Tina's Blog

Fast songs can be a fun way to raise the heartrate in a Zumba class but I am always looking for different ways to create intensity in our workout without just dialing up the tempo. Any student of pilates or yoga can tell you that you don’t have to be a human pogo stick to get a fantastic workout.

One thing I’ve been having fun with is balancing on one leg - not only does that leg have to support all your body weight, but numerous muscles are engaging just to keep you balanced as we “freeze” or do other movements. I love it!

I also like to incorporate big reaches - down, around, to the sides. Sending your center of gravity away from the usual base of your legs and feet forces muscles in and around your core to take over. Lower back, abs, and obliques all get their chance to work and strengthen.

I even find our brand new rumba cooldown challenging. To move that slowly as we shift our weight from foot to foot is not easy! You have to rely on muscle control instead of just momentum to get to the right place.

Balance, reach, bend, control! Yes you can sweat without jumping! Have a great workout!

Thursday April 5 at the Fox Theater in Oakland.  Oh boy. I really think I need to go to this. If you can’t imagine how two people with acoustic guitars can ROCK OUT, then get thee to youTube and view some of their music. A - MA - ZING!

I’ve mostly heard performance with just the two of them but the new sound with the Cuban band is lush, complex, and unique.  At first listen, more jazz less rock.

Dance. I’m on a mission to share this little life’s pleasure, my friends. Too many people are missing out on the natural union of music and movement. Too many people are embarrassed to get off the couch and move. Why so shy? How come our social gatherings so rarely include dancing? Why do so many American men especially fear/dislike dancing so much? I’m bewildered! Email Me and tell me what you think!

Zumba on the DVD player is good for you, but Zumba at a live class is better! Dancing in the living room with the ipod is fun, but dancing in the living room with friends is better! I still have a few hundred more pictures of Spain to share (haha!), but I really wanted to get these up from one of my favorite days. We rendezvoused with this fabulous group (mostly grad students from Sarah’s and my alma mater), and after they fed us a delicious homecooked lunch, we all literally pushed back the furniture and had a dance party.

And is there such a thing as too old to dance?  What do you think?

I’m just going to throw some of my pictures up here so you can get a tiny taste of the fantastic trip I took with my sister to Andalucia a month ago. I have long been a nature girl but my cravings have been shifting over to culture and history and just learning more about people. Being out of the country (my first time overseas by the way) was so stimulating. I loved seeing the magnificent and everyday human accomplishments, feeling proud when we survived another day without accidentally ordering octopus, and having a great time exploring on the cheap with my sister Sarah. I loved being out and about with hundreds of people in the evenings, getting lost in the narrow streets, eating late at night, and enjoying this place that the Spaniards are so clearly very proud of. The camera does not do the country or my experiences justice and my words can’t describe how much I loved my time there.  But it’s the best I can do!