Lisa Bodell works at a school, so she spends most of her day surrounded by children. Sounds germy. That’s part of what makes heading to Aqua Zumba class at the Health Club of Concord, where she can interact with a bunch of other full-grown adults, so appealing.
That and the chance to try out what she watches at work all day.
“I feel like a little kid in here,” Bodell said. “I don’t think enough adults play in the water.”
Dozens of them do in Jessica Merrill’s Aqua Zumba classes, which take place Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. It’s the chance to take the funky latin beats and aerobic dance moves of Zumba and throw them in the pool like your little brother.
The primary objective is the same as traditional Zumba – to get your blood pumping with non-stop dancing to lots of international music (also known as every J-Lo video ever). The water may slow some of the moves down a bit, but it also provides some benefits.
“What we do is take Zumba moves and modify them to fit in the water,” Merrill said. “The water adds seven pounds of resistance, so there’s a strengthening component to it. You’re using muscles you wouldn’t use on a daily basis.”
Merrill is an experienced Zumba instructor who says the fitness outlet “changed her life,” leading to her losing enough weight that she refers to what she shed as “almost an entire person.” She was “completely hooked” after her first day of training to teach Aqua Zumba, officially earning her license in 2012.
She brings the same enthusiasm to both versions, though she has to remain on dry land while the rest of the class is in the pool for Aqua Zumba, which can make for an odd scene to the random passer-by.
“You have to be out of the water, acting like you’re in the water,” Merrill said. “You can’t be wondering what people are thinking because you’re jumping around with everyone at eye level with your knees.”
Speaking of knees, those are just two of the body parts that can benefit from Aqua Zumba, and many of Merrill’s faithful students would rank the physical improvements from the class right behind Merrill’s contagious zeal as the top reasons for going.
Bodell has been “putting off a knee replacement for four years,” she said, and has suffered from a lot of arthritis, and the water allows her to do the jumps and other movements required in Zumba without the impact on her joints.
Martha Hammond, who has been taking classes for a year-and-a-half, has lowered her blood pressure, lost weight and increased her energy level “a lot,” she said.
“The first class was overwhelming, but I said I’d go back for a second one, and I haven’t stopped since,” Hammond said.
Some of the benefits are life-changing. Just ask Lynn Arthur and Maria Bumford.
Arthur had a bad back, bad knees and carpal tunnel that made exercise difficult until she jumped in the pool for the first time. “Now I do so much more than I could before. Walking from the parking lot at work to the building used to kill me,” she said. “Now I can go for a two-mile walk and not feel it.”
And for Bumford, who was taking just her sixth class Thursday night, it has literally been a breath of fresh air. “I suffer from severe asthma, and I just did my first 4,000-footer and didn’t have any problems with my breathing.”
The activity – and Merrill, for that matter – have certainly draw plenty of fans, some of whom think about Aqua Zumba pretty much all the time.
“I fell in love with this class. I look forward to class even on the days that there is none,” said Cheryl Thayer, a loyal participant since November of 2013.
Merrill says she is having “the time of my life doing it,” and was quick to praise the effort her students are always willing to put in. Though classes are at the Health Club of Concord, they are open to non-members, as well. The club recently changed hands so rates are changing, but those interested can visit facebook.com/healthclubofconcord to learn more.
Also, Merrill is bringing an Aqua Zumba instructor from Texas in for a master class open to the public Oct. 11 at 10 a.m. Tickets are $15 ahead of time or $20 at the door. Email Merrill at zumbajems@gmail.com for tickets or stop by the club to grab them.
It sounds like you won’t regret it if you give it a try.
“It’s kind of like dancing when nobody is watching, because we’re under the water,” Bodell said. “So if you’re doing it wrong, nobody knows as long as your head is bobbing to the right tune.”
