A Bit Embarassing . . .

Well, this is embarrassing. My back has been hurt the past few days and I am finally coming out of my denial and prepared to admit why.

After much research this evening, it seems undeniable . . .

I have a Zumba injury.

Does that make me just about the most spastic woman ever? I sure feel like it does.

I have only Zumba'd twice. And apparently this past Saturday, I Zumba'd too much!

I have been doing my research (a little too late, I guess!) and I am not alone. Similar to when any new fitness craze occurs, there are a lot of injuries related to Zumba. I was finding article after article written about it. And it seems that I have made two major mistakes.

The number one tip I found over and over again was to wear the right shoes and that those shoes cannot be running shoes. Oops. The instructor even mentioned this. But I was already there, at 8:45 on a Saturday morning with my Zumba buddy, ready to get my Latin groove on.

(Apparently, the main function of running shoes is the exact opposite of what is needed for a dance workout. When you are running, you want a shoe that is supportive and that won't let your feet or ankles pivot or turn too much. Well, that doesn't work for Zumba because you are turning and pivoting and salsa-ing and samba-ing all over the place!)

And second, I need to get to the gym earlier so that I can warm up. There really isn't a warm up during the Zumba class, so I need to make sure this happens on my own.

Right now, I am in the house alone. This is usually one of my absolute favorite things. But not tonight, because I'm missing the Zumba class I was looking forward to! Jason took the kids to the Y without me and I am supposed to be taking it easy, letting my back rest.

But I don't want to rest! I want to Zumba!

Seriously, it really is the most fun way I have found to exercise in a long time. And it's a very good workout - I always work up a sweat and am way out of breath during the harder parts.

The next class is on Wednesday night. Perhaps my back will be ready by then. In the mean time, I think I will shop online for Zumba shoes :)

Have you Zumba'd? Did you like it? Any sharing of similar embarrassing injuries would be so appreciated.