Guest Post: Zumba Introduction

October 2, 2012

Note: I recently asked some of my friends if they wanted to guest post on my blog. I was excited when my friend Emily said she would. She doesn’t have a blog, but her enthusiasm and love of Zumba is something I knew she would look forward to sharing with everyone. Without further ado, here’s her post.

Hey ya’ll! My name is Emily Smith and when Emily posted about looking for guests to post on her blog, I decided to jump at the opportunity and introduce you to the craze they call ZUMBA (Can you tell I’m in love, yet?!). Emily and I met through Jenny Blake’s online course, Make Sh*t Happen, that empowers and equips go- getters (like Skinny Emmie) to take their big goals from impossible to inevitable. Since then, I’ve been following Emily and all of amazing goodness on health, fitness, and weight loss! I’m currently working on losing another 30 lbs. and preparing to become Zumba certified!

So, what exactly is Zumba?! I had heard about it 3 years ago, but actually didn’t take the opportunity to attend a group fitness class until last January! I was hooked after the first Zumba class and haven’t looked back since. Zumba is basically a Latin-inspired dance-fitness program that blends red-hot international music, and contagious steps to form a “fitness-party” that is downright addictive.

Throughout my entire life, I’ve always been active, but lost my motivation while I was in college (thus gaining extra weight). It wasn’t until I discovered Zumba, that I was able to successfully loose weight (I’ve lost 30 lbs. so far!!!!) and stay committed and excited towards exercise! I Zumba 4-5 times per week, have attended several “Zumba parties” (where you actually go to venues to Zumba for a couple of hours and then there’s basically healthy food/drinks/vendors), and attend classes all over the Dallas area to get a taste of some of my favorite Zumba instructors! Because I love Zumba so much, I’ve decided to post a list of the top 5 reasons why I love Zumba!

  1. It’s a massive dance party. Every time. You get to dance and shake it to your favorite Latin/hip hop/reggae/you name it songs, with your friends, all while burning 700-900 calories an HOUR! Yes, I’m not kidding.
  2. It makes you feel SOOOOO sexy. Exercise+ sexy=AWESOME.
  3. You can do it anywhere- at a fitness studio near you, in any city, from your own TV (you just have to order the tapes) & with your friends! The more people, the better!
  4. It helps you drop weight quickly (as long as you are eating healthy and/or following some sort of eating regimen) and tones you in places you didn’t know existed!
  5. You get to wear bright, flashy, fun clothes! They actually make a line of Zumba wear and you’ll notice when you Zumba a lot of people have fitness gear inspired by the movement! Check out their product line here.

And with this being said, I am off to….ZUMBA!

About Emily: 
Emily is a Teach For America corps member and MSH Co-Facilitator behind Jenny Blake’s Make Sh*t Happen course who’s dream is to coach and inspire those around her to live their most authentic and purpose-driven lives. Find her on Twitter @EmilyAnne_917.

  • http://twitter.com/#!/pattyaizaga Patty

    I’ve got to get back to Zumba! I had so much fun with it at FitBloggin. Thanks for the reminder!

  • A More Conscious E

    I always feel so awkward when Zumba-ing in public so I’ve been using the Playstation Zumba game. Being a Latina with no rhythm is challenging :)

  • http://www.skinnyemmie.com/ Emily Sandford

    Thanks for sharing this! How fun. Here’s a video of a Zumba class I did recently at FitBloggin. I’ve downloaded the music to try to do some at home when I need a quick break from work! http://vimeo.com/49973046

  • Cassie LaFasto

    Thanks for posting this!!! I have a similar story to Emily’s; through Zumba and tracking my food on My Fitness Pal, I lost 88 pounds over the past two years, and in February of 2012, I got my Zumba Fitness Instructor license! I mostly did it just as a “Wow, I used to weigh 260 pounds and now I can be called a fitness instructor!” thing, but I taught my first class on St. Patrick’s Day 2012, and haven’t looked back since! I am now Zumba Toning certified as well! Funny thing, too, I also live in the DFW area. Maybe I will run into Emily someday at a Zumba event! Emmie, any time you’ve posted about going to a Zumba class, it makes me soooooo happy, because I know all the feelings you describe once you’ve gone, first hand. Zumba is seriously a life-changer!!!

    • http://www.skinnyemmie.com/ Emily Sandford

      that’s AMAZING!!!

  • Maria P

    I’ve been doing Zumba for a few months now and love it! It is so much fun that it doesn’t feel like a “workout”. I go about twice a week and sweat my butt off :) This lady in my class has lost 20 pounds in 3 months.

    • http://www.skinnyemmie.com/ Emily Sandford

      It’s one of the most fun ways to work up a sweat, right?!

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