Rediscovering Dance!

There has been a wave of excitement from friends of mine recently who have discovered the dance program, Zumba Fitness. Apparently, the program is like going to a club with a bunch of friends listening to great music and dancing.  I found myself getting all worked up when I heard about it because it sounded like so much fun but there was a problem.  When I began to look into the program, I found it to be somewhat costly. The first class is either three dollars or free, then six dollars per class or ten classes for forty five dollars.  I have always been a penny pincher so when I began adding up the money I decided quickly I could dance on my own.  More importantly I believe if I am going to commit to a healthy lifestyle I have to begin on my own or the money may go to waste.  

There are several music stations through my Cable TV (Comcast) without commercials.  My favorites are the 80's, 90's and the Golden Oldies because they take me back to a different place in time.  I remember dancing with the neighborhood girls to the song Footloose in my back yard.  Whenever the line came to kick off your Sunday shoes, we would kick them off with complete abandon.  When I graduated High School I spent a lot of time going to the clubs dancing so the nineties music brings back memories of a new found freedom.  The Golden Oldies remind me of all the family fun I had watching my parents, aunts, uncles and friends heat up the dance floor.  When I am dancing all the memories come flooding back and just when I think I'm done dancing another great song will come on and I just keep going.  Now that I think of it, I've been dancing since I was three years old.  I would put on my beautiful, white, lacy "wedding dress" my mom bought me every year for Christmas and climb onto our round coffee table.  There I would shake what my mamma gave me as my family watched with enthusiasm.  If I loved to dance that much, why did a take a 13 year break from dancing?  Perhaps when I became a parent and stopped going to the clubs I thought my days of dancing were over.  

When I told my Dietitian I had found an exercise I could commit to, she applauded my idea.  She said, "If you can turn the music up in your house and dance for ten minutes a day, that's awesome!"  She further told me it was a realistic commitment and found after later investigation that dance is a great way to shape up not only your body but your mind.  The excitement of dance has recaptured me and I understand the Zumba craze my friends are all talking about.  I'm not against going to a Zumba class once in a while so I can join the party but in the mean time I have a party of my own, by myself, any day, any time, cost free!