As a Zumba Fitness instructor, I have been involved in many fun events. Last night, March 1, 2012, truly took the cake.

I was invited to come and teach a Zumba class to a group of college girls from Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. Several of them had come to one of my regular classes awhile back to test out the class and see what Zumba was all about. About a month or so later I was brought on to their campus to lead the girls in an on-campus event. WHAT A BLAST we had! The community leader, Lauren, had told me she was expecting quite a few girls to join in. In fact she estimated around 100. Of course I was a bit skeptical at that number. Trying to get that many people together can be a challenge. But let me tell you....she was not kidding. The women were lined up around the building just waiting to get in and get moving. The anticipation of beginning was amazing! There was so much fun, crazy energy floating around the Alumni Dining Commons room! And after a few soundcheck blips and fixes, we were ready to begin!

I can only guess that we had somewhere around 120-130 people or more in the room, packing in like sardines and dancing their hearts out. We were hot and sweaty by the second warm up song. Two of my regular student/friends, Christy Burleson and Janelle Abato, accompanied me to help demonstrate routines. Ask either of them and I'm certain they will tell you that room was KICKING!! Lauren had arranged for snacks, plenty of beverages and even some raffle prizes to give away in between songs. By the time the night was over we were drenched, laughing, hugging and having a magical time. Several times I heard, "This is the most fun I've had in a long time!" That kind of comment, coming from a college student, is one of the many reasons why I adore my job.

Of course, by the time we remembered to get a picture of our group, most of the girls had already headed back to their dorms. From what I understand, they were in the middle of mid-terms so there was some serious studying to be done. But we were fortunate to capture a few remaining stragglers!

Thank you Cal Baptist, for an evening I will never forget! That you had me on your campus, to give a class on something I love, made for yet another dream come true.

Do you ever ask yourself, "How can I make a difference? I'm only one person." 

I'd like you to meet 7-year old Tyler Tweedlie. This young man made and sold cupcakes to his neighbors to help our friend Elza Johnson with her fundraiser (you can read all about Elza right here and right here).  $3.00 worth of cake mix & frosting and a little walk around his neighborhood turned into a whopping $111.00 raised!! And he was serious! He sold every last cupcake before it got too dark. This little guy is a hero...and an example of how ONE person can make a difference for someone else by a simple act of kindness!

Tyler....YOU my friend are a  rock star and I am personally so grateful for the effort you put toward helping our friend Elza, and for your kind-hearted spirit! 

How will YOU make a difference today for someone? Let Tyler be your inspiration. 

XOXO
Kim 

Tyler and Elza, as he presents his wonderful yellow envelope filled with the generosity of his neighbors.

WIN THIS
ZUMBA BLING BRACELET!



Have you heard about this universal law...this so-called "Law or Reciprocity?"  Simply put........it means "to give and take mutually; to return in kind or even in another kind or degree."

I love this law. I  actually love to give...with not a whole of expectation of receiving in return. However, when you are a big giver, you pretty much need to be prepared and willing to accept the kindness of others. It's unavoidable.

That being said, there is a woman in my life,  Elza Johnson, who is always willing to GIVE and donate her time and photography skills to, not only my Zumba events, but the events of people she has met in her Zumba classes. She does it because she enjoys being part of the group and taking beautiful photographs that capture the moment....and she does it without compensation - other than the extreme gratitude of those she photographs.

Elza has committed to training for the Disneyland Half Marathon on September 4th, 2011 on behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS). This is her fundraising page. As part of this endeavor, she is required to raise $1,900!! For the next week she is doing a raffle to win the beautiful bracelet shown above.The letters and hearts are blinged out on a black or pink leather strap. Tickets are only $1 little tiny dollar. Just one. May I ask you to commit to purchasing at least one ticket to help Elza get closer to her goal? If you want to buy more, I won't stop you. But...just one is all I'm asking. Send me your money and we'll set aside a ticket for you and hopefully you'll be the lucky winner of this Zumba bracelet to show off YOUR  Zumba love to the world.

Deadline to purchase your ticket is Friday, August 12, 2011.

So...can I count on you for a $1.00 ticket? Please send an email to gratefulkim@att.net to let me know the check is in the mail! Thank you!!

