Zumba Fitness ---Ditch the workout, join the party!

I can't remember exactly when or how I heard about Zumba Fitness.  I think it was right around June of 2011, maybe around the same time Pitbull released his single, "Pause", and Zumba Fitness came out with a video.  Yes, maybe it was around that time.  What I know is that I've fallen in love with Zumba Fitness and it's been quite difficult getting through a week without attending a class.

A lot of people have been asking me what Zumba is, and to satisfy a lot of curious minds, I asked a licensed and certified Zumba Fitness instructor, Dan Cabiling, to shed some light on frequently asked questions, and I dig some digging around myself :)

What is Zumba Fitness?  How long has it been around?

Zumba Fitness--- a brand name that is copyrighted and patented--- consists of Latin and world beat rhythm.  The original  fitness party was originally created by Beto Perez in the mid 90's when he forgot to bring his traditional aerobics music to a class he was teaching and so he made use of music from tapes in his backpack (salsa and merengue).  Instead of counting reps over the music, he moved to the rhythm of the music, and his class LOVED it.  The fitness party was born!

Beto Perez

According to the website, www.zumba.com, Zumba Fitness officially became a company in 2001, when Beto  brought his new dance-fitness style to Florida.

More than a workout, it's definitely a party-- I could attest to this.  We usually dance salsa, samba, cha cha, belly dancing, tahitian, hip hop, reggae, and a whole lot more!  There's nothing like an hour of Zumba class at the gym---specially when the instructor lets us freestyle! Yes, I've done the Dougie in Zumba class and I've shuffled to Party Rock Anthem a couple of times, too :)

What music can you use for the class? (Trust me, it's hard to call it a "class" because it sure doesn't feel like one.)

As a licensed and certified Zumba Fitness instructor, Dan gets music from Zumba Fitness every month, and he can use any Latin and world beat music of his choice---30% of the music is chosen by the instructor depending on the personality of the class, and 70% would be original Zumba Fitness music.  Personally, Dan likes to use catchy music from Latin Pop Artists like J-Lo, Pitbull, Shakira, Daddy Yankee, Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin.  He uses music from different decades, as well as Caribbean, African, Bollywood, hip hop, and country music. He even uses music from musical theater productions.  

Zumba Fitness Caipirinha Music Video

An hour of Zumba Fitness could burn more calories than an hour of jogging, how much does it actually burn?  How come it burns more than jogging?

Doing Zumba Fitness for 30-60 minutes could burn 400-800 calories depending on how one would move and depending on the intensity of the choreography.  It is actually an uneven intermittent workout or uneven interval workout wherein anaerobic music  is alternated with aerobic music (songs that play around 145 beats per minute).  Aerobic music is used for endurance which strengthens ones heart , and anaerobic music is used to speed up metabolism through muscle toning.

How does one become a Zumba Fitness Instructor?  

There are 2 types of Zumba Fitness Instructors---one is a  licensed Zumba Fitness Instructor who took the Zumba Basic Training Course (I'm thinking about taking this course...), and the other is a licensed instructor who took the basic training course and is certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA).  Dan is a licensed and certified Zumba Fitness Instructor, and a good one at that! :)

Where can people attend Zumba Fitness classes?

Dan holds classes at Gold's Gym Libis and Galleria.  I wasn't able to ask him if he teaches at other Gold's Gym branches, but there are other awesome instructors at other branches like Liway and John Cuay (who teaches at Galleria also).  They are my personal favorites :)

Zumba Apparel, where can we buy them?

Purchases could be made through www.zumba.com or thru a local retailer in Pampanga (a personal friend of Dan), her name is Nikki Mae Ocampo (message me for contact info).

Whew!  It kind of feels like I said all of that in one breath!  Until my next post! :)

Sources: Dan Cabiling, licensed and certified Zumba Fitness Instructor

                 www.zumba.com; zumbawitme.com.p2.hostingprod.com (Beto Perez' photo)

Living on the Edge

The day after Christmas of 2011, my cousins, my tito, tita, my kids and I went on a road trip to Batangas. It was a planned overnight trip to Tali where tita B celebrated her birthday. 2 days before the trip, I was talking to my tita and 2 cousins about the trip.  They told me that I have to try cliff diving---that it was such a rush, and that no matter how many times you jump off the cliff, it's as if you've never tried it before.  And so...I looked forward to it.

We arrived at around noon, and we lounged at the beach before we had lunch.  After lunch we all fell asleep and woke up at around 4-ish.  The cuzos went straight to the cliff, while I went back to the beach with the kids and tita B.  Half an hour later, I finally mustered up enough courage to go to the cliff.

Cousins walking to the cliff.

