Dance with Me (Bailar ConMigo)

Update: 1/26/12. Since this original blog post was published in 8/2011 I've corrected the name of the instructor who taught this class to Rae Toledo.

I recently took a class called "Dance With Me" at the 24 Hour Fitness in Sherman Oaks, CA. I really enjoyed this class and thought I would blog about it. Someone once told me that when it comes to fitness you should find something you love doing and can stick with. I guess for me that would be dance hands down. Dance is great cardio that also works different muscle groups and gets my heart rate up but I'm usually having so much fun, I don't think of it as a workout or "a chore."

I took the Thursday class offered at 6:30 PM by Rae Toledo and she was AMAZING, very motivating and so much fun, but it's also taught on Monday and Wednesday mornings by Billy Blanks Jr.  If his name sounds familiar, yes he's the son of the Tae-bo King, Billy Blanks. I will check out Billy's class as well for comparison and may blog about it. One woman I chatted with in class gave me the death stare and said that Billy's class is "Dance With Me" on steroids. Well alrighty then. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  :)

From week to week, the class covers various styles of dance in a high energy format. I think that's what I love about it. There's so much variety and you never get bored. There's also a choreographed dance which the divided up class performs at the end of the session. More on that later.

After welcoming all the newbies and veterans to class, Rae had us warm up to some music and then took us on a whirlwind trip from the U.S. to India to Latin America and back to the mainland.  We did a fun and fast-paced Bollywood routine to traditional Bollywood music I had never danced Bollywood and always wanted to learn. I must say it is no joke. It's deceptively fun but requires a lot of energy, with it's rapid hand, arm and leg movements.

What really kicked my heart muscle into overdrive was the Footloose Jive routine we danced to Kenny Loggins' "Footloose" soundtrack. I'm an 80's girl at heart so this was a nostalgic moment. I stuck with the high impact version of the dance which challenged me sufficiently, but Rae was thoughtful enough to offer a low impact modification to those who needed it. By this time we were all sweating profusely and sipping from our water bottles whenever we had an opportunity.

Rae really encouraged individual participation.  In the middle of doing plie lunges she'd walk around the room and if she saw you were getting low with it she'd yell out "Yes! That's it!!"

In the middle of class she had us make a huge circle. Whoever she selected would enter the middle of the circle and freestyle dance. Everyone else was supposed to imitate their dance. Then she'd pick someone else to do it. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.  The energy of this class was great. There was no judgment, people were warm and friendly, and there were literally dancers there at all levels from ages 18 to 80.

Towards the end of class we learned a Hip-Hop Paso Doble routine to Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows." This dance involved some acting as we were portraying women who smashed out our lover's car windows after finding out we'd been cheated on. Ha ha ha. So much fun. At the end of class Rae selected about 7 participants she thought did the best job and had them perform the routine one final time. 

To my surprise, I was the 1st one she picked, congratulated, and "high-fived." It felt really good because I have been to more advanced, "professional" level dance classes where I felt like a lost sheep.

All in all, this was an awesome class and I haven't had this much fun working out in a long time. I will definitely be back for some more "Dance With Me" action.

Calorie Burn: 450 calories (1 hour)

Zany for Zumba

It's hard to describe the magnetic hypnotism of Zumba which makes you "loco" for Latin dance but I'd really recommend you try it for yourself if you haven't already.

Zumba, the fitness craze that combines Latin and international music with dance to make fitness fun, is all the rage right now.  According to Wikipedia it's offered at 60,000 different gyms and studios in 105 countries to over 6 million participants -- all because of one man's vision. Alberto Perez, a Columbian dancer/choreographer, created the program and years later, trademarked it. Even though Zumba has technically been around since the early 90s, it's popularity has grown exponentially in the United States over the last 5 years. In order to teach Zumba, one has to train and be certified in it. There's even a snazzy Zumba clothing line, Zumba CDs/DVDs and an annual Zumba convention in FL which certifies trainers from all over the world.

I recently took 3 Zumba classes at 3 different studios by 3 different instructors here in Los Angeles.  Honestly each instructor had their own style and flair but there definitely was some cross-pollenation with a lot of the dance moves and musical tracks so everything seemed fairly familiar. One thing I love about Zumba is that it is really hip and high-octane! You will sweat and sweat and sweat some more. I don't know about you but I don't feel like I've really worked out unless I break a serious sweat. Another positive is that even though you're doing intense cardio and working out hard, you don't realize it because you're having so much freaking fun!  Every class I attended was pretty packed so I guess I'm not alone here. People love it. A third thing is that you get to experience several different dance styles in one workout including but not limited to: Belly-Dancing, Samba, Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, Cha cha cha, and Reggaeton.

 Instructor Shawnee

The classes I took would be categorized as Basic 1 and 2  level Zumba classes but I discovered that there are a few other types as well including "Zumba Toning" which uses weighted maraca-like toning sticks to strengthen and tone muscles and "Aqua Zumba" which is a Zumba workout in the pool. These two latter classes are more rare as far as I can tell.

