[workingonmein2012]

I know I should do an intro first, but I知 in a hurry and I have to rush so I知 just dropping a quick question. I promise you'll find me in the intros later.



I had to schedule classes for next quarter and I put in a two day a week Zumba class on a whim because I want to start exercising and I needed something for one credit hour. But I知 scared I made a hasty decision. I知 teetering on 350-360 pounds and I知 just wondering how high impact Zumba will be? I知 pretty much in the worst shape ever right now. I can稚 even climb some stairs without busting into wheezing fits that last for a good five to ten minutes. My knees are fairly bad too, especially the right one because I had a bad fall on it about six years ago. I知 also worried because my schedules pretty packed tight Monday through Friday, and I知 worried that Zumba may be a bit too much to pull off right now.


Anyone 300+ had good experiences doing Zumba?



Also can someone rec a good pair of shoes for exercising that are a size 10 double wide? I only have maybe $40-50 to spend at most. Or should I wait till I have $100 or more to spend?

[Mmckellen]

I think Zumba is pretty rigorous. I'm guessing you need phys ed credits for school and the Zumba class would fulfull them. Is there any option for yoga? Yoga is wonderful for just getting in touch with your body and it also stimulates your organs to detox which will translate into helping you lose weight if you are dieting also.

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by workingonmein2012

Also can someone rec a good pair of shoes for exercising that are a size 10 double wide? I only have maybe $40-50 to spend at most. Or should I wait till I have $100 or more to spend?

I love New Balance. If you watch the sales flyers from the Sunday paper, you can often find sales on New Balance in your price range.

Also many shoe stores have a sales rack, where you can get last year's styles at a substantial discount.

Check the men's sizes too. Hubby and I went gym shoe shopping as our Christmas present to each other, and we both got New Balance. I looked in the womens' sizes, but the only shoes they had in size were pink (I hate pink).

I ended up choosing a New Balance running shoe, in black and tomato red (size 8 EEEE, which would be a size 10 quadruple wide in women's).

Even though it's a men's style, I think it's the most feminine athletic shoe I've ever had. I think it looks more femininte, because running shoe fabric is thinner and more flexible than the cross-trainers and walking shoes I've always bought, it makes it seem like my foot is smaller (and it's really, really comfortable).

It's by far, the most comfortable exercise shoe I've ever owned. I believe they would have been about $80 (but we got a sale discount for buying the two pairs). There were also New Balance cross-trainers on the sales racks for under $40, but hubby talked me into splurging on the running shoe.

[Somni]

I went to a dance store to get mine, they were more like $70ish but they did have shoes by the same brand (Bloch) that were more around the $50 mark and I think would have been fine, the ones I got just felt more comfortable and cushioned. Width-wise though... not sure if those small dance stores carry a great variety of widths.

The only thing with some dance sneaker brands if you are ordering online is that the sizing may be different. I forget with my Bloch, I was a half or full size larger than my normal shoe size. Just make sure you check the comments/product info to see if they give any hint to sizing, find a store to try them on in first, or go with a store like Zappos (unfortunately may not be under budget since their shoe prices can be higher) that will do free shipping and returns so if you have to try a few pairs it won't be a big deal.

You can also go with a general cross trainer shoe, which is also nice if you start doing other exercise so you don't need another pair of shoes entirely. But running shoes... some people are okay with them, but others have problems with them. If you had a pair already it's one thing to try them, but buying a new pair I'd probably try to look for something else first. They are designed for forward movement and have different treads on them so some movements in the class can cause problems/greater chance of injury for some people.

[workingonmein2012]

Originally Posted by Mmckellen

I think Zumba is pretty rigorous. I'm guessing you need phys ed credits for school and the Zumba class would fulfull them. Is there any option for yoga? Yoga is wonderful for just getting in touch with your body and it also stimulates your organs to detox which will translate into helping you lose weight if you are dieting also.

It was more a manor of finding something to fit into my schedule. I really wanted an exercise-ish class to make sure I work out some this next quarter and it was the only thing that fit into my busy schedule. There is yoga, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to switch my schedule around at this time.

If anything I'll try and email the teacher and get her opinion and if she says no at least I'd have something to take to my councilor so she doesn't think I'm just being flighty with switching classes... I've already had to change my schedule once.

[noelle8310]

I don't really know as far as Zumba in a school class setting, but I was under the impression they have someone doing a moderate version of the steps. Even if that is not the case, Zumba instructors usually just want you to keep moving, no matter if you can do all the steps or not. The instructor at our gym used to weight more than 300 lbs. She started her weight loss regime by doing Zumba, and she looks FANTASTIC. I don't know much about the shoe situation, but hopefully this helps somewhat. I think if you believe in yourself, you can do it! Just know your limits (and don't be afraid to push them a bit )

[somethingnew912]

I am a Zumba regular and while I'm not 300+ I am close at 270 so I thought I'd chime in.

It is definitely rigorous but you get out of it as much as you can put in. When I first started I was dying, but if you need to slow down and just move at your own pace for a while that's totally cool because while you are getting into better shape you are also learning the dance moves. This means the intensity builds as you practice more and get the moves down. You spend less time watching the moves and more time doing them (and adding your own "flair" to them )

My instructors are always very conscious of people who can't do as high of impact movements. There is no pressure. If they are jumping, just do the movement without jumping. If there is some kind of knee twist movement that bugs you, modify it to work for you.

As far as shoes go, I am super picky on shoes because I can't STAND it when something is bothering my feet, especially when I am working out. If I was you I would try to save up to buy a good pair if you can. Don't worry about going over 100, but get a quality pair with lots of support and padding for the ball of your foot. If you do have to get a cheaper pair then get some good padded socks and maybe even a shoe insert for some extra support.