I teach at Snap Fitness in Charlottesville on Mondays and Tuesdays starting at 5:45 pm.  Free for Snap members, $10 drop-in for non-members (bring a friend!).

I also teach at the Farmington Country Club’s fitness center on Wednesdays at 5:00 pm.  (Members only.)

Finally, you’ll find me occasionally subbing for the wonderful instructors at Gold’s Gym of Charlottesville. I’ll be teaching there tonight (12/13/12), on Saturday morning (12/15), and again on Saturday 12/22/12.

One more note – I’m a Zumba affiliate now, so you can use my code — SAMBA10 — every time you check out at Zumba.com’s store to receive 10% off all apparel.

(I’m now also a certified personal trainer through ACE.  Hooray!)

I have over 15 years of dance experience and have taught several dance classes over the past six months.  My students from Shergold Studio want to keep apprised of where I’m teaching next, so they can follow me there. See my student testimonials for success stories.

Contact me if you’d like to speak to me about teaching Zumba at your studio or gym!

iCreate: Dana Holler.

I’d tried many things.  Running long distances was one of them.  But I failed at this…for one, because looonng distances (I’m talking 6 or more miles) were taking a toll on my muscles, and I didn’t want to deal with shin splints and other problems.  Weight was not really coming off.  I found myself making excuses not to go (“It’s raining out,” “It’s cold,” “The treadmill is lame.”)  And most of all, it was just plain boring.

While it was an improvement, the gym was not working for me either.  At first, it was fun to experiment with circuits.  But soon, this got boring too.  I still go, don’t get me wrong.  But the gym is more like a supplement than a major activity for me.

Zumba worked, and here’s why.  For one, I find myself working much better in a group environment.  Most importantly, dance is my passion.  I don’t need to really explain it — the statement says it all.

And since becoming an instructor, it reaaaally works.  I have to go each week, three times a week.  I have to give it my all so that my students are motivated.  Another big motivator:  I get paid to work out (not the other way around).  And since I started instructing, I’ve lost those last few pounds I’d struggled with for so long.

I’m not saying everyone should or needs to become a fitness instructor to be in shape and meet their goals.  What I’m saying is that everyone has their “driver” that is going to keep them moving towards their goals.  Mine was more extreme than others, but really, it’s going to take me being a teacher for me to be fully satisfied with my fitness and health. This is also part of knowing oneself – knowing what makes you tick.

What will your driver be?  Will it be a favorite regimen you follow (or even come up with yourself)?  Maybe there’s something about a certain activity that will keep you going.  For example, maybe you would rather be by yourself and spend time outside, reflecting on your day.  You might very well enjoy running.  Or maybe you love being in a group and having that motivation between you and friends (in that case, you know I would recommend Zumba).  How about nutrition?  Maybe you can learn to love something new (a vegetable or fruit, heck even plain old water) and replace your normal chips or soda for those.  Sometimes making one small change can make all the difference!

Whatever you find that will help you along the way, hold on to that and run with it!

Disclaimer – This is my first time taping myself doing Zumba.  So be kind.    And please ignore various belongings in the background (including the tomato plant seedlings in the window sill).  And my total lack of video editing skills that reveals itself through the magic of Windows Movie Maker.

(Song is “In a Search” by Obie-P)

By the way, those knee raises are terrific for the abs!  Join me in class and feel the burn!

iPhone doesn’t do snow justice

Look at the beautiful Charlottesville snow!  It’s about time, right?  Winter has played some nasty tricks on us this year (not that I’m complaining about the sunny days we’ve had).

The downside, though, is that the ever-knowing “They” are calling for a 90% chance of rain, on top of an inch of snow.  I find the slush depressing, and honestly the weather has been doing that to folks lately.  At my office, I sit facing a large window, and find that seeing rain and dark clouds all day can have a negative effect on my mood.  (Alternately, clear and sunny days usually cheer me up.)

So it’s a day like this on which I find exercise to lift my spirits.  Those of you that run or cycle may find that a day like this calls for a workout indoors.  Why not try Zumba sometime?  It’s the perfect way to get your cardio and escape the slush.  In fact, class is tonight at 6:00 (see sidebar for details).  You don’t have to pre-register — simply drop in and we’ll get you signed up at the studio.

Whatever you decide to do today, drive carefully!

But then change the movement to start on the left, and it feels a little awkward.  Maybe even a LOT awkward, at first.  Your brain kind of goes, “Uhhh…what are you doing to meeee.”

Vice-versa if you’re left-handed, of course.

This is normal in Zumba…at first.  Keep trying and I promise it’ll get easier each and every time.  There’s no other “trick” to getting it, really — it’s all about muscle memory (which also comes into play when you’re moving parts of your anatomy in ways you typically don’t, as with hip swivels).  Whatever you do, don’t give up on the left and try to do everything on the right side.  It’s important in Zumba, and any exercise, to work out both sides of the body evenly.

