delacruz

Thanks for the good feedback about my dress experience! I credit you ladies for helping me appreciate and identify my reaction... especially from the last few days of posting about our motivation, opening our eyes to our behaviors, etc.

I have an acquaintance who I ran into at the beginning of January when we both rejoined Weight Watchers. We're the same height & age, started out the same weight and have lost the same amount - approx. 7 lbs so far. We belong to the same gym but she mostly takes a body pump class and was getting bored. She just started coming to Zumba with me, and liked it well enough to invest in good dance shoes (she gets that same silly grin all class that I do! :p)

I realize that we each still hang onto a pretty negative self-image, but think the other one looks pretty good....except we're the same weight and size! That's something we're going to have to work on together. I just became her FB friend so we can cheer each other on!

Anita....Streamlining....I YEARN for it, but still feel overwhelmed by how much I have to get rid of. I know....one baby step at a time!

Member123...that's a difficult time for Zumba. When I started taking classes it was 7pm...dinner time! I found myself eating something light before class, but then being so hungry on the drive home that I ate everything in sight! Even though I'm very lucky that DH is the local chef so dinner was ready, I was famished. It took a while, and a few extra pounds, to find the right balance of eating enough of the right things before class to get me through where I wasn't starving. When the 5:30 1 hr class opened up, I jumped on that. I give you a lot of credit for taking 2 classes in a row!

I'm enjoying all your posts and wisdom. MINDFUL is the word of the day I think, I have to catch myself a LOT because I tend to get mindLESS and run around with my head chopped off a lot.

I just had a couple of days of mindlessness and obsession over a dress I DIDN'T need for a cruise formal night, and ended up with a mindful end to it that makes me feel good.

This weekend I dragged DH clothes shopping. (actually he comes willingly, I'm the one that drags going shopping). I wanted to see if there was a 'bargain' for a formal night dress for the next cruise....I don't need one, so it would would have to be a bargain. Anita, IRC, a couple of years ago I discovered the same dress bargain that you did - the Sangria keyhole maxi dress, and it's the most comfy dress I've ever worn AND looks great to boot, so I don't NEED another dress. Also I wanted to try on styles to get an idea of what I will want to get for DD wedding in October...color-wise, length wise, etc.

I found a black floor-length one-shoulder gown with a rhinestone brooch at the shoulder, a gathered bodice, and a slit up the side. I just barely got the size 10 zipped in the back, but once I did, I felt WOW. DH said WOW. and it was marked down from $179 to $89. BUT, I didn't need it, it is a bit dressier than I wanted, and even at 1/2 price, still not a bargain for a dress I didn't need. DH is not renting a tux as he's done the last 2 cruises, and this dress really wouldn't work quite right with his lighter colored suits. If it wasn't black, I'd consider it for the wedding, but I'm not wearing black for that.

I obsessed for 2 days over it, actually left work yesterday heading back to the mall, but then turned in the other direction. The realization finally came over me...I wanted the dress NOT because I needed it, but because it made me FEEL GOOD! (actually, hot was the operative word!).

So now I can feel good about saving $89!:rolleyes:

I'm the kind of person that has to concentrate on the process. I have finally learned this about myself. I get too caught up in the destination, the end result...and if I don't get there quickly enough...then I end up with too many unfinished projects around the house. I also seem to underestimate the amount of time it takes to do something...and so I overextend myself, as well...trying to do too much all at once. So I have to learn how to enjoy the process...give it the time it deserves...and focus in on those things that really need to get done. And THEN start the next thing...

 

Wow - reading that really struck a nerve...that describes me to the tee and I don't think I was at the point of understanding that and voicing it like you did. I feel so bad for my neat and organized husband that I have all these 'piles' around the house. Notes for our next cruise (or all the real house work gets ignored because I'm researching on the computer all the time), piles of papers meant to be scanned since I bought a scanner to supposedly go paperless. The video capture device that I bought when the kids were home for Thanksgiving watching their old baby videos and I realized I have to get those off the deteriorating VHS tapes...sitting with the pile of tapes waiting for me to finish the dining room painting and redecorating I started at Christmas, so I will have room to work since my desk is piled with the scanning non-project. Yikes!!!!

So, since you've identified one of my 'issues' my next step will be to follow your suggestion to focus on it, enjoy the process and for me, NOT start a new project until it's complete.

Going back to your other comments and observations. Interesting that at Weight Watchers last month the goal was to work at adding a vegetable and fruit at every meal...as you said, ADDING the things to your diet that you SHOULD be eating. I think I did pretty good at that this month. I bought the big bags of baby carrots, grape tomatoes, grapes, baby sweet peppers, etc., bagged them all into portion sizes and put them where I couldn't miss them in the fridge. Now the trick will be to keep it up and let it become a habit with no effort!

The focus for this month at WW is moving more. I used your '2 oars in the water' analogy at the meeting - thanks for that, I got a 'bravo star'! Oh, BTW, Anita, your goal of Zumba 2x a week is perfect. I only just transitioned to 3x a week - I went from none to one to two first.

