Having Zum fun — Latin dance-inspired workout is high-energy exercise

By Ann Marina
For the Redoubt Reporter

Participants of the Soldotna Community Schools program had a chance to learn a leading-edge exercise routine coming all the way from Colombia to Alaska.

Zumba (ZOOM-bah) blends spicy Latin dance moves into a creative aerobic session.

“It gets people smiling, and their endorphins start flowing,” said Cannetta Lloyd, a Soldotna fitness instructor who leads the classes.

Hips gyrate, shoulders shimmy and feet hop and slide across the floor. Zumba includes calypso, salsa, merengue and other international tempos. Derived from Spanish words, Zumba means “move fast and have fun.”

A few years ago, Lloyd was introduced to the workout at a national fitness convention in Las Vegas.

“I was blown away,” she said. “The moves are fluid, and people sway with the music.”

For more than 12 years, Lloyd has offered a variety of dance-related classes on the central Kenai Peninsula.

“Zumba is a lot more interesting than doing 30 reps of something,” she said.

Lyndy Wackler, of Soldotna, took the Zumba class and was surprised by how engaging it is.

“It’s not so easy that you get bored of it. It’s high impact, but it’s so fun you don’t even realize what a workout it is,” she said. “It’s nice to kind of include your mind, too.”

She attended the last Zumba class held Dec. 16, but was able to step right in with the rest of the group.

“I think it’s neat because (Lloyd) shows all levels. She goes back and forth so you can see beginning, intermediate and advanced moves,” she said.

Zumba’s originator, Miami choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez, brought the innovation to Florida from his native country of Colombia in 1999. It was actually by chance that he developed the workout.

In the mid-1990s, Perez led cardio classes in Colombia. One day he forgot to bring the music CDs for his aerobics group. He raced back to his car, grabbed a few favorite Latin recordings, and Zumba was born.

“My class members enjoyed that improvised session, and encouraged me to keep developing a workout set to Latin dance music,” Perez said in a recent e-mail interview.

Once it hit the U.S., Zumba’s popularity soared. Perez teamed up with Miami entrepreneurs Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion, creating a global company based on the Zumba fitness philosophy.

“They’ve channeled this energy into a business that benefits instructors, employees and consumers,” Perez said. “It’s a win-win-win.”

“I really want to acknowledge our instructors,” he added. “Their success is what makes Zumba grow.”

Ten thousand instructors are now certified to lead Zumba in the U.S., along with 5,000 in other countries. The Zumba DVD has sold over 3 million copies.

“It’s possible to burn a thousand calories in one session,” Perez said. “But people of any fitness level can enjoy Zumba. It’s OK if you miss a step — as long as you’re moving, you’re keeping fit.”

Zumba’s popularity arose as Latin dance started gaining a following on reality TV shows, like “Dancing with the Stars.”

Working with Kellogg’s to reach the Hispanic market in the United States and abroad, Zumba has been featured on more than 1.5 million boxes of Special K cereal. A Spanish-language infomercial was launched in more than 30 countries in 2004, resulting in a huge boost of DVD sales.

Zumba Fitness Company shares the fruits of its success through annual “Zumbathons.” In 2006, the first Zumbathon in Miami raised money for breast cancer research and treatments. The event drew nearly a thousand participants.

This year, Zumbathons were held in several cities to benefit agencies working to prevent domestic violence and assist victims of abuse.

While providing a cardio workout, Zumba shapes and strengthens the abdominal area.
“The movements sculpt your powerhouse of core stability — the abs,” Lloyd said.

“It works your glutes, inner and outer thighs, arms and toes,” she laughed. “No, really, it’s so much fun that you forget you’re working out.”

Lloyd will offer more classes in the new year. For information, contact Community Schools Director Carmen Triana at 262-3151, ext. 24, or e-mail ctriana@ci.soldotna.ak.us.

Freelance writer Ann Marina is a former resident of the central peninsula.

Walk a mile, or 26, in their shoes

By Jenny Neyman
Redoubt Reporter

By 1:30 p.m. Sunday, the winner of the Kenai River Marathon had long since crossed the finish line. The crowd at the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center had eaten hot dogs, cheered on the stragglers and mostly gone home. Aid stations and route markers along the 26.2-mile course between Kenai and Soldotna were being packed up in trucks and carted off.

About that time, four and a half hours after the race started, Gayle Forrest and McKibben Jackinsky, both of Homer, were anticipating having their fastest time yet.

