Zumba Gold - A Happy Balance Between Twerking and Two-Stepping

            If you follow my blog with any degree of regularity, you already know I’m all about “the middle”—finding that elusive balance between too much and too little, the right and the left, the ridiculous and the sublime. So when I discovered Zumba Gold at my local gym (KeyHealth Institute), I was excited. At last I had found an indoor activity that struck a perfect chord between insanity and inertia.

            It took me a while to hop on the Zumba Gold bandwagon. Last winter, I started with a regular Zumba class when the thumping beat of the Latin music caught my attention. I peeked through the window at a class in session, and while it looked a little fast and tricky, I figured I could pick it up in short time. Wrong. After the third session, I was still at least two beats behind everyone else in the class and still zigging when everyone else was zagging. Worse, at the end of the class, I was sweating like a farm hand in August and gasping for air. I was also popping Aleve tablets to relieve my aching knees and back. Disappointed and irritated at having to admit defeat, I resorted to the drudgery of the elliptical to get my winter aerobic fix.



Our fearless and creative
leader, Sheri.

            Then this winter, some ladies in my Pilates class insisted I join them in Zumba Gold. I made excuses because I’d tried Zumba Gold once. Quite frankly, not a lot of pep there. I’d felt like I was marching in a parade--a very slow parade. But one day after suffering through another mind-numbing session on the elliptical, I peeked in on the current Zumba Gold class. Something had changed. There was a lot of quick-stepping, high-kicking, hip-swaying, and arm-flinging. There was also a lot of laughing and shouting. In no way did it resemble the Zumba Gold class I’d previously attended or any I’d viewed on YouTube. So I joined in.

            Two months later, I can’t wait for Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It’s hard to describe the attitude adjustment these classes provide. Let’s just say that anytime you “dance like there’s no one watching,” you’re naturally going to feel better. But most of the credit goes to our instructor Sheri Chenevert, who choreographs all sorts of fun and do-able steps and movements, and to the lively ladies who make up the class. With some ex-dancers and ex-cheerleaders in the mix, things can really get hoppin’. Literally.



My videos don't do these ladies justice, but you can get the idea that they can "bust some moves"!

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