She likes to Move It, Move It!

Can't stop dancing -
AMEN TO THAT!

It's no surprise that the more I've shrunk, the more my confidence has grown - and with that comes lots of new activities that I was never brave enough to do 'before'!

Being the music-lover that I am, it's no accident that I'd end up following wherever there were tunes!  It wasn't enough to be the world's most awesome loungeroom dancer anymore (although I'm happy to retain the title, haha!) - nope, it was time to let loose on the floor, and cut it with the best of them!

I LOVE going out to the Club now and getting my uber-sweat on with all the 20-somethings!  I'm the sober dancer who will go for HOURS, til my feet are swollen, my makeup is running down my face, my hair is plastered to my neck and it's well and truly past my bedtime!  This is all new territory for me, I might add - I'm reverting to the youth that I never was!!!

So it was only natural that this love-affair with music and dancing was going to send me in search of an exercise activity that didn't revolve around a dingy night Club....

Bring on ZUMBA!!!!

With so much talk and hype about Zumba in the media and on TV, I was definitely a victim of this latest fad! Curiosity had a hold of me and it would NOT let go!!

"Put your left foot in..."  hahaha..
Just kidding.. no hokey pokey!!

Given it wasn't that long ago that I was too ashamed to be seen walking in public, I was VERY aware of the insecurities I had about doing a public dance class.  To be honest, I was downright petrified.  I do NOT resemble the barely-clothed, 6-pack-abs, tanned, professional dancer Zumba models on the infomercials!!!  ... and let's not even talk about the wobbly bits and seriously un-co moves I've been hiding from the world!!   *Gulp*

BUT I'm no longer the girl I used to be either - hiding away behind closed doors, too scared to try something new...  NO! No more shame, guilt, fear or EXCUSES!   It was time to step up!

I threw the challenge out there to a couple of friends (safety in numbers?!) to come and try a Zumba class with me in November last year - and it was my sister and I that ventured to our first class together - equally as nervous as the other!   An hour later, you could NOT wipe the smile off our faces!  I was HOOKED, she's hooked, another friend of mine is hooked... and anyone else who gets caught on my Zumba-bandwagon is likely to get hooked too!  (*you've been warned.. haha)

... and freestyle!!

A class full of NORMAL women, with NORMAL bodies, in NORMAL clothes - there's nothing pretentious or intimidating about it!   Flailing arms, wobbly bums, uncoordinated moves - and that's just ME!!!!  .... how can you resist the beats, the energy, the FUN?! 

Given my challenge was to make it through one class a week for a month, and now it's a few months later and I have no intention of giving it up any time soon... I think it's pretty safe to assume that I'm now addicted?!  And hey, I'm quite proud to stand up and admit that! (it goes hand in hand with all my other awesome new healthy addictions I've created!).

My Zumba classes have been far more than just a one-hour dance session though - they've given me the confidence to seek out other group classes and not fear that I'll be the "odd one out" - which is both liberating and motivating for a girl like me.

Move it ladies!!

Every time I step out of my comfort zone and conquer another fear, it just reinforces just how amazing it is to have this control over your actions and your goals, and just how far I've come. This one class gave me the courage to walk into the gym last week (another of my long-term fears), looking for MORE group exercise classes - and no doubt you'll all have a full report as soon as that starts!!!

Oh, and these sassy Zumba moves are AWESOME on the dancefloor... definitely gives these youngins a run for their money, haha!  So don't be scared to get out there and MOVE IT, MOVE IT!   Find something you love this much, and there's nothing but butt-burning FUN to be had!!   

To find a class near you, visit: http://search.zumba.com/classes/international  - and go get your booty shaking on too!!

xx  :)

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END NOTE:  When I asked our class instructor, Deb, if she'd allow me to take photos for my blog - she had two conditions!  
1. The class had to give me permission, be ok starring in my shots, and
2. I had to get up in front of the group and explain WHY I was doing the blog shots in the first place and what I've achieved so far!   A VERY humbling, very liberating exercise - and I'm very thankful for it!  

A huge THANK YOU to the Wednesday night "Shake Your Booty" Zumba class here in Bathurst for letting me take these photos!  You guys are the reason I'm so in love with the class and why I feel so comfortable there!!  ... and ofcourse, big praise to our awesome instructor Deb, who makes it such a joy to attend each week - irrespective of how much we complain, hahaha!

Here's to lots more fun in the future!!   :)