I think that this is the first time in my life where I find that I belong to something bigger than myself! Fitness is so much more than big body builders on steroids chugging back litres of Creatine and/or Whey shakes and pumping iron 8 hours a day! It is an industry that ranges from, yes, those protein-chugging-muscle-heads  to calming and flowy yoga instructors, from kids sports to senior aquafit, from participants that weigh 90 pounds to Sumo wrestlers! It emcompasses so many areas and people of all shapes and sizes that there is a 100% probability that no matter who you are or what you do, you will find something that fits you!  Fitness is about getting you off the couch and moving to keep you healthy! So, I have found the programs that I know worked for me and then some…

My especialty and what I feel so excited to teach every day is what it’s all about for me! Zumba is dancing and feeling like you’re at a dance party, Turbo Kick has the best music mixes that keep you motivated and the cardio kickboxing combos are like a flowing movement from one to the next.  I am currently getting my Aquafit certification to teach water fitness and will be doing my PiYo™ and Bellyfit® certifications later on this year to complement my classes and have a wider selection for my students.  I want to have a full body and mind understanding of what fitness is to be able to integrate that to my classes. I just wish there were more hours in the day to teach! I want to eventually have my Yoga Teacher certification and keep finding other programs that I want to teach! Who knows? Maybe in the near future I will have my own little studio (or co-own one) and bring my passion to everyone who is willing to let me teach!

This road to my inner self has been over 30 years in the making, but I can honestly say that I have NEVER EVER felt so happy and so good about myself before. And all my struggles to find out where I belong, and failing or giving up, have prepared me for this moment in my life, I am healthier, happier and in the best shape of my life since I started this journey, I have met amazing and inspiring people and have forged some life long friendships. I know I am in it for the long haul… and I am looking forward to every single step of the way.

P.S. If you wanted to catch any one of my classes in Winnipeg here is my current schedule until the end of 2011.

Monday
5:45-6:45 pm Zumba Toning at Anunda Studio
7:00-8:00 pm Turbo Kick at Anunda Studio

Tuesday
7:40 – 8:40 pm  Zumba at Shapes on Nairn

Wednesday
6:00 – 7:00 pm Zumba at Silverheights Community Centre on Ness

Thursday
6:30 - 8:00 pm Zumba and abs plus full body stretch at Carpathia School

Saturday
9:30 – 10:30 am Turbo Kick at Anunda Studio

Hope to see you there!

The training was very fun, starting with a Master Class and moving on with the theory and basic moves, once you’ve taken this training the other trainings are open to you: Zumba basics 2, Aqua Zumba, Zumatomic (for kids), Zumba Toning… the possibilities are endless! Our instructor or ZES (Zumba Education Specialist), Amanda, was excellent and so full of energy, made you wonder what was in her food! She’d been working all weekend and travelling back to her home province that same night! As soon as I got home all I wanted to do is shower and crawl into bed! But she had more energy than anyone I’ve ever seen, I hope to be that energetic after instructing for a couple of hours!
Now, I am all set to start preparing my first class and I will definitely post on how it went once I teach it. I’ll probably start subbing for an existing instructor, just to get my foot in the door. But with my love of dance and fitness I know it will be a smooth transition. I am slowly starting to move into this world and hope to leave behind my office worker days very soon!

with Amanda (middle) and Suz

I know the theory, the facts and the recommendations but it wasn’t until my body “made me” take a brake that I took this seriously. Do not over train! Rest is just as important as your workout to stay fit and healthy! I wanted to do it all very fast and, although some people are able to do that, no matter how you think you can push your body to the limits, if you are not an athlete and have never been one, start slowly. Better to take more time to get to your goal than to have to stop altogether. I guess it’s another lesson learned. So, get your 7-8 hours of sleep, cool-down and stretch after every workout, take your rest days and eat healthy, your body will thank you for it!

Summer is in full swing, gotta take advantage of every second of it since we get very short summers here in Winnipeg. That is one of the reasons why I haven’t spent much time cooking lately. I’ve also been spending a lot of time dancing. I was dancing 4 hours in a row twice a week! I was practicing for a dance performance and really wanted it to be perfect. The costumes that the girls chose for this performance where so much more revealing than anything I’ve ever worn in public. Talk about a motivator for exercising and eating well! I learned about the performance in early April when I joined the ladies dance group and 2 weeks later I found out about the costumes so, I did what any one would do and kicked my healthy routine up a notch. The first performance was two weeks ago and, even though I haven’t been as diligent in my routine lately I still was able to break through my plateau! I wanted to share some of my tools with everyone, just in case you were looking to kick things up a notch…

First thing’s first… Journal it! You may have heard this a million times over but I tell you, it really works! Whenever I want to try to lose a few pounds I keep a food journal, it’s a way to keep and stay accountable. You want to make it even better? Have a friend (if you have a friend in the fitness industry it would be a plus!) review your journal once in a while. I know that most personal trainers will make you keep a food journal for weight loss.  Now, after getting an iPhone recently I found an app that helps you keep a journal on your phone. I have tried several but I found that Lose It! is one of the better apps out there. It has everything you could think of for a food journal, from calorie counter to an exercise tracker. I tell ya, it’s an excellent tool!

