ZINspiration Mondays with Marylin

I'm excited to share Marylin's story, because her ups and downs are super relatable. Here is how Zumba helped shape her life.

This is my story... I was an average size child. When I hit puberty, I gained a considerable amount of weight and low self-esteem settled very quickly. At 17 years old and 180 pounds, my mom took me to a doctor to help me lose weight. It worked, and I was down to 145lbs.

It didn't stop there. I moved to the US and went back to 180lbs. College life, fast food etc....Then I met my ex husband; that's when my life fell apart. Self esteem was below ground level, I was in an abusive relationship and very depressed and suicidal. With the pregnancy of my first child, I became hypertensive. Subsequently, I was put on BP meds. 2 kids later, 240lbs, I gathered what I had left of strength, took my kids and moved out. 

Slowly I began to find myself again and wanted to be happy. I tried all sorts of diets, weight watchers, Jenny Craig, MediFast: you name it, I tried them. They all worked but the weight came back. Fast forward to 2010, my love for Latin music was satisfied with 6 months of salsa lessons, but once it became about competition, I dropped out. In 2011, my daughter told me that they had Zumba at her summer camp. I decided to check it out.

I became hooked!  I met several instructors who after a while, encouraged me to begin teaching myself. I also began to focus on portion control, food choices, and weight training. 60lbs later, I had reached my initial 180lbs. Depression is still my enemy... I gained a few lbs from drowning my pain in chocolate, but with the meds, I feel much better and more ready to inspire others. I got my B1 license in February 2014.

Zumba saved my life because my health has improved a lot and it's my true calling. Finding my life's purpose makes me happy, hence staying away from depression and suicidal thoughts.

Just like I did, you can get healthy again. Of course, there’s no doubt about making healthy food choices in order to get healthy. The good thing about Zumba is that it kills 2 birds with one stone. Physically, you get moving and burn lots of calories, you tone up without realizing that you’re doing a workout. It works! Mentally, and emotionally, Zumba is a lifesaver. It enhances your mood, you have fun, you smile! 

After a rough day, we tend to go home, alienate ourselves and turn to sugar, at least I do. But if you go to a Zumba class, you release all that pressure and stress of the day. A small example in my personal life: One day I went to my doctor with a headache that would not go away (my blood pressure was high), but after being off blood pressure medication for over a year, I was not inclined to go back on them. My doctor said to me, go to a Zumba class today and see how it goes. I didn’t go to a class but I used my DVDs at home and my pressure went back to normal and my mood was so much better. Zumba really changes lives.