Lose It For Lou Gehrig's Challenge - Back for 2015!

Sometimes it's staggering to think of how much can change in a year. Last December the Thoman brothers were frying turkeys, drinking Bailey's, and spending what would be our last Christmas with our brother Perry. He would lose his battle with ALS just one month later.

ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease - well, it sucks. There's no cure and no effective treatment - at least not yet. But I think we have the power to change that. That's why Team Perry will continue to fundraise for the ALS Association in Perry's memory. But we need your help. Here's a few things we can do together in 2015:

1. Enjoy and appreciate our bodies and what they can do! It's easy to take things like walking for granted. Let's not. Instead, let's challenge ourselves in 2015 to take care of the bodies we've been given - fuel them with healthy foods, challenge them with physical activity, and appreciate what they have been equipped to do. When was the last time you pushed yourself to beat a personal record, hike up a mountain, try a new dance step, etc.? This is the year!

2. Sign up for the Lose It For Lou Gehrig's Challenge. A friendly competition designed to encourage healthy habits in 2015! If you took the comments above to heart, this challenge can help! For six weeks, you can earn points for your healthy habits (like eating veggies or taking a Zumba class). You'll also have special bonus challenges each week that will encourage self-reflection, goal-setting, and even provide a few opportunities to step out of your comfort zone! $20 to participate - Half goes to the ALS Association, half goes into the "pot" for the winner!

One of the bonus challenges from last year was to share our "why" for joining the challenge. You can ready my original blog post HERE. I'm guessing that there is a "why" for you too! Will you join us?

Commit to participate by December 31, 2014. View the Facebook event for registration info. 

Sand, Sun, and Salsa: Tips for Zumba Instructors Planning A Teaching Vacation

My husband and I just returned from a week long stay at two amazing resorts in Punta Cana - Breathless and Secrets Royal Beach. The trip was coordinated through Fit Bodies, a company that organizes teaching vacations for a variety of group fitness instructors including (you guessed it) LICENSED ZUMBA FITNESS INSTRUCTORS! 

Typically instructors stay at one resort for the entire week, but because of a scheduling conflict (a.k.a. the Dominican Holidaze concert), we had the opportunity to split the week between both resorts. 

I had an AMAZING experience, and I learned so much! If you are a licensed Zumba instructor interested in planning your own teaching vacation (highly recommended!), I hope these tips are helpful to you!

Secrets Royal Beach

1. Get comfortable with ambiguity. You won't know the where's, when's, why's, and how's until you arrive at your resort. Fit Bodies will give you general information before your departure, but consider it as more of a guideline. You won't know the specifics until you arrive and talk to the resort's Entertainment Team. For example, I knew I'd be teaching Monday through Saturday. But the resort determined class time, format, and location after check-in.  

2. Prep your playlists, but plan for changes. I initially expected to do two 45-minute classes a day (one Zumba and one Aqua Zumba). Instead, my classes were much shorter and all on land. Thankfully I had all of Zumba music on my iPhone, and I was able to make changes as needed (and I made LOTS of them). I would encourage you to make multiple playlists, multiple lengths (anything from 25-45 minutes), and still be ready to change 'em up as needed. 

Two of my fave students at Breathless
from Belgium and Romania!

3. Follow the formula. I was continually shown that the Zumba formula WORKS! Pick fun, interactive songs; use simple, repetitive moves; cue so that your students can be successful! At both resorts I had students from all over the world. Some spoke English. Many did not. Yet we all were able to dance and have fun. Why? Because Zumba (and Zumba love) is universal. 

4. No shoes, no shirt, just Zumba. For my first class, I hit the beach in sneakers with an intense playlist. I was determined to help burn off those frozen Banana Mamas! In contrast, my students arrived barefoot and in swimwear. It was much easier (on both my back and my spirit) when I ditched the kicks, lightened the intensity, and allowed myself to relax and enjoy dancing on the beach with my students!

5. Mentally prepare yourself to dance solo for the first minute of every class. This is intimidating! But after the first time it happened, I knew to pick my opening song accordingly - it had to be something that allowed me to walk around, engage with the guests around me, and try to get them up and dancing. Once that first minute is over, I promise you that people WILL come join you (just sweat it out for the first 60 seconds, and have a blast after that!)

Fidel, Entertainment Manager
at Secrets Royal Beach and
my boss for the week!

6. Be open-minded. When I first arrived at Secrets, it was rainy. I was asked to teach an afternoon class by the pool bar, and when I arrived it had just started to drizzle. I could have tried to convince the Entertainment Manager, Fidel, to let me pass on the class. But instead we gave it a try. And guess what... between the raindrops against my face and the booty-shaking battles, it ended up being one of my most memorable classes!

7. Show 'em some Zumba love. After a day or two on each resort, I had "regulars" that I looked forward to seeing at most of my classes. We exchanged names, snapped selfies, and talked when we saw each other outside of class. I had a blast getting to know people from all of the world who shared my love for Zumba (I also passed out plenty of business cards to keep the connection going and encouraged them to find classes near them on Zumba.com)! 

Want to learn more about booking a teaching vacation? Check out Fit Bodies or login to Zumba.com and view the discounts page.  

The opinions and views expressed by this ZCOM Volunteer on this website are solely those of the ZCOM Volunteer and do not reflect the opinions or views of Zumba Fitness, LLC, its subsidiaries, officers, directors, employees and agents.