Week #48

Happy New Year to all!

I hope that your Christmas was everything it was planned to be and more! Well we have one more holiday to celebrate and then 2010 is officially over. Crazy!! I am finally coming back to Zumba with you! I have missed all my classes for to long! I will see you staring on Friday the 31st. YEAH!! That being said onto business.

Items of business -

The City of St. George wants Zumba again for First Night. They have asked April and I to do 2 routines at 9:50pm at the main stage at Town Square. These will be easy routines so you all can come and do Zumba with us right before the 10 o'clock firework show! We would love to have you all there so please put Twilight to Midnight on your New Year's Eve schedule. We always have a great turn out and the City loved us last year so lets show them what Zumba can really do!!! We need you all there!!

There is a new Club in town - GoGo37 and of course why would they not want Zumba to be a part of there evening events. They will be holding their first Zumba class on January 5th at 8pm. I will be their instructor for the evening and the cost is only $5. Come and check out the new hottest place to be in St. George. I have attached the flier to the email so you can have all the details! Here is a bio about GoGo37 -

The term “artspace” was chosen to describe the overall concept of GoGo37. The idea is to have a place in the downtown area where creatives of all sorts can meet and collaborate with each other as well as with regional and national artists. Groskreutz and Reber want to remain open to all media, including music concerts and art exhibits, to poetry readings and swap meets, and everything in between.

The gallery has also made a conscious effort to keep ticket prices low so people might take a chance on local and national bands with whom they are unfamiliar. The plan is to keep ticket prices between five and eight dollars so the public will continue to come out and enjoy something unavailable anywhere else in town.

We are getting low on DVDs so if by chance you have not taken the opportunity to get it you better before we shut down and work on Vol. 4. We always have people ask for past vol.s but once they are gone we don't make anymore. Get one in the next 2 weeks! They are $10

Week #48 Challenge - Goal setting!

I believe big time in goal setting when it comes to exercise!! You need to set yourself some reachable goals for the New Year. Make sure they are goals that you want to do because 80% of all goals made for the New Year are broken or forgotten by the end of March. Let's don't be put in that category of failure. Once you decide not to finish a goal or choose not to obtain it then the negative floods right back into your life and the self esteem that you were building for yourself gets shoot. Exercise goals are all achieved with positive attitudes and as soon as you let the negative in you are only making it harder on yourself to rise above it! So be positive and again make reachable goals for yourself so that you can feel that positive influence in your life take over!

This year has been awesome! I look back and see how blessed I have been and you all have been a part of that so thank you so much!! I love my Zumba family and I will continue to do what is takes to make you feel like the way I see you! Amazing.

Much Zumba Love, Marti and Kerry

Week #47

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Short and sweet this week! Marti and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. I have attached our Christmas cards wishing you all a Merry Christmas. At this time of year we always reflect on what we love the most and my Zumba family is in the top 5!!

Items of business -

The City of St. George wants Zumba again for First Night. They have asked April and I to do 2 routines at 9:50pm at the main stage at Town Square. These will be easy routines so you all can come and do Zumba with us right before the 10 o'clock firework show! We would love to have you all there so please put Twilight to Midnight on your New Year's Eve schedule. We always have a great turn out and the City loved us last year so lets show them what Zumba can really do!!! See you there

There is a new Club in town - GoGo37 and of course why would they not want Zumba to be a part of there evening events. They will be holding their first Zumba class on January 5th at 8pm. I will be their instructor for the evening and the cost is only $5. Come and check out the new hottest place to be in St. George. I have attached the flier to the email so you can have all the details! Here is a bio about GoGo37 -

The term “artspace” was chosen to describe the overall concept of GoGo37. The idea is to have a place in the downtown area where creatives of all sorts can meet and collaborate with each other as well as with regional and national artists. Groskreutz and Reber want to remain open to all media, including music concerts and art exhibits, to poetry readings and swap meets, and everything in between.

The gallery has also made a conscious effort to keep ticket prices low so people might take a chance on local and national bands with whom they are unfamiliar. The plan is to keep ticket prices between five and eight dollars so the public will continue to come out and enjoy something unavailable anywhere else in town.

Not to late -

We still have some DVD's left so get them quick before Christmas and send them off to family and friends and share your love of Zumba with them! They are $10 - that is a cheap gift!

I am still have some gift certificates left for Personal Training. Please contact me if you are interested in giving the best gift you can give - health!! 4356688324

Week #47 Challenge - A gift to me! :)

I would like feed back on what you would like to see in my emails this coming year! Please reply with what you liked and didn't like and ideas to make it better!!

I wish you all the best and again Merry Christmas to all and remember what is most important this season!

Week #46

Hello everyone!

I am alive! I have to apologize for skipping last week but I was under the influence of some drugs (don't worry, good ones) that took me out that day. Needless to say I am totally good now but because of doctors orders I still can not teach Zumba for a couple more weeks. :( I don't think the doctor really understands that I need Zumba but I can't really argue with him. Keep up the Zumba love and I will return before you know it!!

Items of business -

The City of St. George wants Zumba again for First Night. They have asked April and I to do 2 routines at 9:50pm at the main stage at Town Square. These will be easy routines so you all can come and do Zumba with us right before the 10 o'clock firework show! We would love to have you all there so please put Twilight to Midnight on your New Year's Eve schedule. We always have a great turn out and the City loved us last year so lets show them what Zumba can really do!!! See you there

There is a new Club in town - GoGo37 and of course why would they not want Zumba to be a part of there evening events. They will be holding their first Zumba class on January 5th at 8pm. I will be their instructor for the evening and the cost is only $5. Come and check out the new hottest place to be in St. George. I have attached the flier to the email so you can have all the details!

We still have some DVD's left so get them quick before Christmas and send them off to family and friends and share your love of Zumba with them! They are $10 - that is a cheap gift!

I am still have some gift certificates left for Personal Training. Please contact me if you are interested in giving the best gift you can give - health!! 4356688324

Week #46 Challenge - Get focused cause here it comes!

