Sally24
05-22-2013, 05:14 PM
Well, seeing that Jamie posted an update to her ongoing experience with Ballet.
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?195311-Jamie-s-Ongoing-Ballet-Thread
I felt I should share my experiences with Zumba. Over the last couple of winters I've added on what I refer to as a "little" weight and to what my doctor calls "a lot" of weight. Around 25-30 lbs. It has caused me to have problems looking as good as I would like when dressed so I decided it was time to increase my exercise level.
I did a search for Zumba instructors in the area of Southern Maine and coastal New Hampshire. I work on the road and I drive home thru that area every night. My plan was to find somewhere that I could get at least one midweek and one weekend workout. I found a studio, called Jubilation, in Portsmouth, NH that seemed to fit the bill. I checked out their website and Facebook page and then e-mailed them. I was concerned because their logos are female outlines and all their pictures had only women. I didn't want to intrude as I would be coming in male mode each time. They were enthusiastic and replied that they had other men and would love to have me.
I wanted to fit it and also be comfortable so I went to Walmart and looked at the women's activewear section. I found some lovely Danskin yoga pants and a red exercise shirt that was made out of wicking fibers. With that I approached my first exercise with a little nervousness. I have never really worked out in a group enviroment, let alone a female one. I came in, registered and said hi to a few of the ladies. I picked a spot all the way off to one side. Partly to remain low key and partly so I wouldn't run into anyone else! I didn't want to be all the way in the back because 1, I wouldn't be able to see the instructor well, and 2 I didn't want the ladies to think that I was there just to ogle them. They do many different dance moves but until you are trained in them it is a little hard to keep up with the group. I did notice that most everything is arranged in 4/4 time so there even numbered repeats of all the moves. I finished my first day without injuring myself or others so I signed up for ten more classes to get a good discount.
My second class was on a weeknight and was a different instructor and a different group of ladies. I was having much more success keeping up with the dance moves and also having a lot more fun! I've always loved dancing and watching dancers so this was the best of both worlds. I mostly watch the instructor but I do take note of the ladies. They range from middle age women that are a little overweight like me, to young woman that probably take yoga and kickboxing too and are in incredible shape. If makes me feel much better about myself that fully half of the women can't move their hips any better than I can.:heehee: Since Zumba is based on Latin Dance, there is a lot of hip movements. My hope is that this will both help me lose weight and gain me more flexibility and smoother movements. After this class I had a few of the women compliment me on keeping up and several that were waiting for the next class asked me "Don't you just love it!?".
I've been going for a couple of months now and I think I can manage to get myself to keep this up for the long term. I just went out and bought a different set of workout clothes so I don't have to wash twice a week. This new shirt is more of a cut out T and is tighter so it shows where I need improvement more. I'm getting to know some of the faces now and we say hi and comment on the songs, the dance moves and how sweaty or tired we are. I purchased a watch that includes a heart monitor so I can try to better estimate my workouts. It showed me something I already thought I knew. The instructors have quite different styles and intensities. The owner does a really good job of doing a proper warmup and cooldown and really has fun with the movements. My second favorite instructor wants us to keep moving almost all of the time. She drives us, but it's still really fun. The third instructor I've had is a little younger and tends to just jump in at full tilt right away. I have to be careful to do my own warmup and also not fully follow her movements lest I pull a muscle. They range from around 700 calories for the 1 hour workout to over 900 calories. There are several instructors I haven't happened to hit in the rotation but these 3 tend to cover the time periods that I can arrange to hit.
Since we are exercising we don't get into long conversations but everyone seems to be comfortable with me there. I don't know if they might consider me gay or not. With my shaved arms, trimmed eyebrows, earings, and pink sneakers that may be where they go. I also made a slight faux pas the other weekend. An instructor had gotten hurt and in commenting on their facebook page I didn't take note of which "face" I was presenting. No one replied about this Sally chick making a comment so probably no one noticed. Also, I have yet to meet any of the "other" men they say come here.
Anyway, If you are looking for a way to get a little more flexibility and have fun, this might be it. There are Zumba instructors all over the country so try them out before you purchase any amount of visits. All the instructors here are a little different and you might have to try a few before you find a good fit for the level of exercise you want.
