OCCC students who are looking to get a workout and have a great time doing it might want to join one of the free Zumba classes on campus, said Zumba Instructor Laura Horn.

Zumba, one of the most popular ways to exercise in the world, is a workout that is centered on dancing and genuinely just having a great time, Horn said.

“Our motto is, ‘It’s not a workout. It’s a party,’ she said. “You just dance. And, people start moving in ways that they aren’t used to moving, so they don’t realize that they’re using their core when they’re shaking their behinds,” she said.

“They giggle and they laugh and they don’t realize until they get done, like, ‘Hey, I just worked out!’ Some people say it’s like a dance club.”

Horn said Zumba is perfect for students or faculty who regularly attend her classes, because it provides a getaway, as well as a gateway to exercise.

“Once you see a little change in your body, in your core, it just snowballs,” she said. “Or, [it can be used] just to keep your mind off of some terrible thing you’re going through. For an hour, you can just forget about that and concentrate on moves.”

In the four years that Horn has taught Zumba classes at OCCC, she said, she has always tried to maintain one goal, regardless of the class size.

“I’ve had from 10 to 15 in a class to just one or two, but what makes it interesting and regardless of how many people are in there, I always think ‘if I6 can do something good for one person in this class, it doesn’t matter,” she said.

She said Zumba is an easy class for students to pick up, simply because of its nature.

“It can be for beginners or for people that have been doing it [for a while.] The intensity is up to the students,” she said.

“I’m just here to provide the Latin music and the smile, and a little bit of instruction. If they want to go crazy, that’s perfect.”

Students interested in taking Zumba or any of the other free fitness classes offered at OCCC can look at the fitness class schedule posted at www.occc.edu/rf/wellness-classes.html to find a class that works best for their schedule. All classes are free.

For more information about any fitness classes at OCCC, contact the Recreation & Fitness Department at 405-682-7860, or visit www.occc.edu/rf.