They are really pushing this ActiveLink device they sell for $39.95, but then there's a $5/month fee to have it link to your WW account and personalized website. I guess the device tracks all your movements - I heard it was more effective for monitoring Zumba than some other devices. It converts them to WW Activity Points and also helps you set goals. I'm on the fence if I really need that, but I know I'm frustrated with WW & Zumba because it's hard to figure out the AP for it.

My latest thinking (I don't know if it's because I'm cheap or because I need a reward to reach my goal!) is to wait until I reach my goal weight, at which time WW will become free to me again as a lifetime member, and THEN buy the device. I have 10 lbs to go to be at the top of the acceptable range for my height. If I really do it right it shouldn't take too long. Besides getting to that point for the long-term, I have several events this year coming up every 3 months where I want to look and feel great - our next cruise, my 40th High School Reunion, DD wedding.

To enhance the 'movement' side of things - I think I already mentioned I started wearing the coin hip scarf - I can see the difference in my waist line already from concentrating on making that thing shake and shimmy! I also realized after wearing my Nike Musique shoes for over a year that the tread was almost gone, and that I've worn the outside of the soles pretty well. That really struck me how much pronation I have. My younger sister used to be 'knock-kneed', when we were kids we looked like our legs were spelling the word OX when we stood together!!!:D

Last week I was going to ask here about recommendations for Zumba shoes, but I decided myself on Ryka Studio D shoes. When I opened the box there was a blurb on it about the Q-Angle that women often have that causes that pronation, and that this shoe addressed that and the stability of the foot. I thought that was hype...until I put them on! I always thought I had absolutely no balance, could never do yoga cause I can't stand on one foot without falling, and even when doing the Charleston last week in class I wobble all over when I'm on one foot. I tried doing that in THIS shoe and amazing!

I wore them for the first time to last night's class. It felt like they were already broken in perfectly, light as air, and my balance was SO much better.

Hope anyone to the north fares well - we are just south of the snow line and are only expecting rain.

Hi, Anita et al! I've been off the wagon and so only lurking on this thread.

I totally understand what you are saying about the 2 oars in the water, and also about getting in the routine.

For me, and I'm sure I'm not unique in this - it really is so hard to get into the mindset of watching what I'm eating and making sure to get my workouts in regularly. Then even once I'm in it, it's SO easy to slip back. I have to work hard to remind myself that even though I gained 15 lbs in the past 1/2 year, I lost 32 before that, so I CAN do it again. Since my cruise in October I lost much of my resolve, sunk deeper at every holiday (centered around food and drink and too busy to workout)...until the standard New Years resolution to get back on track.

So I went back to Weight Watchers, went back to Zumba (well, that took me longer, only the past 2 weeks have I finally increased back up to 3X per week), and even bought a coin hip scarf to really make me pay attention to moving my hips and core. I felt SO good the first 2 weeks of WW - I had full resolve, made the best food choices, found it so easy...etc., and was rewarded with a 5 lb weight loss. But now I'm already slipping into bad habits - 'sneaking' food at night (who the heck am I sneaking from....myself only!) and now it's only a few ounces down every week. EXCEPT for this week - the scale moved the other way.

OK, enough of me whining about why it's so hard to stay on track, I've got it out of my system, and I will try to participate more here to help me stay accountable to myself.

Yay, an amazing Trainman live. Sorry we'll miss a week of it while we sail the Allure next week, but not this will be a great pre-cruise prep for us and to stave off PCD - post cruise depression!

Have a wonderful cruise with Judith and say hi to Rev for us (Judi &Paul from the Freedom Nov 13 2011).

Subscribed!

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We all have our moments of quiet reflection and just listening to others talk... it's all good. :D

 

Your comments don't sound the least bit defeatist, and absolutely realistic in their perspective.

 

I always just shake my head at the people on a cruise who advise to keep any extra pounds at bay by simply walking the stairs instead of taking the elevator. I'm also astonished by the people who go on a cruise and actually lose weight.

 

You have to look at the cruise in comparison with your daily life, lifestyle. I, of course, am most familiar with me and my DH so bear with me while I use us as my examples.

 

My DH: as Anita will attest, he is FIT. He's a very unusual person in that he has kept up a very vigorous exercise routine for 16 years! Right now, his routine consists of about 15 (maybe 20) minutes of cardio on an elliptical machine followed by a rigorous strength training session of about 45 minutes, encompassing a full body workout.... 3x a week.. Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

 

His diet: breakfast is oatmeal enhanced with blueberries, cinnamon, skim milk... splash of orange juice (just enough to swallow a multi-vitamin), and a small banana. Lunch he does indulge in 3 slices of whole grain wheat bread with a peanut butter and blueberry jam spread. Snacks are fruit. Dinner is a lean protein and a few vegetable sides. Except for breakfast and lunch (which he is such a routine person that he eats the same thing just about every day), I control his calorie intake beyond lunch because I'm the menu planner of the house. We do indulge in a few glasses of wine at night.