Christmas is next weekend and there is no getting around all the goodies so now is the time to get focused! I know all of you can do it. Make a game plan and set some goals. I want your goal to be reachable and short lived. By that I mean set something you can achieve the day after Christmas. I want small but big results. Set limits for yourself and stick with them. Stay positive over the Holiday and don't let the guilt seep in. I know you can do this. I have seen how strong you all are! Your minds are so powerful and you can do anything you set out to do! Make yourselves happy and remember it is how you feel and not what anyone else thinks about you!! You are all amazing and I love being a small part of your lives!

I love you all!

Much Zumba Love,
Kerry and Marti

Week #45

Happy December to you!

So I am feeling like it really isn't Christmas yet. I have lights on my house and one Christmas tree up but other then that it came to fast. I am not ready for 2010 to be over. I have enjoyed this year way to much! I have had so much fun learning all the new things about fitness and I just want to learn more and help more. I guess I will have to make the best of it while it lasts and then onto 2011. I will have to make new goals and dream bigger so that 2011 will be even better! I hope that all of you are on board with me and we can all make 2011 the year that we made great changes in our life!

Items -

We are getting low on DVD's so pick one up they are only $10. They make great stocking stuffers for family, friends and your kids that need to get active!!

New Year's is approaching and nothing is set in stone yet, the City has contacted me :) so Zumba may be apart of the Twilight to Midnight Celebration. I will keep you posted so you don't miss out!!

We have stopped our Zumba rotations so here are the instructors that will be taking over these classes!
*Desert Palms -
Thursday night 8:30pm - Tricia, she is one of the originals so she definitely has her groove thing going so make sure you join her!
Saturday morning 9:15am - Cami, she will start you out on Monday night and finish the week strong so join her for your Saturday fix of Zumba!
*St. George Rec Center -
Thursday night 8:30pm - Melesa, help her keep this class going and shake it in the evenings with energetic Melesa!
Saturday morning 8am - Danita and Christy, this duo will get your heart pumpin on those cold mornings so set your alarms set for every Saturday!

Personal Training gift certificates for Christmas! No better gift then the gift of health! Contact me for prices - 4356688324

Week #45 Challenge - Back to Core!

Your core muscles (abdominals) are they key to everything in fitness. They create your balance and stabilize everything you do! You need to make sure that you are working on these muscles daily. They are essential to prevent any injury while exercising. You need to develop a good core routine that you can do each day. My 2 cents, if you have to do more then 40-50 core exercises (ex: sit-ups) then you are doing them completely wrong. If you engaged the right muscles and have the right form they will burn out quickly before you get to 50! Work on your core this week and see how fun it is to cough after you have done a good correct core workout!!

Have a wonderful week with all your Holiday bussel but don't forget to take time for yourselves!!

Week #44 oops I skipped last week :)

Crazy Life!

How many of you feel this way? The second I have a chance to come up for air I get slammed with something else. The only good thing about it is, I get slammed with family (love it) and with teaching/training (love it)!! I guess that is the beauty of my choice of career, I love it all around!! So I hope that you have all made plans to get back to the basics and make sure you set yourselves some Holiday goals. It is so easy to get caught up in all the cheer and food that comes around but remember how strong you are and how much will power you have! Stay strong and the positive attitude will shine through the scale during the holidays if you keep it in check!

Items of business-

The Rec Center has brought back the 5:30pm Zumba class on Thursday so make sure you come and shake it with Cherie!

All of your favorite Zumba instructors are teaming up again and donating our time to the Jubilee of Trees Fashion Show Luncheon. We will be doing 2 routines all dressed up in our pink tanks and black pants again. Please come and join us! You can purchase a luncheon ticket for just $25.00 and all the proceeds go to help purchase a much needed piece of equipment that will help detect breast cancer at a much faster pace! Once again it is all for a great cause so come have a yummy lunch and enjoy the show!

DVD's are $10 - get them soon!

Gift Certificates for personal training is a great gift for the holidays! I do package pricing so get a hold of me and we will make whatever work for you or the person you are giving the gift of health too!

Starting soon, we the instructors at both places will not be rotating anymore on the designated days. We have decided to give you a chance to experience all the instructors in there own classes. I will let you know who and when next Wednesday!

Week #44 Challenge - Figure it Out!

I want you to channel your inner self this next week and figure out what makes you cave. Why do we always give in to certain foods. What makes us weak? I want you to focus on what it is that brings you down. Once you have figured that out then it is time to dig ourselves out. We do not need to have will power for everything but if we can figure out what little things take us over then you will be more a where of them and then hopefully channel your positive energy elsewhere. For example: I love cake! I don't care what kind it is, I will eat it. So I have figured out other ways to avoid it so that I can feel my will power taking over and when I realize that I have not succumbed to it then my positive thinking takes over and I feel like I won the game and therefore push myself to do better. This concept can be used for anything but this week it needs to be focused on food. It will tie into next weeks challenge!

Good Luck - I love you all and I hope you have a fun busy week preparing for the Holidays!!

Much Zumba Love,
Marti and Kerry

Week #42

Wow,

I am a day late! I was cleaning all day long yesterday and I thought to myself several times that I needed to stop and write my email but apparently that didn't happen. So when I woke up this morning I remembered that I had never sent it out. So here I am getting ready to challenge you for another week! :)

Items -

The Rec Center is adding a 5:30pm Zumba class on Thursdays. So that means you can Zumba Mon-Thurs at 5:30pm at the Rec. Yea! Pass the word on and up your numbers in those classes!

Desert Palms is having their Birthday Celebration coming up on the 13th of Nov. They will be have some fun stuff going on. I will let you know next Wednesday the details of the event. Those of you that are members put it on your calendars and those of you that maybe interested in joining you may want to stop by!

Ok, our DVD's have got to go so they are the cheapest they can go and that is $10. Buy them and send them off to family and friends!!

I have personal training coupons for $10 off or $30 off a package. If you are interested let me know and I also do gift certificates. Those are the best gifts you can give during the holidays! Give the gift of health this season!!

Week #42 Challenge - Pay it Forward!

