Minnesota Zumba Party Hearty – Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Zumba Party Hearty Minnesota is coming to the VIP Olmeca nightclub in Burnsville, Minnesota on Saturday, March 26, 2011.

Registration starts at 12:00pm. The cost is $10 and parking is free. Zumba begins at 1:00pm. This event will feature:

• Live drums with Lidia Berman “Conga Queen”
• Demonstration of Zumba for kids by the ZumbAtomic Team
• Live music by Principes Negros
• Performances by Latin Flavor on stage
• Live DJ by Deejay Nuyo mixing your favorites Zumba Hits

Dress to impress in your favorite workout wear, but remember: You will be exercising and sweating! You may also want to wear red – 75% of the ticket fee supports the American Heart Association. Party Hearty Zumba events across the country have raised nearly $400,000 USD as of the date and time this article was originally posted. That is amazing!

For more information, visit the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=140044762726919

Minnesota Zumba Events – March & April 2011

Zumba – Kicks like a workout, feels like a party

The Minneapolis – St. Paul, Minnesota Star Tribune recently published an article about Zumba.

University of Minnesota kinesiology professor, Beth Lewis was quoted as saying: “For someone who’s physically fit, probably going for a run is going to provide a better workout, but for people who work out rarely, this is a fabulous gateway exercise…”

I very much disagree with Ms. Lewis. Zumba is a great interval workout for people of all fitness levels, not only “people who work out rarely.” The Zumba format allows each individual to work as hard as they choose or as hard as they are able. Zumba recruits muscles from the entire body while challenging the cardiovascular system. Choreography may be difficult for some former athletes to pick up and therefore, some “physically fit” participants may need more time and practice to feel comfortable enough to work at a high intensity.

I have been a long-distance runner for over 15 years and I never saw the rapid results that I saw from Zumba from running. Since doing Zumba for the first time in March 2009, I personally have lost over 30 pounds. I consider myself well-conditioned and toned. I ran my best-ever Ragnar Relay race in the summer of 2010 after training by primarily leading Zumba classes.

I love seeing my participants smile and build confidence, spirit, and attitude through Zumba. Viva Zumba!

“The Puck Stops Here” Tom Emmer Billboard is Ridiculous

** Please note before reading. I am not a politically-minded person whatsoever. **

“The Puck Stops Here” Tom Emmer billboard is ridiculous. Here’s why:

In the picture on the billboard, Emmer is wearing the typical old-man softball uniform: 100% polyester white baseball umpire shorts and an old school, 3-button softball jersey. He is leaning forward with one arm extended, as though to shake someone’s hand. The other hand is resting on his thigh, but yet has A CARTOON HOCKEY STICK photoshopped into it…?

Adding a hockey stick to a picture of a man in a softball uniform makes no sense. That’s the best they could do? The billboard is by far the worst billboard I’ve ever seen for any product or political candidate.

I don’t have a picture yet, but I need one. You can find this billboard on Highway 10 in Blaine, Minnesota and 35E in Saint Paul.

I’m not a political person, but please don’t vote for Tom Emmer. This billboard is ridiculous.

Zumba With a Purpose – Chile Earthquake Relief

Attention Zumba lovers in Minnesota!

Zumba with a Purpose to benefit Chilean Earthquake Relief with a $10 donation on Sunday, May 2, 2010 from 1:30-3:15pm at Shoreview YMCA in Shoreview, Minnesota.

The 2010 Chilean earthquake happened on February 27, 2010. Approximately 500 people died and 500,000 homes were destroyed. Many Zumba instructors have family and friends in Chile. All money raised at the Zumba with a Purpose event will be given to the Chilean Club in Minnesota (Chilenos en Minnesota) to be delivered to Chilean institutions to benefit earthquake and tsunami victims.

Click here for more information and enjoy!

Zumba with a Purpose

Attention Zumba lovers in Minnesota!

Zumba with a Purpose to benefit Toys for Tots with a $10 donation on December 12, 2009 from 1-3pm at Gold’s Gym in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. This Toys for Tots benefit will feature a group of local Zumba instructors and, keeping in the spirit of Toys for Tots, Marines.

