Prepped for a Different Crisis
This is not the global crisis I had imagined. My imaginary crisis was fueled by books, movies and zombies. I was mentally prepared to flee the city and live off the land with my extended family. I went so far as to make a prioritized list of items to collect for the journey. That’s what people like me do. We make well thought out lists.
Our current situation is the polar opposite of what I had imagined. In movies and books with an apocalyptic backdrop, we see people seeking other people, forming tribes and a sense of solidarity. This crisis requires that we isolate ourselves from others for the greater good. I wasn’t prepared with a list of homebound activities to combat abject boredom.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve given some thought to what to do with my newfound free time. When I think about the things that make me happy, keep me active and are accessible inside my home, Zumba comes to mind. So, I’ve decided to social distance dance.
My Zumba Journey
I like to dance, and I find Zumba to be a great way to trick myself into exercising. I don’t think I’m particularly good at it, but I enjoy it. I also have a history of falling victim to infomercials, which have resulted in the purchase of multiple fitness DVDs. My first venture into dance fitness was my Rockin’ Body DVD with Shaun T. If I still had something to play a DVD on, I would probably bust it out quarantine style. The dated fitness fashion alone would be worth it.
My next purchase was the Zumba DVD series. Zumba can be pretty challenging because there are specific dance styles that you have to learn, and it takes a little time to pick them up. I have to admit that initially, I didn’t love the DVDs and didn’t use them much when I first purchased them.
Then, a couple of years ago, I started attending Zumba classes at a local studio, and I loved it. I had a favorite teacher and was committed to attending 3-4 classes a week. My enthusiasm only waned when I started to experience some foot pain.
What I loved about the in-person classes were the music and variety. The instructors had “their songs,” so every class was a little different. Attending classes also got me over myself and my insecurities. I’m not kidding when I say I have to trick myself into exercising. If I realize a lunge is a lunge or a squat is a squat, the joy is sucked right out of the experience. Zumba truly excels at hiding those lunges and squats within a booty shaking good time.
Social Distancing Zumba Style
Social distancing has left me with more time than I know what to do with, so I’ve recently taken up in-home Zumba again. I have found that I am generally better at the in-home videos after having taken the live classes and have more patience with myself when I mess up. There are a few things to note before embarking on this near decade-old dance exercise experience:
- The in-home video experience is Zumba in its most pure form, primarily Latin dancing. In my experience with studio classes, you get a bit more variety in terms of music and dance styles.
- One of my favorite things is when you are just going about your business and you hear a song from Zumba class. It is all but impossible to stop yourself from showing your embarrassed husband some moves. You won’t likely encounter the songs from the videos on your typical pop station.
- When you are at home doing this by yourself, you will hear your steps, and it will feel like you have no rhythm. You have to recognize that, for the most part, they have laid the audio track on top of the videos with voiceover, so you won’t hear the instructors’ movements like you would in an in-person class.
- The outfits are funny, and it’s okay to laugh. The mid-calf Zumba boots are pretty absurd. Some of the outfits look like nursing scrubs, while others are lacy and club bound.
- The way the videos are shot is kind of irritating at times. I’m a person who likes to see the instructor the whole time, so it bugs me when they cut to all of these different angles and only show people from the waist up with strobe lighting.
I understand that I’ve just given you a list of reasons that in-home Zumba isn’t the greatest option. In my opinion, it’s not, but we find ourselves in unusual circumstances with limited options. I would also encourage you to explore local instructors who are leading live classes online. Most that I’ve seen are offering the workouts for free or on a donation basis. Keep an eye on my social channels for info on some of these live streaming classes.
Amazon Prime Zumba Options
I access all of these videos via Amazon Prime. You can also find paid streaming options on their website or download a Zumba app. I’m going to make do with the “free” options for now.
Your main Prime option is the Zumba Exhilarate Body Shaping System. I believe this to be the exact content from the DVD series I have (somewhere). These eight workouts that vary in intensity and duration. I’ve included my thoughts on each below.
- Step by Step (60 minutes) | This is the beginner video. Tanya and Gina break down a lot of the steps to help those who are unfamiliar with Latin Dance. They are experienced instructors, and it’s a good starting point if you’ve never done Zumba before. I still haven’t figured out how to Samba.
- Activate (41 minutes) | Tanya and Gina also lead this video. It is a good length if you can’t commit to a full hour-long workout. I like to do this one the day after a more intense workout. There are several annoying freestyle strobe light moments that you’ll have to overlook.
- Exhilarate (60 minutes) | This is video is led by Beto, the Zumba creator, and Melissa. They appear to be working out in denim, which I can’t fathom, and I can’t stop staring at Melissa’s visible six-pack. You don’t see those on a lot of women who aren’t bodybuilders. Beto is a loveable cheese ball. So, there are some corny moments, but it is a legit workout. Again you have some distracting camera tricks, and the cooldown song is extra cheesy.
- Mix (50 minutes) | Beto and Tanya tag team this video with dancers and routines from several different cultures. I like the warm-up song on this video, but overall this isn’t the most strenuous workout. That might be because some of the dances are a bit more challenging to follow, so I just fumble my way through them. There are no audio instructions and few cues, so you just have to mirror what they do. Some of the dances are fun.
- Ripped: Toning (31 minutes) | These two Ripped videos make it very hard for me to pretend that I’m not working out. My experience with live Toning classes is very different from this video, so I was a little disappointed. Although there is some movement with music, it doesn’t feel like dancing. The good news is that you don’t have any annoying camera tricks and the instruction is live, rather than voiced over.
- Ripped: Sentao (31 minutes) | This video requires the use of a chair. Trust me, it’s not as sexy as it sounds, but I also used the wrong chair. There is a bit more of a dancing feel to this workout, but it isn’t my favorite.
- Fitness Concert (1 hour, 1 minute) | In full honesty, I haven’t done this workout, but I’ve watched parts of it. I think I would have a hard time following it because they incorporate a lot of audience shots. It seems to be a live version of the Exhilarate video, so I would just stick with the Exhilarate video.
- Rush (23 minutes) | Kass and Loretta lead this quick Zumba video. They don’t mess around, and it can be challenging to keep up at times. Sometimes I pair it with another video that isn’t as dance-focused.
While the full Incredible Slimdown Cardio Dance System series appears to be available on Amazon Prime, it isn’t. However, you can access two of the videos from the series independently and they just happen to be my favorites: Zumba Super Cardio Dance Party Workout and Zumba Max. If you are new to Zumba, I would recommend working your way up to these.
In the Zumba Super Cardio Dance Party Workout, there are parts of each song where they increase the intensity and highlight it with some video trickery. It is goofy, but you feel the cardio.
Zumba Max is also fun. I am drawn to the videos that require a lot of jumping around. I think they call that cardio. Beto seems very excited to have The Zumba Twins around, and we see Melissa again who thankfully has her distracting six-pack covered. There are times when it is hard to keep up with the movements, but on a good day, it is one of my favorite workouts.
There are other Zumba videos on Amazon Prime that you can try. I haven’t tried them because they appear to be targeted workouts which I translate as not very dancy. Who knows, if we’re still stuck at home in May, maybe I’ll give them a shot.
Zumba!
Photo by Chermiti Mohamed on Unsplash