Last week, I applied to be an instructor at Orangetheory Fitness and I was invited to take a staff workout to see if I liked the workout and was interested in moving forward in the process. I was a little nervous for the floor/strength portion of the workout, as I come from more of a cardio side of the fitness world.  When I arrived, the first thing I noticed was how hard they're working to make sure everything is sanitized, cleaned, and everyone's temperature was checked before we entered the building, so that participants will feel comfortable with the sanitizing and social distancing in the gym (once they open again in NYS). It was also required that we wear a mask during the workout. I was given an armband that tracked my stats on screens in the room. Here's the gist of the what happened during the hour workout (from the Orangetheory website): 

Heart-Rate Based HIIT Workout
The 5 Heart Rate Zones - Your coach will guide you through our 5 different heart rate zones: resting, easy, challenging, uncomfortable and All Out, telling you when to push harder and when to pull back for recovery. The goal is to spend just 12 to 20 minutes with your heart rate elevated in “The Orange Zone” to boost your metabolism, burn fat and burn more calories.

What Happens In Class - You rotate through the following: Rowing, Cardio (Treadmill), Strength Training (varies daily)

Depending on what you start with first, you will rotate around the room and through the workout. The coach had great energy, kept us energized, and was super helpful explaining everything, considering I never done it before. For a first time participant, there are a lot of numbers to try and pay attention to (what's on your treadmill/rower and the stats your armband is projecting onscreen). Overall, I had a great time at this workout! I loved the variety of what you do in the hour class and for those like me that favor one format, it's great to be pushed out of your comfort zone.  Have you tried an Orangetheory workout before? If so, what did you think? 

Last, but certainly not least was Zumba® World Rhythms: India. Having my BollyX certification from last fall, I've already experienced the flavor and rhythms of India, but it was nice to learn more styles and add to my repertoire of knowledge. As an instructor, if you are considering taking any of the rhythms courses, I highly recommend them. If you are a student, I can't wait to bring these rhythms to our next classes! I love world music and world rhythms. What a diverse, beautiful planet we live on and we are so lucky to experience so many different cultures, sounds & tastes. 

From the Zumba® website: 
ZUMBA® WORLD RHYTHMS: INDIA - Travel the world from your living room with World Rhythms India! Discover four new rhythms, Bollywood, Garba, Lavani and Bhangra and explore new ways to heat up your studio. The easy-to-follow e-learning capsule features exciting new basic steps, music and moves inspired by the colorful Indian culture. Plus, four all-new choreos created in collaboration with Shiamak Davar International, the dance academy founded by Shiamak Davar, legendary Bollywood choreographer and close friend of Beto Perez.

I wanted to take a moment and write about my new favorite meditation app, Balance. I came across this app in an recent article, and Balance was offering 1 year of a free pro subscription due to Covid-19 and I wanted to try it out. I've never formally tried meditation on a consistent basis, though I can definitely say I have probably needed it my whole life. What's great about this app is that it will check in with you as you progress with questions you can answer to give you a more personalized experience. I'm really enjoying using it on a daily basis and you only need to devote about 10 minutes a day to go through a session. Small, daily goals! If you are interested in trying mediation for the first time, or if you already meditate and are interested in trying Balance, you can email them here. It seems from their Twitter profile, that they might be still offering the free one year subscription that was originally offered in March. Good luck and take a nice, deep breath! :)

In addition to the license, Zumba®  offers additional online education & training via additional studies in different rhythms around the world. Next on my list was to work through the Caribbean-Jamaica online education as this is one of my favorite regions of the world. As expected, I got a great flavor of some of the wonderful styles of dance that this region has to offer, all I was missing was my tropical drink with an umbrella in it! Here is the description from the Zumba®  website: 

ZUMBA® WORLD RHYTHMS:
CARIBBEAN-JAMAICA - World Rhythms Caribbean will transport you from the studio to the shore with all-new choreo and tracks rooted in the flavors of Jamaica. Explore three exciting styles of dance—Mento, Ska and Dancehall — and discover new ways to turn your fitness-party into a Caribbean getaway. Plus, learn about the rich island culture that influences the rhythms that move us. The easy-to-follow e-learning capsule features brand-new steps, music and choreography to take your class on a global getaway.

