So as a morbidly obese woman I thought I'd try Zumba and I'm going to write my review as I'm sitting here at my table still huffing and puffing, still sweating in my ears, still with my heart pounding out of my chest....The verdict:

I'll do it again. Multiple times a week, more than likely. In a nut shell the actual workout was fun, semi-easy to follow and short. The music was fun and the instructor gave variations of the hip swaying that those skinny women were doing so quickly.

Now, out of the nutshell and into the nitty gritty...

There are definetely some positives about the video and some negatives. A lot of what I say, should you choose to take it to heart, will also depend on how you feel about your own body, where you are in your weight loss endevors and your place in your life right now, right this minute. I'm sitting here as a 279 pound (127 kilo) (yeah, that's what the scale said this week at my weigh in, so there is my starting point) woman who has, in the past, dropped 72 pounds and has, since her pregnancy, gained most of it back. I am also a woman though, who used to work out in the gym 3 to 4 times a week and did occasional classes. This gives me the wisdom to know not to judge a workout by your first attempt and that it will get a) better b) get easier c) become more fun. Really, huff huff, it will. I am also a woman who has been dragging her feet to begin, again. I am also a woman who ate two (large) cookies for breakfast and almost let that be an excuse not to workout because "I already started the day shitty". I know we're all in different places, all over the weight loss map, so keep that in mind while reading.

So lets start with the negatives and get that out of the way so we can end on a positive note.

1) the intro to the dance steps - it was LENGTHY and intimidating. Seriously, I watched the intro first and practiced the steps and about 10 steps into it I was thinking "for Gods sake how many steps are they going to throw at me in a 20 minute bacis, beginners workout". It almost intimidated me to the point of turning it off and not even moving onto the actual video.

2) workout space - you don't need a lot of space but this would be a hell of a lot easier to do on a concrete or wooden floor. I have carpet and your feet just don't slide as easily as you would like them to.

3) some of the moves, even when broken down, are not for beginners. There was one combination that tripped me up the entire time, and I like to think that I can keep a beat and follow simple steps.

4) If you are not used to working out or are just beginning I can see how it would discourage you from trying it again. Your body is flopping, sloshing, shaking, flapping and sweating, all the whilst the little dancers on TV are moving around like tazmanian devils with the greatest of ease. That's why Richard Simmons was so damned successful. He had real people who were struggling with weight showing you how to move. It made you feel safe and secure and comfortable with your body because it made you think "if that un-thin person can do it, well then so can I". If you have never worked out and are not necessarily comfortable in your own skin then it can be off-putting.

And that's really the only negatives I have about the video. 4. And some may not apply to everybody. Not bad at all for a workout, eh?

And now...the positives

1) It is (or will be after a few more times) as fun as it looks on TV. I am into dance music and have always wanted to learn latin dances and this teaches you some basic moves. Once you have seen the video a couple times, and know what is coming next, and can actually dance and not concentrate so much on the instructions, then it's going to be a blast.

2) The guy does show you modified steps if you cannot keep up with the tazmanian devils that I mentioned before. If you can keep those thoughts in your head while watching them dancer faster then you're okay. (It would be better if they had one of the six dancers do modified moves throughout the video so you could have visual instruction throughout).

3) The beginnger workout does not sling all of those moves at you in one big dance off. They do four (or was it five) small dance sessions using only a few of the moves showed in the intro. Whew! What a relief that was!

4) It was over before I knew it! And that, my friend, is a freaking miracle when it comes to workouts. Yeah I was huffing and puffing and my legs were shaking and my face was bright red but I was still doing it and when he announced "this is your last dance" I was surprised (and a bit relieved as I really wanted to be able to finish the whole video).

5) I'm actually looking forward to doing it again. This is the kicker... I was so tired and didn't have the energy to work out, yet I knew working out would give me more energy, making it easier to do my NEXT workout. It was just taking that huge first step to actually make myself move that killed me. And in the formward motion that is weight loss, this workout today will make me want to eat better, which then again, will give me more energy.

And with that, my friends, my weight loss ball is a rolling. I feel so good and am so proud of myself.

Sarah