Dance Diary: Zumba Zumba!

I've done it! I've taken the next step in one of my New Year's Resolutions and joined a dance fitness class - the ridiculously popular Zumba!

A few of my friend's started this class last year and I was intrigued but never acted upon it. However, after a curry, a few drinks and a very spontaneous Wednesday night out in good old Cleethorpes, me and a friend decided to take the plunge and join a class. Our twosome quickly became a foursome and this Wednesday we attended our first session and I can already tell that I am going to be keeping this up for as long as possible!

If you've been hiding under a rock for the past few months and haven't heard of Zumba, it is a dance fitness class which is heavily inspired by latin dance moves mixed with upbeat, club-like beats. It has become so successful over recent years that there are now several variations of the workout, from AquaZumba to Zumba in the Circuit!

Our class is an hour long but we found we were sweating after the first 10 minutes! It is very high-energy, much like aerobics (only A LOT more fun) and everybody gets so involved, shouting away to the music, which I am very tempted to download may I add, and giving every move everything they have got! Since this was our first week, we weren't really sure what to expect; it seems as though you repeat the same routines every week so, even if you feel a bit behind when you first join, you will pick it up.

I also found that the routines from my Strictly Come Dancing Fitness DVD actually helped! Even though the style of dance is very different, some of the steps were very similar. Another part I liked, and I'm not sure if this is done in every Zumba session, was a small section in the middle that was jazz inspired; we danced to 'All That Jazz' and songs by Elvis and it was mainly Jive moves - I wasn't expecting it but it was right up my street. I can't wait until next Wednesday when we're back for our second go!

Have any of you tried it? I'd love to know what you all think and if there are any other avid Zumba enthusiasts out there!

GET OVER IT!

Three small words that can sound so harsh but can change a whole situation for the better...

This is something I have heard a lot of recently - not only from friends but also from myself. Before Christmas, a part of my personal life changed and I wasn't happy about it to say the least. Now, nearly a couple of months later, things are still happening that upset me and make me feel sad but all I can say to myself is 'get over it'.

Like with most things in life, this is something easier said than done, and although your friends can say it to you with the best intentions, it can still make you think they are being harsh and do not understand your situation. Deep down you know they are right and that is why they are your friends. I know this post may be very vague and just sound like a ramble but I'm just putting my feelings out there - something I NEVER do!

When a big part of your life changes, how do you 'get over it'? You can act out, change your hairstyle, go out every weekend and try to meet new people but sometimes part of you still feels sad and you find that acting like this doesn't really help. Otherwise you can mope, feel sorry for yourself and try to get things back to how they were, but sometimes you just have to accept they are over. Even though it may not seem like it at first, if it is meant to be then everything will work out for the best, it just takes time.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with going out with your friends, having a drink and chatting away to new people, just like there is nothing wrong with feeling sorry for yourself sometimes and having a cry. One of the problems with saying 'get over it' is that everybody is different, and everybody has different ways of 'getting over it' - it's part of learning.

And the fact it takes time is frustrating - who wants to sit around and wait for things to get better? At first it feels like feeling better is a million miles away, and just when you do start feeling happier with yourself, something comes right back and smacks you in the face and again, you're left feeling sad and hurt and wondering why all of this is happening?

Personally, I have gone through the phase of wanting to go out, dance my socks off and enjoy drinks with my friends and just being sociable. I still feel like this, but I understand that it won't necessarily help my situation so there is no point going out, spending money when you know it is going to be a shit night. I love my friends to bits, and since this has happened I have had some great times with them, but when I do decide to go out I'm doing it for me and therefore, it is going to be a great night. I have also tried staying in with my thoughts, letting myself feel sad and at first it does feel good to let it out. However, thinking that getting all your sadness out so you feel better the next day doesn't always work either, and then you're back to square one!

When you go through something, for example a break-up, it's amazing how many things seem like signs; you put your ipod on shuffle and nothing but sad songs seem to play, or you watch television and every other sentence seems like a hidden message - coincidence or fate? Who knows... and that is a whole other blog to get into.

There doesn't seem to be a right, or wrong, way of 'getting over it'; everybody's situations are different and everybody's feelings are different. One of the *joys* of living is learning - we're all going to learn in different ways and although it may be frustrating getting there, we will get there. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and just because things take time doesn't mean you're going to feel like that forever, even if right now it feels that way.

So yeah, GET OVER IT! x

Home Life: A girl's best friend...

Last weekend, I was going through some old pictures on my laptop when I came across these - photos of my beautiful Sandy! She has been the family dog since I was nine years old and I have cherished every single moment, right from the first day we picked her up from the pet shop when she was just weeks old. 

Now I no longer live at home, I miss her to bits, but every time I do go home she's there being lazy, taking over the settee but still manages to give cuddles! She is now coming up to 13 so I thought I'd share the pictures with you because I love this little old lady to bits! 

In our back garden, sat underneath our giant evergreen tree
by the pond, which she once fell in chasing frogs!

This photo is about 3/4 years old - I think she was happy to see me!

About 2/3 years ago,