Zumba and Goga

For a few weeks now, Jackie and her mom Jan have been attending a Zumba class at Whitesburg Baptist Church on Monday nights. Jackie had invited me to come along once I got over my latest sinus infection and I made plans to do so. The first Monday I felt well enough to join them was Ladies' Night Out for my church group so I couldn't go then and on that particular Monday (August 27), the girls not only went to Zumba, but they also went to Goga and as soon as Jackie told me about it, I knew I had to try it. The next Monday was Labor Day and Jackie's birthday so there was no Zumba or Goga that night. Finally, this week, I was able to join the girls for this night of fun.

The Zumba class is held in the Whitesburg Baptist Church annex building (or whatever they call it) which is down the street from the actual church building. The annex building is really nice and has a gym (among other things) where we had our Zumba class. A couple of other ladies we knew came along as well. I got there a few minutes before Jan and Jackie and shortly after they arrived it was time for class to start. It has been a while since I've done a Zumba class and I enjoyed dancing around and acting like a fool. I'm terrible at dancing and so most of the time I just kind of did my own thing. I will say, this was the easiest Zumba class I've ever done. The ones I have participated in at the gym were non-stop dancing and really high energy. This class had breaks between each song and was for people of all dance abilities and wasn't as high intensity as I had expected. There was even a lady in a wheelchair there who did all the arm movements. I did break a sweat and had a fun time.

After Zumba, it was on to the even I had been looking forward to for two weeks - GOGA! First of all, let me say that one of the things I love most about Jackie and her mom are that they try the craziest things and I usually end up joining in at some point. If it weren't for them, for example, I wouldn't have Jean, my rapid eye technician therapist, whom I love, love, love! They are always finding some kind of New Age remedy and I always end up loving it and this time was no different. There are two goga studios in Huntsville, one is in Hampton Cove and the other is at the corner of Whitesburg and Airport Road in the same shopping center as Baskin Robbins and Cheeburger Cheeburger, which is the one we visited. As mentioned, Jackie had told me about it a couple of weeks before so I kind of knew what to expect, but not really. She had told me that you stand on a machine for 10 minutes that it shakes you nealry to death, you drink some water and take a teaspoon of some salty concoction, get in a sauna for 15 minutes and then stand on a machine and shake for another 10 minutes. Yes, you read all of that correctly.

Jackie had mentioned that the first (and until this week only) time she went there was a large black lady there that had been doing Goga for about a week and had already lost two inches! When you sign up for a month of Goga, they measure you and then you can see how far you have progressed after shaking and sweating for a month. The same black lady, Mrs. P. was there last night and as soon as I walked in the door I figured she was who Jackie had mentioned to me because she had a large backside and it was shaking like there was no tomorrow. I got on the machine and started laughing immediately. We chatted with the girl who was working and she told us about a whole slew of clients who have been Goga-ing for a month or two and have lost inches and inches. It was amazing to hear about it all. Mrs. P also told me and Jackie that her husband had noticed that her cellulite was disappearing (which is one of the many benefits of Goga). He told her that "those bumps around your booty are gone." When she told us this we laughed and laughed. She said she didn't know how many inches she had lost because she had not been measured again, but that she can tell a difference in the way her clothes felt.

So, as you can imagine, after hearing all of these success stories and asking everyone who came in how they felt about the Goga, I have decided that I want to do it too. I'm not going to do it right away though because I want to go one solid month without interruption and see how it works out, and , since my September is jam packed with activities, I'm going to start on October 1. Plus, you get five free sessions so I will use those free sessions until I pay for a month, which, by the way, is $49.


The girl working there told us that a few people have obtained prescriptions from their doctor to come and so the insurance pays for their membership (I need to know the name of that doctor) and another lady's insurance company paid for her to obtain her own machine! That lady had rheumatoid arthritis and Goga is good for that as well as a plethora of other illnesses and issues with joints, muscles, etc.

Here are a list of the health benefits mentioned in the Goga brochure:
Muscle Strengthening
Accelerated Weight Loss
Firming and Toning
Improved Circulation
Improved Bone Density
Prevents Age Related Muscle Loss
Massage and Relaxation Benefits
Overall feeling of Well-Being
Reduced Effects of Stress
Increased Blood Flow
Improved Flexibility
Muscle Endurance
Greater Overall Agility

You can also purchase one of the machines. The large machine is around $1700 (if I remember correctly). I told Jackie we should just go in together and buy one. Actually, I think we should open our own franchise - anyone have $100K they want to lend us? 

If you would like to read up on Goga, you can visit the website here. I have no idea who came up with Goga or anything or the sort but am interested in finding out. Once October rolls around and I sign up for a month, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will track my progress and keep you all posted on all the gory details including any inches lost, etc. Until then, let me know if you stop by for a free session and what you think about it.