Lessons learned from Zumba

This post isn’t about becoming a better dancer. For those of you wondering what the heck is Zumba. Zumba is a mix of Latin and international dance. It’s the latest fitness craze.  Alas, my Zumba dancing looks more like a spastic cockroach waving its legs.

Fitness is my passion and I always enjoy learning about and doing the latest new things. As I begin my Zumba journey, I realized that my recent experiences have taught me some interesting life and career lessons.

Here are the lessons I’ve learned from doing Zumba:

1. Just start.

As I was thinking about doing Zumba, I got all caught up in the details. Where is there a class? How much does it cost? Will the class times be convenient? What will I wear? And the list goes on.

I ended up searching YouTube for dance routines and easily found several fun ones that I can do in the privacy of my own home.

2. Break things done into small, manageable pieces.

When I first looked at the Zumba routines, I thought to myself, “There is no way my body will be able to move like that. Sure I’m pretty fit, but dancing quickly while moving my hips is not my forte.”

I just hit “play” on the videos and started moving. My goal was to take brief activity breaks throughout my day. I spend most days sitting hunched over a computer.

3. Once you start, it’s easy to keep going.

I planned to start with one or two 3 minute routines. I have so much fun with these, I’ve been dancing for 30 minutes at a time.

4. Enjoy the unexpected results.

I now have more energy at the end of the day. I’m also feeling a lot more creative. Since I have to work my brain in a totally different way, I’m thinking differently.

If I’m feeling particularly brave, I may even venture out to a live class.

So what new things will you try in 2012? You never know where they will lead you!