UBC Day 4 - Advice

Something I pride myself on is being a really good listener.  I have always been able to put my friends at ease so they can open up to me.  Sometimes all someone needs is for someone to listen.  They are not necessarily looking for advice or a solution to whatever problem they are having at the time.  I have been asked for advice from time to time and make it very clear that all I am doing is giving my opinion...what I would do or what I think if I were in the same situation.

When I opened up my email last night and read the prompts for today's blog post, I thought

Should I take the easy question and write a boring post about my first job at a pediatricians office?

How exciting of a post can you write about being hired to scan archived charts onto a computer?

I could always impress anyone who reads it by how I became the "Copy Machine Whisperer"...

The last prompt was something about if an cover story/article was written about my family/me, what magazine would I want it to be in and why...I do not feel like I am that interesting enough to really have an article written...lol!

So I have decided to tackle the first prompt of offering one piece of advice on a subject or activity that I am really good at.  The first thing that comes to mind is actually my mom's voice.  Listening to her talk about how clumsy our whole family is...how my sister can trip over her own feet...while standing still (true story...I witnessed it happen once).  While my mom and my sisters are all three very artistic, my mom is very proud of the fact that I am a dancer.  I have loved to dance since I was a very little girl!  My mom put me in my first dance class at the age of six.

Almost three years ago I took my first Zumba class and within four months I became a licensed instructor!  My mom tells people that I am intimidating to watch and she is not sure how I can move the way I do.  Naturally, my first instinct for this prompt is to tell people why they should not be afraid to try Zumba.  It is not one piece of advice but a few pieces all lumped together

• DO NOT be afraid of mirrors in the classroom.  I can tell you from personal experience that no one is watching you BUT you.  As an instructor I look around at my students and if I can tell that it looks like someone is having difficulty trying to do a step, I know how to modify and simplify so they can keep going and not get discouraged and come back for more!
• DO ask your instructor questions!  We learn so much during our trainings that if we do not use it, we will lose it!  Ask us to help break down a step that you just cannot get!  There is not a single instructor out there around the world that will tell a student no they cannot help them.
• DO NOT stand in the back...especially if there are mirrors or if there is no stage.  I will tell you why.  If you stand in the back of a crowded class and there is no stage...you will not be able to see the instructor and you will only get frustrated.  If you stand in the back and there are mirrors, you cannot see yourself (when I first started, I was shoved in the front by the instructor.  I was not only able to watch her but watch myself to make sure I was doing something close to what she was doing).  Being able to watch yourself move will keep you moving.  If you stand in the back and the class is practically empty, I get a little nervous.  I like to think that I have good hygiene but if there are only a couple of people in the class and they stand in the back, you can bet that I will be sneaking in armpit sniffs whenever possible to make sure I do not smell.  I am not saying you have to be front row center...but get pretty close!  Chances are, front row center is already taken and we are all possessive of our spots!
• DO come back.  Practice makes perfect.  Just like any other workout, you have to keep going in order to see results...and just so you know...my best friend lost something like 20 pounds by watching what she ate and doing Zumba.
• Last, but not least, THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY TO ZUMBA!  You can have a dozen instructors with the same music and same choreography and every single instructor will look different.  As long as you are moving and having fun, that is all we care about!  We want you to work up a sweat and leave with a smile on your face!  I told by someone once that she took a Zumba class ONCE at her university.  The instructor singled her out and told her that she was (and I quote...hence the quotation marks) "...doing it wrong."  Rest assured that if I could, I would have gone to that instructor's class, done everything wrong and then called them out!  I wish I would have known about her experience after it had happened.  Should this ever happen to you (and I pray that it will not...and every instructor I have ever told this too has been thoroughly appalled), I want you to do the following for me...REPORT IT TO ZUMBA HOME OFFICE!  If you do not know the instructor's full name, you can click on "Find an Instructor" or "Find a Class" at Zumba.com.  Once you have your instructor's name, there is a contact link (I think it is at the bottom of the website) and you just have to click your way through and pick the proper category.  At the very least, if enough people report these instructors, they will be informed...but if no one says anything then these instructors will never learn!