How good do we feel when we loose ourselves in the service of others. This week I want you to pay it forward through fitness. I want you to share what you have learned or your new good habits with someone else. Let them know how your feel about your choices. Let them know you are there for them when they hit the rocking times. Make them be accountable to you for some of their goals. Everyone needs to have someone they can call, email, text or face to face when they are struggling with their weight loss goals. It is so hard to do it on your own so go pay it forward with everything you have learned and done for yourself. You will be amazed that it will actually help you with your goals. It will make you want to do better and strive to reach higher!

I love my Zumba family and I thoroughly enjoy what I do. You make my job not be a job and I truly love coming to teach and train you! Always think positive and make it a great week, it is up to you!

Week# 41 Pink Panther Salsa Style

"La Pantera Mambo" (pink panther salsa style)

Happy Halloween Weekend!

I love this time of year! The fall weather is the best! The cool air should bring you out of hiding and get you moving during the afternoon hours. The more you are active all day (that includes everything you do) the more calories burned which in turn takes off the amount of your BMR that you should have calculated last week. Everything goes hand in hand. Remember it is so important to know what you are putting in your mouths everyday all!

Items -

Not much!

I think we are going to be having some changes to the Rec Center schedule so I will keep you posted on whats going to be happening!

Desert Palms is gearing up for their one year birthday celebration on Nov. 13th so plan on shakin it with us that day! More info to come..

DVD's are running out so pick one up quick before they are gone! The new price is $12.50

Week #41 Challenge - Will Power!

You are either born with it or you have to work on it! I was not born with it and so I have to work on it every day! Will power is so important when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. You have got to be abe to quit or not even start eating that favorite food or treat or you will be sunk! Have many times have you given into temptation and then have felt guilty when finished. It all has a negative turn which makes our brain think we can't do anything. Our minds are so powerful and our body's will respond if we tell it what to do! So because in light of Halloween, don't eat all your kids candy. Don't eat the candy you have to give out. I have given out full size candy bars for the last 4 years because I will not eat a full candy bar. I have programed my brain to think that it is way to much but I will eat 10 snack size candy bars and together that equals more then a candy bar. I know, my brain is lame but me figuring this out has saved me tons of calories. It might cost me a few extra dollars to buy treats but it saves me hundreds of calories that I don't want to take the time to work off. Think about it and decide what you need to do so that you don't feel guilty about celebrating this fun holiday!

I will see you in classes on Monday because we only have 3 weeks till Thanksgiving and that means more will power!

Stay positive and be strong, just say no!

Week #40

Hello all of you!

I hope you had a nice fall break! I had a fall break loaded with fun and hard work all in one. So it wasn't at all relaxing but then again when do we get to relax these days. I hope you all didn't mind me being on your shoulder while you ate this last week either. I know I can get kind of annoying in fact come Monday I had enough of myself too and had some ice cream with homemade hot fudge on it. It was yummy at the time but then come Tuesday I had to work out extra hard but every once in awhile we just have to treat ourselves. Like everything else in life we have to work hard to achieve what we want or need.

Items-

DVD's are still for sale so pick one up. We want them to go away so we can make a new one for you at the first of the new year so buy them up and give them away as presents. They are $15 each or 2 for $25.

They have new cute tanks that we can get through our program but we would like to know if any of you are interested. They would be $18 each. We usually order 10 of each color but if we don't have any interest then we will skip this shipment. Please let us know!

My boss at Desert Palms and the St. George Rec Center wanted me to pass this along - Are you or do you know anyone that teaches yoga / pilates that would like to get on at either one of these facilities? She is looking for a well qualified teacher. If you are interested or know of someone please pass this on and then contact Margaret Gibson at 435-467-5247. She is great to work for and there is always a few perks to working at the gym. Let us know soon, she needs to fill spots in 2 weeks.

Week #40 Challenge - Finding your BMR

What is a BMR? Your Basal Metabolic Rate is the energy requirements necessary for maintenance of life processes such as heart beat, breathing and cell metabolic activities. Every one's BMR is different depending on activity level, weight, height, and age. When you find your BMR it will give you a calorie number that you should keep in mind at all times. My BMR is 1413 so what that means to me is that my body at a resting state will burn 1413 calories and I need that many so that my body will function properly. So I consume about 1400 calories a day but I work out for 2 hours and burn 1000 of those calories. I ask, will I lose weight if I do this on a regular basis? why yes I will because I didn't take in over the amount that my body needed. So it is crucial for you to know your BMR so that you can see and know if you are over eating what your body needs. Now that being said your BMR will change do to the above factors so the leaner you get, older, heavier or your activity level it can change. Stick with your number for awhile until you see a change in your lifestyle and then you can get a new BMR. Now you ask, how do I get my BMR, well you can either do the hard math which I do not prefer or you can go to this link and use the online calculator that will figure it out for you http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/. This is a great sight because you can find your BMR and then you can find your calorie intake for the amount of activity you do then you can know how much or how little to intake on a daily basis. If you need help please reply and I will help you figure it all out! This really is one of the best numbers to know so that you can jump start your weight loss goals or even just maintain them!


Alright, that is all from me and I hope you have a great positive filled week!

Week #39

Well, our charity event was a success! Thank you to all of you that came and supported the cause. We had such a fabulous time and all the instructors had a great time being with you! I don't have a total amount but I do know it was over $1800 that we raised that night for Carol's Post Mastectomy. That money will go directly into the hands of some right here in St. George that needs help after enduring through breast cancer. You should all give yourself a pat on the back. To those of you that were not able to make it but still want to donate in a small way, we still have some of our Zumba Gives Back t-shirts that we will sale for $5. They are fun to have so pick one up from Marti or me, plus we don't need 50 extra pink tees laying around so buy them up and raise so more money! The fun thing about this is I get to update you on what our Zumba money went to. I will email you as soon as I get word from Jen Flowers!

