FitBloggin '12: The Workouts

Ok, this really should be titled "THE ZUMBA" but first let's talk a little bit about the walking and the running and the CrossFit.

Firstly - CrossFit is now my frenemy. I want to hate it. But I secretly love it.  The pain I was in until MONDAY just shows me how good it is for me.  I LOVE to feel like I've had the crap kicked out of me by a workout.  I'm totally a masochist in that respect.  I love my cardio and how it hurts so good but this was that ache times 50 and I like it.  So much that Matt and I are checking out the CrossFit gym that just opened here this weekend.

Then there was all the walking and the running.  Matt and I toured the harbor like three times around.  It was great to just walk and talk and not feel winded by the exertion.  Then came Sunday and we went out to do the 1 mile run that turned in nearly 2.5 miles with our new friend Sana.  I probably could have done the whole 5k but my butt muscles were not happy with me and were seizing about 2 miles in. It felt nice.  I couldn't have done that a year ago.  Not and run as much as I did.  We probably did 3 4-5 minute sprints.  I think.

That's right. I worked out so hard that my ass was shaking of it's own accord.  Right the frak on!.

Then of course, there was watching Matt rock out in the JumpSport class.

And even more of course - THE ZUMBA.

Let me first say that it was a total fraking honor to dance with everyone on Saturday morning.

And then let me say how touched I was to watch a room of 100+ people sing Happy Birthday to my beloved Mrs. Fatass.  That's family. That's love.

It was freaking exhilarating to be on that stage - like I felt like a rockstar.   I just about died when Tara yelled out "Sam, you are SO SEXY" when I started teaching my cha-cha.

In that moment, in that HOUR, I actually felt sexy.. I can "play" sexy but at that moment, I really felt sexy.  I felt sexy like I feel when I'm dancing around my house, in my underwear, pretending to be a PussyCat Doll while I clean the house. When it's just me. I felt that at home.

Then there was YOU.  YOU was a brain child of Mrs. Fatass and I.  She heard the song at a masterclass and wanted it to close out the FitBloggin session. She wanted it to feel like a party.

I listened to the song and I loved the vibe, the lyrics, the way it made me smile and all I could think was SOUL TRAIN LINE.  It was amazing  Seeing everyone laughing and dancing and playing with each other while the song just blared in the background.  I teared up.  It was so moving.  That was exactly what we wanted - joy.

I LOVED watching people in the crowd "get" a move and start to add their own flair.  The smiles, the joking, the wiggling and laughter when they were trying to figure out what they were doing.

And after? When people were begging to take pictures with me? SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.  People wanted to touch me, talk to me, take my picture and I made eye contact and I posed.

I normally hate having my picture taken but this was just about the most natural thing in the world. I wanted to stand at the door and hug everyone as they left.  Everyone was my family right then.  Hell, I didn't even need a Xanax to do it either.  I wasn't anxious for even half a second.

I loved talking to folks who said they were shocked they did it, that they had a great time, that they were skeptical about Zumba but wanted to do it again.  I loved that people shared their stories with me.  I really loved that several people expressed interest in getting licensed to teach.  I felt like the Zumba Instructor I want to be all the time.

That's what Zumba is to me. It's sharing, and family, and love, and togetherness.  It's dancing your cares away *clap, clap* and just being with each other.

Anyway... all that said THANK YOU FITBLOGGERS for making my first experience with you one to remember, one to hold on to.  I went in to this thinking I'd just be the lovely assistant to Mrs. Fatass - I never thought you'd embrace me that way you did literally and figuratively

And I haven't even finished the post on the weep-fest sessions that, in a real way, have changed my life.  More to come

NOW - someone asked for the playlist.  So here are the songs and the artists. All but #4 and #5 are easily found on iTunes. Enjoy!