The women were walking the marathon.

“We’re trying for four miles an hour, six and a half hours. We’re ahead of that pace now, with just six miles left to go,” Forrest said as they cruised up the Unity Trail on the Kenai Spur Highway, breezing past the now-closed Tesoro gas station.

“We’ve very excited to beat that,” Jackinsky said.

Lest anyone think walking is somehow undeserving of some serious exercise credit, consider the four-mile-an-hour pace. Stop to tie a shoe or adjust a jacket and these ladies will be disappearing into the distance. And they keep it up for the full 26.2 miles.

It’s not easy, and was even less so when they first started this endeavor two years ago.

“My daughter had planned on running the Portland Marathon and asked me to run it with her,” Jackinsky said. “I knew I couldn’t run it, but I wanted to try to support her some way.”

Jackinsky’s daughter, Emily Aley, lives in Portland. As it turned out, Forrest’s daughter, Gwen Forrest, from North Seattle, was planning on running the 2006 Portland Marathon, as well.

“So we decided to walk it as a way to support them,” Jackinsky said “… It was so rewarding to do that with them.”

They downloaded a training plan for marathon walkers and started training in the beginning of August.

“It was really interesting that first month. A six-mile would leave us just exhausted,” Forrest said. “Now we only have six miles to go.”

The Portland race was walker-friendly, with lots of support along the way. Cheering crowds lined the streets — with Forrest’s daughter, Gwen, among them after finishing her run, while Jackinsky’s daughter, Emily, ended up walking with her mom and Forrest after her training didn’t go as scheduled.

Bands were stationed every few miles. Special mats laid out along the course recorded each marathoner’s progress from the timing chip in their shoe and transmitted the information to friends and family members. Forrest got calls on her cell phone from well-wishers cheering them on from afar.

“We get lots of support from friends and from family for this, which means a lot. And I’m very mindful of that on those uphills,” Jackinsky said.

“It was exciting, it just kept us going,” Forrest said. “And, yes, we were dead afterward.”
At dinner later, the fatigue set in.

“You sat down and didn’t want to get up. You didn’t want to eat,” she said.

The Portland course was nothing compared to their next challenge, the 2007 Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks.

“It was really tough. There was a lot of elevation gain. It took us an hour longer,” Jackinsky said.

This summer, the Kenai River Marathon was the only one that fit into their busy schedules. Forrest said race organizers could easily expand the scope of the race if they promote it for walkers, since the course is relatively flat and walker-friendly. As it was, she and Jackinsky were the only marathon walkers.

“It’s such a small race, the competition is really with ourselves and to get to the goal that we set,” Jackinsky said.

It turned out to be a great day to spend six-plus hours outside, walking under clear blue skies and along a route flanked by aspen and birch trees in their full fall glory.

Being from Homer, the women are often rewarded with scenery when they walk.

“Living in the beautiful place we do, the sea otters we’ve almost stepped on, the moose we’ve almost run into, the incredible scenery — we’ve just had some incredible experiences,” Jackinsky said.

They plan to do another marathon next year.

“It’s a good goal to have in the winter, so we’d go snowshoeing or walking or skiing, to keep us going so we didn’t have to start from scratch like (2006),” Jackinsky said.

Having someone to walk with helps them stay active.

“Training with a partner keeps us motivated. ... It’s really easy to have an excuse for not walking,” Forrest said.

“It’s such a good thing to do, and the thing is, it’s doable,” Jackinsky said. “But it doesn’t mean it’s not a challenge.”

Stress reduction 1 breath at a time — Yoga, tai chi exercises can be done anywhere

By Ann Marina
For the Redoubt Reporter

Are you feeling the stress of life these days? Maybe your shoulders are hunched, your back hurts, or your jaw is tight? You are not alone.

Around the globe, more than three out of five doctor visits are for stress-related problems, according to a report last year by the Foundation for Integrated Research in Mental Health.

Breathing is a central aspect of stress reduction exercises. By breathing with awareness, we make a mind-body connection that tunes us in to what we need in the moment, physically and mentally, to stay healthy and happy.

Breathing and stretching exercises will be featured in a “mini-retreat” Saturday, sponsored by Soldotna Community Schools. Yoga, tai chi and meditation for keeping stress at bay will be practiced. Participants can attend all or part of the day’s activities.