Items of business- not much now

We still have DVD's and we would like to get them out of our hands so we can make the next one! :) They are $15


Week #39 Challenge - Food Logs

How many of you write down what you eat every day? It is hard to do but it needs to happen so you can see how many extra calories you are putting into your mouth. You would be surprised at how fast it can add up. Remember that 1 pound = 3500 calories. So if you want to lose weight each week then you need to cut out 3500 calories. It can be done but you need to watch what you eat! You need to think nutritionally dense food that will keep you full. Also if you are exercising on a regular basis (everyday) then you will not get as hungry. So keep track this week and if you want me to come along just imagine me on your shoulder and when you start eating something, either I will have a smile on my face or I will be shaking my finger at you. Think smart before you eat!

Have a great Fall Break and Zumba the week away!

Week #38

I hope everyone had a nice week! Although the email did come out last week I was gone on a much needed vacation with my hubby! I had a fantastic time but now it's reality time. I hope you all enjoyed some part of the Marathon last Saturday. I heard it was hot and so a lot of the runners had a hard time getting the times they wanted. Honestly, I am glad I was where I was instead of running for 4 hours. I hope you were all inspired by these runners who dedicate 5 months prior to running and have set goals for themselves and in one day they achieve it. It is awesome, I think!!

Items - the most important

Southern Utah "Zumba Gives Back" Party in Pink-2010
Is this Saturday October 9th at Town Square from 7-9pm. I hope you are all planning on being there because we have 18 different instructors helping us out and we have all come together from Hurricane to Ivins to give you a great party! We have so many great prizes like: Wingate Hotel Stay for 2, 5 - 50 minute massages, Dinner for 2 certificates, Free 3 month Gym memberships, Zumba stuff and so much more!! I really hope you are planning on coming because it really is going to be the best Party yet. The 1st 100 raffles tickets bought will get a free Party in Pink t-shirt and then we only have 50 more to sale so make sure you get there so you can get one and wear it proudly. Please arrive early so we can start right on time so we can give you the full 2 hours that we have planned! I have attached the MP3 of the Dixie Digest that Marti did on the radio. It has great information about breast cancer awareness and Jen Flowers the owner of Carol's is talking with Marti and Karman. Listen and enjoy!

DVD's are $15 so get one while they last - contact Marti or Me to get one!

Week #38 Challenge - Party in Pink

You had to see this coming, right! I want you to grab some friends and come spend the evening with your favorite Zumba instructors. Make it a girls night out! The cost is the same as a movie and yogurt so you might as well come spend it on a great cause and get some exercise. Please come support the instructors who love Zumba and want to pay it forward to the Southern Utah community!

Week #36

Hello Again!

Have you all checked out the new schedules at the St. George Rec and Desert Palms? If not you need to do so because we have added more Zumba! All of our teachers have a class so make sure you join all of us sometime during the week. We have 6am classes at both places so if you are an early riser and want to start your day off with some fun then go for it! We have night classes Mon - Thurs at both both places so if you are the type to shake it before bed then make sure you join the night crew! Ok we have lots of business so read on, lots of good stuff happening around town!

Items:

Friday Sept 24th, 8-midnight you have a 4 hour 80's Zumbathon at Hansen Stadium. The cost is $2 with student ID (that includes any age 6th grade & up) or $5. Your instructors will be Camilla, Josie, Kerry and April! I just signed on for the 10-11pm hour. This will be lots of fun so pull out those old 80's clothes and join me and the others for tons of fun!

Biggest Loser is starting at Desert Palms on October 4th. This is a 6 week program with 18 training sessions (fabulous deal). The cost is $199 for members and $225 for non members. If you are a nonmember you will have full access to the gym for that 6 weeks as well including daycare. I am one of the trainers and I must say my team last time had the so much fun! We also were the top team of total % of fat loss, so they worked hard and I pushed them hard! So come and join me, it will be hard, fun, rewarding and the best deal in training you can get! Call the gym 628-4617 and sign up under me and let me help you achieve some of your goals! Remember this is for people who want weight loss or just for toning up, nobody is excluded!

Southern Utah "Zumba Gives Back" Party in Pink-2010 October 9th from 7-9pm at Town Square Park. It is for the whole family so please mark your calendars!! The cost is $10 for 12 & older and $5 for 12 & under. We will also be selling raffle tickets for $5 each. You will want to buy some of these because we have a lot of great prizes lined up! Remember all proceeds are going to a local company "Carol's Post Mastectomy Specialist Inc.". This company provides women that need prosthesis post mastectomy, and most insurance companies do not cover them. So open up your hearts and lets help some of our local breast cancer survivors feel good about themselves and help build there self esteem! The best part is I get to update you periodically on where your donations are going and how it has helped them. We can only take cash or check at the event and you will want to get there early so that you can have the full 2 hours of fun. We are also giving away 100 free t-shirts for the 1st 100 raffle tickets bought. So get there early. If you plan on coming and spending $30 to $40 then you will have a fabulous evening! I think that is pretty cheap since most charity events cost $100 for a plate of food, at least you are getting a chance to win prizes and you get calories burned instead of added calories put on! I have 500 pink wristbands that I can't use after this so please tell everyone you know and make it a night you can talk about for a long time. Can't wait to see you there!

DVD's are $15 so get one while they last - contact Marti or Me to get one!

Done with business on with challenge!

Week #36 Challenge - Pick a new class!

I want you to pick up a new schedule at either place a pick a new class on it and try it out! If it is Zumba great - pick a new time to attend or a different teacher. You can pick a new class all together, I am teaching a new Endurance Strength class at 6am at the Rec and would love to kick your butt! It is the perfect balance between strength and cardio. They have new spin classes, strength, kickboxing, yoga, pilates...... you name it we should have it! Try something new! Step out of the box and mix it up!

Good Luck and remember to stay positive and love yourself for who you are, because you are all amazing!!

Week #35

The weeks are flying by and the best part is Zumba is still going strong all over Southern Utah. Every where you turn there is a Zumba class so there are no excuses of saying "I couldn't make it", if Zumba is what you love you can find a class and never have to miss a day of shakin' it! I hope you all tried out a Kickbox class. I am on my way to mine this morning so I am excited to get my butt kicked. Just always remember how important it is to change it up and venture outside the box sometimes!