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?195311-Jamie-s-Ongoing-Ballet-Thread
I felt I should share my experiences with Zumba. Over the last couple of winters I've added on what I refer to as a "little" weight and to what my doctor calls "a lot" of weight. Around 25-30 lbs. It has caused me to have problems looking as good as I would like when dressed so I decided it was time to increase my exercise level.
I did a search for Zumba instructors in the area of Southern Maine and coastal New Hampshire. I work on the road and I drive home thru that area every night. My plan was to find somewhere that I could get at least one midweek and one weekend workout. I found a studio, called Jubilation, in Portsmouth, NH that seemed to fit the bill. I checked out their website and Facebook page and then e-mailed them. I was concerned because their logos are female outlines and all their pictures had only women. I didn't want to intrude as I would be coming in male mode each time. They were enthusiastic and replied that they had other men and would love to have me.
I wanted to fit it and also be comfortable so I went to Walmart and looked at the women's activewear section. I found some lovely Danskin yoga pants and a red exercise shirt that was made out of wicking fibers. With that I approached my first exercise with a little nervousness. I have never really worked out in a group enviroment, let alone a female one. I came in, registered and said hi to a few of the ladies. I picked a spot all the way off to one side. Partly to remain low key and partly so I wouldn't run into anyone else! I didn't want to be all the way in the back because 1, I wouldn't be able to see the instructor well, and 2 I didn't want the ladies to think that I was there just to ogle them. They do many different dance moves but until you are trained in them it is a little hard to keep up with the group. I did notice that most everything is arranged in 4/4 time so there even numbered repeats of all the moves. I finished my first day without injuring myself or others so I signed up for ten more classes to get a good discount.
My second class was on a weeknight and was a different instructor and a different group of ladies. I was having much more success keeping up with the dance moves and also having a lot more fun! I've always loved dancing and watching dancers so this was the best of both worlds. I mostly watch the instructor but I do take note of the ladies. They range from middle age women that are a little overweight like me, to young woman that probably take yoga and kickboxing too and are in incredible shape. If makes me feel much better about myself that fully half of the women can't move their hips any better than I can.:heehee: Since Zumba is based on Latin Dance, there is a lot of hip movements. My hope is that this will both help me lose weight and gain me more flexibility and smoother movements. After this class I had a few of the women compliment me on keeping up and several that were waiting for the next class asked me "Don't you just love it!?".
I've been going for a couple of months now and I think I can manage to get myself to keep this up for the long term. I just went out and bought a different set of workout clothes so I don't have to wash twice a week. This new shirt is more of a cut out T and is tighter so it shows where I need improvement more. I'm getting to know some of the faces now and we say hi and comment on the songs, the dance moves and how sweaty or tired we are. I purchased a watch that includes a heart monitor so I can try to better estimate my workouts. It showed me something I already thought I knew. The instructors have quite different styles and intensities. The owner does a really good job of doing a proper warmup and cooldown and really has fun with the movements. My second favorite instructor wants us to keep moving almost all of the time. She drives us, but it's still really fun. The third instructor I've had is a little younger and tends to just jump in at full tilt right away. I have to be careful to do my own warmup and also not fully follow her movements lest I pull a muscle. They range from around 700 calories for the 1 hour workout to over 900 calories. There are several instructors I haven't happened to hit in the rotation but these 3 tend to cover the time periods that I can arrange to hit.
Since we are exercising we don't get into long conversations but everyone seems to be comfortable with me there. I don't know if they might consider me gay or not. With my shaved arms, trimmed eyebrows, earings, and pink sneakers that may be where they go. I also made a slight faux pas the other weekend. An instructor had gotten hurt and in commenting on their facebook page I didn't take note of which "face" I was presenting. No one replied about this Sally chick making a comment so probably no one noticed. Also, I have yet to meet any of the "other" men they say come here.
Anyway, If you are looking for a way to get a little more flexibility and have fun, this might be it. There are Zumba instructors all over the country so try them out before you purchase any amount of visits. All the instructors here are a little different and you might have to try a few before you find a good fit for the level of exercise you want.