Can we learn international culture while burning calories?

The answer is yes and Zumba Fitness has brought that to my life. My name is Nora Coker and I'm a local of Griffin, Georgia and a stay-at-home wife and mother of three children. Due to the time I have spent at home with my children I was always fortunate enough to incorporate fitness into my daily routine and in February of 2009 I was introduced to my very first Zumba Fitness class. From that minute on I knew I had found the perfect solution to working out, having fun, and learning about many various international dance rhythms I'd always secretly wished I could do. I became a certified instructor in March of 2009 and began sharing the love I have for this class in October of 2009. Along the lines of international culture Zumba Fitness has taught me dance rhythms such as the Merengue from the Dominican Republic, Cumbia from Columbia, South America, and Cuba's famous Salsa, just to name a few. All of these rhythms have deep roots in their countries and I feel honored to learn this small part of each of these cultures in the hopes that when I meet people from around the world, while I may not be able to communicate with them without an interpreter, I can communicate with them through the love of dance. I've also found a culture closer to home through my Zumba classes, people from all walks of life have come through my door and left smiling and promising they'd be back for more. What a honor that is and if it couldn't get any better, it does! These classes offer people an hour to move their bodies and improve their cardiovascular health and their emotional health by the bonds they grow with their classmates dancing with positive energy!! Zumba Fitness has a slogan that reads, "Peace, Love, Zumba" and the words truly go hand in hand. Zumba Fitness has also taken this philosophy into other areas of fitness such as water aerobics and classes specifically designed for kids. These classes are called Aqua Zumba and Zumbatomic! I've gotten certified in these as well and look forward to bringing these forms of fitness and dance into our community very soon. I hope this little blog about international culture and the positive benefits that come with the art of dance will inspire you to check out one of my Zumba classes or one of my fellow Zumba Instructor's class and come experience this fun for yourself. Peace always! ~Nora J. Coker visit my website: home.comcast.net/~zumbalove or give me a call: 770-468-2978