 

Me: as you know, I go to Zumba either 4 or 5x a week. I usually burn around 800+ calories a session, so say 4000 to 4500 calories that I burn in a typical week. My diet: breakfast is usually a smoothie (because I'm lazy and don't want to cook my breakfast). Lunch is usually scoops of either egg salad or tuna, maybe a slice of multi grain bread. Dinner and snacks are the same as DH. Wine, same.

 

On board ship. Wow, how could we possibly maintain this "lifestyle" of diet and exercise on board a cruise ship. It has nothing to do with having resolve; perhaps a bit to do with overindulging. We love the onboard breakfasts. I especially because I don't have to cook! So we usually have made-to-order omelettes. My DH has a sweet tooth... holy cow... he usually has a pastry. Lunch, for me, is usually a composed salad. You'd think that would be "good," but the dressing alone is a huge contrast to the "at home" lunch in its calories. Unless the dessert is extraordinary, I pass; DH usually has a dessert.

 

Snacks? Well, that would be at one of the loyalty events and would include wine for DH and Cosmos for me! If we're on Celebrity, we have a wonderful assortment of cold and hot appetizers (and they are wonderful). Contrast that to a piece of fruit!

 

Dinner? And, now we're just out the window. Yes, we have a wonderful meal. Again, I'm in heaven because I neither had to cook or plan! A protein, a vegetable side, usually a fabulously tasty starch, a shrimp cocktail, a salad or a soup, a wonderful piece of bread (and it is wonderful or I wouldn't eat it). A dessert? Absolutely for my DH and maybe for me, depending on whether it's extraordinary.

 

Exercise? Is it a port day? We will walk and walk and walk. Is it a sea day? My DH will go to the gym and try to do his "normal" routine, which usually isn't possible because of the machine selection. He will try to run on the track, but usually he doesn't get quite the same exercise in there because he's dodging the loungers and the walkers and the ocean gazers. Me? Does talking count as exercise?

 

I've never taken an "exercise" session on board a ship that remotely resembles my Zumba class. Not if it's labeled "latin dance class," or "Zumba-like." There is so much instruction; there is the element of fun rather than of exercise. Of course, I enjoy it... but it's not a calorie burn.

 

So, what is the upshot of this conversation? For me? I don't even try to maintain the same level of calorie intake or of exercise... ship to shore.. so to speak.

 

So, how to equate a lifestyle of health that includes cruising? For me, it's all about in the self talk. So, here is where I would part company with your example above. Do you enjoy eating from the Vitality Menu? If you don't, then when you make that selection, you'll be having the self talk that says something like... "I don't really want this, but I'm being so good... good for me!" Do you want to load up with only fruits and veggies at the buffet? Because, again, if you don't, then you'll end up with the same self-talk.

 

I think this is very important. Cruising is so special for me; I absolutely love it. Having a healthy lifestyle isn't even an option. For me, it's my life's choice. So how to make the two co-exist?...

 

Self talk. Which goes something like this: How hungry am I? What is the most tasty food item that is being offered to me right now? Do I want it? Am I full? Does it taste as good as it looked? Do I want to finish it or is the one bite sufficient? Am I hungry? Does that look good? Do I want it?

Am I rested? Do I feel like moving? What options do I have to do right now? Do I want to do that? Do I want to just sit in a lounger and stare at the ocean? Do I want a drink? Have I had water lately? Did I drink a glass of water for every cocktail that I drank? How do I feel?

 

There is a "thing" in yoga that they call "monkey mind." It's when your self talk takes over and begins to nag at you; it's all the negative comments that you've either heard or you remember or you think about yourself. Don't allow "monkey mind" into your conscious thought, especially when you're in a place of pure enjoyment, relaxation, fun... and, yes... indulgence. Keep your center and do the things that you want to do.. because, ultimately, you'll want to do the things that you want to do... seriously, those things that you want to do will be the things that are "good" ... without having to deprive yourself... without having to set yourself up for ultimate failure by falling off a self-imposed cliff...

 

Well, these are my thoughts.

 

Yes, we both gain weight on a cruise. Or not. I tend to think of weight "gain" as pounds that stick or stay around for a while. Maybe, it'll take a few Zumba sessions, etc to eliminate the weight from the scale, but it does go away. So, given that logic... I wouldn't say I "gain" weight if I take a cruise. I think it's the same logic that you have to use about weight "loss." Do you really lose weight if it just comes back? Maybe you just misplaced it for a while? Because a real loss never returns. And a real gain has to stay around. kwim?

 

OT: I've read about a Prohibition Party on the Allure? Have you read about it? OMG, it sounds like such fun!

I learn so much from everyone on this board. I'd have to say that my daily routine is fairly similar to yours - except that I have a nightime eating 'issue'. I know that it is mostly just bad habit. I'm actually more comfortable with my body image now than ever, though just 1 pt above the healthy BMI for my height. But for my build, you can no longer say I'm overweight visually. So I have some nagging frustration, but it's not too bad cause I'm happy!

