Ever feel like you never heard of something and suddenly it’s everywhere, like edamame or Greek yogurt or the LOL Wait Until You See Who Is Stalking Your Profile spam on Facebook?
Well such is the case with Bossy and Zumba.
You are looking at Bossy’s friend Suzy. The first Bossy ever heard of Zumba was a handful of years ago when Bossy’s friend Suzy kept showing up on Facebook looking all cute and sporty with that logo on her t-shirt and Bossy didn’t understand.
Bossy always said she would be the first to enroll if a choreographer ever invented an exercise class comprised of nothing but dancing.
And then a choreographer invented an exercise class comprised of nothing but dancing.
His name is Alberto “Beto” Pérez and he is from Colombia. Not to be confused with a certain other man from Columbia.
As the story goes, Alberto “Beto” Pérez was a teenage aerobics instructor who forgot to bring the appropriate music to his class one day, and so therefore he used what he had in his pocket.
Lucky for Alberto “Beto” Pérez’s aerobics class, what Alberto “Beto” Pérez had in his pocket that day was Latin music — and so Alberto “Beto” Pérez made up aerobic dance moves on the spot to match the international rhythms.
And then he moved those new aerobic dance moves and his international rhythms to Miami.
The idea behind Zumba is the interval and resistance training hidden inside the dance moves which alternate from fast to slow rhythms and target every muscle group in the body.
Bossy has never tried Zumba because of a little preexisting condition Bossy likes to call No money. Instead Bossy sticks with her exercise routine, which is exactly like Zumba minus the Latin music, the dancing, and the fun.
If you enjoyed this post, you may want to read The Complete History of Bossy’s Exercise Regimes.
Philly says
May 5, 2011 at 11:23 amI have the zumba cd. Can only buy it on line…it funs especially when you have 2 or 3 people doing it at once
Z. Mulls says
May 5, 2011 at 11:44 amI always thought Zumba was a cross between Zen and Rumba….
wendy says
May 5, 2011 at 11:56 amZumba is AWESOME and SUZY CRAWFORD is the best instructor there is! I’ve met the coolest people through Zumba… Come do Zumba with us Bossy!
Renee says
May 5, 2011 at 12:02 pmI absolutely LOVE Zumba. I have it for the Wii. Because, classes cost MONEY and well, I have none of that!
Tootsie Farklepants says
May 5, 2011 at 12:03 pmI had never heard of Zumba until a FB friend posted that she was looking forward to doing it with her friends one evening. Tootsie thought it was a board game….for weeks.
Michele Powell says
May 5, 2011 at 12:09 pmI have spent the last few weeks trying to find cheap classes… dvd’s, games, hell ANYTHING Zumba that is affordable. Even Craigslist came up empty for my area. Damn gas prices. Anyway, Curves has a free week going right now of their Zumba based routine if anyone is interested in that. I received the email just a few minutes ago. I also found a gym with ala carte monthly fees nearby. For 15 bucks a month I can take just classes. No gym. We will see what the fine print reveals though!
Lovelyn says
May 5, 2011 at 12:16 pmI’ve never tried Zumba. Frankly, it scares me. I’m rather uncoordinated and I don’t want to accidentally put someone’s eye out in a class.
helenel says
May 5, 2011 at 12:23 pmIt’s fun…at first I found it a little awkward…our class was too small to hide behind anybody! But after a bit it was fun, and easy to alter if you can’t do the jumping so much. The music is awesome!
Kim says
May 5, 2011 at 12:29 pmI have the Zumba for the XBOX360 kinect. It is fun but the problem is that I have to move the sofa to have enough room to work out. It would not be a problem if I could move it by myself, it is too heavy, I need to workout to move the sofa to do the Zumba. needless to say i haven’t been doing the zumba very much, however, if any of you want to come over & help me move the couch, we could zumba together. It is fun!
Maggie says
May 5, 2011 at 12:30 pmI am a certified Zumba instructor and I don’t really like it. I just couldn’t “embrace” it, even though I learned how to instruct . . . I still wasn’t qualified. It’s not for ME, but there’s folks who love it like it’s a religion and speak Beto’s name like he’s the next Messiah. I’m glad for anyone who finds their way to fitness, so for that? I love Zumba.
autumnalyssa says
May 5, 2011 at 12:47 pmI love Zumba! I think I might have mentioned it last time Bossy was writing about exercise; I got certified to teach it and I now teach at a gym. But Bossy should really look around at places like the YMCA. In our town, you can take Zumba at the Y for $3 a class. That’s cheaper than a cup of coffee, as they say!
Angela@beggingtheanswer says
May 5, 2011 at 1:13 pmI’ve toyed with the idea of Zumba, seeing as it’s one of the free classes I can take at my gym, but haven’t done it yet. Maybe I’ll give it a shot.
Also, I recently fell for the LOL Wait Until You See Who Is Stalking Your Profile spam on Facebook. Being “with it” has never been my forte.
Alexandra says
May 5, 2011 at 1:22 pmYou are doing something b/c no one has a rockin’ body like yours, just cuz it fell out of the sky on them.
So booty boot camp or push ups in the morning, but you’re doing something, mama
Chrissy says
May 5, 2011 at 1:28 pmWe were just talking about Zumba at lunch! Our company offers it.
The Zumba people come into the aerobics room at my Y right after my yoga classes let out – talk about a different vibe!! We roll up our mats, weird wistful half-smiles on our faces, and the Zumba folks jog in, fists pumping, like super fit Amazons. I super respect them! It looks like they’re having a good time and getting really fit. Yoga lets you lay down for the last 8-10 minutes of the practice (and there’s even a fancy word for it! -Savasana- so I’ll always, always chose it over the other, non-lying-down exercise classes.