Items:
Southern Utah "Zumba Gives Back" Party in Pink-2010 October 9th from 7-9pm at Town Square Park. It is for the whole family so please mark your calendars!! The cost is $10 for 12 & older and $5 for 12 & under. We will also be selling raffle tickets for $5 each. You will want to buy some of these because we have a lot of great prizes lined up! Remember all proceeds are going to a local company "Carol's Post Mastectomy Specialist Inc.". This company provides women that need prosthesis post mastectomy, and most insurance companies do not cover them. So open up your hearts and lets help some of our local breast cancer survivors feel good about themselves and help build there self esteem! The best part is I get to update you periodically on where your donations are going and how it has helped them. We can only take cash or check at the event and you will want to get there early so that you can have the full 2 hours of fun. We are also giving away 100 free t-shirts for the 1st 100 raffle tickets bought. So get there early. Once you have paid you will be getting a wrist band (hopefully pink) and then you can buy as many raffle tickets as you want. The more the better so you can win more prizes. We will also have the tees for sale and some Zumba stuff (t-shirts, key chains, bracelets) that will be for sale and all proceeds will be donated. If you plan on coming and spending $30 to $40 then you will have a fabulous evening! I think that is pretty cheap since most charity events cost $100 for a plate of food, at least you are getting a chance to win prizes and you get calories burned instead of added calories put on! Can't wait to see you there!

Zumba at Dixie College Sept. 24th - Hansen Stadium from 8-Midnight! The cost is $5 and Josie, Camilla, Andrea and April are your rockin' instructors so join them for tons of fun!

We still have our DVD's but are getting fewer each week so get them before they are gone because once they are gone we don't reproduce them. They are $15 and we have them at our classes.

We have a new instructor that has joined us and I do not have her bio yet but I will get it for next week but her name is Danita Williams. She has been a Zumba lover for sometime and has joined us at the evening classes at the Rec Center until she got certified and now she gets to instruct you!

Week #35 challenge - No dairy!

I know we have done this one but the more I read and learn it isn't that great for you. If you eat it for proteins sake you can get protein other ways and also you can get calcium as well. Try taking it out or if you can't eliminate it then take out most of it and see again how you feel. I only eat cottage cheese and the rest I stay away from because I get don't feel good when I have a lot of it. I have noticed a difference so take the time to really see if you feel different when you don't have tons of processed dairy in you!

I love you all and I know that life get tough but remember to always think of what you have been blessed with and then put a smile so you can bless someone else!

Week #34

So sorry I have been a little late getting my emails out these past few weeks but I am working on important things for our up coming event! All of the Zumba instructors that are going to be apart of our fabulous evening are working hard to bring you a great family event! So bare with me because over the course of the nest few weeks my emails might get a bit short but not because I don't love you all but my brain can only hold so much info! It's all those kids I had, they fried my brain cells so I work at a slower pace!! :)

Items:
Southern Utah "Zumba Gives Back" Party in Pink-2010 October 9th from 7-9pm at Town Square Park. It is for the whole family so please mark your calendars!! The cost is $10 for 12 & older and $5 for 12 & under. We will also be selling raffle tickets for $5 each. You will want to buy some of these because we have a lot of great prizes lined up! Remember all proceeds are going to a local company "Carol's Post Mastectomy Specialist Inc.". This company provides women that need prosthesis post mastectomy, and most insurance companies do not cover them. So open up your hearts and lets help some of our local breast cancer survivors feel good about themselves and help build there self esteem! The best part is I get to update you periodically on where your donations are going and how it has helped them. This whole thing brings tears to my eyes because I can't imagine what these ladies have had to deal with. I hope to see you all there and I hope you bring everyone you know!!

Zumba at Dixie College Sept. 24th - Hansen Stadium from 8-Midnight! I have heard that this is going to be lots of fun and there are 4 instructors that will each be taking an hour time slot! The only thing I don't know is if it costs anything so if any of you out there know please reply and let me know so I can post it. Thanks

We still have our DVD's but are getting fewer each week so get them before they are gone because once they are gone we don't reproduce them. They are $15 and we have them at our classes.

A lot of you have asked about tank tops - well we have sold out of them and we will not make another order until they come out with a new design. We will keep you posted on that!

Our next Zumba Instructor Highlight - Cami Opunui (she is hilarious, she had a hard time writing a bio so I couldn't delete any of it)

I like puppies and toast. My favorite color is light tan.

Just kidding here is a bio

I am a mother of a 4 year old girl and 18 month old boy/girl twin combo. Some say that might be enough of a workout. Nope! I am always eager to Zumba. I have been zumba certified for 1 year and I love it. Since moving to Saint George from Hawaii I have been desperate to replace surfing. Zumba was the key. I have been asked many times why I left Hawaii for Saint George. To that I reply, "I moved because Saint George rocks!" I am generally a sub for the regular teachers so catching me is always a surprise. Saturdays and Wednesdays are the exception because we alternate teachers. Zumba is way to much fun and I feel so grateful to be apart of it.

We are so glad to have Cami with us and when the new schedule comes out make sure you find Cami's name and join her for her classes!


Week #34 Challenge- Kickboxing!

So do you see a pattern here? I want you to try some new classes because as much as I love Zumba, your body will love you more if you cross train. Your body will adapt to whatever you are doing so cross training is key to giving your body a surprise every once in awhile. The kick part of boxing is true - it will kick your butt and may even shape it too! :) Shake it up a bit and with the new schedules being posted on Monday (they don't start until the 20th) you will have a chance to try some new stuff!

I love you all and enjoy your week and make sure you fill it with positive things!!

Week #33

How was your week? I hope you all got in enough exercise to make yourselves feel good about what you are doing! I hope that all of you are keeping up on your push-ups, squats and weights. Remember they are crucial!!

This week has been crazy so to get right to items of business -

The Rec Center is still closed until Sept. 7th so make sure you take Desert Palms up on their offer to let you come use their facilities for just $10. We do have classes on labor day Monday so if you have any one visiting and you want to show them what Zumba is all about bring them over. If you only come one day then it is $5 for drop in. Hope to see you over there!!

