Tag Archives: Life

Zumba For Life

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Dear Zumba Fans and Zumba-Phobes,

I’m often hesitant to try new things, super clumsy, shy around strangers, I’ve never taken an aerobics class, I’m not a dancer, and half of me suffers from a lack of coordination. Perfect combination for someone doing Zumba, right? Well, as irony would have it, I think I may just be addicted to Zumba. I’ve been taking a weekly class for the past few months and I can’t imagine my life without it. Oh, and the class is in the morning. I’m not a morning person- especially if it involves any level of physical activity (actually, if it involves anything other than sleep, I’m really not a fan).

Zumba is a Latin-inspired, total body, calorie-burning dance fitness-party™ that incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue, mambo, and even a few Bollywood and belly dance moves. I first heard about Zumba 3+ years ago and as much as I wanted to try it, I put it off because I was scared. Scared of not catching on to all the faced paced choreography. Scared of tripping and falling over my own feet. Scared of making a fool of myself (yes, scared of a Zumba class. Are you shaking your head? Yeah, me too!).  So I kept making excuses……….. Ever wanted to do something really bad but you allowed fear to talk you out of it? Tisk, tisk to us both! But Zumba has awakened me to a whole new world of fearlessness. And I love it! This class has reinforced seven valuable life lessons for me. Wanna hear ’em? Here they go!

1. Just DO it! There are some things you don’t need to pray about (assuming those things are godly, good, healthy, ethical, legal, wise, etc.). More often than not, Christians use prayer as an excuse for procrastination and/or a cover-up for passivity or paranoia. So, when faced with a tough decision, challenged to change for the better, or even impassioned with pursuing purpose, we say things like “let me pray about it.” You can stand in the back of the class and pray you’ll perfect all the steps; you can even stay home and watch a beginner’s DVD. But until you put the moves in motion you’ll never get the hang of it. Want to try something new or make a change for the better? Just do it! Start somewhere or you’ll go nowhere.

2. Commit to It! I don’t care how physically fit you are or how “easy” the pros say the steps are supposed to be, it takes us amateurs a while to catch on to all the moves. Repetition is key. Each week we have a few new Zumbians in our class. And without fail, most of these new members either leave in the middle of class or stay ’til the end and never return. Happens all the time. I don’t get it. Listen ladies, you’re going to make mistakes. Get over it. The more you practice, the fewer mistakes you’ll make. Just because you mess up doesn’t mean  you should give up. Commit to the process so you can start making progress.

3. Follow the Leader. For me, the best way to learn the choreography is to carefully follow my Zumba instructor. She gives more visual cues than vocal cues (except for the instances where she stops to correct our form. Improper form leads to injury!). So we must follow her lead. Once I perfect the footwork, then I focus on mastering my core and upper body movements. Now that I’ve learned the basics I catch on a lot easier when she adds new routines to the repertoire. Here’s my point: Just because God is sometimes silent doesn’t mean He’s not trying to show us something. Follow His lead. Focus on the steps He’s already ordered and it will be easier to do what He’s destined for you to do- even when the course changes. And you’ll be far less likely to get hurt in the process.

4. Position Yourself. When I first joined the class my favorite spot was in the back corner of the dance studio (which is situated in a large fitness center). That way the folks working out in the gym couldn’t see me thru the large glass wall that separated the two areas (’cause clearly, they were checking to see how well I was doing… NOT!). I felt comfortably invisible. Only problem is that I could barely see the instructor. So I was left to depend on the confusing moves of all the half-stepping sisters in the back of the room. No good! Not to mention the one dude in the class who seemed completely unwilling to follow any of the choreography. Talk about distracting! I have since moved out of my comfort zone towards the front of the class where the Zumbian Queens get it in. Ladies, if you want to go for yours, you must position yourself around others who share the same goals and around those who “dance” better than you. And don’t allow a man to distract you from pursuing your passion. Position yourself for greatness!

