Feeling VERY intimidated by Zumba

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  • shortie32
    shortie32 Posts: 8
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    hi there, i have a wii console that plays zumba fitness as i am very self-consious and would not go to a gym/class and find it alot better in the comfort of my own home and now i know most of the steps and may even think about joining a class in the future maybe when i have lost more weight
  • lik_11
    lik_11 Posts: 433 Member
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    One of my fave instructor always says "There's no left or right in zumba. No wrong or right... just keep moving." That's a great attitude to take!
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
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    Group fitness class is wonderful. Everyone is doing the same work, and is focusing on their own movements. Nobody even has a second to spare and think about what their neighbor is doing wrong or struggling with. It isn't like the regular area of the gym where people are free to stand around and creep on others. :P

    If you get confused, just march in place to keep your heart rate up until you catch on again. Sometimes the instructors will toss out a few suggestions that are directed at you but sound like they are for the whole class, to keep you from feeling singled out. If you are extra nervous, arrive early and spend a few minutes talking to them about the class and see if they have any tips!
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
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    If it makes you feel better we laugh equally at all the zumba dancers and not just the ones that cant dance when they hold their workouts at our gym.

    Ahh yes. Let's criticize people for chosing an exercise other than yours...there's a new concept....:yawn:

    I'm just playing around with OP, you can up your claws away.
  • Slimmasaurus
    Slimmasaurus Posts: 141 Member
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    Pretty much what everyone else is saying - Zumba workouts are silly, fun and no one cares whether you can dance or not :)
    In my zumba class there are men and women of all ages, sizes and dance abilities. It doesn't matter whether you're out of time because everyone is focused on themselves and the instructor.
    If you're really nervous try going with a friend who's never done it before, then you'll both be in the same boat.
    Don't be put of the first couple of times if you feel like everyone else knows what they're doing - the routines will be hard at first but you'll get the hang of them in no time :) Good luck, have fun!!
  • Mufasa0331
    Mufasa0331 Posts: 334 Member
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    The first time I went i was very intimidated, but I was there for me, to find out if I liked it, not if someone else thought I was good at it. I was lost the first few times but after that I fell in love with it. I had a blast, I bought I heart rate monitor and was averaging a burn of between 800-1000 calories a class. I took a lot of the "option steps" and often "stepped in place" to catch my breath of figure out what the instructor was doing, but then I would jump back in. After 3 months, the instructor would tell everyone follow me, while she went to the back of the room so the people in the back could have a clear view of what she was doing. You dont need to know how to dance, you just need to go with an open mind and remember you are doing it for you!
    Finiding the youtube videos is also an option to learn the "basic" steps, because out of the 4 different instructors i have been to, and also watching videos online, there are quite a few core steps used over and over again.

    Until this day when i hear certain songs on the radio or my ipod, a club etc I start actually doing the zumba steps or do them in my head- i cant help it, the "zumba monster" takes over lol

    Hope you go and like it :)
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
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    Don't be intimidated! It's not like ballroom dancing where you need to worry about specific moves and avoiding stepping on your partner's toes. Zumba is more about moving your body in the same direction as everyone else! Plus, the instructor will usually call out or point out the direction you're going to move in so just pay attention to the instructor and you'll do fine. It's a great workout and a lot of fun!
  • laarae
    laarae Posts: 332 Member
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    We're all so focused on the instructor, no one is looking at anyone else. It's about moving not a dance competition. Give it a whirl! I'm proud of you that you're trying it out. Who knows it might not be for you. I tend to burn between 600-700 cals in the class, so it's well worth it for me. Dancers not required :) Good luck!

    This-keep at it-you will be amazed at the results and really how much fun it can be. I was imtiminated at first also but now cannot go without it and love it so much I am getting certified to teach it next month.
  • bbzgrl110
    bbzgrl110 Posts: 45 Member
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    I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and do something different, normally I would do the circuit training.

    Anyone else intimidated by this stuff?
    Once you get comfy with the Zumba stuff, can I persuade you to step out of your comfort zone and pick up a barbell? :bigsmile:

    This is a very good possibility :)

    Thanks everyone, I'm just going to go and enjoy myself :)
  • bbzgrl110
    bbzgrl110 Posts: 45 Member
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    If it makes you feel better we laugh equally at all the zumba dancers and not just the ones that cant dance when they hold their workouts at our gym.

