Instructional &
Informational Posts
rut. noun /ret/: a habit or pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change.
In our column, Rut Buster, we challenge writer Valerie McTavish to climb out of the all-too-common health ruts we find ourselves in from time to time. From the running rut to the gym rut, and even the couch potato rut, join us as Valerie tosses aside the usual and takes on a variety of get-your-sweat-on activities.
I’ve heard of drinking at a party but partying in the drink?
This past winter I busted a gut busting my rut with the fitness fiesta that was Zumba. Well, the party moved to the pool when I decided to try out Aqua Zumba at my local YMCA.
The premise was the same – choreographed dance moves to thumping latin and afro beats. The experience was very different.
The instructor gave me two tips as a newbie; try to keep your shoulders under water (no problem, I’m only 5’2”) and try to keep your feet flat on the bottom of the pool (harder than it sounds!)
The point of doing it in the water is to let the resistance amp up the exercise – it certainly does that. But what you don’t realize until you are in the water is the combined effect of buoyancy and momentum. Since you’re kind of floating, once you start pulling the water in one direction your body wants to keep going in that direction even if the instructor wants you to start dancing the other way.
If you think keeping rhythm is hard on the ground try swinging those legs and arms in the water!
Once I got over my total lack of grace, I really got into it. And you could tell because the water all around me was roiling and rolling. I was childishly splashing without abandon (with apologies to the ladies beside me).
The music was thumping, the instructor was comically miming the actions on land and I was having a blast.
The bonus of all this awkward water dancing? Nobody can really see what’s going on under the water. So, as long as you keep the turbulence up, you can dance like nobody’s watching.
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Put Zumba in the drink where you live:
Vancouver: UBC Aquatics Centre
Kelowna: H2O (YMCA)
Banff / Canmore: (Sorry pool partiers – the closest class is in Calgary)
Calgary: YMCA
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Valerie needs your help. Email your stories about how you busted out of a rut (fitness or otherwise). Share your successes or suggest an activity for her to try. Stay motivated together.
