Dance
the weight away
Zumba instructor
Chris Beck, right,
leads, from left,
Mardana Jones,
Sandra Leslie and
LeGina Seals in a
class at the
Thornton YMCA.
A new fitness craze has made its
way to Tulsa, one that devotees
say never gets boring and
requires only a pair of tennis
shoes. Hear Latin music blaring
from a workout room? You just
may have found Zumba.
by Nellie Kelly
Fifteen years of running marathons left
Debby Bearden’s back and feet hurting.
As she reached her 50s, she had trouble
finding new activities to replace her favorite
sport, which had broken bones in her foot
and caused bulging discs in her back.
Kickboxing was too much for her discs.
Step aerobics exacerbated a heel injury.
Aerobics steps were so complicated that
she routinely felt embarrassed in class.
The only form of exercise she could do
for any length of time, Bearden says, was ride
a recumbent bicycle — the kind that sits low
to the ground and offers the rider a large seat
and reclined position.
“It was very depressing for me because
I’ve always enjoyed being active,” she says.
In May, she heard Latin music blaring
from a room at the Thornton YMCA. It was
a program called Zumba, and the classes
were free for the first Tulsans brave enough
to try.
Participants were shaking their hips,