Originally I had not intended on writing about Zumba for my advice BUT these are important points to stress to our students.  If we do not help them feel comfortable and confident in class, then they will not come back and I know it breaks my heart to know that people stop going.  I also encourage everyone to take classes from other instructors!  Like I said, every instructor is different and can offer you a different perspective!  I know I love taking classes because it takes the pressure off of me to be on top of my game and if I mess up or forget steps...no one is watching me!

Until next time!

The Best Zumba Event

If you have not tried a Zumba class of ANY kind...well then you are missing out.  If you know me, you know how much I am totally in LOVE with Zumba!  Well, my love for this Latin dance inspired fitness program grew on Saturday, November 17th.

WHY? You ask.

I will tell you why...two words!

NICK LOGREA

That is right...I had the privilege of taking pictures at Nick's master class at Z Place Fitness & Dance Studio.  Because of my knee injury (and now my back is all messed up), I was not able to participate but I snagged my mom's digital camera and brought my Bloggie for video and spent almost two hour taking pictures and video of this man.

I would pay good money to watch him and Channing Tatum battle...just sayin!

I did not get a ton of great pictures but I got 144 almost decent pictures and 25 okay video clips (but not "Jail House Rock" which I thought I caught but I was wrong...and so wanted to borrow his choreography for when I got better).  I am going to try to figure out how to pull stills from the videos so I can have some better pics but I am okay with what I got.

Now I want a new camera.  I love the pictures that my 35mm camera takes but film is freakin expensive and given that everyone uses digital these days you would think that the price of the film would have at least gone down...I know the price of memory cards has over the last few years.  So now I want a good digital camera that can take really good action shots with little light.  I would love to be able to take more pictures at master classes or just some classes in general for people to use on their websites or whatever.  I am not looking to turn pro here but something that I love to do and help others out.

What I want is something that gives me the option to take rapid shots.  Nick was moving so fast that a lot of the pictures have his face or limbs blurred.  I want clear and crisp photos.  There is usually enough light on stage to get some okay pictures but I want something that will be able to compensate for that and NOT have to use a flash.  I do need to get more aggressive and get "in your face" shots but to my defense, I cannot bend my knee and my back is killing me so getting down on the floor was not really going to happen.

However I did get these "in your face" shots during his cool down!

When the lights came on and the class was over, he was taking pictures left and right!  I waited patiently and when it seemed like he was done, he tried to walk away and I said Hey...what about the photographer!!!  And he smiled and we got into the light.  He said he was sweaty and I thought duh...I just watched you shake your ass for almost two hours.

I know I am short but when he was standing straight...I barely came up to his shoulder...

Until next time!

My Body Will Not Listen!

I first heard this song about a week or so ago.  From the moment I heard it, I knew I was going to come up with some choreography.  I would say about 75% of my choreography is created in my head completely before I ever even try it out.  I will literally listen to a song over and over again dozens of times until I have the moves down pat...in my head!  When I get a chance, I actually DO the moves to the music.  That is where my final tweeking takes place and I make sure that all the moves I came up with flow just right!

It works really well for me...until now!  I created what I envision to be a pretty good warm up...I think it could be number three in my set or one of my mild breather songs...very mild...I have the moves upstairs but cannot get my feet to work!  This dang knee injury and not being able to bend it really bites!  I have only ever done the moves in my head...and my car.  I tried to do some of the steps but not being able to do all the moves, I could not tell if it really worked all together.  I feel like part still needs some work but without being able to dance I just cannot be certain!

I may not be able to dance but that still does not keep me from being passionate about what I love!  I am excited about the next big things coming from Zumba.  There is a new Ab video game coming out, check it out here!  Tomorrow morning Vanilla Ice is going to be on The View previewing his Zumba remix of "Ice, Ice Baby".  Once my knee gets better I will have my Sentao routines down so I can introduce this new program to my area!  Okay, now it is time for me to take care of my knee and try not to vomit...I think I slept in the fetal position last night.  It hurts!

Until next time!

