The music is pumping, you’ve worked up a sweat. As the rhythm of the bass moves through you and those around you, your body is almost moving itself, dancing, carefree, taken away, by the energy of the beat and the room. The tunes blend into one another into one continuous flow from cha-cha to Bollywood to Latin salsa music, and you find yourself so enveloped by a wave of energy that by the time an hour is up, your inner Wild Child has been unleashed, and you’re ready to go out and party with your friends! But wait… isn’t this the party?
“Zumba is like a dance party. After class I feel like going out drinking with my girlfriends,” laughs Stephanie Cirihal, a certified Zumba instructor in Midland, when asked why the classes are great for moms who want to release some stress. The popular fitness program, which originated in the early 1990s, is geared toward high-intensity dance and movement, and participants can burn between 500-800 calories per class. “New people sometimes feel intimidated. They say ‘I’m not a dancer.’ But it’s not a dance class; it’s a fitness class. Nobody cares if you do the right moves, you just take it at your own pace.”
While Zumba is great for moms who are looking for fitness and fun, it isn’t the only workout program out there that is great for stress relief and improved well-being. Nia, a practice which incorporates dance, martial arts and healing arts, was recently named as one of the Top Five Awesome Workouts for New Moms on Fox News. (Click here for our Nia weekend giveaway.) “Nia is not only about having fun but feeling grateful, peaceful, joyful, relaxed, and centered. It helps you learn to tap into your own body’s needs,” Cirihal explains. Being a certified blue belt Nia instructor as well, she has a unique perspective in being able to compare the two. “After Nia you feel like going home and hugging your husband and kids.”
Nia and Zumba are relatively new additions to the mix of workout options for moms, but there’s another one — yoga – which has been around for not just decades, but centuries or more. Sherri Gregory, a registered yoga teacher in Saginaw, describes yoga as a workout that primarily affects flexibility, strength & balance. “People come to class rattled but leave with a sense of calmness. Yoga is a powerful physical workout, but because we are working with the breath, it also calms the mind.” She explains how yoga is also great for moms-to-be, because “with prenatal yoga, you can practice during pregnancy, and utilize the breathing exercises, hip opening stretches, and other techniques during labor and childbirth.”
These three practices – Zumba, Nia, and Yoga, are all great for moms in their own way. Zumba is energizing, Nia connects you to your body’s needs, and yoga is calming. Yet they all provide a well-rounded workout for your body, mind and soul. All three of these programs are offered at various locations throughout the tri-cities. Find them listed in the Great Lakes Bay Moms Directory, so you can stretch, dance, and move – to the beat that suits you.
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For more information on Stephanie and Sherri’s offerings contact:
Stephanie Cirihal
www.stephaniecirihal.com
989-631-2444
Creative 360 Nia weekend 8/3-8/4
“Barefoot Bliss Weekend” – www.barefootblissweekend.com
Sherri Gregory
989- 793-9616
[email protected]
Yoga classes held in Saginaw @ Covenant Healthcare, State Street United Methodist Church, & Saginaw YMCA
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Michelle Mersy, C.P.C. is the mother of two wonderful children (who can do a pretty rad “tree pose”), and a certified Life and Parenting Coach. She affirms, “Stop just wishing things could be different. They can be, if YOU do something different. Coaching will make that difference.”
989-397-8386 ~ [email protected]
www.MichelleMersy.com