Wow ...look at what we did!

So four days ago we just did something absolutely amazing! We put on a Zumbathon in an effort to raise money for the relief efforts over in Haiti. It took us exactly 5 days to plan and we did it! One of my students, Nicole, called me out on facebook (LOL!!) and encouraged me to do it. It was cool though...cause it put provoked me to do something awesome. Now, I'm always down for throwing a party, but this was a huge undertaking! So, with the help of my fellow Zumba instructors and my husband, we were able to do it. It was soo cool to see people pull together and support such a good cause. I mean, we got to make a difference and have fun & party at the same time! What more could you ask for? We ended up having 11 different instructors teaching and in the end we raised over $1200 and had 150 people come out!! Even though it was several days ago, I'm still on quite a high from it! We plan to do another one in March in order to raise money for "My Sisters House"; which is a an organization that provides services, programs and resources to empower victims of domestic violence and their children to live free from abuse. We'll have to plan that one to be outdoors maybe, b/c I'm sure it's gonna be ridiculously huge! It is such an honor and a blessing to be able to contribute to and support those in need and know that we are really making a difference. I am so glad that not only can I use Zumba to get a great workout in but I can use also use it to help make a difference in people's lives.

Outside of raising money through Zumbathons, it's great to see how Zumba is positively affecting the lives of my students. For women there is soo much pressure on us where our weight and our appearance is concerned. Everyday many women wake up and they are so unhappy with their appearance and that in turn effects every aspect of their lives. I know from experience that when you are unhappy with your body you feel sad & unwanted & lacking in self-esteem & self-confidence...or in other words..AWFUL!..and that feeling of awfulness permeates into every area of your life: your relationship with your family members, friends and coworkers. When you live your life that way it will limit what you accomplish & limit you from reaching your full potential.

So you're walking around feeling bad and finally make the decision to do something about it. You're gonna workout and eat right, Yeah! But working out is work!? And its boring..and eating right is too hard!..Right? NO! It doesn't have to be! In comes Zumba!!!

You get to work out and have fun at the same time. So much fun that you actually want to the class to continue, rather than end. Who wouldn't be motivated by that? So now, you wanna keep working out, which will in turn make you want to eat better, b/c Hey! I wanna look good in Zumba class! (Just kidding..that should soo not be your motivation.. :-/ ) But anyway, you're proud of what you accomplish in class, heck, you're proud you were able to get through a class! In turn you start having a better opinion of yourself and eventually that will translate into you improving your life. I have already seen a transformation in the disposition of some of my students and it is soo rewarding to see how Zumba is affecting peoples lives for the better!

Ok, so this is an extra long post (I was feeling a little preachy). I'll refrain from writing anymore..except this...WE HAD 47 PEOPLE IN CLASS LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME!

PS. Any comments you want to leave on those post on what Zumba's done for you..is welcomed!

Till next time....