Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our good intentions alone were enough and our outcomes reflected our lofty plans, even if we didn’t actually do anything? Wouldn’t it be grand if simply joining a gym or buying a treadmill or a fancy bike with a screen would suffice and we wouldn’t need to exercise? I tried this method myself a number of times and spent a lot of money on equipment that ended up being used for hanging clothes and on monthly memberships at a gym that I went to less frequently than I should have.

Several years ago, I decided that I needed to exercise for my mental and physical well-being and that this time it would be different—I was going to stick with it. I realized that I didn’t really like going to the gym that much, nor did I enjoy walking on a treadmill going nowhere. I decided to try Zumba. Zumba is a fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance. Zumba was very popular at the time, and I found a class that I could take in the evenings in Teaneck. The instructor, Jacquie, had a tremendous amount of positive energy and I immediately took a liking to her. She created a fun space for the women in her community to exercise and feel positive about themselves. It was a no-judgement zone. Women of all ages, shapes and sizes came to her classes to move, laugh, listen to the music and make friends. After taking classes with her for a few months, I decided to take a training course to become a Zumba instructor myself. The training was a far cry from the work I was then doing as an oncology nurse, but I had found something that helped both my mental a physical state and I wanted to create in our community what Jacquie had created in hers. I gave my first class in my family room to a small group of very good friends and soon I was teaching classes twice a week. At the time, I was not a very good teacher, but we all moved, exercised and had fun.

Many of the women who started with me doing Zumba back in 2014 are still coming to my group classes today. But our Zumba classes have now evolved into cardio dance, strength, core, balance stretch and breath classes, as well as Pilates and yoga classes. We have become a community within a community. We celebrate birthdays and mark happy and sad occasions together. We have become much more than a group of women who sweat and stretch together. According to the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, group exercisers saw lower stress levels and a higher quality of life than others! I think that the women who take classes would agree.

I invite you to join our no-judgement-zone community of women who want to work on their endurance, strength and balance. Come into the studio or join us on Zoom; find a class that fits your needs.

Beth S. (Bassie) Taubes, RN, CHC, CYT, is the owner of Wellness Motivations LLC. She motivates clients of all backgrounds, ages and health conditions to engage in improved self-care through nutritional counseling, personal fitness training, yoga practice, tai chi and stress-reduction techniques. She is currently seeing clients in her outdoor studio or on Zoom. She is also the rebbetzin of Congregation Zichron Mordechai in Teaneck.