5. Humble Yourself. It’s reeeeally easy to start believing your own hype when it seems you’ve mastered all the moves. I was so proud of myself when I finally started catching on to those crazy, fast-paced, high-energy routines. There were several times when I caught myself spending more time in the mirror checking out my fancy footwork instead of keeping my eyes on the trainer. And surprise! I would mess up every time. It’s alright to make sure you’re on point… just don’t make it a point to stop focusing on the One who is always on point. Get the point? 🙂

Brooks PureCadence in Knockout Pink. These shoes are so bright, they glow in the day light! Love ’em!

6. Invest in Yourself. One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made during my quest for Zumbaliciousness is not wearing the right shoes. Until recently, it hadn’t dawned on me that the Nike cross-trainers I was wearing to class were not the best shoes for the high-impact moves of Zumba. Amongst other things, they were too heavy and the soles prevented smooth pivoting. My knees were starting to feel it. Upon the recommendation of my instructor, I recently invested in a pair of Brooks PureCadence Running Shoes. Oh what a difference! These shoes are so light, flexible, have great arch support and cushioning, and the soles are perfect for Zumba-ing. The price was much higher than my frugal liking, but hey- investing in the right shoe is a lot cheaper than the cost of knee surgery. (Of course, being the Practical Chick that I am, I still managed to get a lil discount on mine. And you know this, maaa’am! ;-)). Want to pursue your passion? Invest in yourself. It will improve your overall performance, help you produce greater results, and quite possibly keep you from getting injured in the process. What an awesome return on investment!

7. Embrace Change. What a wonderful world it would be if we never experienced change. Right? Wrong! Change is necessary. And so is sweat. Sweat is our body’s way of releasing toxins. Sometimes change is necessary to help rid us of complacency and fear.  If we always rehearsed the same dance moves in class, none of us would ever go to the next level of Zumbadom. Our bodies would grow accustomed to the same boring workout and we would never build and tone our muscles (or our confidence). Given that our flesh is naturally opposed to change, our Heavenly Instructor will often switch up the music and shift the routine to a faster-paced number. He’s trying to take us from the Beginners Class to the Master Class. Don’t hold up your progress by resisting change.

Zumba is sweaty. It’s challenging. It’s good for your body and your self-esteem. And it’s so much fun! That’s probably why I’m addicted/committed to it. Whatever it is that you’re committed to, determine to have fun while you’re doing it. Sure, you’re going to make mistakes- you’re bound to make mistakes. We’ve already established that. Who has a good time focusing on mistakes? No one. So focus on letting loose. Get out of your stuffy little predictable box. You’ll breathe so much easier and you’ll lose so much weight (physically and emotionally) in the process.

Everybody ought to have something they look forward to waking up to (even if they’re not a morning person). We should all strive to be more and do more. We all need something that will burn the fat of fear, build our confidence, confront our pride, and safely soothe our stress. What passion have you procrastinated to pursue? Lookey here, girlfriend… it’s not gonna happen until you make it happen. Time out for standing in the back of the classroom of life, watching everyone else have fun and get in better shape (physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, spiritually, etc.). Get out there and start making some power moves. Pursue it up and do it up! Should you happen to screw it up, don’t give it up- forgive it up! And follow your Faithful Leader so you can live it up!  =D

Zumba for life, baby!

~The Practical Chick

Check Your Lining

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Dear Supermodel Saints,

Yesterday, in the middle of Winter, the forecast was sunny and 60+ degrees. So, in celebration of the unseasonably warm weather, I decided to wear a skirt suit (I don’t typically wear skirts to work in the Winter)… a lovely lil gray micro-houndstooth suit (complete with kick-pleat pencil skirt) that I hadn’t worn since I got it out the cleaners in the fall. Although crammed between a rack of other suits, it appeared to be free of wrinkles and ready to wear. Yay! It didn’t even need to be ironed! I slipped it on, zipped up the skirt, buttoned the jacked, stepped into my heels, and sashayed over to the mirror for a last-minute check before heading to the office. Just one teeny tiny problem: my sharp lil suit looked a little… sloppy. How could this be? It looked fine on the hanger… why didn’t it look so neat while draped against my body? Well, the answer was simple: the lining was wrinkled.