The new schedules for both places has been bumped a week so the new ones will not be coming out until the 20th of Sept. They are getting an over haul for the better so I am sure you will all be excited for the new schedules to come out!!

I have heard there is a big Zumba to-do at Hansen Stadium coming up on Sept. 24th. More info to come as I get it!!

Most important -

"Zumba Gives Back" It is time for all Zumba lovers out there across Southern Utah to give back to our community. We have been so blessed with he opportunity that all of our gyms and rec center facilities have offered us so much Zumba that we need to give back! Mark your calendars for October 9th from 7-9pm at Town Square park! All proceeds will be going back into a local business that needs the money to help provide women with post mastectomy's with prosthesis. October is breast cancer awareness month so we would like to honor anyone and everyone that has experienced this through themselves, though a family member or friend! This is all for charity so please open your hearts and spread the word! The event will cost but it will be the best dollars you have spent knowing where it is going and who it is helping out! More info to come!! (I do know that there is going to be great prizes)


Our next instructor highlight - Josie Jones

Hi ladies. Here's a brief introduction to my life and how Zumba came to be a part of it. I taught Jazzercise for five years up in Salt Lake City and was so sad, when I moved to St. George in the fall of 2007, to find that there were no similar dance aerobic classes. That sadness was short-lived, however, as I discovered Desert Palms the month I moved here and, within two weeks of my joining the gym, Kerry became certified to teach Zumba, the first introduction of Zumba to St. George and the first I had ever heard of it. I loved it immediately. However, as a newly single mom of an adorable and very demanding toddler, I was not ready to get back into the teaching thing again, so I just enjoyed being a student for a couple of years before making the leap to go through workshop and begin teaching Zumba myself. It has been such a joy to me and a major stress reliever in my life. It is my "ME" time. I currently teach classes at Desert Palms, Gold's, Rezults, and occasionally sub at St. George Rec Center. My main job is being a mom to my little diva, and then I do medical transcription work from home at night while she sleeps, which means that I rarely get more than 4 hours of sleep M-F. This is all the more reason why Zumba is sooo important to me - I crave those endorphins to give me energy to get through my weekdays. I have also VERY SLOWLY started going back to school during my daughter's preschool hours to try to finish my Bachelor's degree in elementary ed. As for spare time, I love anything that lets me spend time with family and friends, I read anything and everything, I love to bake, and I especially enjoy anything crafty or that lets me unleash a bit of creativity. More than anything, I just love to laugh and to surround myself with happy people so that I can do that often. I love Zumba and I have thoroughly loved getting to know all of you. That's basically me in a nutshell.

Josie :)

Josie is awesome! She has quite the following and rightly so, she is great! You will never know if you get Josie at Desert Palms or the Rec Center, she is a faithful reliable sub for us and we love her because of that! You just may get her one of these days!!

Week #33 Challenge - Power Strength

Have any of you taken the advantage of Power Strength class at either facility? If not you are missing out on a great opportunity to get a full body workout in just an hour. It does not cover cardio but like in the past I have said it is not all about how much cardio you do, you need to add in some weight training. This class will give you an overall full body kick your butt workout!! It will push you to the next level of working out. If you have been going then up your weights and push yourself to the next level. It truly is a great class so check one out over the next week and see what it does for you!

We love you all and thank you again for being who you are!

Week #32

Another week has gone by and before we know it, it will be the end of 2010. Life goes by so quickly so you might as well enjoy the ride while it flies by, right? I hope that all of you are falling nicely into your routine schedules now that school has been in session for a couple of weeks. It is so important to find the time in your day to call your own so make sure that is top priority when it comes to scheduling! Your kids will be fine if you have leave so don't feel guilty, in fact they will notice that you are even a nicer parent when you return home due to those fantastic endorphins that we have all been blessed with! Our bodies our amazing and if you take care of your body, your body will take care of you!

Items of business - The Rec Center will be closed August 30th thru Sept. 6th. Classes start back up on the 7th. There will be a new schedule coming out but not until Sept. 13th. There will be some new changes and new additions so it will be great! Also - Rec Center attendees, Desert Palms is letting anyone that goes to the Rec Center come and enjoy the their gym facilities and all classes for just $10 for the week that it is closed! This is a great deal so take them up on it so you can still get your exercise in for the week. All you have to do is tell the front desk at Desert Palms that you are from the Rec Center and they will take care of you! We would love to see you all at the Zumba classes at Desert Palms next week!

Desert Palms members - there will be a new schedule coming out as well on the 13th of Sept. so get ready for some changes and new additions as well!

Zumba Gives Back - Our charity event is in the planning mode and I hope to have a date, time and place for you by next Wednesday. It is going to be fabulous! You will not want to miss out! We have instructors from all over Washington county that will be helping us out that evening! More info to come........

Our DVD's are on sale this week! We want to push them so that we can make a new one. We need to sale out before Vol. 4 can be made so they are buy 1 get one 1/2 off. So team up with a friend or sister and get 2 for $22.50. Marti and I have them on us at all times and we can always ship them out as well!!

Next Zumba teacher Highlight - Christy Ellis

My Husband Dave, and I moved to St.George about 8 years ago, so he could be a real estate agent, (which I might add he is the best in St.George) ( okay , tied for best with Kerry’s husband , Joe Langston.) I worked in a salon as a hair stylist for 7 years, I also graduated from massage therapy school, I spent three years with Comedy Sportz doing improve comedy every weekend, I also spent time traveling around the world and the United States. But all of that life got put on hold when I had my three kids and decide to be a stay-at-home mom. It was a hard transition for me, to be “just a mom”, so when Zumba came into my life, I had something to call my own again. I have become very interested in the fitness world. Our bodies are so incredible, no matter what they look like. It is amazing what they will do for us, if we love them and take care of them. And we all know our bodies love zumba! Thank you all for letting me be a part of your Zumba lives! I absolutely love teaching. Be healthy – be happy - be kind – and Zumba!

You can catch her high energetic personality on Tuesdays at the Rec Center at 5:30pm!!

Week #32 Challenge - weights!