Ok, you’ve started a food journal, now what? Well, there’s no other way around it, you gotta exercise. It’s the only way to keep a healthy heart and healthy weight (unless you’re one of those lucky they-don’t-know-how-good-they’ve-got-it types that can eat anything and not gain an ounce) but the healthy heart part is good no matter how thin you look.  Anyway, the way to kick start your metabolism or even to stay healthy is with exercise. Now, to some people it is a dreaded chore, for others, like me, it is something I enjoy but sometimes life gets in the way of my exercise so I have found dancing helps me.  For those of you who haven’t found anything that keeps you, or even makes you attempt to try to stay motivated I want to ask, have you tried Zumba or Turbo Jam?

Zumba: I discovered this gem in 2003 after reading an article in “Latina” magazine. It took me a couple of years but I finally broke down and purchased the DVD’s in 2006 and I haven’t looked back since. If you love dance then this is definitely the workout for you! Their slogan says it all: “Ditch the workout, join the party!”. Zumba is a freestyle dance based class, it’s almost like you’re learning a short and easy choreography routine for each of the songs that the instructor plays. What I love most about the class is not just the 80%  latin music but that each class is as different as the instructor teaching it! There’s no cookie cutter class where  all the instuctors have to have the same choreography and music. The instructors are encouraged to come up with their own choreography if they want to. If you go to one of these classes there’s no way you’ll be bored, there’s a reason why there is a very loyal following to these things.

Turbo Jam: This is the program that got me started on my weightloss journey. The creator, Chalene Johnson, is so a great motivator that you can’t help but fall in love with her programs. Turbo Jam is like a cardio kickbox class with a little pizzaz! The music and the workout sucks you in to the point that when you’re done you can’t believe that you’ve just finished a 45 minute class. This program has a little something for everyone and if you speak to anyone who has tried it they will tell you to try it as well. It’s a great way to stay motivated. And, do I have to ask, what better way to exercise than to the beat of great music?

So there you have it. These three tools are what helped me get the confidence I needed to stay on a healthy lifestyle track and I’m still going strong. I then started going to dance classes and events which helped get me even more in shape and in love with movement. I recently performed with an amateur dance group and have found kindred spirits that have the same love of dance that I do. It’s such a great community! The only regret is that I waited so long to join them. I was so hesitant to go to these things on my own that I missed out. I finally bit the bullet and went by myself (my friends were all busy doing their own thing and not so interested in taking salsa classes with me) but I don’t regret it. I’ve meet a wonderful group of people and some very good friends. So let me tell you to Carpe Diem and get out there, this latina finally found her place in the world, and it’s definitely on the dance floor!

Ladies Dance Group

Today’s Quote: There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.”
~Vicki Baum

With time I came to realize that no matter how much I said I didn’t want to be in El Salvador I was not leaving any time soon, so I embraced the culture… and came to love it more than I could ever explain. Mi Gente! Mi Patria! To this day I still get homesick.  Yes, in just a couple of short years I came to see El Salvador as home.  My family is there, my roots are there and I met some of the closest friends I could ever ask for there (Prom ’95 CCC you know who you are!).  I went all out at school dances and tried my best to learn the latin moves, the rhythm was already in my blood and I found it easy.  To my delight I found that it felt like I’ve been doing it all my life.  I have memories of get-togethers and fiestas with my parents friends in Canada just blasting the cumbias in the living room of their apartments or townhouses and everyone dancing,  didn’t matter that it was winter and -35 degrees celsius outside, inside it was Central America, it was a piece of home in a foreign country. It’s just ironic that it took my leaving El Salvador to actually appreciate my culture… that’s the way life is.  Now everytime I go visit there, every 2-4 years unfortunately, I try to soak it all in. Beaches, people, food and music!

Now, I am in no way a professional salsera, but I am trying to get better and better.  I am taking classes, joined a performance group and go dancing whenever I can.  I am trying to learn all kinds of dance, from ballroom, zouk, tango, latin dances… but salsa is the one that has me on a permanent high. And I love that feeling.!

So, why am I writing all this down for everyone to see? To share my favourite (to this date anyway) latin dance songs, some I like because it’s just impossible to sit still when you hear them, others just have the best lyrics… so, without further ado, here is the list that has me moving my hips to the sound of the clave!

