On Monday night, I tried Zumba for the second time. I had tried it once before at my old gym and my original thoughts were, “Meh, that was okay”. It wasn’t really active enough for me and I barely worked up a glisten, much less a sweat.
However, my friend Diana teaches Zumba and has asked me if I would go before and I finally decided to try it again. Monday night worked best for me this week so instead of going to Diana’s class on Thursday night, we went to a class she usually attends.
It was so much fun!
I think the biggest difference between this Zumba class and the one I attended at a gym is the energy and intensity level of the instructor. Don’t get me wrong, like any class, you can give 50%, barely break a sweat and not get a good workout. But, if you really give it 100%, stay focused, and put forth a lot of effort into the moves, you most definitely will get a good workout.
My ponytail was drenched in sweat by the time we were done, 90 minutes later.
If you’ve though about trying Zumba out or if you have had a so-so experience in the past, try another class. If you live in the Charlotte area, check out Queen City Dance Out, which is the organization that put on the Zumba class I attended. They have classes every night and in other surrounding cities as well.
I had a substantial snack before Zumba since it was during my regularly scheduled dinner-time. So I wanted something light for dinner. I had two TJ’s low carb wraps with some Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, smoked salmon, and spinach.
Gosh I love smoked salmon. This isn’t going to last long on my house.
Despite my substantial snack earlier, I still wanted dessert.
Tropical Traditions just recently sent me a jar of their concentrated coconut creme, which some of you know as coconut butter, and I wanted to try it on something sweet.
I made frozen whipped banana by putting 2 frozen banana halves in the Vitamix. I topped it with a chocolate/coconut cream mixture by putting about an ounce of 70% dark chocolate in the microwave with a teaspoon of coconut cream.
The chocolate and coconut cream mixed so well together and once it hit the frozen banana, it formed a hard shell. So good!
Besides the whipped frozen banana, I have also tried the concentrated coconut cream on something warm…
The coconut cream was very good on this too, but I think I prefer it on cold food because of the way it hardens and makes a shell. The possibilities are endless with this stuff, if you’re a coconut freak like I am. I love coconut on everything!
Another plus: the Tropical Traditions jar is gigantic! This will last me forever.
Have you tried Zumba or coconut butter/cream? What was your experience like? If you tried coconut cream, what did you put it on? I have a gigantic jar and need some creative ideas of how to use it.
I’ve done Zumba a few times and always liked it. I think it depends on the instructor though. I hate when you take classes and its an instructor that doesn’t push you and it makes the workout not as challenging. I want to SWEAT when I work out.
I totally agree! If I don’t break a really great sweat, I feel like I’ve wasted my time. You’re a busy mama so you don’t have time to waste!
Now I want to try Zumba again! I tried it once and had a similar experience to your first one. But it sounds like it’s worth a second shot!
I really recommend doing some research first on different classes. Dancing can be a great workout but only if the instructor really challenges you. The class I went to had us being super active, not just marching in place, the entire time. Plus it was 90 minutes. If you find a good class, you can really get a lot out of it if you’re willing to put a lot in it. I hope you find a great class!
I’m afraid to try zumba. Everyone at my gym looks so goofy doing it and i know I will just be awkward.
So happy you gave Zumba another shot
I’ve always believed the music and the instructor are what makes a great Zumba class
I try to hit at least 2 a week to get some great cardio in and I recommend it to anyone !
Oh and now i’m totally craving smoked salmon, thanks
I used to attend a zumba class that was okay, but the intensity level wasn’t high enough for me. However, at Duke, we have an awesome cardio dance class which is very peppy and a little more intense. I like it a lot more than zumba. The instructor plays a lot of top 40 songs and incorporates more hip hop moves. I think what I enjoy the most about it though is that it keeps you from taking exercise too seriously and allows you to just have fun. I’m glad you gave it another chance.
I always had great experiences with the group fitness classes at UNC and State. I think college exercise classes are usually pretty good because you have a young population that expects a good workout. I liked Zumba a lot because I had to concentrate on what I was doing and it made the 90 minutes go by so fast…AND because it wasn’t so “serious” just like you said.
I always love a good Zumba class!
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