Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Who got you into Zumba Fitness?

I've heard it a million times - most instructors have a special someone who encouraged them to transition from student to instructor. Many students also have a friend, cousin, or partner who encouraged them to try Zumba in the first place! I've actually heard the term "Zumba mama" more than once.

I don't think I would have considered it if one of my first instructors, Teresa, hadn't spotted me in class and pushed me to go to a B1 training. She would generously let me try teaching songs in her class (even in the beginning when my choreo was iffy and my cuing was so-so) and it really built my confidence and capacity to teach. When she left her teaching position at our gym, I was her successor (though I would have traded getting my own class to keep her there!).
 
The Z Beat wants to tell these stories. Please comment below or write to me on Facebook to share who inspired you to get started with Zumba. I will feature as many stories as I can, in tribute to those who we owe finding Zumba!
 
 

5 comments:

  1. I was getting into fitness and trying to lose weight. I was doing running but thought it was boring and I heard my sis in law was dancing Zumba and she told me about and I thought it sounded fun :) First I was too shy to go to a class so I danced in the living room but later the same year I joined my first class and I was hooked and have danced ever since :)

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  2. I was really out of shape so decided to join the YMCA. I took my first Zumba class there and fell in love! I lost 15 pounds but then hurt my back, had to stop going to Zumba, put on 30 pounds and had to have surgery. I was told by my doctor that I had to strengthen my core and lose more weight or I'd have to have a disk fusion the next time. That was enough to scare me, so I went to Game Stop and bought Zumba Fitness Rush for the Kinect in June of 2012. I did it every single day, sometimes twice, and dropped 65 pounds by November of 2012 (5 months!!). I went from a Size 18 pants to a Size 4. For Mother's Day, my husband and children signed me up for the B1 training in June of 2013, and the rest is history. I hated exercise, but ZUMBA was so much fun that I didn't mind. Now I'm studying for my AFAA group fitness certification and exercise regularly (not just Zumba). I teach several classes and look and feel better at 39 than I did throughout my 20s!!! I LOVE ZUMBA FITNESS!!!!

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  3. My husband & I took ballroom dancing at a small studio near our house. The owner of the studio always said that when my husband & I came for the group lessons the classes were SOO much fun.. She wanted me to teach Zumba for her! I had never heard of Zumba and I was only 6-7 months out of cancer treatments. Cancer had left me with a disabled leg & I couldn't believe she thought I could teach Zumba. I bought the DVDs (2008) and memorized the entire POWER DVD. Took the B1 training 1/2009 & began teaching the first week of 2/2009. My leg has slowly deteriorated over the years but I manage to continue teaching Zumba!

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  4. Thank you all for these excellent, inspiring stories! I will share them in an upcoming post.

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  5. saw commercials about it, I knew I needed to work out but didn't care for it at all, but LOVED dancing, I went to my first Zumba class and LOVED it from then on, combined dancing and working out in one, a year later I got my zumba fitness license

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