La la la – Direct Latin Influence (salsa)
Fiesta Pa’ Los Rumberos – Albita (salsa)
Ahora Quien – Marc Anthony (I really like anything he does) (salsa)
Mi Dulce Niña – Kumbia Kings (cumbia)
Corazón Espinado – Maná (cha cha)
El Baile del Boogaloo – La Sonora Carrusel (salsa)
Instant Volé – Naïla (zouk)
Cuando – Ricardo Arjona (rumba)
A lo Cubano – Orishas (cha cha)
Valió la Pena – Marc Anthony (salsa)
Marcando la Distancia – Manolito y su Trabuco (salsa)
Tres Gotas de Agua Bendita – Gloria Estefan & Celia Cruz (salsa)
Juana la Cubana – La Sonora Dinamita (cumbia)
Se Le Ve – Andy Montañez y Daddy Yankee (salsa & reggaeton)
La Bilirrubina – Juan Luis Guerra (merengue)
Burbujas de Amor – Juan Luis Guerra (rumba)
Un Beso – Aventura (bachata)
La Gota Fria – Carlos Vives (vallenato)
Amor Inmenso – K-Paz de la Sierra (quebradita)
Si Pero No – Puerto Rican Power (salsa)
Los Campeones de la Salsa – Willy Chirino (salsa)
Chiquilla – Kumbia All Stars (cumbia)
Che Che Colé – Marc Anthony (salsa)

Of course this is just a short list. I’m always on the lookout for more music that “moves” me.   So my favourites are always changing. 

I can’t necessarily say that I’ve struggled with weight all my life, it was really when I hit puberty when the pounds started to accumulate. Just because my priorities changed, you know, not playing outside or joining in sports, I had other interests… mainly boys and hanging out with my friends.  So it began. I supposed the older I got the more I realized how important it was to make some changes, I just wasn’t sure where to start.  About a year ago my closest friend, and personal trainer, helped me by making up a program for me. I basically do weight training and 20 minutes of cardio Monday, Wednesday and Friday and do some other type of cardio or exercise the rest of the week.  Right now I do 30-45 minutes of either Zumba, Turbo Jam, jogging or yoga.  I cut out most sweets, soda pop, junk food and deep fried foods (I do have my “cheat days” once in a while but I really don’t miss what I have cut out).  Amazingly enough, It’s now been almost 3 months and I’m still not tired or bored of it. In fact, I feel great and that is enough motivation for me to keep going.  I am “snacking” on the Xocai healthy chocolates which have helped A LOT in curving cravings for sweets and, since they are so full of antioxidants (three chocolate nuggets have as much as a pound of spinach). My transformation has begun, slowly but surely. I am already 3 inches (overall) smaller and 12 pounds lighter.

Ok… so the point of this story is really about my motivation. I find that I really cannot workout without music. Zumba is awesome since it’s really just dancing, Turbo Jam has great mixes, yoga I do with relaxing music and when I do cardio or jog it’s always with my trusty iPod. Now, jogging is not the easiest for me but I find that if I mix up my music it keeps me motivated enough to finish my 30-40 minute jog. I get bored easily though (short attention span) so I have to mix it up every week or two. I’m always looking for great music that has the best beat to keep up with my jog, I will post my music every time I change it so you can check out what keeps me pumped, of course, in keeping with the international theme of my blog, it will include music from all over the world and hope that if you come accross this list and want to recommend a song or two (or ten!) please do so. Like I said, I am always on the lookout for great music! You will see that the trend is music from movies I like, predominantly from martial arts or fighting movies. What can I say? I’m a nerd.

Power Mix - Week of August 31st (keeping it from 40 mins to an hour)

Run it – Chris Brown
Wo You Wo De Young – Fahrenheit (Taiwan, I don’t understand a word they’re saying [yet] but if you catch the video on YouTube you will understand my choice)
Rollin – Limp Bizkit
Best of the Best – Stubblefield and Hall (from the Best of the Best movie soundtrack)
Suda el Jamón – Debi Nova (Costa Rica)
Nookie – Limp Bizkit
Remember the Name – Fort Minor
Fight to Survive - Stan Bush (from the Bloodsport movie soundtrack)
You’re the Best Around – Joe Esposito (from the Karate Kid movie soundtrack)
Made – Jamie Scott (from the Step Up movie soundtrack)
Danger Zone – Kenny Loggins (from Top Gun… yes, that’s right!)
The Champion in Me – 3 Doors Down
You Can Do It – Ice Cube
Once In a Lifetime – Keith Urban (Australia – to cooldown/stretch)