Weights are important, too!

Alright, I know most of you are probably afraid of weight training.  Truth is...me too.  I don't lift weights nearly as much as I should.  This is especially a problem for women.

Why?  Well, some women are afraid that if they work out with weights, they'll end up looking like this:

That's just not true.  It's not what happens when you incorporate weight training into your exercise routine.  

'Tis the season….

….for awareness!

That's right folks, it's that time of year again.  Time to start raising awareness and money to help end violence against women.

Some of you might already know that I'm very involved with the Vagina Monologues at my university.  What's that, you ask?  It's a play written by and about women that we perform every year to raise money for V-Day, an organization committed to ending violence worldwide.  This will be my third year performing in the Monologues, and I think it'll be the best year yet.  Here are some of my favorite moments from the last two years:

2012. Dawn Schillinger and myself. V for Vagina! 

2013. Red Lipstick.  Photo credit: Kelsey Kupferer.

In my Zumba classes, I like to spread the word about V-Day by doing this dance in class.  It's called "Break The Chain."

The Mizzou performance of the Vagina Monologues will be on February 15 in Jesse Auditorium.  V there!

4 different Rhythms

Did you know that there are 4 different rhythms we use in Zumba?  They are: Merengue, Salsa, Cumbia and Reggaeton.  What do I mean by rhythm?  I mean type of song that has a distinct set of dance moves that goes with it. When you become a Zumba instructor, you learn all 4.  

The difference is the beat.  It's hard to explain in words, but easy if you listen.  Here are some songs demonstrating the four different rhythms:

Here's Merengue:



Salsa:


Cumbia:



Reggaeton:

As you can see, there are different steps that are characteristic of each rhythm.

But don't worry...if you come to a Zumba class you don't need to know the difference...leave that up to your instructor!  You just follow along.

Keep dancing!

Holiday home workout

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope you're having a wonderful break and enjoying lots of food and time with your families.

Working out over the holidays can be tough.  A lot of gyms are closed, it's pretty cold to exercise outside, and if you're like me you're in a city where you don't usually live.

I'm definitely not telling you to diet over the holidays.  Food is one of the best parts of this season, and that's totally unrealistic. But trust me, after all that eating, a little exercise will feel GREAT!

Here's an awesome bodyweight workout that you can do at home from my favorite fitness blog, Greatist.  It only takes half an hour, and no equipment necessary! Give it a try!

Finals week schedule

Hello Zumba lovers!

Happy Thanksgiving break.  I hope you all are headed home to spend time with your families and eat wonderful food.

Don't forget that there are NO TigerX classes starting today through Thanksgiving break.  We'll start back with our normal schedule on Monday, December 2.  But only for one week!

Starting on December 6, we'll be starting our special finals week schedule.  Here it is:

New choreography I love

Today I'm going to share some of my favorite choreography videos I've found recently.

I'll let you in on a little secret….most Zumba instructors steal a lot of their moves from other instructors. But isn't that how creativity works?  You take a little piece of something you like, build on it and make it your own.

This first dance is to the song "Tranquila" by J Balvin.  I love this dance (and these instructors!) because of their energy, the simplicity of their moves and their performance quality.  And, they're pretty good- looking, too! One of my favorite co-instructors told me, "I'd be first in line for their class if they taught here!"  Enjoy.

Dance fitness shoes

Hello, everyone!  Today I'm going to talk about what shoes you should wear to Zumba or any other dance fitness class.

Wearing the right pair of shoes to work out in is VERY important.  Footwear can aid or restrict your movement.

For Zumba, it's best that you find a pair of shoes with very little tread on the bottom.  This will allow you to twist, turn and slide without putting your knees in danger.

Right now, I'm wearing a pear or bright purple and green Nike Free shoes.  There's almost no tread on the bottom.  They look like this:

It's also really important to replace your shoes when they get old.  I know that shoes are expensive, but it's definitely worth the money.  Believe me, in 2011 I was out for two weeks because of a nasty case of achilles tendinitis caused by worn-out shoes.  Ouch. 

One of my fitness mottos is that appearance matters way more than you think it does.  If you're dressed in a way that makes you feel confident, you will get a better workout.  Check out this blog post and this one for more.  

And keep dancing!

Zumba Jam of the week: "Noche de Estrellas" by Jose de Rico and Henry Mendez