    Ahh yes. Let's criticize people for chosing an exercise other than yours...there's a new concept....:yawn:

    I'm just playing around with OP, you can up your claws away.

    LOL, I didn't take you seriously :)
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    When I went to my first (and second, and third...) Zumba class the instructor put a huge emphasis on movement. She had some complicated steps that some of us were nowhere close to getting. She told us all to keep moving as best as we could, the point was to move, not to have the best tango.

    It worked too. I was sweating up a storm and having a great time!

    Yes, one of my Hip Hop instructor's mottos was, "if you're moving, you're doing it right!"
  • FerretBuellerr
    FerretBuellerr Posts: 468 Member
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    Honestly, you're worrying for nothing :flowerforyou:

    I started Zumba at the end of July when I started using MFP and was nervous the first day because I had no idea what I was getting into, and I'm not the best at choreography (it's taken me until this week to feel like I can do most of the steps in order).

    Once I was there one day, my attitude changed. Where I go it is all women, mostly ranging from their early 40s to potentially early 60s (I'm in my early 20s, FYI), all with different activitly levels, so some are faster and more intense than others, while others hang in the back and modify their steps to make it a little easier. From watching everyone, I can tell that most of them (myself included) cannot dance without looking like the whitest white people on the planet LOL.

    I find it really amusing to watch "old ladies" swing their hips around like teenagers, and I know that if they are doing it, I can do it too and won't be judged at all.

    I hope you'll get into it like the rest of us here have! :smile:
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    From watching everyone, I can tell that most of them (myself included) cannot dance without looking like the whitest white people on the planet LOL.
    Once you get that ab crunch/pelvic thrust move down, it's all downhill from there! And while you're working on learning that, you can just do the "chicken dance" instead.

    <--- Looks pretty much like Elaine Benes (if she were fat and didn't care about hair, clothes, jewelry or makeup) when doing Zumba
  • sueclare38
    sueclare38 Posts: 125
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    You don't need to be able to dance, it's not really dancing, it's more like high impact aerobics with a few dance moves thrown in, but easy stuff to pick up.
  • bbzgrl110
    bbzgrl110 Posts: 45 Member
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    Thanks everyone, I am feeling better about it and just going to go in and enjoy the new experience. I have a couple of co-workers I have talked into joining so we'll be completely awkward together :wink:
  • clarebailey355
    clarebailey355 Posts: 113 Member
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    I've only been to a few classes but really enjoyed them - the group was really big and the vast majority of people were out of time or going in the wrong direction, I think the only person who was doing it right was the instructor! The friend I was with narrowly avoided hitting me at one point because she was throwing out the wrong hand!

    It didn't matter though because everyone was enjoying themselves and having a laugh. As long as you're moving, it doesn't matter if you're 'doing it right' at all. Just enjoy it!
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    oh, go have fun.
    drink some whiskey before you go
    and let loose.
    just keep your clothes on.
  • jen4relient22
    jen4relient22 Posts: 46
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    the first zumba class i went to, i left feeling so sad LOL. i couldn't do any of the moves right (even though i used to dance!), and just felt like a fish out of water.

    then, i started going to different classes with different instructors and found a couple that i really really love. challenging classes, but not all about shaking your hips and shimmying. ;)

    also, let me just say that even now that i know the dances and try to do them confidently, i still feel really silly a lot of the time. but that's part of the fun! and i've never laughed at anyone or looked down at someone for not being a great dancer- i'm usually excited to see new people in class because it's fun dancing with more people!

    so keep going, OP! once you get the hang of the basic steps, it really is so fun.
  • Isakizza
    Isakizza Posts: 754 Member
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    I was intimidated by EVERYTHING in the gym at first.

    Just do it.... you'll struggle with steps and might not keep up the entire time.
    But really who cares, it's so fun and a nice little cardio workout.

    Before you know it you'll know the routines by heart and might even get tired of them, and asking for new ones.
    Have a blast!
    :happy:

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  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    LOL I felt the same way. I am a terrible dancer. But oh how I love Zumba. I really don't think I would have got back into the habit of regular exercise without it. It is so much fun. I predict you will love it.

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