There’s a better way to become energized that doesn’t involve reaching for another cup of coffee. It’s called Zumba.
I had just woken up from an hour-long nap, and the last thing I wanted to do was go to Ping. I was not feeling the least bit energized. However, I knew my friend was counting on meeting me there for Zumba, so I laced up my shoes and headed out the door.
Zumba is one of the dance group fitness classes at Ping, and though I had taken Zumba classes there before, I never attended one with this instructor named Ernesto.
He bounced into the room with a smile on his face, and I could immediately tell that it was going to be a great class. The room was full with about 25 or 30 participants, so I tried to harness their circulating excitement to jumpstart a positive and energetic mindset for the next hour.
We started with a warm-up song that lasted eight minutes, so by the end of that everyone was ready to kick it up a notch. Ernesto varied the song and dance styles between salsa, Latin pop and bhangra, which is Punjabi-inspired dance music that blends everything from reggae to rock. With each song focusing on only a handful of easy dance moves, I was having too much fun to remember that I was even working out.
Ernesto definitely boosted my attitude each time he shouted out encouraging words or jumped down from his platform to join us. The best way to describe this class is by comparing it to a music and dance journey across Latin America and India. But don’t just take my word for it — try just one class, and you’ll see what I mean.
Emily McIntyre is a senior studying journalism with a focus in news and information at Ohio University. What class should Emily try next? Let her know by emailing her at em564912@ohio.edu.
