Zumba almost killed me!
At least I felt like I was dying.
I’ve been hearing about the dancing exercise routine for quite some time now. But I never tried it myself until yesterday at my parents’ house during the family Labor Day gathering.
Who exercises on a holiday, right? I was busy eating hamburgers, drinking sodas, sampling different dips, and repeating the cycle. Working out was the furthest thing from my mind. But my sisters wouldn’t let me gorge myself in peace.
“Come on, Dianna! You’ve got to try it,” they all cajoled. “You love exercising and you’ll enjoy this so much.” Initially, I protested while slurping down the cherry-flavored pop in my white Styrofoam cup, but they insisted and persisted.
I wasn’t talking my way out of this one.
Defeated, I stood in the middle of mom and dad’s living room with my fitness-enthusiast-siblings. The impromptu Zumba class was to be headed up by my young, energetic, and super-fit baby sister, Shawndeanna.
The girl’s body is rock solid and she’s only 16… as in a mere 4 years older than my eldest daughter.
Yeah, do the math on that.
My parents stayed busy for a long while. They were the original Duggars, okay?
But I digress.
Well, Shawnde, as we like to call her for short, cranked up the music and everybody just went for it. I mean, they went in! I stood there dazed for a minute like, “You really expect me to do those moves? I don’t even know if my hips can pop, or my booty can shake like that!”
I wanted to be a good sport, though. So I took a deep breath, prayed for the best, and joined in.
A couple minutes later, my body was begging me to stop. Then it just altogether refused to go on. There I was hunched over with my hands resting on my knees, gasping for air, and pouring sweat. I was a pathetic sight to behold. The room was spinning. My chest felt hot and constricted and I was about to eat carpet!
Even after taking a break right in the middle of the intense Zumba routine, I felt worse.
Quickly, I rushed to the door and hurried onto the porch, plopped myself down in one of the chairs, and tried to inhale some fresh air into my lungs. Thankfully, yesterday, the temperature stayed in the low 60’s in Buffalo. So the cool breeze was perfect.
After about ten minutes passed, I began feeling better, so I went back inside and joined the family. I didn’t, however, do any more Zumba. And the next time I attempt it—I’ll definitely do it again since I love a fitness challenge!—I’ll be warming up first.
Had I done that yesterday, I would not have been on the verge of blacking out.
That was a good lesson for me and it’s a great one for you, too.
In life, you have to learn to pace yourself. If you don’t, you’re sure to suffer from burnout and experience all sorts of unnecessary issues
Think about it this way.
If you accelerate too fast when driving your vehicle, you’ll burn more fuel, more quickly. You’ll need to make frequent trips to refill your gas tank which can hurt your budget, right?
A bit more patience and restraint can save you a whole lot of trouble. You see, if you learn to ease your way into things, you’ll last longer. Not only will you reap the benefits of taking a specific course of action, but you’ll also avoid hurting yourself by too aggressively rushing down a certain path.
I know it can be tempting to just jump into things and give it your all. But there are some good things in our lives that can turn out very badly, if we approach them the wrong way.
Zumba is a good workout. Without a warm-up, however, it can land you in the hospital.
So today, I want to add this lesson to your cup of inspiration: Going too fast or too hard, while lacking balance and restraint, leads to destruction. When you drink down that bit of wisdom, you’ll be more inclined to pace yourself. You won’t be so impulsive, but you’ll respect the power of patience.
Lord, sometimes I get overly anxious and jump into things too quickly and aggressively. Every time I make this mistake God, I end up frustrated, tired, and in a mess. So please help me not to make hasty moves, but rather, to seek you prayerfully for the right season and timing for everything in my life. Thank You for Your wisdom and guidance. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