My Struggle From Fat to Phat!

This is me in June 2008. I was at my heaviest...approximately 160lbs. Needless to say I just about fell over and passed out the day I went in for my physical and the doctor said I weighed in at 158lbs. I had a bit of a melt down 2 months after this. Okay...it wasn't a bit of a melt down...it was a full on PANIC ATTACK!!! I started crying and hyperventilating. I was getting that heat wave through my body that was making me freak out and not able to breathe. My (ex)husband's truck had manual windows and my seat belt kept locking on me so I couldn't get the window down for air to help me breathe. It took almost ten minutes to get myself calmed down enough to breathe and talk through my tears.


I was very unhappy with what I had allowed myself to become. I had always been tiny! I weighed all of 106lbs when I graduated from high school. Between graduating high school and three months later when I was in boot camp I gained six pounds and finally weighed enough to donate blood (still couldn't because I do not have enough iron in my blood). My weight fluctuated between 105lbs and 115lbs from 2002 to 2006. Starting the summer of 2006, I was put in a desk and I slowly noticed the weight coming on. I was still getting up and walking around and getting outside to sweat but it wasn't until late Spring/early Summer 2007 I weighed in at 140lbs. I wanted to get down to 130lbs before I got married in September 2007.

This is me on my wedding day in September 2007. I was just over 140lbs. I was not happy with how I looked. This wasn't the beautiful dress that I wanted. It was a very pretty dress but I had not achieved the goals that I had set for myself. I decided that I was going to buckle down and start counting my calories and really working out and was determined to get my weight and life back under control.

I started calorie counting and tried searching the Internet for information but kept falling short. It did not take long for me stop calorie counting. I continued to go to the gym but I did not adjust my "diet". I just ate...I ate when I was hungry, when I was bored, when I was tired, when I was sad, when I was upset...you name the emotion and I was eating...

When we were getting ready to transfer out to Oregon, we agreed to try and start a family. I did not want to start a family until I gained control of my weight. After my panic attack in August 2008, I got a gym membership and discovered SparkPeople.com! I started tracking my water intake, my FOOD intake, my exercise and my weight! I started alternating between cardio and cardio/strength training. I was hitting the gym 5 - 6 days a week. I was walking on the treadmill for an hour on just cardio days at an incline and at least 45 minutes at an incline on days that I also did strength training. After about eight months, my goal was to be comfortable in a bikini because we were finally taking our honeymoon and visiting our old roommates in HAWAII! I felt comfortable and was happy with how I looked but wanted to look better!

This is May 2009. I was about 135lbs and had been able to maintain that weight for a couple of months! I felt better about showing off my stomach and wearing shorts...something I had not done since before Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. I was stuck in jeans...and if you have ever lived in the south, you know how hot and humid and nasty it can get in the summer time...and I always wore jeans.

That smile right there...it is a genuine smile! That is at the top of Diamond Head overlooking Waikiki/Honolulu. I was having a blast getting to do all the things that I did not get a chance to do when I was in Hawaii while I was in the Coast Guard in 2003. Anytime anyone did anything fun, I had duty and was confined to the boat.





This was taken at the Coast Guard Christmas Party in December 2009. I was between 125lbs and 130lbs. My weight was staying pretty steady but I wasn't going to the gym on a regular basis anymore. I was just calorie counting and working on my feet all day and that is how I managed to maintain my weight.

In January 2010, my parents separated and I gained weight. I went back up and was stuck at 144lbs. I could not seem to lose the weight. In March 2010 I took my first Zumba class and was hooked. At the time it was just starting to blow up! We had one class on Monday night, one class Tuesday morning and Tuesday night, one class Thursday morning and Thursday night and one class Saturday morning. Six classes and I was hitting every one of them! I became a licensed Zumba Fitness instructor in July 2010 and started teaching (*Note: By the time I left the gym I was teaching at in August 2011 there were about 10 or more Zumba classes being offered every week). I also found out in March that year that my (ex)husband could not have children and it broke my heart! I wanted nothing more than to start and have a family with that man.