I agree with what you say about a cruise. I NEVER order something I wouldn't thoroughly enjoy, but I do try to make it a habit to read the offerings first, pick what I would choose from that list, and then read the main menu with the idea that I will change my choice if I like something more. Invariably between the appetizer, main entree and dessert, it will be some mixture. And with the buffets, I will always sample whatever I want, and savor the small bites of rich foods. After my first few cruises of having to change my clothes and chowing down on Tums after dinner because of overindulging, I prefer to find the balance of enjoying it but not to the point of discomfort. After a dinner at Chops, as much as we heard we had to have the Mississippi Mud Pie, we took it back to the cabin for later. It was so rich we made it last for 3 days, but eat it I did! So, I didn't mean to come across as a martyr, I NEVER suffer!

Oh YES, we are going to the Prohibition Party! As soon as I read about it I started watching the reservations to see when it would become available so we wouldn't miss out. We're meeting 2 other cruise couple friends, and have been planning our costumes for months!

Does anyone know if they have Zumba on Allure? We are leaving October 7th (My Birthday!) and I would love to do Zumba on board!

I miss you by 1 day and 1 week... my birthday is 1 day before yours and we'll be embarking on the Allure 1 week after you!

I've heard before that there is sometimes either ’real’ Zumba on the Allure (one of the dancers or activity staff is certified) or at least ’Latin style dance class’. However I found a link somewhere to recent Allure Eastern Caribbean Compasses, and can't find any mention of anything close.

I at least will plan on walking the track (love the Oasis class Promenade Deck track), dancing as much as possible, and of course just getting around the Allure is great exercise.

On a cruise I'm right halfway between this being a lifestyle choice and overindulging. As much as possible I look at the Vitality menu for my dinner option, load up on fruits and veggies at the buffet, but a few days into lounging at the pool with a Margarita I tend to lose my resolve. So even though I should lose 5 pounds before I leave, I'm already planning how to lose 10 lbs when I get back. It may sound defeatist, but it's realistic for me.

Sorry I haven't been around to comment much lately. I'm enjoying the flurry of activity here, your successes, the Zumba links, and Anita’s life plan!

Great work ladies!

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I had an interesting Zumba experience this week. A few months ago I had an instructor (Adrienne) who was just 'OK', but convenient (i.e free...part of my regular gym membership). I always felt she was a bit uninspiring - 2 yrs younger than my daughter and kind of chunky, and had less stamina than me as well as more than twice her age. ..OK she had a toddler and I know how hard it is to lose that baby fat (26 yrs later I'm still working at it :eek:). And it really drove me crazy that she didn't have a pre-set playlist, so as she was going through her music she'd stop on one I'd love to dance to...but pass it by for another one.

Anyway, she had the opportunity to help start up a new Zumba club in our area, and as soon as she announced it the gym let her go. I wasn't that interested in following her to her $5 a class gym, while at the same time my favorite instructor was looking for work, so I convinced her to apply. I LOVE Paulina, and never miss one of her classes.

I recently had a credit from Groupon and found that Adrienne's gym had an offer that made the classes approx $1.50 a session. You can't beat that, and I've been looking for additional classes...my cruise is almost 2 weeks away, and I have a dress that I'd feel more comfortable in if I work out every day until then! Between then and now, she did some boot camp program, and is in SO much better shape than before. What a difference her class makes now - SHE has the stamina now, and although most of her songs were the same as what we used to do, the control and toning was there, and I REALLY felt it!:eek:

I'm enjoying all the links that you all are posting

. These are my current favorites:

Que te Pica:

LOVE Don Omar..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I0zQawOzqA

This choreography is a bit more belly-dancey than we do, but not by much.

Drop it Low:

I'm a Zumba instructor.

 

So one of my students suggested we book a group on a cruise and I can teach on the boat. ROCK ON!

 

We leave in 18 days!!!

Awww, that would be so cool! 'Unfortunately', we're already booked for a cruise leaving Oct 14 so we can't join you:rolleyes:

I've heard that the Allure has Zumba on occasion - someone on the staff is certified. Someone just posted the compasses and I've been meaning to peruse them just to find some Zumba!

Have fun!

Today is a blue day. It is our weigh in day and we failed. Well, DH gained 2 pounds and I only lost 1/2. We got some green tea and we haven't fudged on our diet and only missed one day of excersise. Today every muscle in my body is screaming at me that it isn't worth it, to just go back to the way it was. I feel tired and weak and defeated. We have just under five weeks before we leave and oh well, I just need to moan and whine. S orry, I know in my head that there are levels and we may have just reached one but its hard to not get discouraged. And then its hard to not eat my way out of the depression.

 

Yes, you probibly wonder if that is how I got fat. Yes, when I studied for my Paramedic degree, we lived way out in the high desert and the college and hospital was two hours away. We bought a cabin about 20 minutes from the hospital and I would stay there alone while DH and the kids stayed back to take care of the animals and stuff. And with all the hours of study I found comfort in cream puffs and deserts. We had a friend who worked at a bakery and would provide me with all the baked goods I wanted free. They say you loose either your finances, your marriage or your health when you study to become a paramedic. I lost my health in that I gained 45 pounds. I just have never lost that weight and over the years I had added to it more, including my year of spider bite recovery.