I’ve always liked the concept of ”retreat.” Over the years, I’ve attended a few weekend gatherings to practice yoga and meditation. We departed from our normal routines and focused inward. Here I found a glimpse of life from a different angle, cultivated a little more calmness and renewed my sense of purpose.

But a “retreat” can happen at your desk, in a few minutes’ time. You don’t have to leave home; you can take a retreat anywhere.

Whether you can join us Saturday, or not, perhaps you’ll try some of the exercises we’ll be covering to boost your energy and relieve tension.

“Be Here Now,” the title of a book written in the 1980s by Ram Daas, is a good theme for a successful “retreat” session. Being in the present moment helps us out of that boxed-in, stressed-out feeling and back into joyful living, our birthright.

Breathing exercises

A wonderful key to letting go of physical and mental tension — your breath — is with you all the time. This awareness exercise can be done while sitting at your desk or kitchen table, or perhaps in your car: With your spine straight, chin parallel to the ground, and shoulders relaxed, take two or three full, deep breaths, in and out through your nose. Let them out with a sigh, and relax.

Now breathe normally. Feel the air entering and leaving your nostrils.

Can you pinpoint the exact moment when the air enters at the tip of your nostrils? Feel how the inhale is cooler than the exhale. Notice the rising and falling of your abdomen. Feel the rib cage expanding and contracting, and the subtle changes in your back and shoulders with each breath.

Allow your body to completely relax with each exhale. Enjoy.

Finding a place of calm

Here’s another quick breathing technique: Focus on your normal breathing, flowing in and out. Become aware of the pause after each exhale, before the next breath comes in. Notice the sense of calm. Your body has let go of tension with the breath.

In yoga, we exhale as we move into a stretch. The muscles tend to relax more on the exhale. So, notice the pause after the exhale, rather than after the inhale. There’s a moment of calm, stillness before the next breath comes in.

Thich Nhat Hanh is an author, meditation instructor and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Here’s a brief exercise you can do, reciting a line of his text with each breath in or out:

“Following the Breath”
Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment!

Yoga anywhere Spinal twist

Sit up straight with both feet flat on the floor. Gently lift your chest, lower your shoulders, and place your right hand behind you on the chair seat.

Bring your left hand to your right thigh or knee. Use the hands as your anchors. Inhale and lift up taller; then slowly twist to the right, exhaling. Look as far to the right side as you can. You may be able to see the wall behind you.

Holding this spinal twist, turn just your head now, back toward the left side. Keep it gentle, and keep breathing with awareness.

Your spine will love how this stretch relieves compression between the vertebrae. Twists are great for the kidneys and other organs and glands. Hold for five to eight breaths. Come out of the twist slowly. Take a few breaths, and then do the same twist, turning to the left side. Remember to focus on your breath as you hold the twist.

Side stretch

Again, begin by sitting up straight with both feet flat on the floor. Inhale, and as you exhale, raise your right arm and reach the fingertips up high, keeping the right hip grounded down. Left hand can be on the chair seat by your left hip.

On your next exhale, begin to reach the right fingertips over to your left, so your right arm is curved above your head. Think of the letter “C” as you breathe into the stretch. Hold for five to eight breaths, then change sides and stretch out your left side.

Forward bend

Standing with feet hip-width apart and bend forward from the hips (from the hinge at the tops of your legs). Have a straight, flat back as you inhale and lengthen out, spine parallel to the floor, then slowly exhale and let your head and shoulders dangle like a rag doll. Bending the knees is optional. Let your whole upper body become limp, releasing neck and shoulders. Relax into this posture for five to eight breaths.

Tai chi with your chai tea?

We will also practice “chi” exercises (gentle, fluid movements) Saturday, with a lesson at 2:30 p.m. As a tribute to Laryfred Staats (who taught many of us on the peninsula, and died in 2003), persons with experience in long form tai chi are invited to practice together at 3:30 p.m. at no charge. You don’t have to know the whole “form.” Come and just watch, or join in the flow.

Saturday’s “mini-retreat” will be held at 10 a.m. the Soldotna Sports Center. For more information, call or e-mail Ann Marina at 262-6768, or writerannak@yahoo.com.

Ann Marina is a registered yoga instructor through the International Yoga Alliance. A former instructor at Kenai Peninsula College, she now leads Tai Chi and yoga in Southwest Florida. She’s enjoying a brief visit to the peninsula this fall.