After most of the other cliff divers left, I climbed up the highest point (there are 3 points from where you can jump, and, due to peer pressure, I tried the highest point), and then I looked down. My knees were shaking!!   I think I felt my face turn cold, and I had to hold on to the rocks coz I felt like I was going to faint!!  I didn't consider backing out though. I asked my cousin J (the one in the blue boardshorts) how I was supposed to do it, and he said, "You see that sandy part in the water?  Aim for that." What!?!?!  What happens if I miss?!?!?  Of course I didn't ask that out loud (I think), I already knew the answer.  

I tricked myself into jumping.  I remember pointing towards the water and saying, "So I just jump from...here?  Dito??"  And then I jumped---without thinking about it any further.

A photo of my first jump.  Since I was squatting when I fell into the water, I bruised my thigh =P

The fear disappeared the moment I jumped off the cliff.  It was replaced with the anticipation of the plunge.  The fall felt like it took forever though, but the moment I hit the water, I smiled.  I was smiling underwater.  I was freakin' proud of myself! Haha!

My cousin, P, diving head first.

It-felt-great!

The second time around, I wasn't as scared anymore.  No, I think I was...only because it was already dark and the B cousins kept talking about how scary the cave looked (there's a cave under the cliff, and after the plunge, it's the first thing that you see).  Instead of leaving the water after we jumped, we just swam out of the way, but we waited for each cousin to finish.

It was quite an experience.  I actually did a "Bella Swan" (the girl from the Twilight movie jumped off a cliff to "see" her vampire love)! Glad that I got to do this with my cousins during "the most wonderful time of the year".  It's quite refreshing to be able to conquer your fear...even if you have to break into a tune first to gather strength, lol.

My cousin, N, singing Young Blood before she jumped.

Young Blood by The Naked and Famous

I'm going back to do this again for sure.  Sometimes it feels good to live on the edge.  Sometimes.

The Happiness Project

Have you seen that new Coca-cola commercial?  The one with the hundred year old man who traveled from the province all the way to Manila to visit his newborn great, great (I really don't know how many greats to use..) granddaughter?  If not, here it is..

Well, it's true.  Happiness is a birthright.  Everyone deserves to be happy.  Take it from lolo Mario who's been around for a hundred years...we have to look for what's going to make us happy.  Time flies and we should make the most out of life.

The other week, I had to make reservations at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street for a couple's pre-nup photoshoot.  Told myself that I'll just drop off the payment and head back to the office, but of course I caught the scent of the books that were fresh from the box which made me decide to stay a bit longer.  I was browsing through the best sellers and I found The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. And I thought, Oh this is probably just like Eat, Pray, Love...

I wanted to buy it because I was intrigued (plus, the semi-damaged book was priced at around Php 300,  not bad at all), but since I am stingy, I put the book back, went back to the office and forgot about it.  A few days later though, I was reminded of the book so I went online and checked reviews. Turns out, it is like Eat, Pray, Love...only, it's a book about someone who didn't have the option leave the country to look for happiness, she had to focus on improving her life as it was.  The reviews all discussed how she gave proofs of love, how she sought help more, how she tried to enjoy more and how she kept a gratitude notebook. Two words---simple joys. Lo and behold, I am sold!

As I was looking for reviews, I found this website where the author of the book shares her insights.

http://www.happiness-project.com/

Check it out!  Who knows?  It might inspire you to create your own happiness project :)

I'm getting myself a copy of the book maybe tomorrow.  I've been trying to find a good read since after I finished The Lost Symbol and Mini-shopaholic late last year. I'm hoping that it's worth my Php300++ (forgive the stinginess).  :)  I'll try to give my personal take on it when I'm done with the book---which is most probably going to be at least 6 months from now, hahaha!

Good job to Coca-cola for another heartwarming ad!

The kickoff...

At least every week, I think about starting a blog that I could let people read.  Problem is, I don't think I could focus on one single topic unlike the foodies who blog about restaurants they've tried, or perhaps fashion bloggers who blog about the latest trends or great finds.  Maybe I could, I just refuse to do so...I'll probably just bore myself to death if I force myself to concentrate on one idea for my blog.

So here it is.  My "chopsuey" blog.  I decided to just blog about anything and everything that I want to write about that might interest those who come to read this..  Nope, I won't be blogging about my feelings, my daily struggles and whatnot.  I'm actually thinking of writing about wedding suppliers (but of course), new activities, and maybe those little things that amaze me.  Let's see how it pans out.

My reason for starting a semi-public blog?  To inspire........to advertise........to make people feel that, yes, everyday is a challenging day, but everyday is a new day, which means new ideas are created....new activities could be done....new obstacles could be conquered using new techniques and new skills.  Everyday is a day to discover something new, or maybe something awesome, about ourselves and the world.

Argh.  That was me, putting pressure on myself.  Don't expect an entry everyday---not gonna happen.  Haha!