Indoor & Outdoor Zumba

Out & About

I have been out and about to a few stores since businesses are re-opening. 

Before, I only went inside Costco and Menards due to their mask-wearing requirements. I have now branched out to Target, Festival (grocery store), and T.J. Maxx. 

Always Wear a Mask

I always wear a mask. I do not understand why some people refuse to, but I already did a post discussing that.

Indoor Zumba

I also went to Zumba at the YMCA 2 Mondays ago. You have to register ahead of time and I got 1 of the 13 spots. I was nervous about how things would feel, especially since gyms are at a 9 on the COVID risk scale. But, I knew my nurse friend was going to be there. If she felt safe enough going, I could feel safe enough to try it out. 

I entered with my mask on, which is required. Beyond that, it isn’t. This is part of the reason for my nervousness. Few others (aside from staff) wore masks after checking in. I did the temperature scan and stated I wasn’t feeling ill and all that jazz.

Inside the aerobics studio (where Zumba takes place on Mondays), no one else was wearing a mask. It’s kinda hard to exercise with a mask on, so it was understandable. 

I realized how hard it is to keep my distance from people that I am used to hugging and talking to. I got too close to people while I talked. We all did. It was a weird situation to try and remember the craziness of the world and being careful while still trying to move back toward normalcy.

The class instructor is my friend. One of the many people that were a part of our group trip to Cancun in February. Which reminds me, I still need to do a post about that (for my own sake). The trip already feels like a lifetime ago.

Before the pandemic, I used to go to this Monday night class nearly every week for years. She is an advanced instructor. It was NOT easy to keep up with the choreography. Part of that was due to me being rusty and having new choreography. The other part is the Plantar Fasciitis I am dealing with in my left foot.

Plantar Fasciitis

My foot had been doing pretty well for like a week, but of course, on this day, it had to be bothersome. I tried out some Plantar Fasciitis insoles, but I think those made it worse because I hadn’t broken them in.

So my left foot hurt like hell. And I was sweating my ass off from being rusty.

Not the greatest comeback to Zumba, unfortunately.

I decided it was maybe best to go back to staying away from the gym again for awhile.

Outdoor Zumba

The following Saturday, another Zumba friend (who also went on the Cancun trip!) invited a small group of Zumba friends to Zumba in her large driveway, with another Zumba instructor friend leading us. 

I had missed the first Saturday it happened due to my high school friend’s last-minute wedding in Iola. I was excited to see some friends and try out dancing without insoles. I also feel a lot safer doing outdoor activities. Whether it is actually safer or not, I’m not sure.

Overall, it was a great time! I got to see and chat with some people that I have been missing since the pandemic started. 

Even though I was dancing on the pavement, my feet felt pretty good for the whole hour. I think those insoles are what killed me before. 

I was still very rusty, but better. The only obstacle for me was trying to see the instructor through the tree I was positioned behind for shade. 

We grouped together (probably closer than we should have) for some pictures afterward. It felt so good to be social with people again. 

I wish the Plantar Fasciitis would go away so that wouldn’t keep bothering me while I try to dance!