When Zumba becomes your fitness plan.

 There is not many forms of exercise that I like. It’s easier to choose from variety of options available to you in the summer - whether it’s walking, hiking or all sorts of water sports, among others. Don’t take me wrong, you can hike, jog and walk in colder weather, but as far as the outside options in the water, they are limited in cold climates, unless you use indoor pool.  Take what you can do in water in summer: you can enjoy ocean, lake and choose from water sports, swimming, boating or lakeside yoga, it’s all for you to explore.

I wanted to get off the couch and enjoy some form of exercise as a wellness plan for the winter so I looked into water exercise options in the local gym. I quickly noticed that the menu of water sports includes a few, but many happening in the hours that most of us work, however they create a great opportunity for those who are on vacation and days off, or folks who stay at home, perhaps retirees, etc. I noticed that water Zumba class is happening at a very reasonable 7 PM during weekdays. At first I was hesitant to try that, but I changed my mind after some trial of lap swimming, and finding that this form of exercise is actually quite boring and I’m not sure if I will be able to stick to that routine. Noticeably I was also not part of a lap swim culture, people who were wearing semi professional swimming gear, goggles and  generally looked like cars speeding on the highway with rush hour focus, motivation, and looking like swimming in what one does for living. That just stopped looking pleasant to me very quickly. To top it off one time a person who wanted to share a lane with me commented that I do not swim because I wear eye glasses in the pool. While wearing sunglasses, and even glasses, is nothing new and somewhat trendy in summer at the beaches and lakes, it is not in the code of behavior of indoor swimming environment. And there is a reason for this difference - while in summer people mostly wear those items for protective measures, promoting a culture of sun-health among youngsters, it is not something that is a necessity in the indoor pools.  I discovered one more item on the water sports menu, it was a water aerobics class unfortunately taking place in mid-day. I keep that option in mind for those days that I will have a day off, because I truly enjoyed the instructor and entire class one time when I had a chance to attend. So now to back to Zumba..

I was a little shy to try Zumba water class as first, as the group participating seemed very coherent, and I did not think that I will fit in. I was wrong: the instructor and the female predominant group were all very welcoming. I continued wearing my rainbow colors one-piece swimsuits leftover after summer, and I kept wearing my eyeglasses. No comments, so far so good. I learnt to love the Zumba routine, perhaps not easy to follow initially, but after 15 to 20 minutes of banging in the water and attempting to follow instructors footsteps, your body releases so much happiness creating endorphins, that you got a feeling of “just being lucky to be here”, jumping with joy, and sharing that vibe with class of participants. Moreover, music is fine, water has good temperature, and everybody seems to be focused on what they doing with no hint of judgment from anybody, including the instructor. I keep coming back to these classes and I cherish the feeling I have after  that exercise. I feel more flexible, oxygenated and relaxed; something to balance body and soul in the winter. There is additional benefit to group exercise, that, according to many studies, create a feeling of belonging, wellness and may improve a sense of better quality of life, based on fibromyalgia studies of water routines that I reviewed for alternative medicine conference.

There was only one item I had to purchase out of necessity to attend the class and that’s water shoes to protect feet against the bottom of the pool, which may be tough on the soles.

You may find water aerobics, including Zumba, acceptable form of moving around in the cold months. I can’t wait to go back to attend each class.  I also can’t wait for warmer months getting my toes back in the ocean. I’ll still be wearing my eyeglass into the water though.