Today is my birthday and I am excited to have been happy, healthy and alive for all these years. My friend Katie baked me the most DELICIOUS cake with a peanut butter buttercream frosting over chocolate cake. I have to admit, I will be eating cake a lot this week so thank goodness Zumba Home Office is giving us a virtual ZINCON this year. I'll have plenty of opportunities to burn this cake weight back off by dancing everyday. What is your favorite dessert? How to you fit it in to your healthy lifestyle? Do you eat less that day or work out more? Either way, a little celebratory cake is worth it on your birthday! Enjoy the cake and enjoy each day we are gifted to be on this earth. 

This winter, Zumba® created a brand new e-learning course called Cue Like A Pro. What's so great about this course, besides the fact that the instructor is the amazing Steve Boedt, is that he really breaks down cueing in a way that is totally understandable and applicable. Cueing isn't something that comes naturally to most instructors. Most of us have to work at it, by learning the cues while learning the choreo so it sticks in the brain. 

Due to COVID-19 and all of us being stuck at home, Zumba® gave all of the instructors this course, for FREE (!). It was a treat and made being stuck at home with no way to teach classes a little more bearable. I recommend that every instructor take this as once you pass, you will have the materials and videos to reference as you work toward becoming better at cueing and therefore, a better instructor. 

Zumba Glutes is exactly what is say, all about glutes and adding moves in that target the glutes for a better workout. From the website: 

ZUMBA® GLUTES - The Zumba® Glutes learning capsule is an e-learning experience for ZIN™ Members who want to incorporate moves that target the glutes into their Zumba classes. This dynamic and easy-to-follow program was designed to bring more booty poppin’ routines to your classes, as well as teach you the science behind obtaining toned glutes. Learn about the anatomy and function of the gluteal muscles and how to integrate specific moves and hot routines into your classes. So, work them glutes and shape their booty!

To broaden my offering of formats, I decided to get my BollyX Instructor Certification. BollyX is Bollywood-inspired and driven by the heart-pumping, energetic rhythms of Bollywood, the film industry of India. This is one fun workout that keeps a smile on your face the whole time. We dance to the infectious and joyful rhythms of Bollywood, Bhangra, and Indian Folk. If you are looking to add a new format to your offerings, I'd recommend this training. If you are looking to try out this class, hit this link and you can see what classes I have coming up! 

I enjoyed the Zumba® Pro Skills Training.  It was great to take a step back and work on the most essential skills as an group fitness instructor, cueing and leading. Cueing helps the students follow you and if they can't follow you, they won't want to come back to class. This is something I plan to continually work on as I move forward. You can never get enough practice time in cueing as a fitness instructor. This class was taught by ZES Lucretia Venosta


From the website: ZUMBA® PRO SKILLS - Gain Leadership and Presentation Skills - Learn how to lead your class like a pro with the most valuable training for improving instructor skills. This top-rated training teaches the importance of cueing, body movement and student interaction.

In addition to the license, Zumba®  offers additional online education & training via additional studies in different rhythms around the world. I chose Africa first because these are some of my favorite world rhythms! The online training was a lot of fun! Here is the description from the Zumba®  website: 

ZUMBA® WORLD RHYTHMS: AFRICA - A variety of climates, spectacular landscapes and incredible animals make Africa the most diverse continent on earth, and the deeply rooted music and moves are no exception! Discover four new rhythms — Kwela, Kwaito, Sega and Kuduro — and get ready to take your class on an African adventure. The easy-to-follow e-learning capsule features brand-new steps, music and choreography inspired by the global rhythms that move us.