On Saturday I taught my first, albeit extremely informal, zumba class to a small group of five friends. One of my said friends had encouraged me to do so, even though I felt not totally ready in terms of polished choreographies and such, and I decided I might as well take the plunge. While I definitely have lots of work to do, we had a great time. The most stressful part was the rain that started to fall just before the class (it was to be outdoors) but just after we started the sun came back out and it turned into a lovely afternoon.
I'm definitely going to continue to use my friends and family members to hone my zumba instructing skills. By doing so, I get to share my zumba love with others, and they will get some exercise in exchange, hopefully a win-win situation. I'm really looking forward to doing it again soon!
It's been almost one week since my zumba instructor training, and I keep forgetting to blog it. That's because the obsession has become even greater since the training, and I'm spending much of my waking time engrossed in all things zumba: listening to music, looking for music, reading the instructor forums on the zumba website, planning a class playlist, practicing routines, etc etc etc.
The training itself was amazing. We started the day with an hour long master class led by the Zumba Educational Specialist (ZES) who was providing the training. She was awesome, a total inspiration, I would attend her classes without hesitation. My plan going into the master class was not to exert myself in the same way as I do in the classes I attend at home (didn't want to overdo it at the start of a long day), but once the music started, I couldn't help myself! Following the master class, the day consisted of lectures interspersed with time learning steps. The Basic Level 1 training is to learn the four basic steps: merengue, salsa, cumbia, and reggaeton. We also spent some time learning about the Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN), a professional development type thing which provides access to great resources including monthly malings of CDs and DVDs as well great online resources. I knew before attending the training that I would want to join ZIN. We also learned about cueing moves for a class. Zumba is supposed to be cued non verbally, although I think most instructors use some verbal cues as well. The instructional part of the day ended with the ZES leading a mini class utilizing each of the four steps (and variations of each) that we had spent the day learning. At the end of the day, it was really interesting to see how she put the steps together as well as utilized the cueing to lead us through each song.
Before leaving, we were each presented with our certificate:
And posed for a group picture:
I love this picture because we all look so happy, albeit tired, at the end of an amazing day. The group itself was a diverse group of mainly friendly people who all love zumba. There were at least two other bellydancers there as well, one of whom had also participated in the Shimmy Mob that I blogged about a couple posts ago. I'm towards the back right of center, wearing a brown jacket with a turquoise tank top poking out.
Well that's probably more about my day than you really wanted to know, but there you have it, recorded for posterity!
So, in my last post I hinted about stepping out of my box some more, and that it involved zumba. Well I'm going to share that with you now. After all, I've been talking ad nauseum to my friends, family and coworkers about this, as well as posting on Twitter and Facebook, so it's about time I bring it to the blog too. Here's a screen shot of a recently received email which will reveal all:
Yep, next weekend I'm headed off for Level 1 Zumba instructor training! To say I'm excited would be an understatement, I'm totally stoked and can't wait for next Sunday to arrive.
One year ago, I'd never even heard about zumba. I attended my first class on September 14, 2010 (how pathetic is it that I even remember the date!?!) and gradually became totally enthralled. I think around December my instructor suggested I might want to get liscensed myself, and at that time I didn't take the whole thing all that seriously, even though I knew that I loved zumba and would attend every class I could. Sometime early in 2011, I became even more consumed by zumba and my workouts became more intense too. I also started to work on some zumba stuff on my own at home, and it nearly killed me having to sit still when I was ill one week in March.
Also early in 2011, I realized that I did indeed want to become a licensed zumba instructor, and began to stalk the zumba website waiting for local training to be offered. Finally, not quite a month ago, the listing showed Vancouver! I registered within minutes of seeing that.
I really need to credit my awesome instructor for all her support and encourgement. I would not be doing this without her. She's even given me the opportunity to lead a few songs during the small Saturday morning classes, which has been a lot of fun. I learn a lot from watching her too.
As for my own aspirations, I really don't anticipate teaching tons of classes. I have a day job which keeps me plenty busy. My vision is subbing for my regular instructor (she's currently away on vacation and no one could be found to step in) as well as maybe some informal classes for friends and family, and anyone else with whom I can share my love for zumba. I'm far from being an extrovert or someone who even wants attention, so as I said, this is definitely stepping out of the box for me. But you know, when you find something that excites you, you want to share it with everyone. And zumba has turned this former couch potato into someone who can't wait for the next class. Recently the following quotation was posted on the Zumba Fitness Facebook page, which really struck a chord with me:
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask What makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Howard Thurman
Obviously, Zumba totally makes me come alive.