 

My altimate goal is to get back to pre paramedic weight but that will take at least a year of hard work. Oh well, I feel better just moaning to you guys, please forgive me for indulging my minor trials of loosing only 1/2 pound, at least it was in the right direction.

NO, YOU DIDN'T FAIL!!!! You DID lose weight, DH gain is temporary if you guys followed your plan. Please don't let it defeat you. You are doing so well for yourself to be changing up your eating habits and exercising...that is not a short term goal - it should be a life change! And I'm sure as a paramedic you know how much good you will do for yourself to not go back to the 'old way'.

(I shouldn't talk, I'm not losing weight right now - it's my night time eating, but even that is better than before - I'm overindulging in pistachios and yogurt and fruit...just going too far above my calorie needs for losing weight, but I'm holding my own and have 5-10 lbs left to go.)

The scale is weird sometimes - don't take it at face value. As I lost my last 30 lbs there were times I lost weight when I know I didn't track right, times I did everything 'perfectly' and gained 2 lbs, and very often times the scale didn't move but the belt buckle did.

Even though you have the goal of your cruise for your excursion, even if you miss that deadline, if you give up now, then you'll have to start all over. If you keep going, the next time that excursion comes up you won't even have to think about it.

Interesting Zumba class today.

 

Had a few funny moments.

 

The class started with such a small number of students! This class is highly unusual, for me, in that regard. Most of my classes are absolutely packed with over 100+ in a room. The class on Thursday mornings is lightly attended because, I think, of the time of the offering and the location of the class, itself. This particular gym location is in a strip center instead of being a stand alone building; so, there are a number of reasons that the class is small and it doesn't have anything to do with the quality of the instructor. She's great!

 

Anyway, I'm one of the older (and I don't mean age as much as I mean having gone to the class since the very first class that Young instructed; as a matter of fact, I think I'm the only person left who regularly comes that started doing classes with Young when she first arrived at the gym).. back to my train of thought... one of the older students in the class. As such, I usually stand in the first few rows... not the absolutely FRONT row because I HATE that feeling! But, today I just couldn't avoid it because the other people wouldn't let me! I got my position in class and expected people to get in front of me, but they just kept piling behind me. They wouldn't go in front! I went to get a drink of water and tried to get behind a person so THEY would be in the front row and they just MOVED. OK. Grin and bear it; I'm going to be in the front row.

 

So when Young arrived she stood in a position that meant that she was in front of me and I was immediately to her right. So, it was like.... she was RIGHT THERE. And, there I was.

 

The reason I'm trying to explain this is that I couldn't avoid seeing myself in the mirror today.

 

I'm not a person who watches herself in the mirror. I just don't. It is distracting to me and I usually get befuddled in some way by looking at myself BECAUSE I'm always puzzled that my body isn't doing what I think it should be doing. KWIM?

 

Anyway. Today was different. I actually know Young's routines. I actually kept up with her and it was like we were in lock step with each other. Her feet... my feet... moving at the same time AND in the same direction! Her arms... my arms...

 

I'm just sharing because it really was a wonderful experience for me. Made me feel really good and liberated... because I CAN really do this! I can Zumba. Of course, I've been doing it for almost 2 years.

 

And, guess what else? I have narrowed my waist and rib cage so much!

 

Well.

 

Just a good Zumba day for me.

That is SUCH a wonderful experience! I love your description of it....perfect.

I'm also a 2nd row person...I probably would be a front row person, but there are a few women in my regular classes that like that front row. I love that 'zone'. I almost always have it in Pauline's class - and no matter how busy or exhausted I am I try to never miss that one.

I've been Zumba-ing for just over 1 year - what a difference in the confidence. Where it used to take several weeks to 'get' a new choreography, now I know the feel of it all well enough to 'wing it' and pick it up quickly so I can enjoy it more.

TGIF!!! Hope everyone is getting geared up for a wonderful weekend...my men are playing an online computer game and I am doing something I haven't done for a long, LONG time...listening to potential Zumba music!!!

 

Here is what I am finding that I like...

 

Opinions welcomed! (Also...if anyone would like to verify the rhythm...:o)

 

Si Te Digo La Verdad by Gocho...pretty sure it's a merengue

Algo Me Gusta De Ti by Wisin Y Yandel feat. Chris Brown and T-Pain...reggaeton/Latin Pop (sounds like a good warm up)

No Piensas En Mi by Cosculluela...reggaeton...(I'm thinking squats and toning moves)

Bebe Bonita by Chino Y Nacho feat Jay Sean (Slow Merengue/Latin Pop)

En el Cielo No Hay Hospital by Juan Luis Guerra...Salsa...the video is totally fun...

by Psy...it's Korean...it's AWESOME...it would be SO FUN in class...I just know it...could be rough to just listen to though...

by Daddy Yankee...reggaeton...serious abs Baby

by Don Omar...OMG...I LOVE Don Omar!!!

by Lucenzo

(Chosen Few Remix) by Fuego feat Pitbull & Omega...Reggaeton!

by Les Jumo feat Mohombi

 

I think that's enough for now! Enjoy!

