans and I didn't feel sexy anymore. Once, I started taking Zumba it started coming back. I found my motivation, my desire, my ganas!!

I started encouraging everyone I knew to go with me. Pretty soon my mom and my tia and my other friends were doing it too. I felt so good. I noticed that I was no longer depressed. And when I felt my depression rearing its ugly head I took my ass to the gym. I not only started doing Zumba all the time but I started doing other exercises and reading fitness magazines and making better meals. I couldn't stop smiling and I wanted to share that feeling with everyone I met.
Looking back on the whole experience now I realize that Zumba is not just for your nalgas, it's good for your corazon!! Zumba to me is more than just a workout it's a mindset. You have got to let go and dance like no one is watching. You must live life with the energy in the music. Hold your head high and tell yourself you are the shit!! You must have that Zumba attitude all the time.

Now 25 pounds lighter and a whole lot happier I Zumba all the time. I Zumba so much that I'm actually going to teach my first class and look forward to teaching many more. I still love to get down in the club but my mindset is much different now; my life perspective has changed. I can say that Zumba brought me back to life. I realize that Zumba is not just for your nalgas, it's a way of life. There's nothing not to smile or dance about!!!