New thing #3: Zumba!

I was getting bored with my workout routines, so I decided to try a Zumba class at the gym.  Zumba is described as an hour-long mix of dance and cardio. Now, I'm not the most graceful person - I once fell off the sofa and broke my wrist - but in the spirit of New Things (and with my bff along for support), I headed to the class. 

The first thing we saw were some jingly sarongs that you could wear in the class. I passed on this since the last thing I wanted was to draw more attention to my clunky moves. The class was filling up quickly so we grabbed some back row real estate while I surreptitiously checked out the other Zumba-ers: 
   > Any men? (no) 
   > Anyone older than me? (yes) 
   > Anyone fatter than me? (yes)
OK, good to go. The instructor arrived and gave us some quick tips - work on getting your feet right, then move up to your hips and lastly your arms. Cue the music.

What I quickly discovered is that Zumba is really just good old aerobics, only faster and more aggressive. It's angry aerobics. Oh yeah, I got this. After all, I hadn't had a snack in a while, so I was kind of cranky. And as a veteran of Billie's Hilltop Bouncers, the aerobics couldn't be a problem, right? I actually did pretty good following the first routine, although every time I did a turn I caught my reflection in the mirror. It reminded me of the time I found a leech stuck on my foot and jumped around frantically trying to shake it off. 

About six songs later, soaked with sweat and out of breath, I checked the clock to see if we were done. 15 minutes had gone by.  Yikes.  But I survived the class and the two hours of foot cramps that followed. And you know what? I loved it! I will definitely do this again. Maybe next time I'll even wear the jingly skirt. 

I'm really glad I took the time to try something new. It's what this 'New Things' experiment is all about!