Jumpin' on the Zumba bandwagon

Last Friday, M-Cat asked me if I was going to join her and Tiburon in Zumba class on Monday.  She had some free passes and was clearly itching for some repeat embarrassment on mine and Michelle's part.  (Otherwise known as the Kick-boxing debacle of '09.)

Michelle and I have both been dancing around the idea of taking a Zumba class as there is one taught at our gym, but we (read me) weren't brave enough to try.  So, M-Cat's invite was a perfect opportunity for us to make idiots of ourselves in front of perfect strangers and discover what Zumba is all about.

It's all about fun, that's what!

And laughing, and shaking your groove thing, and dropping it like it's hot, and shaking the ta-ta's, and sweat.

Here's proof of just how much sweat poured off of me from Zumba:

(I decided to spare you pics of myself in the shirt with the headlights on high-beam due to the cooling effects of so much sweat.  You're welcome.)

The class was so much fun that it didn't even seem like I was exercising.  The time passed so quickly.  I managed to burn a mere 770 calories in one hour just from "trying" to shake it.  (Yes, there were times when I struggled with the steps and the booty shaking, but I was still moving and having a good time, so it didn't matter.) 

Needless to say, when I got home, I was exhausted.  I laid down on my bed to read and my legs ached from hip to ankle.  This, I'm sure, is due to the crazy amount of time spent in the squat position.

I loved watching Ralynne - the instructor.  She can certainly shake her tail feathers.  She had on pants with back pockets that had ties on them.  Well, they weren't tied, but just hanging there, and I have to say, they looked like tassels on her cheeks.  Very amusing.

Clearly, I could not move my booty like a lot of the people in class, but I'm willing to keep practicing.  (There's still an embarrassing amount of jiggling going on back there.  And you all know how I feel about the jiggling - not good.)  Oh, and I also need to practice shaking the girls about - there's quite a bit of that in Zumba too, but not in a disgusting, pervy sort of way.

I was glad to be behind the Shark for most of the class because that Shark can move!  She knew all the routines, so if I couldn't see Ralynne, I just had to look to the Shark and follow her lead.

So, there you have it.  I think that everyone should jump on the Zumba bandwagon.

Do you Zumba?  If so, where?