Click here for more information and enjoy!

Welcome Back, Baseball

This is, by far, the coolest map I’ve ever seen.

You can contribute to the map team boundaries by entering your MLB team alliance and zip code at www.unitedcountriesofbaseball.com. You can also download desktop wallpaper and even buy a United Countries of Baseball at t-shirt.

Go Brewers!

First Day of Spring?

Today is the first day of Spring. The snow has melted and the weather has been pleasant, but has Spring really sprung in Minnesota?

Farmers in the rural Indianhead of Wisconsin always say that it’s not officially Spring until “it has snowed on the Robins’ tail three times.” It usually holds pretty true for this part of the country and I’m going to test it again this year.

Last weekend, I saw my first Robin, the sure sign of spring, in the Twin Cities during a walk with my boyfriend through Northeast Minneapolis.

Today, my friends in my home state of Wisconsin reported enough snow to cover the streets.

One “snow on the Robin’s tail” down, two snows to go.

The REAL St. Patrick

We celebrate March 17th in commemoration of St. Patrick’s great and noble deed in driving the Norwegians out of Ireland.

Centuries ago many Norwegians went to Ireland to escape the bitterness of the Norwegian winter. Ireland was having a famine at the time, and food was quite scarce. The Norwegians were eating almost all the fish caught in the area, leaving the Irish with nothing but potatoes.

St. Patrick, taking matters into his own hands like most Irishmen do, decided the Norwegians had to go. Secretly, he organized the IRATIONAL (Irish Republican Army To Rid Ireland Of Norwegians At Last).

Irish members of IRATIONAL sabotaged all power plants in hopes the fish in Norwegian refrigerators would spoil, forcing the Norwegians to a colder climate where their fish would keep. The fish spoiled all right, but the Norwegians, as everybody knows to this day, thrive on spoiled fish.

Faced with failure, the IRATIONAL sneaked into the Norwegian’s fish storage caves in the dead of night and sprinkled the rotten fish with lye, hoping to poison the Norwegian intruders. But, as everyone knows, this is how lutefisk was introduced to the Norwegians and they thrived on this lye-soaked smelly fish.

Matters became even worse for the Irishmen when the Norwegians started taking over the Irish potato crop for lefsa to go with their lutefisk.

Poor St. Pat was at his wits’ end and finally, on March 17th, he blew his top and told all Norwegians to go to Hell, and it worked…

All the Norwegians left Ireland and went to Minnesota.

Speed of the Sound of Loneliness

I’m going to see my favorite local musicians, Matty O’Reilly and John Schjolberg, play tonight at the 331 Club in Northeast Minneapolis.

I first saw Matty O’Reilly (acoustic guitar and vocals) and John Schjolberg (pedal steel guitar) perform Speed of the Sound of Loneliness by John Prine at one of Matty’s restaurants, the 318 Cafe in Excelsior, Minnesota. I loved it so much I told my friends it was like, “Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one.”

You can download a free live version of John Prine performing Speed of the Sound of Loneliness from Glide Magazine here: http://www.glidemagazine.com/free-music-downloads/1012/john-prine-speed-of-the-sound-of-loneliness-mp3.html

Speed of the Sound of Loneliness
by John Prine

You come home late and you come home early
You come on big when you’re feeling small
You come home straight and you come home curly
Sometimes you don’t come home at all

So what in the world’s come over you
And what in heaven’s name have you done
You’ve broken the speed of the sound of loneliness
You’re out there running just to be on the run

Well I got a heart that burns with a fever
And I got a worried and a jealous mind
How can a love that’ll last forever
Get left so far behind

So what in the world’s come over you
And what in heaven’s name have you done
You’ve broken the speed of the sound of loneliness
You’re out there running just to be on the run

It’s a mighty mean and a dreadful sorrow
It’s crossed the evil line today
Well, how can you ask about tomorrow
When we ain’t got one word to say

So what in the world’s come over you
And what in heaven’s name have you done
You’ve broken the speed of the sound of loneliness
You’re out there running just to be on the run

You’re out there running just to be on the run
You’re out there running just to be on the run
You’re out there running just to be on the run