Zumba® Fitness was never meant to be something that I could use to help me make and save money. It just worked out that way. For those of you who may not know what Zumba® Fitness is, it is fitness aerobics mixed with Latin rhythms. What this means is that Zumba® is a big cardio dance party in which you dance your way into better fitness, with movements designed to target and tone specific areas of the body. On average, you can burn 500-1,000 calories in an hour long Zumba® class. A Zumba® class is some of the most fun you will ever have working out. Once you get into it, you’re hooked. You work hard and you sweat, but you have fun. It is for everyone: women and men, those who are in shape and those who want to get there. I am twenty years old, have been an athlete all my life and am oddly coordinated for someone so naturally clumsy. My mother (I will not tell you her age!) is nearly the opposite, and loves it every bit as much as I do. I have seen virtually every age and size person try Zumba®. They might not all decide to stick with it, but they can do it. I have had every age from an eight year old to an eighty-two year old in my classes. Most of the time, you can tell they truly enjoy it.
I started taking Zumba® Fitness classes in August 2009 at the local gym. I had to take a couple months off due to surgery but I got right back into it, and got my mom hooked on it as well. That was what I did most Monday and Thursday nights for the next year. I took classes a couple other places, but didn’t really find anywhere else I liked as much even though the gym membership was not cheap. It wasn’t because I liked the gym, but because I loved the Zumba® instructor. In March 2011, I walked into the student lounge at school to find a live demonstration going on during a school festival. I stopped to watch and they asked me to join in. I actually wound up teaching a song for the first time with no prep whatsoever. When it was over, the instructor asked if I was also an instructor, and when I told her no, she told me I should be. A few months later, I was teaching Zumba® choreography for a video project I was working on. When my instructor saw the videos of the rehearsal, she suggested that maybe being an instructor was in my future. That was when I really began to consider it, but the certification courses are not available locally, and happen all over the country, so I had to wait until there was one close enough.
In August 2011, the owner of a dance company told my mom she would likely hire me once I got certified. I found a course in Richmond, KY set for September. It was a three hour drive but I had relatives in Lexington to stay with. The course cost $270 since I registered so late. Had I made the early deadline it would have been only $225. It was an intense, all-day event, and I was exhausted by the end of it, but it was SO MUCH FUN! My mom came with me, and I think I slept most of the way back home. The dance company did not end up hiring me, but they did let me teach at a Zumbathon® charity event. That lead to me getting hired somewhere else, and it actually worked out better for me.
I now teach three classes a week, but at one point I was teaching as many as five. I charge $5 per person for each class, and pay the facility at which I teach 25% of what I bring in. I keep the rest. It costs me $30 a month to retain my license as an instructor (I chose this over having to retake the certification course yearly), and this makes me a member of the Zumba® Instructor Network, giving me access to online marketing, monthly CDs with new music and bi-monthly DVDs with choreography. I also get a discount on clothing and accessories from the online store. I no longer pay a gym membership and I make extra money doing something that I love two nights a week. I am very close to being in the best shape I’ve ever been in, and I doubt my feet will hurt nearly as much when I return to WDW after all this. I have been in three flash mobs for Zumba® and made the local news. I have met some fantastic people and had the chance to impact people’s lives. The changes I see in someone who tries Zumba® and sticks with it are incredible. As their confidence builds, they smile more in class, they’re friendlier, and I see them start to either lose weight or tone up, or both. I have now decided my goal in the next five years is to become a Zumba® instructor on a Disney cruise ship.
Obviously if you’ve never done Zumba® Fitness, you shouldn’t just jump into this. But if you like to dance, work out and have fun, I highly recommend checking it out. Don’t just try one class and give up. Maybe that wasn’t the instructor for you. Try several classes. Most gyms have free trial memberships and, some instructors, like me, offer your first class free. If you like it, sticks with it, and work your way towards becoming an instructor. There’s no test, and there are no restrictions. You just have to attend the certification course. If you want to be an instructor, you can be. It is a lot of work and energy because you have to inspire your class to get a high level of energy from them, and it can take a toll on your body. I actually blew a calf muscle about a month ago but it healed nicely. But if you want to do it, you can. Not only does it help you save money for Disney World or just in general, it builds up your strength and endurance for that Florida sun.
Chelsea is a college student majoring in Video Production and a life long Disney fan. She hopes to some day work for the studio after she’s graduated.
Laura says
I love Zumba and have thought about being an instructor- how do you reach out to get jobs teaching it? Or find facilities that will rent to you to do it? I’d love to get more involved for sure!
Gretchen says
I love Zumba! I take classes 3-4 days a week at my gym. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had working out! So glad you are able to make money doing something you love!
angela says
I love my Zumba. It’s amazing!!