Beep, Honk, Wave, Shimmy!

Give me a honk, beep, wave, or shoulder shimmy! Feeling the love already!

Zumba for a Cure! May 10th

Okay, you know how there are just some things that are meant to go together? Like peanut butter and chocolate? Strawberries and cream? Milk and cookies? Little black dress and peep toe pumps?

Well, that is how I feel about me and the amazing Tanya Ryan! Throw some HOT Latin music in there and wrap it all up in the incredible event space at Open Square and you got yourself "Zumba for a Cure"!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 7pm, Open Square Event Space, donations gratefully accepted. All proceeds benefit Hunting for a Cure, helping to raise awareness and funds for a cure to Huntington's Disease.

Please feel free to contact me Kate@papercityzumba.com with any questions! Hope to see you there!

If you are looking for Zumba and Fitness classes in Western Mass including South Hadley, Holyoke and West Springfield, please visit www.papercityzumba.com for a complete class listing!

Shake Shake Shake Dance for a Cause 4/30/2011

I will be collecting canned food and other non-perishable food items in class all this week, April 25th for donation to the Shake Shake Shake Event in Sunderland, MA on Saturday, April 30th.

This event is to benefit the Amherst and Turners Falls Survival Centers.

I will also accept donations at my home if anyone can't make it to class but would still like to help out!

Please email me Kate@papercityzumba.com if you need to arrange a pick up or drop off outside of class time.

If you are interested in attending the event here are the details.

Time: 4pm-6pm on Saturday, April 30th, 2011

Location: First Congregational Church, 91 South Main Street, Sunderland, MA

Info: An introduction to the Zumba Program with area instructors, Bella Dickerman, Juliet Cannici, Kate O'Donnell, Lauren Franks and Zulma Rivera, with John Delapena from Seattle, WA

Proceeds will benefit area needy families and also the Amherst and Turners Falls Survival Centers.

Cost: $8 or $5 with canned food item

If you are looking for Zumba or Fitness classes in Western Massachusetts including, Holyoke, South Hadley, or West Springfield please visit www.papercityzumba.com for a complete listing!

Be Kind to Yourself, It Might Lower Your Blood Pressure

Seriously. It might. Check out the video of a song we started doing this week called "Shake It" by Michael Franti and Spearhead with Lady Saw. The song is a happy expression of beauty being in the eye of the beholder and knowing that you are perfect just the way you are. To delve a little more, so many of you that I know personally are in the "helping professions" which require lots of giving to others. It also requires treating others with a certain amount of compassion. I came across this blog posting which suggests that people who find it easy to be supportive and compassionate toward others often score surprisingly low on self-compassion tests. The research suggests that giving ourselves a break and accepting ourselves can lead to better health. People who score more highly on self-compassion tests have less depression and anxiety and tend to be more happy and optimistic.

Give yourself a break, you deserve it!

The Best Gifts...

are the ones you can't put a price tag or gift wrap on. I know, I know, but it's true! This week I want to share a personal experience. My girls have swimming every Friday afternoon and it is always a struggle to keep my almost two year old son from jumping into the pool with them, throwing balls into the pool or just generally squirming around for the entire hour and fifteen minutes we're in the pool area. I had plans with a friend to meet up after swim with the kids for an early dinner. She offered to bring baby boy to play and take a walk. It was on the tip of my tongue to say, "Oh no, we can manage, I don't want to trouble you." But instead, I said, "Thank you, that would be wonderful." I don't know if this is the case for you, but I often have a hard time accepting help or "gifts" like that from people. I am conditioned, as a mother, to think I have to do it all myself or maybe I just have gotten used to doing some things like that myself. I am really trying to graciously accept these gifts which are freely given. On Friday, baby boy could have had his usual afternoon of squirming and being told, "No, Stop, Come back here!" Instead, he spent time with a wonderful friend who delighted him with playing picnic, going down the slide, hanging upside down from the monkey bars and getting blessed fresh air! And I was able to sit and enjoy watching my beautiful girls swim like little seals and just soak them up. What a gift. So the next time someone freely offers a gift, accept it with open arms and know that the time will come when you can make someone else's day the way my friend did for me.

You never know how what might seem a simple act of kindness to you can really impact someone else's life positively.

If you are looking for Zumba or Fitness classes in Holyoke, South Hadley, West Springfield or Western Mass, please visit here for a complete list of classes!

New Class Coming to Paper City Fitness!

Wednesdays at 7:00pm, directly following Zumba at All Saints' Episcopal in South Hadley! Come get yourself toned, work on improving your core strength and improve your overall fitness with a head to toe stability ball workout that includes free weights and body weight exercises.

Drop in rate is just $5 or one punch on your card! Stability ball classes begin Wednesday, March 23rd, no pre-registration necessary. Please bring ball, free weights and either mat or towel for final stretch. Feel free to contact me with any questions at Kate@papercityzumba.com.

Coin scarf order has been placed! I should have them next week in class for those that would like to purchase one. If you want to take one for a test drive, I always have some in my suitcase that you can try out.

Working on some hot new songs: a new salsa, reggaeton and a cumbia that you will absolutely love!

Paper City Fitness: Bringing fabulous to a class near you!

P.S. The disco ball arrived this week!

If you are looking for Zumba Fitness, Boot Camps, Pilates, Stability Ball or Sculpt/Tone classes in Holyoke, South Hadley, West Springfield or Western Mass, please visit www.papercityzumba.com for the most up to date class listings!

Paper City Zumba Class Announcement!

Classes are cancelled tonight ONLY, Wednesday, January 12, 2011! Please be safe if you must go out!

I can't wait to see you all back on Monday, January 17, 2011, 6pm Sculpting and 7pm Zumba!

Visit www.papercityzumba.com for the most up to date class information!

Welcome to Paper City Zumba with Kate O'Donnell

The idea for Paper City Zumba came from a good friend. She has lost over 100 lbs and has maintained her weight through a combination of Weight Watchers and home exercise videos. She came to my Zumba class at a local gym and loved it. Zumba spoke to her love of music, performance and voice; she is a classically trained singer with an amazing voice. She wanted more Zumba and the classes offered didn't fit into her schedule, it was hard to justify a gym membership when what she really wanted was more Zumba classes and more flexibility.

I realized that many people fall into this category and for lots of reasons. Busy schedules, busy lives, we all know how that is! And she was not the only person who shared this frustration with me. Thus, Paper City Zumba is taking Zumba out to the community and making it accessible to everyone. What does that mean? Classes are open to all fitness levels, no dance or fitness background required! The price is affordable, $5 drop in per class. What is stopping you?

Two brand new classes beginning 9/13/2010:
Mondays, 7:00pm, All Saints' Episcopal Church, Woodbridge Street, South Hadley, MA, $5
Tuesdays, 5:45pm, All Saints' Episcopal Church, Woodbridge Street, South Hadley, MA, $5

*All classes are 1 hour long, please arrive a few minutes early to sign in. Supportive sneakers, water bottle, small hand towel are recommended.