Who is afraid of weights? You see those dumb bells and you just walk on buy because you are scared of them. You need to change your mind set! You need to fall in love with weights! They are so good for you! You need to build muscle to lose the fat. That's it, lift some weights on a regular basis and you will see changes! I promise. So along with your push-ups, squats and now weights you will have a great workout that will help you speed up your metabolism and lose weight.

Speaking of weights - I am now in the Saturday rotation at Desert Palms for Strength training and Spin. I will be teaching the 8:15am strength class follow right after a hour spin class this Saturday. If you would like to try it out please come. If you want to do strength and then catch Zumba right after, that will be just as good!

Have a wonderful week everyone and remember how great you are each day!

Week #31

I hope you all had a great week getting used to school being back in and hopefully getting in a little me time! I hope that you are feeling the need to get back into a routine and more importantly get exercise back into your routine on a regular basis. It is so important to exercise each day in some form. It really does release endorphins that will help you through your day. It releases the stress and anxiety that we feel sometimes with our kids busy schedules! Come the 1st of September you should all be feeling good about your routines!

Items of business-
The Rec Center will be closed starting on Aug 30th to Sept 6. They clean and remodel and they also switch up the aerobics schedule so make sure you pick up a schedule when they have them available.

Marti and I are putting together a huge Zumba Event along with our fellow instructors and it will be coming up in October. The date should be set by next week so I will let you know so you can mark your calendars because you will not want to miss out on this, I promise!

I have gotten word that Desert Palms will be doing another Loser Club that will maybe start in October. If any of you are interested then get your teams together because I will be taking on 2 teams this time. I am ready to get you in shape and push beyond your limits! I can have 6 per team and remember that you do not need to be a member of Desert Palms to be a part of the Loser Club. I had so much fun with my group last time and they all did amazing things so I am excited to take on another challenge!! More info soon!

Check our blog / www.zumbagirls.blogspot.com / I updated the music finally, so those of you that listen to it at work you can shake at your desk with some of our new songs!

We have one black tank left and DVD's! Get them before they are gone because we don't reproduce the volume once we have sold out!


Our next highlight - Melesa Kohler

I fell in love with Zumba in Dallas years ago. Then in 2007 she moved to St. George and fell in love with Zumba all over again...when she started doing Zumba at Desert Palms with Kerry & Marti. She was certified last year and LOVES it. She teaches Zumba Kids and Zumba Mommie and Me and rotates in on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings at Desert Palms. She also teachers a "Grown-up" class =) on Mondays at the Rec center.

Melesa has been married for 17 years, has twin girls that are 8 and her caboose is a 4 yr old little girl. She is an ASL interpreter, Choir Director at Little Valley Elementary and loves serving in the church she is a part of. She loves tennis, swimming and riding her bike. But her true love and passion for exercise has come with Zumba. She loves baking and laundry! She is so thankful and happy to be part of the Zumba team at Desert Palms and Rec Center.

Melesa is great and all her kid Zumba goers love her!! Take your kids to her classes at Desert Palms or join her for hers on Monday mornings at the Rec Center!

Week #31 - Squats!!

Tight butts is every one's dream but we don't like to put in the time and honestly we don't like the hurt when we are done but you need to do it or after time our cute butts will start to sag, that is what we don't want!! So along with your push-ups which you should have increased on over the past week I want you to add in your squats or lunges. I want your butt to burn and so push yourself. If you are finished at 20 squats then go for 30! You need to feel the burn and I want you to feel it every day this week. Embrace the squat and love your butt!

Week #30

School is in session :) I truly do love my children and I love hanging out with them but I don't like the fighting and how dirty the house gets when they are home all day so this is a good change!! So one might ask themselves, what are you going to do with your free time? I respond, take sometime for me first so that when they do come home I have already had me time! I love to work out with me so now you might catch me doing extra stuff after I teach classes and hopefully fill up my schedule with training! I hope I can be of service to you!

Soon there will be some schedule changes because of fall coming so I will keep you all posted with what is going on at the Rec Center and Desert Palms. The only change that starts next Tuesday at Desert Palms is the Zumba kids class will be moved back to 4:30pm due to school. Melesa and Cherie teach that class and they do a great job so get your kids involved and teach them a good habit of exercise!

For our next instructor highlight is Cherie Hoopii - (the greatest massage therapist ever!)

Ok stuff about me... Hawaiian/Chinese, Caucasian. Age: Older than everyone else teaching zumba! 2 children-Tei (12yr) & Lahela (6yr). Grad from BYU, Provo where I played volleyball for 4 yrs. Served an LDS mission in Okinawa, Japan. (So did 2 of my brothers so we still speak Japanese.) Masters in accounting from SUU. CPA for almost 20 yrs. Still do personal consulting and tax work. Real Estate licence (why? who knows? ha ha). Run the SDI Massage School (for 5 years) and own Bodyssage for 2 1/2 yrs. Love my Hawaiian culture and have done many, many luaus- cook, sing and dance. Love family, sports, music, travelling, drawing, learning, teaching, trying to stay fit, and pretty much anything that has to do with the body fascinates me. Oooh, and I LOVE Zumba and our Zumba gang!

Cherie is a woman of many talents so make sure you check out one of her classes!

Week #30 Challenge - Chest (who doesn't love a bigger chest)

Ok, I want you to focus on your chest this week. No, we don't want huge pecs like guys do but we need to have a strong foundation so that other muscles can work properly when being worked. So I want you to throw out the idea of girl push-ups, there is no such thing!! I want you to start slow and then gain each day. If you can only do 3 regular push-ups the first day then the next you add 2 more. I want you to build big and achieve big. Please report to me how many you ended up with at the end of the week. If you are sore one day then do a few less but you need to do push-ups every day! Each week we are going to build-up so I want you to start making some good habits. Now is the time to take an hour for yourself to workout. Summer is over and there are no more excuses so lets get our butts in gear and work on our goals!!!

Week #29

So our summer is almost over, crazy! That went by really fast. I love summer but I love school too!! This is the year for me that all my kids are in school all day :)! I am excited to focus on Zumba and Personal training once school starts. I have some fun things that are turning in my brain that I am excited to share with you in the near future!

