Giselle

Dance and sing like no one is watching! That’s the tip I’d like to share when it comes to staying active.

For almost a decade now, I have tried different strategies to stay active, but what I kept coming back to is Zumba! The first time I stepped into a Zumba class, with the energetic upbeat music, guidance from an enthusiastic instructor and an environment that lets you to move the way you feel works best, it was just incredible!

As the years passed, the cost of classes became a barrier, as well as location of gyms as someone who cannot drive. In 2018 I started to do these from home, using online versions of these workouts and it worked really well! In the summers I would prop up my tablet on my patio table and dance along to an online Zumba session, while in winter I’d load a YouTube playlist and dance along to my heart’s desire. These workouts are either 30 or 60 minutes, more than enough to break out sweating and get the heart pumping!

I’m feeling nostalgic lately and miss the show Glee, with its great storyline and lots of musical performances in every episode. So lately, instead of following an online Zumba session, I’d load a YouTube playlist and dance along with the performances. Mind you, my dancing skills are far from great, but it is enough to get me moving and singing along until I sometimes lose track of time. The best part is that many of these songs bring a smile to my face.

I’m a terrible dancer by the way, but I try to not let this stop me. Doing something because it’s fun and I enjoy it, not because I need to be an expert at it, is something that benefits me beyond fitness. It is something good for my sense of self esteem and self acceptance.

With the challenges we are facing right now, it is worthwhile to find joy even in seemingly small ways. Dancing is a win-win-win: it gets me exercising, and provides a welcome emotional reprieve and a break from sitting and using my gadgets.