How too much Zumba almost knocked me out

As feared, salsa was cancelled last weak and this weak, givibg me time to join the Wednesday Zumba class instead. That left me doing 5 Zumba classes and 1 Dance Fit class.

Monday I bought 4 neopren ankle supporters. I suffer from weak ankles and the once I already had, were starting to wear. Little did I know, that by Thursday I would be needing my ankle supporters quite a bit.




Some people might say that I should be fit for switching out 2 salsa freestyle classes for 1 Zumba class. But if the routines are always the same, it weakens my joints. My Zumba instructor is good at coming up with new choreographs, but for some reason, this past weak she's been bringing up "Hela Decale" more and more. With the many small jumps on one leg, my left ancle was not having it. Luckily Friday and Saturday were my "off" days, but Sunday I was back at Zumba. In the break between my first and second class, the instructor came to me and asked if I was ok, as she noticed that I looked troubled... So I told her about my bad ankle. Being the trained Zumbanista and knowing my own body, I already knew not to jump on that feet, but instead bend my knee, which was the advice she also had for me. In the end of the last class, one of the other women tripped and sprained her ankle, so we had to cut the class and go straight to stretching out, while our instructor took care of the woman and her sprained ankle. I do see that happening every now and then and I always come to the conclusion, that it's because of the shoes people wear. I know that the shoes from the famous sport brands are very popular, but most of them are not designed for dancing. Modt of them has a pattern under the sole, which I would logicaly think, would prevent the shoe from sliding!!??! Because of my weak joints, I take my footwear very serious. For Zumba, I prefer the "Space."



2 weeks ago, I bought my 5th. Pair of Skechers "Shape Ups." Shape Ups are pefect for my weak ankles! They're soft and help me strengthen the joints. Sadly, it looks like I have to wait a bit with wearing them, as winter and snow still seem to stick over here. Shape Ups are not made for rain or snow, as the sole will disolve.

Yesterday I woke up with a stiff neck, from sleeping on my arm. Ugh! I didn't go to Dance Fit. It's still stiff today, but a lot better. My theory is that Zumba tonight will cure it! I'm sure I'll forget about the pain while having fun. That way Zumba will loosen up my shoulder and neck. We shall see.

January adjustments

With the beginning of the new year, it's a given, that more people start going to the gym. I've been going to the gyms for years, and know the drill. However, our Zumba instructor is so popular, that her classes are always super crowded. Especialy Sunday mornings... I prefer to be in the back right corner, as that is the way my brain has chosen for me to read the zumba routines the easiest way. But with the many newbies, I often find myself in a new spot, because they all want to be in the back.

 I remember the feeling of going to Zumba for the first time. It makes me proud when I think about how Zumba changed my life 2½ years ago! I always look at the newbies and think "I wonder if they will stay at it like me.." Zumba is keeping me busy and I love it. When I think back on how my life was before zumba, it makes me sad. I remember the dayly trip to buy chocolate on the way home, then sitting down in front of the tv for the rest of the day. Now I hardly ever watch tv, cause I'm never home. I simply keep myself busy and it's the only thing preventing me from getting back to my old habbits. Instead I allow myself the treats now, because I go to the gym. I lost a lot of weight within the first 6 months and have been able to keep it off for 2 years. But that's not all. People say I look more happy now. Someone even told my mom that I had so much selfesteem now, which is something I never seemed to have before, so that made me realy proud. To know that other people can see that I like being me now, is such a great feeling. I'm not afraid of what people think of me anymore, because I know that I work hard at the gym every week and am damn proud of it!

I must admit, there were 2 weeks after Christmas that I didn't go to zumba. but I didn't feel bad about it, cause I knew  would get back once I found the time for it again and as I had been sick for a while, with a cough, that may have been the cold flu, I think my boddy was begging me for a break. I know allow myself breaks!! I'm not super woman so anything I feel like doing or not doing, I decide.

As Zumba class on Fridays was taken off the program, I felt the need of another 1 hour work out. As dancing seems to be the only thing I realy enjoy, I was pleased to see that there was a new Dance Fit class on Tuesdays, which normaly would be my "day off." I must admit, that dance fit class is very boring, but as I find myself thinking time flies fast, I decided to stick with it. Because I have such a busy schedule after work, I had to write down exactly which bus to take where and when, to make it to the gym in time. Without that, I would be lost.

Here's my January work out schedule:

Monday: (Too lazy to leave the house after 19...)
Tuesday: 1 hour Dance Fit
Wednesday: 2 hours salsa freestyle (salsa work out)
Thursday: 1 hour Zumba
Friday: (Sadly no more Zumba)
Saturday:
Sunday: 2 hours of Zumba
- So with 3 "Non work out days," I've still been able to work out 6 hours a week :)

Because we don't have zumba on Fridays any more, our instructor promised to me some zumba events every now and then. So January 25th. we had a 1½ hour "Zumba pop songs edition" event. It was a lot of fun.

The last week of January, I didn't get to do any work out at all. this time it wasn't because I was ill, but because my instructors were. That's what happens. Luckily every instructor was working again this week and I've enjoyed 6 hours of work out.. I know it could've been 7, but I decided to skip Tuesday's dance fit. I plan on going to all scheduled classes next week. There is a risk that my salsa will get cancelled, though.. But I hope my instructor will find a new location for our salsa before Wednesday.