As I stood there ironing the lining of this suit I was determined to don (’cause I was NOT about to go through the whole process of deciding what to wear alllll over again!), I thought about how this suit represented so many of the lovely people gracing the face of the earth: smooth on the outside, crumpled on the inside. On the surface, we appear to have it all together- smiling, in control, hardworking, successful, strong, and “perfect”- Supermodel Saints, if you will. But underneath, many of us are quite wrinkled. A power struggle ensues between who we are (the real us) and who we pretend to be (the ideal us).

The real us makes mistakes, doesn’t have all the answers, gets angry and upset, sins on a daily basis, and is therefore completely imperfect. Yet, we pretend that we “got it goin’ on.” And for what? To impress a bunch of other imperfect people who are just as creased on the inside as we are? No wonder so many Christians are struggling spiritually!

Many don’t know how to be both human and Christian, and keep it real all at the same time. Imagine how much more at peace we would all be with ourselves if we knew we weren’t the only ones going through something. But instead, we parade under the facade of “being strong”, not realizing that true strength lies in admitting your weaknesses. Across the Country, we Christians strut into the Cleaners (Church) every week in our Sunday Best (and we’re just as stained, wrinkled and crinkled as can be on the inside) only to strut right back out as if we didn’t need to be washed and pressed in the first place! We’re afraid to be labeled as ‘weak’, or ‘bad’. So we clap our hands on cue, make the right gestures, nod and say ‘Amen’, then leave in the same stubborn condition (if we bother to attend church at all). Pretending to be something you’re not does a disservice to everyone, especially yourself. The fear of being “found out” will eat away at your lining (the real you) and keep you from living a victorious life.

What’s wrinkling your soul? What are you covering up?

In Changes That Heal, Dr. Henry Cloud examines this power struggle. “The ideal judges the real as unacceptable and brings condemnation and wrath on the real.” BUT! “The Bible teaches two extremes throughout- 1) We are made in the image of God, with incredible value (ideal), and  2) we are sinful and broken (real). Both are true and both need to be reconciled into a grace-giving relationship with God and others.” Amen.

My lovely lil suit is not a bad suit just because the lining was wrinkled. It’s just a lovely suit with a wrinkled lining. The lining isn’t bad, it just needed to be ironed in order for the suit to be as fabulous as it was designed to be. And you know what? You’re not a bad person if you’re struggling with something or you’re not as “perfect” as you pretend to be (NEWSFLASH: none of us are perfect!). Don’t allow your past or your present  problems to shame you into living a fearful future. You’re not unworthy of love and acceptance just because you have problems, make mistakes, your marriage isn’t perfect, your kids are off the chain, you had an addiction, you can’t afford to live like a rock star, etc. You’re a good person with a few wrinkles in your lining, that’s all. Happens to the best of us. 🙂

“There is so much good in the worst of us,
And so much bad in the best of us,
That it hardly behooves any of us
To talk about the rest of us.”

~Edward Wallis Hoch

The crazy thing about lining is that even the sharpest suit/pants/skirt won’t lay right if the lining is left unchecked. Even if the wrinkles aren’t apparent to your onlookers, you just won’t be comfortable with what you have on. The lining may pull in the wrong direction or it may start creeping up into the wrong place, at the wrong time. And it’s bound to show eventually. What started off as a minor nuisance that you could conceal may soon keep you from walking right while you try to cover it up.

Quit pretending you got it all together and keep it real with YOU. Take your sharp self to the Master Cleaner, check yourself at the counter (the altar), tell Him what you’re ashamed of, struggling and dissatisfied with, and let Him iron out your wrinkles. So what if others see you crying out to God for help?! Shoot, maybe it will encourage them to get help too! While there are some things you can iron out on your own, at some point your situation will require Professional Care. Only the Professional can straighten out what you are ill-equipped to handle on your own. God is there for you every time you need to be refreshed, renewed, restored, and reshaped. You are imperfect AND worthwhile- a Designer’s original. Allow the Lord to clean, press and steam you into the fabulous person you were created to be- from the inside out. There’s a blessing in His pressing! 😉

Practically Yours,

~The Practical Chick