Yesterday I went to my first exercise class in France. Usually when I am in the UK I try to go to the gym two or three times per week. However, only on a very successful week (which is not very often) will I manage to make it to the gym three times! Nevertheless I was determined to find some exercises classes or a gym that I could join during my time in France. Lots of the local people in my town advised me that it is best to stay away from a French gym because the prices are ridiculously high; one teacher suggested that I try running on the weekends as a form of exercise because the gym was far too overpriced. Unfortunately this option was not going to work for me; I have a very weak motivation when it comes to exercise but a very strong motivation to taste the delights of the French food, mainly cheese! Therefore, I desperately need an exercise teacher to shout at me to get me to do some form of exercise.
It took me a while to find an exercise class that suited my work timetable but in the end I found one, it was Zumba and it took place a short, ten minute walk away from my flat.
I have done a few Zumba classes back in England and they were always lots of fun; you dance to your favourite chart music while burning off unnecessary calories. However, this class was very different. We spent forty-five minutes doing intense abdominal exercises with the teacher shouting loudly at us to not give in! At the end of the intense forty-five minutes, I was ready to relax but this was not allowed… For the remainder of the class (another forty-five minutes) we danced to the most popular songs of the moment; there was a mix of French pop songs, English pop songs and Spanish pop songs, so I felt very cultured when our warm-down finally arrived.
All in all I think I will definitely return to that Zumba class. I felt as if I did a good workout (as my abdominal muscles were still aching the next morning) and it was good fun dancing to French, English and Spanish pop songs. I also learnt a new word to add to my French vocabulary list: souffler, which means: breathe out!
Have you ever tried zumba? What do you like to do to keep fit?
