Not just any excercise

For Christmas and Mother's Day my children gave me gift certificates for Express MiE.  I love Express MiE.  This is where I take Zumba classes with my daughter/instructor.  One of my sons asked me what I get out of going there.  I leaned over and touched my toes.  He exclaimed, "I can't do that."  I thought it over...I got a lot more than just being able to touch my toes. 

This is the link to Express MiE   http://www.expressmie.com/ (Put a little i in ME.)

The rest of this may be triggering for some people... 

For my definition of Sexual abuse you can read what I have already written...
http://weareone-ruth.blogspot.com/2012/01/sexual-abuse.html

I pondered a lot about what Express MiE has done for me.  I attended my first class about 2 years ago.  I I have gone regularly over a year.  I took Zumba, Bollywood, Awkward dance, and many different dance classes in the Club MiE program.  In Awkward dance, I accepted that I feel really awkward doing many things with my body.  I did not feel comfortable in my own skin.  My daughter reminds her class to honor their bodies.  She means that if you have a previous body injury to not do anything that cause more damage to your injury.  What I took this to the level of I need to honor my body.  Take care of it.  Appreciate how marvelous this body is and accept that my body is sexual.  Sensuality was something I avoid.  I dress mostly in clothes that are very baggy, often a size larger than I need.  I avoid mirrors.  I do not watch MTV.  I am easily embarrassed.  I struggle with talking about sex.  My children were given a book or I talked as little as possible.  I learned from my counselor what I should have said to my daughters but didn't know until after they were already married.  What Express MiE did for me was teach me to be comfortable in my own skin. 

The studio room is wall to wall mirrors.  The classes are women ranging in age from 20s to 50s of every shape and description.  I became very good at finding a spot in the room that I could avoid the mirrors, in the back or along the edges.  I became adept at watching the instructor in the mirror and never looking at myself.  I still wear baggy clothes to class.  I learned moves used on MTV, body rolls, shimmies, and many other dance steps, grape vine is one of my favorites.  In some of the classes, we would take turns dancing across the room.  In line dancing, we start at the edge of the floor and run to our places screaming, that is so fun.  I watched others and they watched me.  When I took the hula hoop class, I discovered that I am still good at it much to the surprise of some of the other students.  I can be horribly tired when I get home from work after spending 45 minutes dancing I feel so much more alive and utterly exhausted.  I am still clumsy at a body roll but a lot of the other stuff I am having a blast.  I just changed my membership so I can take more classes.  I look forward to dance time.  Express MiE did for me? I learned that my body is beautiful and I love having it.