Even though I was teaching, I wasn't losing weight. I was counting calories and strength training but just couldn't shake the weight. It wasn't until January 2011 that my marriage started falling apart. I lost a loved one. I was still recovering from the shock of not being able to have children even though I had been looking into artificial insemination that he just kept coming up with reasons not to go through with it at the time. With all the stress of my marriage falling to pieces and knowing that I was about to lose my home, my dogs, my financial security, I found myself losing weight but it was because I wasn't eating.

When my divorce was final, I moved back home in August 2011. I got a great job in September 2011 working outside. Constantly moving and physically demanding, I found that I was losing weight. I wasn't going to the gym but working was a workout! The pounds started to fall off and I have finally met my goal weight of 120lbs and I couldn't be happier! Here is me yesterday!


UNTIL NEXT TIME!!!

Gone So Long...

I had gotten INCREDIBLY good at this. By "this" I am referring to writing in my blog/journal...whatever you want to call it! I don't even know really where I left off in my life to be completely honest.

First and foremost I am trying to get one of my Zumba classes to take off. Hell I would like even just a few people to show up! I have been trying to teach a class for a couple months now and no one has shown up at all. I can handle a few no shows. What I cannot handle is knowing that no one is going to show up and still getting all excited to teach only to be let down EVERY week when I stand around in my Zumbawear for 15 minutes PASSED when class was supposed to start. I hang my head and walk to my car just wanting to bust into tears.

However the last two weeks the classes being cancelled crushed me but I had a date with a very cute and handsome guy. I met him early in December when I attended a holiday party (not a Christmas Party) with my mom at the home of one of her customers. It was fun but I knew no one! I have met my mom's customer a couple of times but not enough to be able to recognize him walking down the street. I am friends with his daughter so I knew one other person there besides my own mother.

So we sat down for dinner and he was at the table that Mom and I sat at. I had to try and keep from staring at him. I felt almost hypnotized. I could not stop thinking about him so I asked my friend what I should do. She told me to send him a message on Facebook so I did. It was pretty basic and standard "Hey don't know if you remember me but wanna get a drink?". He responded and we met up a couple weeks ago for a drink.

We hung out for an hour or so and I felt like I had been doing a lot of talking. I waited a day or so and then told him that I had fun and that we should do it again sometime. I was at work this last Monday, getting ready to close up for the night when I saw I had a text from the guy asking me if I wanted to get dinner the next night! I was doing a little happy dance...and I was not too bummed about my class getting cancelled this last week because it gave me that much more time to get ready for my date.

I think I may be smitten...either way I don't really care because I am happy and I am having fun and that is all that I want! Now I am going to deal with this horrible headache that I have had for the last couple of hours and possibly pass out. All I know is that this girl is not teaching tomorrow morning because of the snow and will NOT be waking up to an alarm clock and damn it I hope I sleep in for the first time since I moved. That's right! I have not been able to sleep in since mid August! I slept in until about 9:30 one time and it was a forced sleep when I was sick...and I do not really count sleeping until 11:20am on New Years Day as sleeping in because I didn't get to bed or sleep until after 4am so I only got about 7 hours of sleep.

Peace out y'all! Until next time!

I'm So Excited and I Just Can't Hide It!

Cheesy title I know but I really am super pumped.  While cruising the Zumba Forum looking to see if anyone was advertising for a Zumba instructor, I came across an instructor leaving the Seattle area and is looking for possible teaching position in her new location.  She included her email address so I emailed her and asked if either of the places she is currently teaching at are or will be looking to fill her spot or just looking in general.  I asked her to keep her eyes and ears open for me if it was okay and she got back to me and said one of the places she works at is looking for someone to teach on Sundays and gave me the name and phone number of the person to contact.

I finally got the nerve to call today.  The person I needed to talk to answered the phone!  Talk about nervous and excited all at the same time.  I told her how I had heard about the position and how I had gotten her name and contact info and she said that I had perfect timing because she was getting ready to post an ad for the position.  I told her I am going to be up in the Everett area at the end of this week before I go camping and told her I could meet with her Friday morning and she said that would be great!  Now I just need to get in touch with my mom and find out when she was wanting to leave to go camping and see if we can just make a detour through Seattle before we head to Cle Elum!

