A Zumba-rific Workout

written by Shannon Ellis

It’s the new year and like so many other people in the world, I am resolving to get into better shape. Being in the gym is intimidating, and two minutes on the elliptical feels like forty. I abhor running, and if I am running, you better run too because something scary is coming after me! Walking outside is fun, but with the irregular and unreliable Oklahoma weather, walking is not always conducive. I’m not cut out to be a bodybuilder. Truth be told, if I cannot find an exercise that I enjoy doing, then I don’t exercise at all. That was before I discovered the joys of Zumba.

Zumba is not your mother’s Jazzercise! It is a Latin based, high energy dance exercise with moves that are easy to follow.  This allows novice dancers like myself to feel like Arianna Grande’s sexy backup dancers. Additionally, with almost 500 instructors in Oklahoma, it is easy to find a nearby class.

One fabulous Okie Charmed lady, Lorinda Lockard, teaches Zumba on Sunday afternoons at the YMCA in Norman. Lorinda started attending Zumba classes in 2008 at the Norman YMCA. For her, it was a fun way to get moving and to be healthier...much more fun than any other exercise she had participated in. During the three years Lorinda attended Zumba classes, she was constantly approached by other attendees and instructors who encouraged her to be an instructor. As a former pom captain at Lawton Eisenhower High School and a natural teacher (Lorinda is the sophomore English instructor at Blanchard High School), Lorinda decided to take her dance experience to a new level and become a Zumba instructor in 2014. 

“Sometimes I had instructors who were hard to follow. They didn’t cue,” Lorinda stated. She became the kind of instructor who she wished she had, easy and fun to follow. As a participant, I find Lorinda’s instructions simple, but somehow they progress to more advanced moves without me realizing it. She cues by pointing or counting with her fingers combined with encouraging facial expressions, or a tilt of her blonde head. If more elaborate steps are anticipated in any of the routines, she previews it in the warm-up dance.   Often, she teaches it before the song begins. Her colorful Zumba gear is eye-catching so it’s hard not to see her, and she wears mismatched socks on purpose. Even though this doesn’t seem important, it is extremely helpful while following her lead. Her infectious enthusiasm for Zumba inspires the most timid of Zumba dancers.

 Training to be a Zumba instructor is difficult and time consuming, yet the benefits are worth it. 

“I like it when people make progress,” she cheerfully states. “I even had a blind person in my class before.” It is rewarding for Lorinda to watch a newbie who starts out tripping over their own feet to be able to keep up most of the class and become a decent dancer. 

Do you have to be a dancer, or to know basic dance steps to do Zumba? No! Do you have to have rhythm? No! No previous dance experience or talent is necessary, and classes are open to any age. Zumba emphasizes movement and having fun, not perfection. It is a great exercise for anyone who wants to be more active or get into better shape. Many fitness goals are achieved with Zumba. 

One thing that hinders participation is being worried about how a person looks while doing Zumba. Some people are hindered from trying Zumba because they are worried about how they look at the beginning with awkward merengue steps and arms going the opposite direction as the instructor. However, after a couple of classes, everything falls together and even the most uncoordinated person looks like a dancer. But no one should be concerned that anyone is watching because everyone is watching the instructor.

Lorinda leads a Zumba class on Sundays at 1:30 pm at the Norman YMCA. Other Zumba classes are available as well. For a class near you, visit www.zumba.com.