So make both your sides happy.  Join me for Zumba this week!  See Class Schedule to the right (not the left ) for details.

“The most important thing, though, is that you made me feel comfortable.”

Comfort, in this sense, doesn’t mean that we played it safe.  It doesn’t mean that I didn’t push people’s limits (because oh yes, I do).  It means that no matter how much or little Zumba experience (or really, any exercise experience) one might have…no matter how “uncoordinated” they think they are…no matter how they feel about their body…that person feels comfortable expressing themselves and moving their body in a new way in front of a group of people.

We have fun in class.  We’re supportive of one another.  We don’t judge.  We laugh together, not at each other.  There’s a lot of respect and (dare I say) a lot of love there.  And I do my best to make you feel comfortable, in that regard.  You’ll often hear me say to newcomers, “Don’t worry if you’re on the wrong foot, or off beat.  The important thing is to keep moving, and have fun!”  I mean it! 

That said, I hope to see many new faces in class soon.    Contact me if you have any questions about class!

In college, I walked up and down hill in the snow (though not uphill both ways ) to most of my classes. I mostly ate campus food, which really wasn’t too bad considering it was cafeteria style and served in moderation. I took modern dance and I snow-skied. All conducive to staying in shape.

The Monday following graduation, I immediately began working at my first full-time office job, and everything was turned upside down. I commuted 35 minutes to work each way. All of a sudden, I had to buy groceries and hadn’t the slightest clue how to feed myself. Any knowledge of physical fitness I once possessed also got lost in the shuffle. When I finally realized how much weight I’d put on, I’d attempt a 2-mile run after eating a double-cheeseburger meal and McFlurry. I ate Ben & Jerry’s for breakfast. Seriously, I can’t even make this stuff up.

I wasn’t obese, but I was over the maximum recommended BMI. I found this out at a health fair held at the very office that contributed to my excessive weight (oh, the irony) when a very surly man used the pinchers on me and proclaimed in front of a group of friends and co-workers, “Yeah, you’re overweight. It’s mostly in your thighs.” My gams were put in the limelight once again when my mother decided to buy me books on getting skinny thighs and even purchased an As-Seen-on-TV thigh machine for me. Not to mention that my pants were consistently too tight and a shopping trip (more like quest) for jeans always ended in tears.

Slowly (very slowly), I began to shed the weight. I made obvious change (i.e. no more sweets fir breakfast). I cut out white foods (bread, potatoes) and any milk but skim. I moved to Winston-Salem, NC, specifically to a sidewalk-friendly neighborhood where I could walk to shops and local pubs. Eventually, I joined a gym and lost a tad more weight. It happened over the course of several years, but I finally lost about 10 pounds. (Except for a time when I’d temporarily lost more than that. That’s a story in itself that I’ll save for a future post.)

Several years later, I moved here to Charlottesville and became an active runner, running several races in the course of a year, including a half-marathon. I lost about 5 more pounds, which I’d find myself gaining and losing and gaining again. I mixed up the workout with stationary bike and strength training and that seemed to help me keep the weight off.

But there were still those last 5 pounds that seemingly mocked me whenever I tried something new and failed to lose anything more. Many people struggle with this, so I expected a challenge. But I lucked out and found Zumba.

The mix of movements; the change in range of motion (ROM); the total-body workout; the intervals; the hour-long workout that I never got bored of (like I would with machines)…the combination of all this made me lose the final pounds through Zumba. Granted, I eat well too, but I was only doing Zumba once a week when I started to notice a change not only in my body, but in my energy levels. I now teach three times a week, and the weight is completely gone, affording room to gorge on Ben & Jerry’s now and again. (But not for breakfast.)

So if you’re looking to lose weight, even those last little pounds that have been a challenge to take off, I recommend trying Zumba! It’s a fun, engaging workout you’re more likely to stick with in the long term, meaning you keep those pounds off for good.

Class schedule: Monday @ 6 pm, Wednesday @ 6 pm, Thursday @ 5:30 pm; Shergold Studio, Charlottesville (corner of Berkmar and Rio).

Let me explain that I’m not a belly dancer.  As far as expert technique goes, don’t count on me for that.  But for basic moves, which is all you really need in Zumba, you can get a nice core workout.  We focus on the core by isolating areas of our body — our chest, our hips — when we move.

Our first belly dancing routine (set to Siouxsie and the Bashees “Kiss Them For Me” — didn’t you know I’m obsessed with 80s music?) debuted Monday, and we’ll continue dancing it for several weeks.  Hop into your way-back machine for a minute and check out the music video.

If you want to learn more about belly dancing technique, so you can really shake your…um…assets in class, I found these videos to be helpful.