Zumba Por Vida (Part Two)

Contributed by Dena Evans

Originally appeared on rokovoko.com

For Susan Armenta, the South Bay Program Coordinator for the Bay Area Women’ s Sports Initiative (BAWSI), Zumba proved to be just the right fit for the women she already worked with as a part of BAWSI’s Salud Por Vida (Health for Life) program. Salud Por Vida, with the partnership of neighborhood nonprofit organizations such as Somos Mayfair, offers a free weekly fitness program aimed at the moms of the elementary aged girls who have signed up for the BAWSI Girls after-school fitness program. Childcare is provided for the stroller-sized little ones, and the moms suddenly have that elusive slice of “leisure time” that allows them to get started on their own fitness goals and examine some simple elements of good nutrition.

You’ll usually find Armenta with a sporty ponytail pulling together her shoulder-length straight black hair. In running shoes, yoga pants, and T-shirt, Armenta carries herself with the graceful athletic posture that reflects her status as an Olympic hopeful and American record holder in race walking. More important than the obvious role modeling she does as an athlete, she provides a crucial missing link for the women she works with—someone with whom they can converse in Spanish and feel comfortable being themselves.

Diana Juaregui, Family Support Lead Promotora for the Somos Mayfair organization, has also participated in both Salud Por Vida and the Zumba programs. She believes that the presence of someone like Armenta has made all the difference for the women in her community as they take their first tentative steps toward physical fitness. “Susan has been a great mentor and coach,” Juaregui says. “She kind of is able to see the potential for each person and pushes them a little bit to step outside their box. It happened with me when I did Salud Por Vida. She said, ‘Come on Diana … you can do it!’ It gives you more confidence when someone is encouraging you and acknowledging your hard work. She also mentions that diabetes is in her family and that she is the only one in her family that doesn’ t have it.”