1. Ice, Ice, Baby - Reanimator featuring Big Daddy and Vanilla Ice
2. Danzo Kuduro - Don Omar
3. Party Jumpin - R. Kelly
4. Do You Dig It - Zumba cover but original version is by Ray Baretto
5. Loco - Zumba original
6. Fuego - Pitbull
7. Bolo Ta Ra Ra - Daler Mehndi
8. Esta Cache - Oro Solido
9. Fever - Winsin & Yandel
10. This Boy's Fire - Santana
11. De Lao a Lao - Reggaetones
12. Por Arriba, por Abajo - Ricky Martin
13. Los Campeons de la Salsa - Willy Chirino
14. You - Machel Montano
15. Love on Top - Beyonce

Zumba Convention 2012 Wrap-Up Part 1

My mind is overflowing with so much Zumba love, knowledge and a ridiculous amount of crazy mixed up emotions.

Let's start with Wednesday, shall we?

Sarah and I flew down to Orlando Wednesday afternoon.  I was a huge ball of stress before we left.  I was worried I would forget something big or something would go horribly wrong.  Luckily... everything went really smoothly! The flight there was a bit bumpy but we wound up meeting two really nice fellow Zumba instructors on the plane and one of them was our knight in shining armor and let us tag along with his car service to get to the Peabody to check in to convention.  
Wednesday evening we finally got to the condo and met our roommates.  We won the lottery in terms of awesome roommates.  Jenn, Veronica, Christina and Courtney were just about the best roomies we could have hoped for.  Sarah and I spent a lot of time with Jenn and Veronica and I feel like we've known them forever at this point.  <3
We had dinner at a place called Lime and shopped at Walmart for stuff for the room and portable snacks for the convention before meeting up with our choreography team for the Original Movement choreography contest to rehearse.  The whole crew is just made of awesome. 

Thursday morning the insanity started.  We got to the convention center early to try to check out the shops before the opening panel and we failed.  The lines were SOOOOOOO long.  Sarah and I did run over to the Remix/new shop because everyone was at the outlet and we thought we might get to check out the store before the opening ceremonies... we just missed getting in.  But since we were in like the first 20 people left in line they signed our ID and let us come back and go in first after they reopened at 1pm.

The opening ceremony panel was jut awe inspiring.  The look back over the last year in Zumba was just amazing.  So much has happened for Zumba Fitness in the last year and so much more is coming.  I'm so blessed to be a part of the Zumba family!!  The keynote speaker for the year was the hilarious and amazing Kathy Najimy.

The years recipients of the community service award made me cry.  The love and compassion those ZIN members from Georgia showed to their fellow ZIN in trouble just reminded me why I love the community aspect of Zumba.  My heart was just overflowing with awe over what they did.

I bailed out of the session early because I was feeling a little claustrophobic and apparently missed the Rockettes and Beto in the session.  AHHH!

Before our first workshop, Sarah and I were able to hit the new Zumba shop where I bought two shirts, two pairs of pants and some jingle bracelets.  I was SHOCKED that the pants fit. SHOCKED.  I kind of went insane shopping after this face and that was not my first trip to the store.. I bought so much stuff! SO MUCH STUFF!!!

The first workshop we had was Hip-notic Bellydance and the presenter was awesome.  We left there with knowledge of moves and the history of belly dance and two new routines we can pretty much immediately teach in class.  I only found one of the songs but the presenter is supposed to email everyone the choreo notes and the song names so I'll have another one soon!

Thursday night was the Party In Pink Fitness Concert.  Paulina Rubio, Vanilla Ice, Mara, DADDY FREAKING YANKEE.  It was an amazing concert highlighted by awe inspiring choreography and two stages full of incredible dancers showing their mad dance skills.  I was overwhelmed by that many ZIN in one place.  There were people nearly fighting over spots to get closer to the stage.  Kind of crazy but a total blast.   

It was so hard to go to sleep Thursday night.  I was flying super high on life and my body didn't want to let me sleep.  When I did though, it was the deepest sleep ever.  I haven't been that exhausted in a long time... and I don't want to do it again any time soon.

Tomorrow... part 2 - the rest of the convention. After that... a long post about the convention and body image.

My eyes are drooping... it's time to go to bed now! More to come!!!