Zumba Wear
Some people wear their everyday gym clothes to Zumba, but Zumba wear is different than gym clothes. It’s a cross between street wear and dance wear. Zumba wear is available from the Zumba online shop and will cost you anywhere from $14.95 for a pair of Zumba flip flops to $94.95 for a pair of Zumba athletic dance shoes. A safe bet for any Zumba lover is a top to wear to class. A Zumba wear top will cost you anywhere form $14.95 to $39.95 + shipping. Shop now if you want it to arrive by Christmas!

Zumba DVDs
The gift that keeps on giving – a Zumba class right in your very own home! There are two authetic Zumba DVD sets available: the Total Body Transformation System (as seen on TV) or the Zumba Exhilarate DVD Experience. There is even a set of Zumba DVD’s for children called Zumbatomic. The DVD sets are expensive ($89.95 for Exhilarate on Zumba.com, $49.95 for TBTS on Amazon.com), but contain five DVDs including a live workout and choreography to tone the arms, abs, buns, and thighs. Shop for DVDs on Zumba.com or Amazon.com.

Zumba Video Game
I was lucky enough to participate in the Best Buy release of the original Zumba Fitness video game for Kinect on the XBox 360 at the Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minnesota last year and let me tell you, it is amazing! The Zumba Fitness video game is available for Wii and Playstation and WILL give you a workout. This year, the Zumba Fitness 2 video game is also available for Wii. Shop for DVDs on Zumba.com or Amazon.com.

Here are some other ideas for Zumba lovers:

• Dance lessons – Maybe they’re ready to start salsa dancing???
• Exercise clothes – Bright, neon colors are popular in Zumba classes. Popular exercise clothing brands in my classes: lululemon athletica, lucy, C9 from Champion available at Target, Victoria’s Secret PINK (yes, Victoria’s Secret), Old Navy
• Hip Scarf – Belly dance and Bollywood songs in Zumba have inspired some Zumba lovers to wear colorful hip scarves during class.

Zumba lovers, do you have any other suggestions?

The Zumba Fitness Home Office announced this week:

The hottest innovation in Zumba^® footwear is coming the first week of November. Be the first to get the shoe that works as hard as you do! Z-Top is the NEW ultimate dance-fitness shoe featuring customizable comfort, optimal support and maximum freedom of movement.

You (or your favorite ZIN Zumba instructor) can buy these Zumba shoes from the Zumba Fitness inline shop. The new Z Tops are on pre sale now for ZIN members on the online Zumba Shop for $74.95 for ZIN members or $94.95 regular price!

The Z Tops are described on the Zumba online shop:

Step it up with Z-Top, the revolutionary dance-fitness shoe featuring enhanced support and a non-marking rubber outsole for maximum sliding power and control. Two separate upper finishes allow you to choose your look!

• Interior “hidden wedge” and exterior Velcro strap cradle the foot
• Shoelace loop above the heel exterior offers additional ankle support
• Additional sock-lining included for those in need of extra support
• Ultra-breathable grey mesh finish provides a lightweight feel
• Raised mid & heel side walls for foot stability
• Ultra smooth central outsole with circular ridges to allow fluid movement while still providing grip
• Alternative sleek patent leather finish — perfect for on and off the dance floor!

People were taught to use two spaces following a period in the days of the typewriter and those double spacers became parents, teachers, and professors who taught word processor/computer-era students to use two spaces after a period. It’s a vicious cycle.

I have even seen two spaces following periods in text messages – a form of communication where spelling, grammar, and punctuation are often completely eliminated!

It is a hard habit to break and though one space after a period is now considered standard, the most important thing is to be consistent.

MLA (Modern Language Association)
MLA Handbook FAQ – How many spaces should I leave after a period or other concluding mark of punctuation?

Since word processors make available the same fonts used by typesetters for printed works, many writers, influenced by the look of typeset publications, now leave only one space after a concluding punctuation mark.

Chicago Manual of Style
Chicago Style Q&A: One Space or Two?

There is a traditional American practice, favored by some, of leaving two spaces after colons and periods. This practice is discouraged by the University of Chicago Press, especially for formally published works and the manuscripts from which they are published.

APA (American Psychological Association)
The APA style guide is not available online, but I used this APA Style Essentials summary. One must use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Spacing after Punctuation: Space once after commas, colons, and semicolons within sentences. Insert two spaces after punctuation ending sentences.

Please note: In the quote advising those following APA guidelines to use two spaces after punctuation ending sentences above, there are not two spaces after the end punctuation of the first sentence…

And finally, I have to give props to the OWL.

Match.com
By far, my worst dates came from Match.com and in my opinion, Match is the worst dating site out there. This probably stems from the fact that it is the easiest and fastest site to sign up for, and also the most inexpensive.

The ability to search primarily based on physical criteria on Match is a bad thing. You put in what physical features you want your matches to have, view pictures (subscribers only), and read what he or she has to say about him or herself. Easy enough, right? Wrong. In my experience, Match.com users lie about EVERYTHING – their ages, heights, weights, marital statuses, number of children, you name it.

You must communicate through Match because the site blacks out email addresses people incorporate into their profile text to communicate with users without paying to use the site… Tell me this: Why would you want to connect with someone who isn’t even serious enough to pay the minimum $35 for one month to meet someone special?

The worst feature of Match.com is free trial weekends. While free trials might be good for beginners or people unsure if they want to subscribe, but free trails are bad for everyone else using the site. This is when the cheapskate creeps come out and activate the accounts they haven’t used for months to quickly contact as many people as possible for free. No thank you!

On the dark side, I know of a man who has been on Match for at least five years. Now that Match has the “find someone special in 6 months or get 6 months free” guarantee, my friend claims he “will be on Match until he gets married.”

On the bright side, I personally know two couples that met on Match and both couples recently married. They all have horror stories about some of the dates they had and people they met through Match, but things worked out for them and they seem very happy.

In conclusion, when it comes to Match.com, you get what you pay for.