Anyone still here? If so I'll end this post by sharing one of my current favourite zumba songs with you (I spend way to much time looking at zumba stuff on youtube). I'll probably post more in the week ahead as my excitement builds. Some day I'll talk about knitting and other fiber stuff again.
The blog continues to suffer, and I must admit that after blogging for over nine years, I've had thoughts of packing the whole thing in. Between Ravelry, Facebook and Twitter, there seems to be less purpose to blogging for me these days. I have however been inspired lately by Chrissy and her Yarn Sprout blog the last little while. I feel like she and I are kindred spirits in some ways, since she and I both embarked upon some fairly significant lifestyle changes at around the same time, and as a result, have both embraced new passions in each of our lives. Today she finished her first half marathon, and I loved reading her blog recap of this great accomplishment. And it got me thinking, maybe I should blog more about my new passions.
My event today was no where near as impressive as a half marathon, but it did represent something that I would NEVER have done a couple years ago. For the third time, I was part of a bellydance performance as my local group participated in the international Shimmy Mob. There's a great article about the Shimmy Mob here, so I won't bother totally repeating what has already been written, but basically, it was a flash mob type thing that raised money for Women's Charities. Money raised by my group will be donated to our local Transition House. Bellydancers from all over the world danced the same choreograph. The choreograph for me is as sense of accomplishment in itself. We were all given the same link to youtube that would help us learn the dance. The first time I viewed it, I wondered what on earth I had gotten myself in to, as it seemed (and truthfully, still is) way above my skill level. Thanks however to lots of practice and my wonderful teacher Tricia, I did it. Far from perfect, but still.
I first started taking bellydance lessons in September 2009, inspired by some local bellydancing friends that include Shannon from Half Soled Boots. Bellydance totally puts me in my happy place, I leave class feeling relaxed and with a smile on my face. And the best part? Along the way I've made awesome new friends.
I'll leave you with a few pictures from today. Here's our little group before the performance:
And an action shot:
(I'm in the back left with my arm across my face)
Next significant event for me is in just under two weeks, involves zumba and more stepping outside of the box for me. If you follow my on Facebook or Twitter, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. I definitely plan to blog this experience. In the meantime, I just may be back with some knitting content, I actually have a couple finished items to show you!
Wow, I think that is truly the longest blog break I've taken yet! Hopefully this blogging thing won't continue to be something I do on a quarterly basis. Longtime readers will remember that I'm a big spring/summer girl, and what with today being the first day of spring, I forsee much more blog fodder as the temperatures continue to warm and I can once again spend time outdoors. We'll see though, I won't make any promises.
Let's see, where to catch up on life here in the last amost three months? My zumba obsession continues. I attend four or five classes each week as well as one bellydance class. As a result knitting time has decreased greatly, occuring for the most part on weekends only. Add to the mix some long overdue home renovations, and the upheaval of that has meant I haven't spun in a few months either. Soon though.
This past week, the nasty cold bug that I thought I had avoided all winter hit me. I took two days off from work (I hadn't taken a sick day in over two years) and was unable to attend my beloved zumba and bellydance classes. I did however learn to slow down again, and spent some relaxing hours reading and knitting. As a result, I have an actual finished object to show you, a pair of monkey socks:
Well I think I'll end this post. I could go on about zumba, but I'll spare you that for today. I do reserve the right to make a zumba post in the near future though. I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better now, and am excited to get back to my activities this week. Yeah!
Nothing is more satisfying than knitting with handspun yarn. My New Year's Cast on was a quick functional hat to keep my head and ears warm during my winter walks:
And today I cast on a shawl. I'm loving the way it's constructed with the lacy edging that's knitted as you go. The pattern is the Autumn Leaves Shawl (Ravelry Link).
I love using my iPad as a pattern viewer, I rarely print patterns these days.
I just noticed in writing this post that both projects are pink. And I just may have ordered a new iPad case that is pink too. I guess maybe that is my colour for 2011?
