"It's alright, I'm alright, just dance, gonna be ok..."

Last Friday, I posted about my experiences with Just Dance 3 and how I have no rhythm at all.  I did a session of Just Dance 2 to the amusement of my husband on Wednesday (hey, my "Crazy In Love" Beyonce moves are amazing), and he remarked on how I was nowhere near as sweaty or out of breath like I once was.  I felt good and decided that I should integrate dance into my week more.  Zumba and Amazon Prime streaming were recommended by friends, and while I'm definitely going to look into those, I stumbled upon my unopened Gold's Gym Wii Dance Workout.

I completely forgot that I got this for free by using debit card points!  What a fun discovery!  I popped it in the Wii and skipped the tutorials (as per usual, I'd rather jump in and flail and get a cardio burn while figuring things out along the way.)  Well, I did try a 2 minute salsa tutorial....they have Salsa, Samba, Cumbia, Reggaeton, and Merengue styles.  

Yeah.  This is me when I first try to move my hips and follow dance steps:

Then I get focused and ready to take on those cross-turn-cross-turn-step-2-whatever.

While I envision of becoming this....

I really look more like this...

I try to keep my footwork moving so I can get a burn going, but I look absolutely ridiculous.  I will never judge the Dancing With the Stars contestants so harshly again because I have a really hard time keeping up with music and steps and leading with the wrong foot.  It was really frustrating to keep up with the "trainer" for the first few songs, and I was not a happy camper.  By the time I got to "Smooth," I realized that there was a lot of well-guided repetition and that I wasn't doing horribly.  Plus, I was really working up a sweat.

This is my trainer:

And this is an example of what the dance workouts look like.

I did all the beginner songs:  

"Stronger"- Britney Spears

"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"- C&C Music Factory

"Waiting for Tonight"- Jennifer Lopez

"Smooth"- Santana & Rob Thomas

"Just Dance"- Lady Gaga

A Latin techno song (I can't remember the name, and Google is not being helpful)

I was so focused on the dancing that I didn't realize there were other activities to play on there like cardio boxing!  Yeah, I did the "Good Vibrations" beginner boxing.  I don't turn down an opportunity to move while Marky Mark attempts to rap.  It made me miss the cardio kickboxing class I took with a friend 4 years ago, so I hope to integrate more of this after the dancing.

What I really like about the game is how they give you a running total of your calorie burn.  They also let you know the food equivalent of your calorie burn, and that's a good motivation to keep dancing.  I compared it to my Fitbit and my results were within 8 calories!

I'm still going to compare my Fitbit, but I am really impressed with the Gold's Gym Dance accuracy!

(P.S., how cute is my new Fitbit cover? It's so incredibly 1980s.  And look, it's happy with my cardio!)

It's interesting that the calorie burn between Gold's Gym Dance and Just Dance are nearly identical, yet I felt more exertion during Gold's Gym Dance.  I think the difference is that Just Dance doesn't have someone telling you what to do, and it feels more like a fun party game where you might pick up a few sweet moves.(and a bunch of lame ones!) Gold's Gym Dance has vocal guidance and a better guide for which foot to lead with and the upcoming moves.  It encourages you to really move your hips and get your arms to flow while you do "basic" footwork.  I felt like I was actually toning while dancing, and that got my heart rate up and my sweat dripping.  

I totally had to step outside in the freezing air with water...maybe it wasn't the smartest idea to dance in a light sweater.

I'm not going to stop Just Dance, but I'm definitely going to alternate the games more.  Plus, Gold's Gym Dance gets me doing a couple old school moves I was always good at. (and can't name, dammit!)  This will also hold me until I can get the Just Dance with a calorie burn on the screen, and since both games are made by the same company, now I know that number will be accurate!

After all that googling for old school moves, I have to go teach myself the Roger Rabbit now...I couldn't do it in '92, so let's see if I can do it at 33!

"Cotton candy, sweet and low, let me see that tootsie roll..."

I love to dance.

LOVE.

One of the most important things for me in our wedding planning was that the reception be a huge dance party.  I worked with the DJ closely, and he honored all my music wishes.  Nearly everyone got on the dance floor at some point which meant the world to me.  I am in love with our reception pictures and have the best memories from that entire day.

The bottom right picture emphasizes why I wanted a tea length dress.  Swingy!

That mini-collage proves that I have a great love for dancing, but no coordination or rhythm whatsoever.  It's funny because a lot of people in my family are good dancers, and my grandmother was even a professional dancer with her own school in 1940s NYC.  

I tended to be shy in club atmospheres when I was single, but after I met my husband, my hips and feet started going out of control when there's an opportunity to dance.  I've even broken him out of his shell.

I always think I look like this...

But I really look more like this...

So, I may not have the sweetest moves or can easily grasp choreography, but that doesn't stop me!  And let me tell you something-  you can really burn a decent amount of calories even by doing a video game like Just Dance for a half hour.  The only thing is that you actually have to move your legs despite the Wii controller only sensing the hand motions.  That's how you get the sweat and calorie burn going, because let's face it, anyone could perfect the arm motions while standing still.  I don't do this to win the game; I just like to have fun and burn calories when I don't feel like going to the gym.  I haven't done it for awhile, but I decided to try it again tonight while I was alone and really able to throw some sass into the movements while flailing like a spaz.  I know, if only you were a fly on the wall!

(I know I could just turn on my iPod shuffle and start dancing, but I like having structure and a guide when the intent is to burn calories.  Shame that you can't just turn on MTV anymore!)

I really need to upgrade to Just Dance 4 so I can see the calorie burn on the screen, but I'm happy checking it on my Fitbit.  209 calories in 25-30 minutes!  Not too shabby.  More than I burn sitting and watching Big Bang Theory, you know?

(None of these screencaps are mine.)

I warmed up with "Baby One More Time."  It's hilariously easy.

Eased into "California Gurls."  This one cracks me up with all the "sultry retro" poses.  Don't be fooled, it really works the arms!

"Party Rock Anthem"...hadn't done this in awhile, forgot how raver-esque the moves are.  Not my favorite.

"I Don't Feel Like Dancing."  Whew, for someone who doesn't want to dance, this one really gets the heart rate up! (Love Scissor Sisters!)

"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)."  Not as hardcore as you'd think.  It just really made me realize how the Running Man gets harder when you have boobs. (I was 10 when it was popular, ok?)

"Let's Go to the Mall."  I'm still shocked they put Robin Sparkles (How I Met Your Mother) on Just Dance!  I absolutely love it, and the moves are more intricate than you'd think!  The captions are ridiculous because instead of "Gretzky," it says "Brettsky."  WHAT?!  Hey Ubisoft, you do realize you can Google the lyrics?!

Normally I'd include "Apache" on there, but I didn't feel like jumping tonight.  I have to include a picture because it's just so ridiculously offensive!

You know you want to watch Will and Carlton now.

Mixing it up is fun, and I'm trying to remember that the dancing I just did is not the lazy person's way out of exercise.  When you have a sheen of sweat on your face and you have to roll up your pants and walk outside in the freezing winter weather for a minute, you know you definitely got the heart rate up, and I'd say that's a success.  I just have to keep this momentum going.