ZUMBA...Sorta

by Paula

I have been doing Zumba here and there for a couple of years now, and I still look like a 2 year old drunk fighter. Maybe it's the 18 plus years of traditional taekwondo that has been beaten into me, or maybe it is the fact I have no grace or rhythm. Either way, I can't Zumba!

I have been to some Zumba classes at five different gyms, and I have yet to get a workout from it. Zumba is fun, but I can't get my heart rate up no matter how hard I try. Still, I like to do it every now and then because it is fun. Today I decided that I am never going to look like some of the instructors out there, so I am going to own it in my own way!

In the past I have warmed up with or cooled down with a Zumba class. Today I was really sore from two weeks of training hard, so I decided to have a light workout day. I went to Zumba class with the plan of just moving around to loosen up sore and tight muscles. While doing that I got to thinking of how I could use Zumba to make me a better fighter:

I have heard of football players and boxers who have taken dance classes to help with footwork. I can totally see how doing Zumba could help me to move better in all directions in the ring. Once I got that in my head, I decided to do all of the Zumba class on the balls of my feet. This is how I should be fighting, so why not get used to it. So I was doing Zumba class to day with my weight on the balls of my feet during all of the classes. Every shift of weight and every movement in any direction was done by pushing of through the balls of my feet. It was a blast!

I may look like a fighter having a seizure, but I found a way to enjoy Zumba and make it useful for fighting. Besides, I got to exercise to my favorite Madonna song, "La Isla Bonita"