Exhausted!

So, today was a great day, but it was extremely LONG. Even though I've had 2 kids pass through elementary school already, I just feel like such a rookie about having my 2 younger children go through the process. Oye! So many details, so much homework - for Kindergarten and First Grade! Oh, and I signed up for "copy mom" on Fridays too - wow. LOTS OF COPIES, oh my word! No complaints here though...I'm just feeling very fulfilled in my role as a mom. I may be behind in some of my own studying and yardwork, but as long as my family is thriving, I'll sacrifice my GPA :-)

Okay new(er) song tonight:

Causa y Efecto - Paulina Rubio (Jive)

Sorry, no great speeches tonight - I can't communicate effectively past 9pm anymore!

See ya at the party!

Song from tonight & other 411 :-)

Hola!

I did a song from my summer program tonight...it's about 6 minutes long and really builds the endurance - don't be surprised in find yourselves with more stamina over the weekend! I hope you had fun with it :-)

Estas Perdida - ZIN (Zumba Instructor Network) - Calypso

I randomly recycle songs to my playlist often, but most of the songs will stay the same. The warm-ups and cool-downs will change more frequently, but the choreography for the warm-up will be very basic (grapevines, step touches, marches, walks, hip circles - don't forget to bend those knees!). If you've been with me since the beginning in 2007, you'll notice my cool-down choreo is almost always the same, just to some different and great "chill-out" songs.

Also, I wanted you to take note of all the abominal moves with this current program. I gained about 10 pounds over the summer (gluttony!) and most of it was in my waistline. Since the last 4 classes (and cleaning up some of my horrid eating habits) my pants fit so much better. So use that core and feel the "crunch" while Zumba-ing. Oh, and I've been cross-training since the summer with mat Pilates (at home) and I know that's helped as well. (I taught Pilates a few years ago before and after my girls were born and it helped "sandwich" things back together really well :-)).

Stay tuned next blog post for some common basic Zumba moves and a word about footwear...if your knees are bothering you by now, it may be your athletic shoes. If you're serious about Zumba, find a comfortable pair of dance fitness shoes with a "circular" sole. (Very helpful for pivoting moves like the Cumbia's "Machete"). I need to hunt down this great article about recommended Zumba shoes and I'll copy it as a handout for class next week.

Have a great weekend and we'll see ya at the party!
Myra :-)

New Songs & Prayer Request

Hey There!

Just adding the songs I played tonight...thank you guys for putting up with my "Michael Mourning" period. I may just have to mourn him for the next decade...

I hope and pray everyone is having a good time in class and not worrying about technique - it's all about having fun and letting go all the cares of the day :-) I know we have so much to worry about my goal is for the 55 minutes you're in my company, that you have a stress-free time. Remember my golden rule: "NO WORRIES!"

I did find out some sad news today, however...there was someone signed up for my class but had to withdraw because she just found out she was diagnosed with breast cancer :( If you can keep a prayer in your heart for this courageous woman and sister in our Zumba world, I would very much appreciate it.

Added to the dances tonight:

La Negra Tiene Tumbao - Celia Cruz (Warm-up)
Tu No Eres Para Mi - Fanny Lu (Cumbia)
Wanna Be Startin' Something - Michael J (we still love you!)

Here's my daughter Alexa and I chillin at the beach in Lake Tahoe this summer - I just miss her so much today :-)

See ya at the party!
Myra :-)

Happy September!

It's so great to start the Fall session at the YMCA - everyone did a FABULOUS job on Tuesday and I hope you all had a great time :-) Again the most important part of class I want to emphasize is to "Ditch the Workout, Join the Party" - because that's what my classes are all about, being carefree and dancing "like no one's watching". Please come to class with absolutely no worries and party your hearts out. Feel free to sing too, I do it every class (you just thankfully don't hear me)...

Here's the current playlist - I will keep it for another week, but soon I'll be rotating in some of my "classics". The majority of them are choreographed from the professionals at Zumba and are available only through particpation of the Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN). A few of them I choreographed myself ("Say Hey" and Evacuate the Dance Floor" available on iTunes) and as always, my warm-up and cool down. Just to note: my cool-downs are almost always the same choreography, just different songs, taken from my earlier college days in Reno, NV where I studied Jazz and Modern.