Thanks, I love all of them, some familiar but I didn't know by name, and others new.

It's really funny, 1/2 hr before you posted this, one of my previous Zumba instructors posted this on FB:

"Seriously can't get enough of the guy in gangnam style! Ahhh be prepared my fellow Zumba instructors, this song will be huge in the class rooms!"

Those last 4 songs are ones we've done recently. And I especially love the Don Omar song...always my favorite.

Sorry, I'm no help with picking out which rhythm it is or having any other suggestions.

OMG MOM...it's a Kisha song on a cruiseship with this guy!!! How funny is that?

 

 

OKAY...I LOVE this song...what does Kisha do?

Oh, that is SO FUN!!! DH is napping after a week of 12 hr days, and although I'm trying to be quiet with headphones on, I burst out laughing at the tux with the sock! :p

Wow, things are hopping here!

Anita, I know just where you're coming from (although my backslides usually get me WAY deeper in the hole than where you are before I see my backside and have to get back on track!;))

Just the fact that you've recognized it now and already have your plan in place, I have no doubt that you'll come out ahead sooner than later.

Myself, I thought I was staying on track pretty well (I've been a size 10 for a couple of years after nipping it in the bud when I started moving from a 14 to a 14W), but was just disappointed to go shopping needing some pants to find that I was back up a size. However, I have to say that it really depended on the cut - I ended up in a pair of size 10s that were even a bit loose in the waist.

We leave for our next cruise in exactly 4 weeks, and my dress for the first formal night is a size 10 dress that I first bought 20 years ago and 15 lbs lighter (I know that's OLD, but I love it!) To me it's perfect for Samba's Grill where we plan to dine the first formal night - very tropical but dressy. I can actually fit into it and BREATHE! But I would really like to lose at least a few lbs before then to know I'll be comfortable after a feast!

The other dress is the maxi dress that I 'met' Anita in on the Fashion Boards when I bought it the same week she posted herself in it. It's an 8, and still fits perfectly...and it's SO comfortable.

I'm really enjoying the discussion here - the explanation and links of the Zumba moves, the info about water (I KNOW that's always been the key to my being successful in weight loss and just feeling better in general), everyone's journeys and trials and tribulations!

Anita, I really appreciate getting the 'behind the scenes' info from you as to what goes on in the thought process of the song selection, choreography, interval training, etc. It's a real testimony to a good Zumba instructor that you can have a 1 hr party with a great time dancing yet getting such great benefits to your health.

Linda, ignore the misinformation you heard about turning into a mass of muscle and weighing more from doing Zumba. When I have a great food plan day, burn a few hundred calories doing Zumba and complain the next day that I gained weight - the helpful people around me tell me it's because muscle weighs more than fat....NO, it's because I sabotage myself with boredom eating at night!:eek:

After seeing a photo of myself in a swimsuit on a cruise when my weight started approaching the 200 mark I joined Weight Watchers. I did very well with it, got to within 10 lbs of my goal (realistically the top of the healthy range), and was at a standstill. Part of it was that I began to feel very happy with how I looked and felt, partly I started 'cheating' and partly I was in a rut on the treadmill. I could speedwalk (bad ankles - can't run) easily at 4mph at a good incline for 1/2 hr on the treadmill but not break a sweat, and I knew I needed to do something more effective - I wanted to get to my goal BEFORE our cruise 2 months later.

When I started taking Zumba I hid in the back of the class because I was afraid I was too dorky and wouldn't catch on. Quickly I realized that if I just moved in the right direction and did what I could, I was already getting a better workout. I was disappointed that the scale didn't appear to move, but when I went shopping for a new formal dress a few weeks later, I ended up buying a size smaller than I thought i was. Then FINALLY the last few lbs came off and I made WW lifetime.

Now, I have to admit, I haven't kept my eating in check as well as I should - but even tho my weight hasn't come back down, the more I do Zumba, the more people ask me if I've lost more weight. Now that I'm not afraid to go 'all out' with shimmying, shaking, thinking I'm Shakira, :p I've gotten curvier - in a good way!

Personally I find I HAVE to do this in a class environment - I have the Wii game and videos, but without the interaction of the teacher and class I don't go all out and keep going. And I've yet to get bored...I'm almost as addicted to Zumba as I am to cruising!

katti michele -

I love your red dress (as well as all the other dresses that have been posted - I just don't post here very often, but love looking at the pictures:) )

I have a very similar dress I bought last year for $39 in black - the brand of my dress is 'Sangria'. I don't know if yours has a side zipper, but mine does. After trying it on a few times to figure out my accessories to pack for our cruise (I'm 5'5" and mine was exactly the right length, and I just wore a peep-toe black patent pump that hardly showed....I love the look of sandals but the stability of pumps on a ship) I started noticing that the zipper was sticking where the fabric is all bunched up at the rouching. After one time of getting really stuck it broke.