Dancer/Choreographer Jeff Samson

I trained with Shawnee Rioles at Heartbeat House (Atwater Village), Jeffrey Samson at Hollywood Dance Center and Augustin Romero at USA Fitness in Sylmar. By the way, Jeff, who also teaches at the Pasadena Equinox, is teaching a FREE Zumba class tomorrow Friday (9/17) at Hollywood Dance Center at 7 PM.  His classes are great and full of positive energy. I love how he takes the time to explain a little about the history and/or meaning of each basic dance move he teaches. The workout is challenging enough while his choreography is easy to follow. Feel free to check him out.

Do you want a workout that lets you burn a lot of calories and have tons of fun? Then Zumba just may be for you.  To find Zumba classes in your area visit their website at http://www.zumba.com and click on "Find A Class."

Exercise is My Prozac

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the idea of dropping pounds and losing body fat that I forget there are so many other benefits to exercise.  Here are some of them:


1) Causes the release of natural endorphins like serotonin which elevate your mood.

2) Helps you sleep and rest better

3) Improves mental clarity, focus and cognitive function

4) Promotes strength, endurance and flexibility

5) Reduces the risk of a number of diseases (i.e.,  heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, Alzheimers, etc)

6) Gives you energy


Wanted to share an interesting Newsweek article I came across that discusses the results of research on exercise and the brain in more detail:

"Stronger, Faster, Smarter" 


My current exercise program:

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Cardio
Wednesday - Lower Body Workout (Strength Training)
Thursday - Cardio
Friday - Upper Body Workout (Strength Training)
Saturday - Cardio
Sunday - Lower Body Workout (Strength Training)

Dance Choreographer Kimberly Mullen

For cardio I alternate between high-intensity dance classes, spinning and kickboxing mostly. On some days I will do elliptical machines and the treadmill.  I like to mix up my cardio because I get bored easily. Since it's summertime and hot I may incorporate some swimming into my program too as it's low impact and burns a lot of calories.

I've discovered that my favorite form of cardio is dance. It's soooo much fun and I love doing it so much I don't think of it as exercise. I also get a very good calorie burn.

Yesterday I went back to Heartbeat House in Atwater Village, CA. I took two 1-hour dance classes: "World Dance" with Kimberly Miguel Mullen and "Latin Jam" with Juan Pablo (JP).  Although JP's class was my favorite of the two for it's high-intensity and "funktifiedness" (is that a word?),   :-P .... Kim's class was more technical and she teaches a choreographed routine, building on basic steps with more advanced steps over the course of several weeks. The class was pretty far along in the choreographed dance, so I didn't pick up everything right away but I learned some interesting new, Brazilian carnival moves. It was a nice workout that had me sweating bullets and now I understand why Samba/Carnival dancers have such great bodies.

Kimberly has at least a few "Dance & Be Fit" workout DVDs on the market: 1) Brazilian Body and 2) Abs Burn.  I haven't tried them yet, but they have received some great reviews so I'd like to.

Featured Fitness: Heartbeat House - (Latin Jam Class)

I was craving some high-intensity cardio with a soulful flavor. I had recently taken a great "World Beat" class at the Canyon Ranch resort and spa in Tucson, AZ and LOVED it!  The class combined African and Latin dance moves with LIVE percussionists. I can't even convey how much fun this class was. What made it great was the tribal dance moves to live drumming. The energy was amazing and I felt like I was having a spiritual rebirth.  I really wanted to  come back to L.A. and find a similar class.

A few friends had referred me previously to Heartbeat House (a small dance studio tucked away in Atwater Village, CA which is just a stone's throw from Los Angeles' Los Feliz 'hood.) They offer a range of interesting classes from: Zumba to African Dance to Bollywood.  It's a non-competitive environment with hella cool, down-to-earth staff and instructors, but the classes are still challenging which is a good thing!

Instructor Cherith

Last night I took the Latin Jam class taught by Toni and Cherith. These women epitomize the word "high energy!" They were very warm and welcoming but are beasts when it comes to fitness.  :) I got a very good calorie burn. My heart was pumping throughout the entire class and I worked up quite a sweat.  It was a nice plus when Cherith singled me out and gave me a high 5 in class for doing a great job.  I know when I take a class it's not just a workout for me. Sometimes I visualize myself performing for an audience and then I give it that much more energy -- I give it my all!.  Even though their class schedule says there is "live percussion" I was a little bit disappointed to discover that there was none, but the trainers made the class fun and included enough varied choreography to keep my interest level fairly high.

Instructor Toni 

They take you on a trip around the Latin diaspora combining everything from salsa to samba to soca moves set to rhythmic latin fusion music. The studio runs special promotions. For example, for your first week of classes you only pay $5 per class vs. the normal $15 per class rate.

I will definitely be going back to try some more of their classes. Their new Afro Fusion class (which combines Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, Salsa and West African Dance ) looks really interesting!

There's definitely a fire and sizzle in their classes that I don't usually get at my local gym (LA Fitness). I guess that's why their flyers say "it's what you won't experience at the gym."