I'm sitting here next to a large window enjoying the sounds of the rain and thunder. A cup of hot coffee rests by my side. I feel comforted and happy. It's a great Sunday morning to reflect on my Zumba blessings. I teach classes to a wide-variety of people and each of those people is special and unique. Some I have come to know very well...others I smile at from a distance as they say "thank you Kim" while walking out the door of class. It is simply amazing to me how Zumba Fitness has opened the door to so many new people and experiences.

This past Saturday was full of those experiences and I want to remember them. The day began with a Zumba fundraiser for "Music Changing Lives". The event was organized by instructor Kat Johnson (whom I met while shooting the Exhilarate MiX video) and her Zumba husband J-John. These are two fantastic people reaching out to the community in so many ways. Did I mention they drove out from Vegas to do this event? For two hours we danced in the park to a variety of rhythms, styles and music with other instructors from the Inland Empire. I think I added three or four new friends to my Facebook page yesterday as a result of this event, not to mention the students who wanted to know where i teach. All I can say is it was a wonderful morning, albeit hot, and the connections and sharing that went on during that two-hour period was simply...well....priceless.

After a much needed nap and some food, I attended my second Zumba event for the day. This time it was a private party organized by one of my students, Cathy Lopez. Cathy wanted to put together a Girl's Night Out Zumba party in her backyard, combining the friends in her running group with her new friends from class. Eighteen of us gathered in her beautiful yard and danced for an hour together outdoors while the sun went down. Let me tell you something....you really learn to appreciate a cool breeze when you're outdoors sweating Zumba love. :) For me, the highlight of our dance party was when all of us made a huge circle around her yard and synchronistically danced to Jai Ho and Zorba in our jingle skirts. As a teacher, that was an exciting moment for me because of it's uniqueness. I loved watching everyone do their thing in that fabulous circle!! We concluded our evening with food, cheesecake (thank you Elza for bringing National Cheesecake day to life!), sangria and lots of conversation and laughter! Oh the laughter! If you've never been in a room with Jennifer Tweedlie and her humor then you haven't lived. :)

To each of you that I connected with today, thank you for blessing my life. Keep dancing and smiling!

Kim

Hello friends!

This past weekend I trekked on out to Las Vegas, Nevada to
become certified to teach your children Zumba! The program is called  “Zumbatomic®” and is geared toward two different age groups – Ages 4-7 and 8-12.  This is a fantastic program aimed at getting your children excited about moving their bodies. The moves are age approrpriate and modified specifically for children. They will think they are going to class to play for an hour -  but we know they will be putting good habits in place for life-long fitness and
healthy choices.

The classes are simple, fun  and something your kids will look forward to each and every week. We’ll learn dance routines, play games, win prizes and most of all have some healthy FUN!

I’m looking forward to getting my class together and working with  your children. Of course, I need a place to teach, so I’m open to your ideas and suggestions of local places interested in bringing the Zumbatomic program to  their place of business. Will you commit to contacting me with any and all 
possible leads? Email me at gratefulkim@att.net or call/text  626/483-1416.

Thank you friends of my regular Zumba classes. You already know how fun it is to dance with me and all of our friends…now let’s get your kids involved and moving too!

Zumba love!

Kim

Okay ladies and gents...it's time to talk about shoes. With so many people taking up Zumba (woo hoo!!), I want your body safe and as pain free as possible. Ideally your shoes should be comfortable, supportive for side-to-side lateral movements and have low tread/traction on the bottom so you can easily turn and pivot.  Here is my PERSONAL shoe experience, as well as two recommendations. I  hope the information helps you to make a wise purchasing decision.

Nike Musiques
This was my first Zumba shoe and I have now burned through three pairs. I LOVE this shoe. It has great support for all the lateral movement we do, plenty of cushion, low tread on the bottom (so you can MOVE and not stick to the floor!) and an "off-the-shelf" fit to my true shoe size. I can walk into just about any Sports Authority and buy them that day in white. If you want black, you may need to check online. They run, on average, around $50-$60. You can't go wrong with Musiques.

