Zumba? Really? Yes, really.

Zumba. Not gonna lie...I used to think it was for whimps. Really. I did. For no other reason that I didn't know quite what went into a zumba workout.  But Oh My...was I wrong.

I LOVE IT!

Here's why.

1. Loud music! Pitbull? Yea, he's cute. And his songs naturally make me want to move....and move a lot!

2. Group setting-  a room full of women dancing, jumping, shaking, and squatting at the same time and (mostly) in the same direction? Peer pressure alone is enough to make you find your inner shimmy.

3. Smiles  - Yes, smiles.  Sometimes workout faces can be so serious. But not in Zumba.  She said "left"; you went right. No worries.  You lunged instead of hopped? It's okay. I have yet to meet anyone who takes themselves too seriously, especially during those full body rolls and hip swishes. (Is that what they are even called?!?)

4.  Ab work. And more Ab work.  My abs have never loved me and hated me so much simultaneously! They move the entire hour. And I can see more definition, and feel more definition, and when they can still hurt after a year of working them out, Zumba definitely is doing something for them.

5.  Cardio...cardio...cardio. We strength train three times a week at Gym445 but Zumba is something different from that. The hour of jumping, spinning, swaying, cha-cha-ing, and salsa-ing move muscles that just need to be moved.  The sweat pours off me like no other workout.

6.  An hour of thinking about NOTHING. Okay, don't get me wrong. Not nothing.  I watch that instructor like a HAWK! I can't for the life of me remember the dance sequences from class to class, so my mind is consumed with following the leader. But that means that nothing about school or life or kids or work can creep into my thoughts and take away from the moment.  And I love that...probably most of all.

So, there you have it. I'm a convert. And I don't think I will turn back now. One question left...where CAN I get those fancy pants with the strings attached?  

So, what is this all about?

Have you ever hit the point in your life when what you were doing in terms of fitness just wasn't cutting it anymore? We know that feeling. About a year and a half ago, I was sitting around with my neighbor, talking about what moms who are just about 40 talk about...our bodies and what we just hate about them. That doesn't sound great, does it? Well, it didn't to us either. We decided to do something about it.

Our first attempt at fitness was meeting for water aerobics in the neighbor's pool three mornings a week. We scoured pinterest and googled routines until we felt prepared. And you know what?? The next day, we were SORE! Oh, did we complain...but OH did it feel good! We were actually doing something good for ourselves!

Well, all summer we kicked, jumped and jogged in that pool. Then school began. We are all teachers, and we decided we could handle our morning workouts INSIDE at 5am, 3 days a week.  And for starters, it was great. We tackled power90 and a little bit of Walk-away-the-pounds.  We felt good!

But it wasn't enough.

There's a pin on pinterest I see all the time that says, "when you see results, it becomes an obsession."  Well, right around February, it did for us.  We decided 3 days wasn't cutting it. We picked a program...P90X lean...and a time... 4:45 (see, that's why we call our gym "GYM445") and 5 days, and we dug in.

Fast forward a whole year...we have done p90x (finishing up our second time through!), chalean extreme, insanity, just to name a few.   We meet 5 mornings a week, rain, shine, snowdays...no excuses. We now are more comfortable in gym clothes than high heels, and we have forged a friendship along the way.

This blog will document our progress. It will keep us motivated, and it will share with the world that everyday changes do make a difference, and if we can do it, so can you!