Fitness Friday # 17: Zumba in the Park

For the first time, I hosted an outdoor Zumba event in my town. I’ve been teaching Zumba for 6 years now (official Zumbaversary was May 2), and I’ve always toyed with the idea of an outdoor party/class. I love organizing events, especially fitness events.

We have an incredible location in Chestertown – we’re right on the Chester River, and there’s a large park by the waterfront. What a perfect spot for outdoor Zumba!

The weather had been nice all week, but there was a small threat of rain on the day of the event. It turned out perfectly though – some cloud cover and then the sun showed it’s pretty face toward the end of the workout, just in time for some sunset group photos by the water. (we only seem to take photos at the END of class when everyone is nice and sparkly from working out)

My sweet friend Natalie helped lead the class. We each taught songs and came together to teach a handful of songs. That was the most fun – being able to lead a song with another instructor! We had a few tricks up our sleeve – including one song that got everyone to pull out their black shades–perfect song for an outdoor class. We danced in the grass which can get a little tricky for some of the moves, but stomping and bouncing on the grass actually felt nicer than a hard dance floor!

I prepped a bunch of healthy snacks – energy balls, sliced oranges, halved bananas, a couple of large jugs of water, and…

Three different kinds of smoothies from Tracy’s Smoothie Place. I got tropical sunrise, banana strawberry, and berry nice. All three were great for the short ride from her Washington Ave. location to the park. Even better, she delivered them to the event! Her arrival came at the perfect time – right at the halfway mark.

We danced some more, and before we knew it, it was time to cool down and head home. What a great event. I’m definitely considering a repeat event. What a fun, crazy time with a fabulous group of people!