Cactus Petunia says
May 5, 2011 at 2:14 pmZumba sounds fun, except for the need for some coordination. Which I don’t have. I think it’s safer to stick with taking 2 mile walks with the dogs, which only requires putting one foot in front of the other, and a few deep knee bends to pick stuff up now and then…
Jacquie says
May 5, 2011 at 2:16 pmI’ve watched a Zumba class, and I stand strongly by my observation that I could never do that without at least a few cocktails in me.
Talk to me about TKB (Turbo Kick Boxing) though, swoon.
Cupcake Murphy says
May 5, 2011 at 2:58 pmI thought Zumba was that robot vacuum cleaner.
Mr Farty says
May 5, 2011 at 5:29 pmI’d never heard of Zumba until today, when I was followed on the Twitter by a Zumba instructor. Sadly, not Suzy. Or Beto. Thanks for filling me in.
autumnalyssa says
May 5, 2011 at 6:09 pmChrissy, That’s funny because at my old gym zumba came right after yoga, and their was a huge feud between the zumba people and the yoga people. The zumba people would line up outside making a lot of noise, wanting to get right in; the yoga people would be laying around taking their time, rolling up their mats. I thought it would come down to some West Side Story rumble, with a lot of finger snapping and jazz hands. Really it was just poor planning on the part of the gym.
Olivia says
May 5, 2011 at 6:21 pmThis is the first that Olivia has heard of Zumba – is that pronounced ZUMba or ZOOMba? But then, Olivia’s ears automatically block out any words that mean “exercise.” Olivia loves to dance – especially when drunk at weddings – but if she thought that she was exercising she would race off to AA.
suzyaquazumbaqueen says
May 5, 2011 at 8:30 pmI guess I have to make a visit to see Bossy so that we can do some Zumba together. I have to say it has brought out the goddess in me. It truly has changed my life. It’s a party not an exercise class. “exercise in disguise”. If you didnt like the teacher try someone else. there are imposters/posers out there riding the wave pretending to be instructors. if the class is packed you probably found a good one. I have to say I love my job. wish you all could take my class! Thanks G for writing about me. 😉
Chrissy says
May 5, 2011 at 8:50 pmHa, AutumnAlyssa! That would be a pitiful fight: the yoga people probably wouldn’t stand a chance. As the Zumba people were beating on the yoga people, you’d hear the yoga folks whimpering, “The light in me respects the light in youuuuuuuuuuu.” and then they’d just curl into child pose.
GrandeMocha says
May 5, 2011 at 9:51 pmI think we need a Barbie does Zumba video!
I have Zumba for the Wii. Looks fun, sitting on the counter, in the box.
Billie says
May 5, 2011 at 9:58 pmThis is such a great write-up of one of the most inspiring Zumba instructors around! Suzy is the one who made me want to become a Zumba Instructor in the first place.
rory says
May 5, 2011 at 10:10 pmToo funny.
I have exactly the same exercise routine including NO Zumba, and NO music, and, honestly? NO, um, er, movement?
Or exercise.
Charlie says
May 5, 2011 at 10:16 pmFun post.
Nicknames embraced by parentheses are great… if you’re a mobster (e.g., Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel) or a boxer (e.g., Thomas “Hitman” Hearns). Not sure about fitness celebrities. I’m not sure I’m even comfortable with the term “fitness celebrity.” I’ve been lucky. Never had a nickname (BTW this is NOT a sign that you should assign me one).
JaneK says
May 5, 2011 at 10:16 pm“Ever feel like you never heard of something and suddenly it’s everywhere, like edamame or Greek yogurt ” okay…. seriously…. if you hadn’t given examples of what you meant by the first part of the sentence, I would have been “yea, like edamame or Greek yogurt or Zumba?” too funny…. now I love edamame (although I can never say it right), greek yogurt, and well, don’t have any money or time for Zumba b/c I work my ass off but still don’t have money b/c of a certain undivorced, unspouse….
corrie says
May 6, 2011 at 8:36 amlove the ‘certain other man from Columbia’ !!! I totally fell for it… gazing at the dorm room wondering if Bossy had made a mistake. 🙂 Thanks for the fun!
Maria says
May 6, 2011 at 12:36 pmBossy, Hooping is the new Zumba…or the old Zumba…or..erg..and it doesn’t cost a DIME! Well, except you have to get a “real” hoop, not a kiddie one…but you can totally do it on your own or find a great spot with other like minded hoopers….ah, that’s hula, not basketball, geesh…and you are in a city, my friend, with a LOT of hoopers.
I have yet to try Zumba….I really should get w/the program…it DOES look fun. And 1 million thousand bazillion people can’t be all wrong, can they?????
Mrs. Tuna says
May 6, 2011 at 3:03 pmAll I found in my pocket was lint.
Piper "Ace" Benjamin says
May 8, 2011 at 9:23 pmBossy – I added the quotations just for you. Piper likes the Zumba, because it gives her the chance to wiggle and jump and thrust and pretend she’s a fly girl. But Piper now has to remember to wear a pantyliner for Zumba class because if she jumps really high pee pee always leaks out into her workout pants. Piper doubts “Beto” would consider that sexy.
Babybloomr says
May 9, 2011 at 9:40 amI would give a kidney to go to Zumba with Bossy. (See also: the above comment from Piper “Gotta Watch That Jumping Thing” Benjamin– I feel ya.)
I talked Madi into going with me once. ONCE. The image of me enthusiastically pelvic thrusting is apparently now burned into her retinas and consciousness, the little wussy.