LUCKILY that was before the cruise. I debated whether it was worth the money to have a dressmaker fix it, but since it was such a bargain, it was the first size 8 in 15 years I fit into, and I thought it was so flattering I did. It was better, but the nature of all that fabric made it still hard to zip (and I had just lost some weight and it wasn't that it was too tight).

So I figured out I could actually squeeze into it without unzipping it. I knew I'd see others on the ship with the same dress since it was on sale EVERYWHERE for the same price, and sure enough I did. And as I expected, I noticed on 2 of them that they had hand stitched the zipper closed because it broke on them:eek:.

So just a heads up! I'm planning on wearing mine again for our next cruise in less than 2 months (I can't wait!), and have a few pounds that have crept back on that I better lose so I can squeeze into it again.:(

Because the black needed some 'bling' and mine didn't have the beading around the neckline like yours I wore a rhinestone brooch at the waist line.

Enjoy it!

Yesterday's Zumba class was the most fun I've had in a long while, and it's not like I don't have a great time every class!

I've been terribly stressed at work with a major project (replacing a Mail Server at a client with approx 100 users). Lots of weekend work, troubleshooting and tweaking.

I couldn't wait until 5pm yesterday to get out of work and head to Zumba...I really needed to let loose and stop thinking about work (or else get really drunk:p but Zumba was the healthier option). The Tuesday instructor (Pauline) is the more energetic one anyway, so I knew it would be good.

Well, we had 3 new women new to Zumba, and rather than the usual newbie hiding in the back and getting confused, they went at it with great gusto and enthusiasm, laughing loud while putting their all into figuring it out. Pauline reacted to them by playing around with them and making the 'party' even more fun and energetic. So I was dripping wet after 60 minutes but laughed and smiled through the whole class. SO good!!!

After class we've been getting a lot of people asking her to stay and do one more dance - and she's been obliging with either the Cupid Shuffle or the Wobble. I stayed to 'Wobble' - I think I'm finally getting my own 'groove' to it! We walk out of that classroom into the regular gym with people not breaking a sweat at 2mph on the treadmill, or holding phone conversations without breathing heavy slowly peddling a bicycle, and feel like we just did something really great for ourselves and feel sorry that they didn't have as much fun as we just did!

I keep threatening my daughters that when my oldest (25) gets married next year I'm going to do a Zumba Flash Mob or the Wobble, but they tell me one person can't be a Flash Mob ;). Hopefully I won't embarrass them TOO much!

One more thing while I'm finally in a better mood and loving Zumba for helping - it's probably been about a year since I started Zumba, and I forget what song we did yesterday where we have to shimmy....A LOT! I remember last year being so stiff and thinking there was no way my body wanted to jiggle like that. I noticed yesterday that once the shaking starting I just kept it going and no longer felt insecure. So glad to have you guys to share the enthusiasm with!

I think this sounds like a great routine! Wish I could do your class.

 

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I would love to take Anita's class too!! I love when she posts her playlists - I end up looking them up, and finding songs I didn't know, but would like or finding the names of the songs that we do.

Although I'm not familiar with 1/2 the songs on the playlist, it looks like a good list.

I find when we have a sub that they often will add the more well-known songs that have fairly standard choreo - Dance,Dance,Dance, Pause, or Waka Waka.

Anita, I DO understand how difficult it is to find the perfect playlist! I used to teach a 6 hr figure drawing class, and I found that music was a perfect background for setting the mood, keeping the energy level up and keeping it interesting (they never knew if I would play a surfing song, Punk rock or the music of Kurt Weill from the 30s.) Same as Zumba, we had warmups cool-downs, specific exercises, etc., so I had to work the timing out, pre-think the mood and the speed I wanted, and not get boring with it.

And that was in the mid-80's...very few CDs out, no music players....I recorded my vinyl albums to cassettes...once it was in that order, there was no 'shuffling' or reorganizing! :eek:

No, I've done 4 different routines to that song and they have all been fun. I think you are ok doing it with your own routine.

I agree with that. If a sub is doing a routine I just can't catch on to easily to a song I'm familiar with, I'll mix up what she's doing with what I know...as long as I'm staying in sync. So I'm getting a good workout while still showing her my respect for what she's doing.

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I think its fine to use something older occasionally. I personally like it when I take a class and the instructor uses a song I am familiar with even if the routine might be different. I am definitely addicted. I did 6 classes last week on vacation.

 

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I agree with that - that it's fine to have something old and/or familiar. Plus what might be old and familiar for you may be unique for the students.

Anita, that's great that you'll have an opportunity to get your feet wet teaching in a new place!

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Ha ha, it took me a minute to figure out who 'dela' is :p Silly me!

Then again, you're not 'really' Anita, right?

The idea of the neighborhood Zumba class sounds just perfect. I really hope that works out for you. I started out in a small 'neighborhood' class (well, it was the top floor of a fire house), but it's a great way to start out to learn Zumba. And having a first participant that is eager to get shaped up who can hopefully spread the word around is great advertising.

