Apparently this year is about me pushing out of my comfort zone - and hopefully the rest of the year will see my weight loss get back on track, and maybe even see me start teaching regularly somewhere... :)
Showing posts with label u-jam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label u-jam. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
U-JAM Fitness Instructor!
Hello, blogland! ;) Late last month, I completed all the steps to officially become a credentialed U-JAM Fitness Instructor! WOOHOO! I've written before about my love of U-JAM Fitness and I'm thrilled to join the instructor family. I've even taught my first class, but that was a one-time situation, filling in last-minute for someone who was injured. It was thrilling to get that first class out of the way though, and I realized that I have a LOT more to learn. :D
Monday, July 25, 2016
U-Jam Fitness Instructor Workshop!
This weekend, I did something completely crazy and out of my comfort zone. I took the instructor workshop for U-Jam Fitness, the cardio dance workout that I love.
Over the past few years, I've met some incredible people who are U-Jam Fitness instructors, and two of them in particular really encouraged me to take this workshop. I thought I'd take the workshop later in the year, but one was scheduled nearby this month and the trainer was the fantastic instructor who really ignited my passion for U-Jam back in 2011 - so I knew I needed to take this particular workshop.
It's a full two day workshop, which kicks off with an hour-long "Master Class" taught by the trainer and open to the public. I was delighted that both of the instructors who nudged me to take the workshop were both able to attend! What a great and supportive way to kick off this weekend!
After the Master Class, day one is filled with learning more about the fundamentals of U-Jam Fitness, including two "choreo jams" where the trainer broke down each song into the core moves and helped us fine tune every movement. I've been doing these songs for five years, and I learned something new about each one - crazy! One of the songs was designated as the one we'd have to teach the next day, so we spent a lot of time working on that one (and some folks stayed late to keep on practicing).
Day two started off with a written test covering the materials in the instructor manual that we had received after signing up for the workshop (and discussed during the first day). After that, we all got to practice our class introductions and then do our "practical" exam of teaching that song from the prior day! I had lots of fun with that. Later on, we did two more "choreo jams" to master a total of four songs over the weekend.
However, this doesn't mean I am a credentialed U-Jam Fitness instructor yet! I need to film a video of myself teaching three of those songs in front of a class of at least five students, and submit that video for evaluation. Nerve-wracking!! I hope to do this in the next few weeks, though we do have 60 days to submit it.
I had a great time at the workshop and learned a lot, and am now on my journey to become a credentialed U-Jam Fitness instructor. Looking forward to seeing where this adventure will take me!
Over the past few years, I've met some incredible people who are U-Jam Fitness instructors, and two of them in particular really encouraged me to take this workshop. I thought I'd take the workshop later in the year, but one was scheduled nearby this month and the trainer was the fantastic instructor who really ignited my passion for U-Jam back in 2011 - so I knew I needed to take this particular workshop.
It's a full two day workshop, which kicks off with an hour-long "Master Class" taught by the trainer and open to the public. I was delighted that both of the instructors who nudged me to take the workshop were both able to attend! What a great and supportive way to kick off this weekend!
After the Master Class, day one is filled with learning more about the fundamentals of U-Jam Fitness, including two "choreo jams" where the trainer broke down each song into the core moves and helped us fine tune every movement. I've been doing these songs for five years, and I learned something new about each one - crazy! One of the songs was designated as the one we'd have to teach the next day, so we spent a lot of time working on that one (and some folks stayed late to keep on practicing).
Day two started off with a written test covering the materials in the instructor manual that we had received after signing up for the workshop (and discussed during the first day). After that, we all got to practice our class introductions and then do our "practical" exam of teaching that song from the prior day! I had lots of fun with that. Later on, we did two more "choreo jams" to master a total of four songs over the weekend.
However, this doesn't mean I am a credentialed U-Jam Fitness instructor yet! I need to film a video of myself teaching three of those songs in front of a class of at least five students, and submit that video for evaluation. Nerve-wracking!! I hope to do this in the next few weeks, though we do have 60 days to submit it.
I had a great time at the workshop and learned a lot, and am now on my journey to become a credentialed U-Jam Fitness instructor. Looking forward to seeing where this adventure will take me!
Monday, January 11, 2016
U-Jam Fitness
How have I never posted about this? U-Jam Fitness is my cardio exercise of choice. I stumbled upon it in the summer of 2011 and got hooked. It's a dance workout - "world beats with urban flair" - and one major reason I am addicted to this over Zumba is that the choreography is consistent, regardless of instructor. If the song is Jennifer Lopez's "Papi", the routine will be the same no matter who is teaching the class. As a kid, I took lots of dance lessons so I truly appreciate being able to learn and master the choreography for each song.
I had to stop working out about a third of the way into my pregnancy, and it took a long time to recover afterwards... but thankfully, last spring U-Jam came out with a home DVD workout (which I helped back via their kickstarter-style fundraising project). I love this DVD, and it got me back into the motions. I rejoined 24 Hour Fitness a few months ago because they have a TON of U-Jam classes, and have been attending a bunch of them. ;) I've had a streak going of 12 days in a row of attending a U-Jam class at the gym, but alas that streak is coming to an end today because husband has to work late. ;) Doh!
As with any group exercise class, some instructors are better than others (and I definitely have my favorites!) - but U-Jam consistently is a great workout, especially once you learn the choreography! :)
I had to stop working out about a third of the way into my pregnancy, and it took a long time to recover afterwards... but thankfully, last spring U-Jam came out with a home DVD workout (which I helped back via their kickstarter-style fundraising project). I love this DVD, and it got me back into the motions. I rejoined 24 Hour Fitness a few months ago because they have a TON of U-Jam classes, and have been attending a bunch of them. ;) I've had a streak going of 12 days in a row of attending a U-Jam class at the gym, but alas that streak is coming to an end today because husband has to work late. ;) Doh!
As with any group exercise class, some instructors are better than others (and I definitely have my favorites!) - but U-Jam consistently is a great workout, especially once you learn the choreography! :)