I first started doing Zumba at the end of 2010 to stave off the winter blues. Where I live in Portland, Oregon, the months of drizzle can lead to seasonal affective disorder. I had a coupon to visit the East Portland Community Center for two dollars, so I headed to their Zumba class one Thursday morning.

Lydia Hernandez, my first Zumba teacher

The community center turned out to be a fun mix of ages, ethnicities, shapes and sizes. My Zumba classmates showed that ladies of all ages – and a couple of guys, too – could really shake their hips. The teacher, Lydia Hernandez, was adorable, very quiet and sweet, and an excellent dancer. After a recent stint in Jazzercise, where the teachers used very loud microphones to exhort us to more effort, Zumba’s follow-the-leader attitude was a big relief to my ears and nerves. Instead of yelling, there was just music and trying our best to mimic the teacher. Zumba music is a combination of various Latin beats, like salsa and merengue, with a little reggae, hip hop and rock thrown in. The songs are all upbeat. In Lydia’s classes, and others I’ve been to since that first visit, Zumba really lives up to its motto: “Ditch the workout, join the party.”  The attitude is acceptance of people of various abilities, styles and levels of dance coordination. Teachers usually say, “Do whatever you can or want, but please go in the same direction as everybody else for safety reasons.” Good advice.

The EPCC sells a 20-class card for $74, which works out to $3.70 per visit. It’s an amazing deal, as the facility includes a weight room, pool, Jacuzzi and various fitness classes seven days a week. Whenever Portlanders tell me they can’t afford to join a gym, I suggest the EPCC or other local community centers.

But then in late 2011, I found a Groupon for 20 Zumba classes for $24. Goodness, I thought, that’s just over a dollar a class! So I snapped it up, and tried out a new place.

My $24 Groupon brought me to the Uptown Ballroom in Southeast Portland, to a class taught by Alayna Bussen. Many types of dance, such as salsa and swing, are taught in the ballroom, giving it a real dancer feel. Framed black and white pictures of gorgeous dancers line the hallways. Plus, it was old and historic, so that was fun. Alayna is a calm and kind teacher, a beautiful dancer with the swingingest hips.

Soon after I started taking Alayna’s class, my father died. The idea of going to such a happy class felt strange. But continuing to exercise really helped. People have all different ways of mourning and processing their grief. I usually opt for yoga classes to sort through my emotions. But in this case, the sadness was too heavy and yoga class is too quiet. While my yoga teachers find tears perfectly acceptable, I found Zumba suited this grief better. Putting my body through joyful movements at a time like that temporarily lightened the load. My classmates were busy concentrating on their footwork, so nobody noticed a few tears on my face. It seemed to work for one of my sisters, too, who was doing Zumba in another city, also sad and crying, but feeling some relief during an hour of shaking it to Latin beats.

So for me, exercise in general, and Zumba in particular, has kept me feeling sane through a whole range of days: happy, mediocre, sad and sadder. I encourage everybody to get off the couch and get the energy and endorphins flowing. On the good days and the bad.