The Biggest Lesson I Learned From Being A Zumba-Fitness Instructor

Cardio weakened my muscles until I could take no more

Photo by Geert Pieters on Unsplash

In my early twenties, I did something crazy.

I quit a job at Google to pursue a career in Zumba Fitness, a profession that was just catching up in the early 2010s.

I know you have a lot of questions as you read this but it seemed like the right thing to do then. It was then or never!

I had always loved dancing and had been quite physically active through my younger days. Plus, I loved making others dance. It was the perfect profession.

Full-time Zumba fitness to exhaustion

I started part-time and a year later took to full-time Zumba instructing. During this time, I managed to fill three batches, each with at least 25 clients.

So, things were looking pretty good.

A year later, I was exhausted. I was giving two classes a day, six days a week, writing in between for local businesses, and teaching choreographed sequences for private events.

Hustle mode was in full swing and nobody told me that it would come back to haunt me later in the form of burnout. More on this later.

Time went by and now I was two years into full-time dance instructing. This year was important because it was at this time that I started to lose weight.

I was burning fat, yes. But, with fat, I also started to shed muscle. How did I know this? I got tired more easily and started to develop aches and pains. I still remember how my knees would start to hurt. I had to take physiotherapy.

I was burning 500 calories in a single session. And by the time I’d finish my second, I’d have no energy for a workout.

This was me. I was losing a lot of muscle in my upper body.

I thought I couldn’t fit strength training in

Plus, I had some dumb misconceptions about strength training.

1. If I trained every day, my body would become rigid

My flexibility and agility were what helped me be such a strong instructor. I feared that my limbs would become too stiff and I wouldn’t be able to move if I lifted weights.

I learned much later that I would need to work on strength, flexibility, and mobility to be fit.

2. Cardio after strength training would flatten my muscles out

I had an evening class every day and I was convinced that if I lifted weights and did heavy cardio in the evening, it would defeat the purpose of training.

To top it off, I went vegan in late 2016. I also didn’t do a very good job of substituting my protein sources.

Resetting my fitness routine

Strangely, life took a different course. I dropped Zumba training and moved to Australia to pursue a Master’s degree. Fitness was the least of my concerns then. Survival mattered more.

Anyway, I moved back to India and for a good six months went back to dance fitness training. This time around, I didn’t make the mistake of taking on too much work. Instead, I gave only one class, twice a week, and lifted weights three days a week.

It made a huge difference.

Image of the author ( with resistance training)

I felt better. I looked healthier. My aches and pains were gone. My muscles thanked me.

It’s been four years since and I continue to include some kind of resistance training in my routine. If it’s not weights, it’s yoga or calisthenics, but it’s there.

I’m 33 this year. I know that’s not very old, but when I see many thirty-somethings struggle with health-related disorders, I say a silent thanks to my body for supporting me and holding me in good stead.

Do not skip strength training sessions. No matter what your goals are, we all can benefit from strength training.

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