Ok, who went to National Dance Day at the Washington Walmart? I was there and about 15 others from the Rec and Desert Palms that I know of. I didn't get to see everyone but it was so much fun! It was so awesome to see all the crazy Zumba lovers in Southern Utah. We (instructors) had so much fun that we are going to do it again soon. I was put in charge so I will have my cohort Marti help me out and we are going to bring a fabulous event to Southern Utah for all Zumba lovers that love to give of the heart!! I will keep you posted when the action will start happening.

Items for sale -
DVD's are $15 so pick one up before they are gone
We only have 3 tanks left / small black - medium black - medium gray/ they are $18 and I have them with me so if you go to Marti's class let us now so we can have it there for you!

Instructor Bio -
Tricia Longmore joined us at Desert Palms and the Rec Center over a year ago! We love her and are so happy she is back!!

When I was a kid I loved to dance. I was in many performing groups including: drill team, cheer leading and musical theater. As an adult I found it more difficult to get out and dance. I have always exercised but it was drudgery until I fell in love with Zumba. I joined Kerry's and Marti's Zumba classes over two years ago. I was totally hooked on Zumba from the first day. Kerry encouraged me to get certified and I started teaching in January of 2009 and have been smiling ever since.

One of the things I love most about Zumba is it's always changing. No two classes needs to be the same, each new song adds more fun to the mix with an endless possiblities of songs and zumba moves. I enjoy choreographing my own songs plus learning the songs that other teachers have done. Zumba helps me not only to be more healthy, but also de-stress and escape from reality. I can stop being "mommy" for one whole hour and be Tricia instead. Zumba helped me find myself; I didn't realize I was lost until I found me again.

Zumba has changed my life and I hope it gives others as much joy as it brings to me. Tricia

You can catch Tricia alternating Saturday's and Wednesday's at Desert Palms and the STG Rec Center. She is always willing to sub so you might show up to a class and get a treat with Tricia filling in!

Week #29 Challenge - enjoy your last week off!

This doesn't mean take exercise off but it means if you have kids or Grand kids do something crazy with them! Make your last week of summer memorable. Get out and do fun stuff. Have a fun week filled with exercise, laughter, sunshine, friends and family! Enjoy this week because starting next week our challenges are going to get a little bit harder. I am going to test your physical strength so have a happy week and I love you all!!

Week #28 / NAtional Dance Day

Thank you Marti for emailing out last week and yes she is right, we need to take at lest 10 minutes a day for ourselves so that we can focus on whats important! Thank you for reminding us!

Back in the early months of 2010 I was hand selecting some great girls to teach Zumba along side with Marti and I and I don't think I have paid enough tribute to them for all the hard work they have done at both the Rec Center and Desert Palms. So for the next little while I will be highlighting them so that you can get to now your teachers a little better. Their names are:
Cami
Cherie
Christy
Josie
Melesa
Tricia

I hope you have enjoyed taking their classes!

Week #28 - National Dance Day

Coming up on Saturday the 31sy of July is National Dance day. Zumba is based around dance so one of the great instructors (April and daughters) have put together something really fun for our Southern Utah Zumba family this Saturday night. She has asked a handful of instructors to help her and I have happily accepted (sadly Marti will be out of town) to bring the east and the west together at the Washington Walmart parking lot to have a full on Zumba dance party! Here are the details, there is a dance that you need to learn that is choreographed by Nap and Tabs from So you think you can Dance so we can do it all together. It will be filmed and sent into the TV show. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKUyp1GMQVg it has step by step instructions! April will be picking the song so just learn the moves and get the feel for it. The Dance off is free to the public!! The time is 9pm -10pm. We are going to have cars parked in a huge circle with all the lights facing in. The radio station will be there and those of us instructors that have merchandise will have it there for your convenience to buy. It is going to be awesome so this is your challenge this week to learn the steps and even if you don't learn the steps come to the Dance off on Saturday! I would really like to have the westside be represented well so come one, come all and join us for one hour full of Zumba craziness!!

Invite for all!!
For: National Dance Day
When: Saturday the 31st
Time: 9pm-10pm
Where: Washington Walmart parking lot

See you there!

Week #26

Did you get your game on? Our numbers were up at the Rec Center and Desert Palms in all the Zumba classes so I am thinkin' you got your game on. Good Job!

So now that our summer is half way over :( we need to start thinking about our schedules and how we are going to get in our Zumba for the week or every day. It is so crucial to stay active during the summer. The afternoons are getting so hot that most people tend to stay inside. You need to make sure you get in your workout in the morning time or evening. We get so caught up in our daily stuff and the hours fly by and we think to ourselves, "Dang it, I missed my exercise today. I will do it tomorrow!" What are the chances that the next day is going to be less busy, not so much! You need to make it top priority so that you can have the positive serge that comes from exercise!

Our DVD's are finally here! Marti and I opened one and watched some and the picture is a little blurry so whether it is the widescreen or the production company, we don't know but because of this we are going to sell them for $15 instead of $20. We don't want to return them again and all that hoopla, but the important thing is you can still watch it and get a great workout. The blurry part is our faces so that is good for us. You can still see all the routines and moves clearly! It was our favorite DVD to make so purchase one and make it a part of your daily routine if you can't make it to a Zumba class! We have them with us at our classes and we take checks or cash. If you are from out of town please reply and we will get one shipped to you.

Week #26 Challenge - Find a Friend!

I want you to find a friend that may be struggling a little with exercise or weight! So many people feel so alone in the workout world and some have no idea where to start. I would like you to bring her or him along to a class and show them that exercise can be really fun and then also tell them your thoughts and feelings about how you have achieved some of your weight loss goals. You have no idea how many people out there need some one to talk to about this. It is a major factor in depression and if we, all together, can help someone see that exercise is a natural way to release endorphins and can help pull you out of depression, then it is worth stepping outside of our comfort zone!

Again, I can't say it enough on how much I love our Zumba family! We have such a widespread group in Southern Utah and it is wonderful to be a part of your lives!