Nike Huaraches/Dance Low
This is the current shoe you will see me wearing in class. This shoe tends to run a little small, so I would suggest at least 1/2 size larger than your normal shoe size. I have really grown to love this shoe as well. Lightweight, cushiony, lateral support, low tread on bottom with just enough grip, and my foot sort of sits in a comfy "glove" like environment. If you can find them, this shoe comes in a load of super fun color combinations. I was desperate for shoes, so I ended up with basic black, but do your research, shop around and get the color you love! I paid about $49 on sale at Foot Locker.

Ryka Studio Flex Low
Okay, my disclaimer on the Ryka is this: I have never tried this shoe. However, my connection with other Zumba instructors has demonstrated that this is another popular option for class. Try it for yourself and let me know...maybe this will be my next experiment in shoes.

Ryka Studio D's
Another disclaimer - I have not tried these shoes either. However a student of mine LOVES them. She found the Musiques too narrow and got the recommendation for these from several of her friends' instructors. Much better support than her old cross-trainers and have a pivot point. She has high arches and seems to be ok with these. Give these a try!

It may take you a pair or two to figure out which shoe works best for you....and once you find what works stick with it. As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Good luck in your shoe search.

Kim

(Note: This is a blog post from my other site that I decided to make part of this website since it's Zumba related. I hope you'll enjoy. If you do...please be so kind to leave me a comment.)

Several months ago I clipped out a 3″x2″ piece of paper out of a magazine and put it on my bathroom mirror. It reads: “Starting small can lead to some really big things.” I suppose at the time I clipped it out I was struggling for change, so the words appealed to me. I needed something bigger, something better. As usual, however, I had no idea what it was. The feeling is always a yearning, a desire for more, a knowing that I am capable of something extraordinary, coupled with a voice that says I’m too old, too inexperienced and much too incapable. Any chance you have that same voice in your head?

I see that little piece of paper everyday. It has been splashed on, crumpled and probably even has sprays of toothpaste on it, but it faithfully greets and reminds me of what to do. That tiny little piece of paper serves as my reminder that I don’t have to have all the answers and all the tasks of life completed by end of business day….today! Just take a step….a baby step…then wake up tomorrow and take another one. And pretty soon, all those steps will have lead to something that thrills me.

Today is one of those days that thrill me.

Without going into a whole lot of background (you can read my Zumba experience right here), I will tell you that I fell in love with Zumba Fitness less than a year ago. I became certified to teach Zumba back in February 2010 and took additional training/certification to improve my teaching just this past August. Simply put…I love Zumba. I love the dance, the music, the sharing, the classes and the connections I have made with people. Finally I feel at home in something, and can use my gifts and talents to enhance my life and the lives of others just by doing something I love.

I received an email a little over a month ago with an opportunity to audition for a new set of Zumba DVDs, that I assume will be sold as a home fitness package. That little voice? Yeah…he TOTALLY told me I was too old and not good enough. But my friends, acquaintances and family told me otherwise, which gave me all the encouragement I needed to go for it. Amazingly enough, my audition went well and I was selected. The words in this blog cannot fully express my joy and excitement and how I feel.

As a bonus to being selected, I have been invited to take a Zumba class with the creator of Zumba, Mr. Beto Perez. It’s tonight. It’s in Hollywood. It’s unbelievable to me that this is happening. As I write this blog it’s 4:45 in the morning because my adrenaline is flowing and sleep is just getting in the way of experiencing all the joy. Tonight can’t come soon enough, but one thing is for sure, I’m going to need a nap at some point today to refuel my energy. I’m excited, but I’m not a machine. LOL!

So much is happening. I’m taking a class with Beto-friggin-Perez. I’m in the midst of planning a Zumbathon for Breast Cancer that, so far, seems to be touching a lot of people. In one week and three days from today I’ll be in rehearsals and filming for a Zumba video. This is some crazy stuff people! I’m a 45-year old suburban wife, mother and realtor for goodness sakes! And sometimes when success comes (MY version of success, just for the record) I get this strong desire to pull back the reins and yell “Stop! No, no, no…it’s too much. I can’t handle it. I’ll never pull it off.”

This time, I’m not stopping. I’m going to dance my way into the unknown, go for the experiences and share the joy with anyone willing to listen. Because what I now understand, is when you love something and give it 100% of your energy, there’s no way you can fail. The journey itself is one hell of a ride!

What are your dreams? Can you take one small step toward them today? Because you know what? “Starting small can lead to some really big things.”