Speaking of the fire station -the first couple of times I heard 'Veo Veo' during that class I thought the sirens were really going on downstairs. Today was the first time we did that song in the regular gym - it was funny having that memory!

I agree that Zumba is very instructor driven. As I've posted on here recently I've been frustrated with the class at my gym which is included in my monthly membership. He wings it for the entire class and with the exception of 1 or 2 songs there isn't a dance "routine" for them and it changes every class kinda like an aerobics class. I like the structure of learning a routine, doing it for a month or two then moving on to new songs. After his class this Sat. morning where he did stretches on one side but didn't repeat them on the other I've come to the conclusion that he doesn't really know what he is doing so am trying another local class tonight at 5pm. There are lots of classes within driving distance and since I love going so much I will have to find a substitute for his Sat. morning class too.

 

I'll use his class only as a last resort to at least get some exercise if the other local classes that I have been attending are cancelled for some reason.

That's a real shame about that instructor. It wold be nice if there were SOME sort of supervision or evaluation of Zumba instructors. I've seen some instructors that are careless and do moves that can hurt if you're not listening to your body and modifying for your fitness level.

When I started taking Zumba last year I was paying an extra fee to go to the local firehall besides my local gym because it was SO over-crowded that I felt intimidated and didn't think I'd learn it. But once I got the hang of it I couldn't warrant paying twice as much for the 8 classes a month as my monthly membership with unlimited membership. That coincided with the smaller, closer gym in the franchise building a classroom and offering Zumba Tues/Thurs right after work.

After some changes - including a couple of instructors that sound just like yours (no playlists or consistency), they've settled down on 2 teachers - one for Tuesday (the original fire hall teacher :)), one for Thursday, and they are very different but both excellent! I actually was surprised at the gym management - not known for seeming to care about 'the masses'...they did respond to complaints about one teacher and praises for another.

Thanks MJC!

 

I agree if your partner isn't into a Menergue, well you can forget it. It's better to go it on your own!

 

Dh isn't much of a dancer either, slowly but surely he's getting the hang of Salsa.

 

Are there different speeds of Zumba classes? From the videos I've been watching they go a bit slower than I move in general when I'm freestyle dancing and I'd be interested in doing something around the same pace as what I do now. i.e. like a really fast Menengue to the song Danza Kumundo...is there anything similar to that?

 

 

Ahhh the Hustle! :D

Darn it...I posted a response here and closed it!

As much as I am loving Zumba, I've never been a good couples dancer - I'm a control freak so I don't follow, but I forget too easily, so I can't lead! Truthfully, I really don't know how I made the transition in Zumba from hiding in the back to always trying to be in the front row and showing off my moves! ;)

So, I'm not really aware so much of the specific names of dances...but I think that 'Me Gusto' is a Merengue song...it's become one of our staples with our Thursday teacher. Like the funny Danza Kumundo /Kakuro /Kuduro, it's 'in my head' a lot. A few weeks ago it was in my head but I couldn't think of any of the words so I didn't know what song it was...until after the whole day I realized the notes had turned into the chorus 'Me Gusto Me Gusto'....duh! But I guess the tempo is even a bit slower than Danza Kuduro.

I assume it's a ZIN song since all the You Tube videos I found of it are the same choreography that we do.

Judi

I meant to say: Danza Kuduro

 

I'm not sure why I keep trying to rename that song! LOL

Ha ha! That's one of my favorite Zumba songs, and I keep calling it Danza Kakuro!

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I just realized we haven't seen Anita around here much and she must be in the midst of moving around now. Good luck to you, and have a wonderful fresh start! The last time I did a major move was 22 years ago exactly this time of year. We started out at 104 degrees in the shade but 4% humidity in Los Angeles and ended up in the Mid-Atlantic in the 90s for both heat and humidity. Yuck! Long showers - that's the only advice I can give:p

I don't remember if I mentioned here that my first Zumba instructor just began teaching at my gym. I started out at her class because I knew it was in a large space and I could hide in the back until I got to feeling somewhat coordinated. But when the gym I already had a membership to started offering Zumba right around when we started tightening the belt to start doing 2 cruises a year I couldn't really warrant paying for the gym AND the drop-in classes, so I took my classes at the gym.

Since she pays for her own space at the firehall, whenever the class is too small she ends up losing money, and I've been suggesting to her for a while to apply to the gym. I guess the turnout this summer has been so bad that she has been cancelling at least one class a week, so FINALLY I convinced her to apply.

2 weeks ago was her 'audition'. I was so nervous, cause it's been 8 months since I took her class and I didn't know if she'd hate the gym, wouldn't fit in, or if my memory of how good she was is because I was such a novice.

Well, she didn't disappoint. EVERYBODY said she was the best instructor they ever had, she gave a great workout, and today will be the 3rd week of taking her class (Tuesdays only). So now I get the best of both worlds - an instructor I love and don't have to pay extra...and she is making money. I know since she's paid by the class she can't keep the 'extra' she used to get when her class was full, but she also isn't in the position of having to pay more in rent than she takes in. Win-win for everyone!:D