Menlo Park, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/05/2011 --What do an 80-year old great-grandma, a 65-year old grandma, a 40-something mom, and a 23-year old student have in common? They all love to shake their booties in Zumba!
Zumba® is a Latin-inspired dance-fitness program that blends red-hot international music, and contagious steps to form a "fitness-party" that is downright addictive. It’s the fastest and most fun hour of exercise I’ve ever done. And it appeals to all ages, shapes, and cultures.
You can burn up to 500 calories in a class and learn Latin dance in a fun, party atmosphere. You don’t need any special equipment—just comfortable shoes, such as a lightweight cross training shoe with good support. I wore my pedometer to class to see how many steps I took. I danced the equivalent of 3.5 miles and smiled the whole time!
On Saturday, October 29, my Zumba® teacher Regine Saintil, along with Rubi Amezcua and Susy Escamilla are hosting a Zumbathon® "Party in Pink" (Party in Pink in Palo Alto
) to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. 75% of the proceeds will go to Susan G. Komen. The event will be held at 345 Portage Ave. in Palo Alto (a gym next to Fry’s) from 9:30 – 11 am. The suggested donation is $20 in cash at the door or $22.50 with credit card or PayPal. There will be 8 other Zumba® instructors (Zumba Jammer Effren Buzzo, Monica Marra, Miguel Mendoza, Ruby MacMitchell, Laura Santos, Priscilla Souza, Ivonne Tamariz and Daya Torres) from the Bay Area leading the routines. Tickets may be purchased in advance from Regine and/or any of the other participating instructors or by registering online at www.zumbare.com (follow the link to the event/registration page). Please note all donations above $15 are tax deductible.
To add a personal element to the Zumbathon® “Party in Pink”, Regine would like to send a personal invite to Breast Cancers survivors in the area an encourage to bring in their photos which will be put on the wall of the gym to inspire the participants.
I’m planning to bring my friend, Palo Alto resident Ricka Berns as my guest. Ricka is a brand new survivor. She was diagnosed with breast cancer last October and finished her chemo and radiation treatments in June.
Ricka just returned from a weeklong biking trip to Alaska. She says she feels like her old self again and biked 60 miles in one day. I featured Ricka in a guest blog post titled “One Bold, Bald, Beautiful Grandma.” She explains how she had the courage to be bold and go bald.
Regine also has an inspiring story. She says her life has totally changed since she caught the Zumba® Craze. She moved to the U.S. from Haiti in 1998 as a language interpreter. She speaks French, Spanish, English, and Haitian Creole. She has a passion for music and has been a dancer her whole life. Zumba® combines her love of dancing and teaching and reminds her of her country of origin. Her classes are energetic and she encourages her students to “shake it like nobody is watching!”
Last year during the fourth month of her first pregnancy, she had a miscarriage. Shortly after, she had a bike accident in which she ruptured her ACL and did major damage to her knee. She could not dance for several months. She went into a depression and gained 30 lbs. She since has had 2 major knee surgeries, all the while teaching and going to therapy. With the help and support of the Zumba community, their training program and eating clean, she lost over 45 pounds and now shares her story to inspire her students.