I am so excited that I am still shaking a little!  I did not know what to expect but I just really hope that I get the job!  It gives me one more thing to look forward to when I move!  I am waiting for one of my friends to call me because she said that her gym only offers two Zumba classes and she wishes that there were more...so I am going to have her ask her gym if they would consider adding a class or two and that she knows an instructor!  Hopefully she can get the information of who I would need to contact in order to try and get a job!  I hope if I get this one job first that everything else will go as smoothly!

Until next time!

Adventure Day

I thought today was going to be just a lazy Sunday.  I thought I would spend the day lounging around, playing on the computer and watching movies or tv shows on Netflix.  I woke up this morning and was checking out Facebook and I noticed a friend had posted that she went on a hike and it tracked her distance, time and even her calories that she had burned.  It got me thinking about an app I had downloaded onto my Droid 2.  It's called RunKeeper.  It can be accessed on the web at runkeeper.com.  I decided to see all of what it had to offer.  I explored it on my phone and then went online and linked it to my Twitter and Facebook accounts and decided to take it for a test drive.

My boyfriend and I drove out to Cape Arago and went hiking on one of the trails.  It tracks how far you go by GPS but for some reason my phone wouldn't pick up a signal.  It took about 1.5 miles up the trail before I finally got a signal.  By the time we got back it said that we had hiked over three miles (so in reality it was over four and probably close to five) and said that it had taken us under 2 hours and I had burned almost 500 calories.

I think I have fallen in love with this app.  I might try it out tomorrow and go for a run and see how it does that way.  I posted it to Facebook and Twitter and on our way back we stopped at the General Store and picked up some liquor and then hit Walmart where we got the rest of what we needed to hit the beach and roast some hot dogs!  We just got back and it was great.  I mean it was just the two of us and it could have been more fun if there were others there but I had a few hot dogs, he cooked up some steak pieces and we had a couple of s'mores.

Now I think it's just about time to type up a rough draft of a Fitness Resume.  I figured it would be good to have one strictly for trying to get jobs teaching Zumba.  Have the dates of when I got my licenses and how long I have been teaching those classes and whatnot.  I figured that if I were trying to get a job working at a gym just to work there then my normal resume would work but for getting a job specific to the training that I have would be a good idea to have a separate one.

Until next time!

More Zumba Classes!

I, like any and all Zumba lovers, was checking out the Zumba website and looking at the wonderful new Zumbawear that I want to add to my wishlist (because every ZIN member or student does the same)!  I was checking out the Instructor trainings and was getting excited for my Zumba Toning traning in just a couple weeks!  Two weekends from now to be exact!  As of right now I have my Basic license and my Gold license.  Technically I have FOUR different classes I can teach:

Zumba
Zumba Gold - For the Older Active Adult
Zumba Gold - For the Beginner
Zumba Gold - Chair Class

A Chair class, for anyone who is reading this and has never been through a Zumba Gold training, is a short class (generally 20 to 30 minutes) where you teach people confined to wheel chairs or have extreme limits, etc.  Instead of doing moves to the music you are helping them move their arms and then legs if they can and just taking it easy and slow so they can still move and have fun!  I do not think I have the courage to do one of those classes because I can get too emotional.

With this Toning license I will have in a couple of weeks, I thought it would just add one more class that I would be teaching but I found some great news on the Zumba website!  Upon completion of my Toning training I can purchase a CD/DVD combo and the classes I will be able to offer after July 30th will now look like this!

Zumba
Zumba Gold - For the Older Active Adult
Zumba Gold - For the Beginner
Zumba Gold - Chair Class
Zumba Toning
Zumba Gold-Toning

Yep!  That is correct!  They are adding a Toning program to our Gold classes!  You just have to have both licenses in order to teach it!  I am so excited!  That is SIX different classes that I can teach with only three licenses!  Oh man!  I am so happy!  I cannot wait to get started!

I just wanted to share this with everyone!