You love your weekly Zumba class, or classes. You greatly enjoy your regular instructors (okay, right here is where we are going to assume that your regular Zumba instructor is a ZIN member).
The holidays are here, and for many of us that may mean traveling to see loved ones. It also means traveling right out of our regular routines. Right into a potentially gastric nightmare compared with the oldest stress know to mankind; the hassles of travel and holidays with the family!
Not the best time to be forced to ditch your workout regiment.
With travel comes an opportunity for new experiences. You can, if location (visiting loved ones on the outskirts of Siberia?) and time allows, why not check out a Zumba class in the area you are visiting?
Best way to find an instructor? If you are visiting someone who is familiar with the Zumba program in their area you can ask for a recommendation. Or better yet, go to zumba.com, click on the "Find An Instructor" option located in the menu across the top of the page. This will tell you about the location of all the ZINs in the area you are seeking.
You may even have the opportunity to introduce friends and family to the joy that is Zumba!
Okay, next I'm going to give a short explanation of what a ZIN is, followed by a bit of mild ranting and blathering. Wanna pass? Just scroll on down till the text goes go back to the color black.
What's a ZIN?
ZIN stands for Zumba Instructors Network. Once licensed through completing a Zumba Basic 1 workshop, a Zumba instructor can sign up and subscribe to being a ZIN member. For the monthly fee ($30.00) comes discounts on everything from clothing to specialty workshops, monthly deliveries of either new music or new music and a DVD loaded up with tons of choreography that we as ZINs can use or not use or modify, marketing materials, resources and a links to chat online with other ZINs throughout the known galaxy. In addition, ZINs can promote charity events or Zumbathons and sign up for special classes only available to current ZINs.
I'm not trying to sell anyone on the ZIN program itself. But I do want to emphasize what opportunities and resources are available to ZINs, as opposed to someone who calls themselves a Zumba instructor, but is not a ZIN. If not a part of the ZIN program, one must get re certified every year, and as far as I know, they don't have all the ZIN resources available to them.
Over the last year, Zumba HQ has put out at least one promo video about encouraging folks to go for the real deal. The one video that I have seen has a very mock video feel. It features a rather dumpy looking character with a horrible hair piece butchering basic Latin dance moves. All the while text appears throughout the video of the hazards of going with anything but a ZIN when seeking a Zumba instructor. Silly and quaint, it was mildly entertaining to me. But the realities are that someone claiming to be a Zumba instructor (past the basic one year non-ZIN time limit) and to giving the authentic Zumba experience may actually deliver a good to great class. Here's my, for lack of a better term, issue with that; if one really believes in a program (hopefully in themselves as well), then commit to properly representing them by their terms. Otherwise, nut up and start your own damn brand. Additionally, who knows what gaps in the knowledge of safety may exist with such a shameful usurper!
For what its worth, there are times that I will train an eye of suspicion on the virtues of ZINdom and what's coming out of Zumba HQ. But more often than not I am surprised, delighted and/or grateful for the opportunities they give us ZINs.
For example;
The Zumba affiliate program! Use my code; mserinzfit to get a savings of 10% on Zumba wear!
Or visit my ZIN website at erindeniz.zumba.com
That's all for right now. More tips for "dancing" your way through the holidays to come!
Thanks for reading.
Enjoy the dance that is life!
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