Zexy Zumba

Do you remember the Friends episode where Monica is playing the stock market and chooses "ZXY" because she thinks "it sounds zexy"? (I may or may not have seen a few too many episodes of that show in my life.)

Zumba most certainly is a rather "zexy" workout. My friend Jenn invited me to class with her tonight, and I jumped at the chance to try something new and get in some girl time. Jenn has been one of my closest friends since we met at UCLA seven years ago (yikes!). We have a lot of the same values, especially our willingness to try new things. Jenn is always finding new yoga studios or restaurants. My contribution? I go with her! And I usually suggest our less active outings, like grabbing a drink to catch up on our busy lives.

In this photo, Jenn is about to open the pull up bar we got her for her birthday. Isn't she adorable?

So Jenn picked me up, and, dorks that we are, we realized we were in matching outfits. Hot pink tops, black pants - ready for Zumba!

Things I loved about the class:

• The all-female class consisted of ages 20-60 by my estimation, with a variety of body types and fitness levels.
• The instructor had tons of energy and played mostly great music.
• It felt great to be back in a dance studio!
• You don't need to worry about getting the moves down perfectly; just go with it and be zexy!
• I definitely worked up a sweat, and my quads were burning a few times throughout the hour.
• I enjoyed trying something different and being with my friend. It's always more fun to work out with someone!

Things I didn't love:

• This class felt challenging, because it was my first time, but I can see the repetition getting boring (Jenn says her other Zumba class has more complex and varied moves, and I appreciate the mental challenge to keep my mind off the burn).

The class felt great, and I had so much fun dancing with my buddy! Jenn has encouraged me to try all sorts of different classes, including aerial arts and a fun warrior yoga class. My recommendation for the day: If you have an opportunity to try a new physical activity, do it! Say yes!

Tonight I'm saying yes to two guilty pleasures: The Biggest Loser and House Hunters. Terry is at a hockey game with a friend, so after Zumba I ate leftover chicken soup with bruschetta, cleaned house, played with the kitten, and snuggled up for some TV!

Halfway Point!

On October 10th, Terry and I started our 30-Day Let's Eat In Challenge. I thought I'd give an update now that we're on Day 15. So far, so good! Here's what's happened:

• We've each lost a few pounds without trying, even though we're eating plenty every day.
• I've made about five new recipes in two weeks, because part of our challenge is no repeat meals (tonight I cheated a little and ate a repeat appetizer, but I hope you'll overlook it).
• By being up front with our friends about our challenge, they've been willing to work with us and do picnics or potlucks instead of restaurants.
• We're spending more time together, cooking, eating, even doing dishes and cleaning up.
• We've planned our meals weekly and spent less time going to grocery stores every few days.
• Even on the days we're exhausted and don't want to cook, we have options for quick meals.

I've really enjoyed this challenge so far. I'm hoping we'll continue to limit our eating out, even after November 10th. Meanwhile, we have two more weeks to go and plenty of delicious recipes to try!