We enjoyed a quiet relaxing start to 2011 here. We slept in late and then had a slow start to the day with coffee and some time online, followed by knitting. I cast on a quick project for my first of 2011, and will show it to you soon. We had dim sum for dinner (our tradition is to buy frozen dim sum from local Asian store and steam it up at home). But previous to that, in the afternoon, armed with my latest audiobook and my new camera, I went out for a walk. It was a clear crisp day to enjoy the beauty around me.
Happy 2011, may it be a year filled with good health and happiness!
Already it's time to recap 2010, seems like we were just ringing it in! Here's a summary of my year:
1. The Olympics. Wow, what an experience it was, one that I will never forget. I blogged about it on the day of the closing ceremonies here. I still consider myself so fortunate to have been able to experience the Games.
2. Lifestyle changes. I continued with the weight loss efforts I started in 2009, reached my goal weight, and am wearing the smallest size clothes I've worn since I was a kid. I'm smaller than I was in high school. So happy, more energy, huge health impact. Glad I finally did it!
3. Performed in my first bellydance show at the end of May. I don't think I actually told anyone about it here. I'm continuing to take bellydance classes, they always make me smile.
4. Zumba! I started zumba classes in September, and am so happy to have finally found the perfect cardio activity for me, have never had so much fun while exercising. Looking forward to many more zumba classes in 2011.
5. Books. I used to read a lot, prior to the internet and prior to becoming consumed with fiber pursuits. At that point, the number of books I would read in any given year was sadly in the low single digits, yet I'd always missed my relationship with books. That all changed in 2010. I track the books I read over at Goodreads and according to my records there, this year I finished a total of 35 books, 13 of which were audiobooks. This was initially related to the lifestyle changes and becoming more active. During the summer I would go for long walks while enjoying an audiobook, something which became very relaxing for me. I also discovered e-books on my iPad, and haven't looked back since, I love reading on my iPad, and look forward to reading even more books in 2011 (quite likely since the majority of books finished were in the latter half of the year).
I thought I'd share my favorite reads of 2010:
Hands down, my favorite audiobook this year (heck, it's the best audiobook I've listened to period) was The Help. If you enjoy audiobooks, you must go listen to this book! Great story, and awesome readers too.
Many of the non audio books that I read this year were somewhat fluffy, however others were more meaningful. Just a few weeks ago I read The Book of Negroes. This was a great book, a fictional story based on real life events. I learned a lot from this book and highly recommend it.
6. Fiber Fun. I guess it's no big surprise that with all of the activities I'm now involved in, fiber pursuits suffered in 2010. I didn't weave at all this year, and I knit, spun, and crocheted much less than other years. I rarely touched fiber during the work week, but did spend some quality time with it each weekend. I quick check of my Ravelry projects indicates that I've completed 6 pairs of socks, 4 baby sweaters, 2 baby booty/hat sets, 1 toddler dress, 3 sweaters, 4 shawls, 3 scarves, 2 shrugs, 1 vest, 1 baby blanket and 2 dishcloths. I guess that's not too shabby all things considered. Current works in progress are vanilla socks and 2 sweaters (1 hibernating til spring).
I wish each of you a happy and healthy 2011. See you then!
Today was a beautiful clear winter day, and I made use of my lunch break from work by getting out with my new toy camera and enjoying the beautiful scenery of this place I am thankful to call home. I've lived here almost twenty years now, and I'm still in awe at the beauty that presents itself during each of the four seasons.
I hope to be back here with a 2010 restrospective. Not sure if that will happen on the last day of the year or the first day of 2011, since tomorrow is a work day for me, but I'm composing that post in my head at the moment and will write it in the next day or two. Until then...
Yesterday I used some of my Christmas money to purchase something I've been wanting for a while now, a brand new digital camera. I ended up with this:
It was a beautiful clear day today, so we took her out for a test run. I have lots to learn with this camera, there is both manual and automatic settings on it. So far I've just stuck with the automatic settings. Initially I'm very pleased. The mountains would never have looked quite like this , from such a distance, with my old camera:
You can view the entire Flickr set here, if you're interested.
My hope is that my new camera, which will be able to connect to my iPad (I rarely boot up the laptop these days) will inspire me to blog a lot more regularly than I have this year. We shall see.
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