This routine for Fall 2009 is dedicated to all of the hard-working teachers in our children's lives who make education and learning a wonderful experience for them...THANK YOU - with all my heart:

ABC - Jackson 5 (We love ya, Michael :-))
19 de Noviembre - ZIN MegaMix 10 (Cumbia)
Latinos! - ZIN 22 (Salsa)
El Menenito - ZIN 20 (Flamenco)
Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti, Spearhead, Cherine Anderson (Pop/Reggae/HipHop
Boro Boro - ZIN 22 (Bollywood/Bellydance)
Move It Up - ZIN 22 (Reggaeton)
Solo Se Viva Una Ves - Zumba MegaMix 13 (Rhumba/Flamenco)
Evacuate the Dance Floor - Cascada (Pop Dance)
African Beats - ZIN 22 (African)
Bailadora - ZIN 22 (Samba)
Push Push Push - ZIN MegaMix 19 - (Cha Cha Cha)
Don't Stop - ZIN 22 (Samba)
More Than Words - Frankie J (Cool Down)
One Time - Justin Beiber (Cool Down)

Zumba has been a ginormous blessing in my life since I started teaching it in 2007. As a group fitness instructor for over 15 years, I think I finally found my "calling" in teaching fitness! I'm teaching FUN and DANCE! I have had the opportunity to meet wonderful people and develop the dearest friendships here in Toledo. My goal is to help you feel the joy that I've discovered in Zumba and of course, to meet all of your fitness goals (however, don't ask me anything about nutrition, my fave food is Pizza Hut's Pizza Rolls :-))

See ya at the Party! (Tue & Thurs @ 6:30, Perrysburg YMCA)
Myra :-)

Summer has ended!

2 down, 1 to go! Kyra and Anthony are back in school - we've just got to get lil' Nina on her way on Monday, whew :-) No waterworks yet, I'm saving the tears for after I'm alone for the first few hours that day!

I'll be posting some new Zumba songs I've been working on during the YMCA's summer break - and I'm really anxious to get back to dancing, you don't even know. I hope you all enjoy my "Back to School" repertoire and watch for my next post soon :-)

I'm just getting back into the swing of things, it's so hard to focus when the weather still beckons you outside...

If you haven't done Zumba, you're missing the party!
Myra :-)

Playlist for 7/21 - 7/23

Well, what do you do when you're traveling on the road for over 2500 miles? How about choreograph some Zumba, baby? That's what I did (all in my head while driving) and I put it down on foot last Thursday night. So it's a brand new program (with the exception of the warm-up "Calle Ocho" song that I hope you'll find super fun:

I Know You Want Me - Calle Ocho - Pitbull (warm-up)
19 Noviembre - Zumba Megamix 10 (Cumbia/Salsa)
La Cumbia - Zumba Megamix 11 (Cumbia)
Down - Zumba ZIN 19 (Reggaeton)
Na De Na - Megamix 11 (Hip Hop)
Hava Negila - Megamix 9 (Israeli)
Wanna Be Startin' Something - Michael Jackson (POP)
Heche Palante - ZIN 21 (Bellydance/Reggaeton)
1+1=2 - Megamix 11 (Swing/Jive)
La Carcacha - ZIN 19 (Cumbia)
Causa y Efecto - Paulina Rubio (Jive)
Push Push Push - ZIN 19 (Cha Cha Mambo)
Sigue La Cumbia - ZIN 19 (Cumbia)
Corazon Perdido - Fanny Lu (Latin POP)
You Are Not Alone - Michael Jackson (Cool Down)
The Earth, the Sun, the Rain - Color Me Badd (Cool Down)

This repertoire is my special tribute to MJ who was one of the main inspirations of why I dance. If Paula Abdul ever leaves this earth, I will be even more traumatized!

And don't forget, if you ever have a song request, just let me know anytime during class and I'll take care of that right away. I don't know how I do it, but there's a lot of songs stored in that brain and body of mine!

C ya at the Y - Forever Dancing,
Myra :-)

We're Baaack!

Wow! What a road trip, 17 states in 17 days: Pennsylvannia, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oaklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Southern Ohio. One of the longest summer vacations ever! It was absolutely wonderful to see our family again after 3-5 years (Greg and the kids hadn't been back for awhile). This summer we were able to visit all of our family (most importantly my daughter) and some of Greg's cousins from CA. Lake Tahoe is breath-taking, as always and it was such a blessing to hang out there for as long as we did.

Some more pics can be found on my FaceBook:

and some more:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2027878&id=1082139621&l=7a390d8794

And some more:

Even more!