The Power of Zumba
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Corina Gutierrez was fed up with getting sick and feeling weak. Then, she heard about Zumba.
A local instructor welcomed Corina and her power wheelchair to attend a class and it changed everything. “At the end of the class, I was hooked,” recalls Corina. “This is for me. Zumba had my name on it!”
After dancing Zumba for just one class, Corina could already feel the positive effects. “Within the first two months, I just saw awesome results in my health,” she said. “My lungs started improving. My asthma wasn’t as bad. My range of motion was great. I started stretching. It was the best exercise ever for me.”
“Zumba transcends fitness because it’s not a boring old routine…you do over and over again. No, it’s a PAR-tay!” she laughed.
And what do you do with a party? Share it! Corina was so impressed with her experience and with the physical and psychological benefits that she became determined to bring Zumba to other people with disabilities.
Now Corina teaches Zumba primarily at the Enrique Barrera Community Center in San Antonio. Her 25 to 35 students are both ambulatory and in wheelchairs. The adapted version of Zumba incorporates a lot of hand movements and rolling “steps” with one’s wheelchair. And with moves derived from Latin dances like salsa, merengue and the cha cha, it really does feel more like a party than a workout. Corina also has a helper to demonstrate the foot motions to standing members of the class.
“I’ve heard a lot of positive feedback,” said Corina of her students. “They have seen a change in their health. Within one session, they say they can feel soreness in places that they’ve never felt sore before.”
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And now Abilities Expo Houston attendees will have the chance to try Adaptive Zumba on Friday, August 3 at 1:00 – 1:45 pm. They will hear from Corina herself that the only limitations are the ones that you put on yourself. The message that she brings, that Zumba helps her carry, is to “love yourself, embrace life and live beyond your comfort zone.”
“I realized that my biggest disability wasn’t not being able to walk, it was not walking in my purpose,” said Corina. “And that’s what I want people to realize. And also, of course, dance and have fun while you’re realizing it!”
Corina teaches Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:00-8:00 pm at the Enrique Barrera Community Center, 5800 Old Hwy West in San Antonio, Texas. The drop-in fee is $5. Visit her website at http://corinag.zumba.com. You can also find her on Facebook or email her at [email protected].