Find Your Zumba

Clock-Watching During Your Workout?
It's Time to Add Some Fun to Your Routine!

By Julie Samrick

Last summer I stumbled into a Zumba class, and it changed my life but perhaps not for the reason you think. Unlike any formal exercise I had ever done, I never once looked at the clock; instead, I smiled the whole time, moving to the salsa music and drum beats, feeling revitalized at the same time I got a great workout. With 25 other moms dancing with me, I felt as much community and joy as I used to feel when I went dancing during my carefree college years.

So I started going to Zumba on a regular basis, and then it hit me. Up until that point, I had sacrificed my entire self to my family. I had quit my job and dedicated myself to my husband and four children 100% of the time, and not surprisingly, I was spent. But after Zumba class I felt recharged, so I’ve gone every week since. Even though I go right back to being a stay-at-home mom afterward, my entire outlook has changed. It’s been a reminder of what people mean when they talk about recharging and wellness, especially for moms.

Janel Crawford, M.D., is an OB/GYN at Kaiser Folsom. She sees a lot of women who put their children and spouses first, only to forget about themselves. She stresses the importance of pushing ourselves to do the things we once found enjoyable before we had kids and to keep gaining more interests throughout our lives. To ward off stress and depression, she encourages moms to take time as individuals, even if it’s as simple as getting a pedicure, taking up knitting, or going to bunko.

Dr. Crawford thinks it’s important to find an activity you enjoy so you’ll keep up the habit, and if that hobby also comes in the form of exercise it’s even better. “Exercising for 30 minutes 5 days a week is great for your physical health,” she said, “but it can also ward off anxiety and depression.” And if done 10 days before the start of a menstrual cycle, data shows that it reduces PMS.

Team Up and Take the Sac Parent Health Challenge!
(May 9 - June 6, 2011)
Week 1 Bonus Challenge: "Find Your Mojo!"

Try an activity you've never done before (bootcamp, ballet, racquetball, piloga...) - anything new and fun!
To make it even easier, Mama Bootcamp is offering one free trial class to all Sac Parent Health Challenge participants. Crunched for time? Try Lorri Ann's Express Workout!

"Hobbies can be thought of on three levels," says Dr. Brickey. "The first is as a diversion. Hobbies help us pass the time. The second is as a passion. When a hobby becomes a passion, we become truly engaged in doing something we love. The third level is as something that creates a sense of purpose. We all need that." The ideal hobby, he said, combines all three levels.

And just as exercise buddies keep us motivated, finding hobby partners who fuel our enthusiasm is also a good way to keep it up. Dancing to the Black Eyed Peas with 25 other parents every Tuesday morning is much more fun than dancing alone!

For most moms, any downtime is filled increasingly with housework and chores. Dishes, laundry, play-doh recipes, and contemplating the psyches of little people consume us. We need to recharge ourselves so that we can keep on giving.To do that, parents need to carve out the time, whether daily or weekly, to do whatever truly rejuvenates them. I know my neighbor feels this way while she gardens. Another mom I know utterly adores cleaning. (And I envy her. Sort of.) Yet another friend of mine takes time to truly savor a cup of coffee while reading a few pages of a good book. Whatever your activity, I hope you find your Zumba.

A former high school English teacher, Julie is a better stay-at-home mother to her four young children thanks to her get-out-of-the-house dance classes. You can catch her latest blog posts on our home page at SacramentoParent.com.