Cheers To 10 Years: Remembering My First Class


2018 promoting our 1st Newcomer’s Dance Too! Project in Flemingdon Park (funded by the Toronto Arts Council)

At the 2015 Syrian Refugee Wellness Conference, hosted by Adeena, founder of the Afghan Women’s Organization

Cheers To 10 Years: Remembering My First Class

By: Sumera Garcia-Quadri

I remember running my very first Zumba Fitness program in April 2014. It was an 8-week program at the Annex with 4 participants, all of whom saw my little flyer at a local laundromat or cafe. I had a black Denon speaker, a Nokia cell phone with my playlist on it, and a pair of colorful sneakers from Payless. I was also lucky to have the support of my grandma, sister, aunt, and a few friends who would participate in my classes as a way to reassure me that what I was doing was good.

Before instructing and organizing community group fitness programs, I was at a women's circuit gym. While it was a good start, I wanted to enter an area of fitness that made sense to me. Zumba Fitness felt RIGHT, although I had never taken a Zumba Fitness class before signing up for the instructor training. I trained in Latin dances since the age of 13 (dances like Cuban Salsa, New York Mambo, Pachanga, Cha Cha, and Merengue) so finding a dance fitness system that combined Latin rhythms and movements was a dream. I was also desperate to maintain a healthy weight and active lifestyle during the daytime, which I couldn’t find in dance. Latin dance outings/socials were usually in the evenings and in a nightclub where you would usually dress up, where pretty shoes, and hope to find lots of good dance partners. Although I left Zumba Fitness in 2015, I owe a lot to its Colombian founder, Beto Perez, as it kept me and millions of others grooving, burning calories, and inspired.

Since then, I made it a habit to pilot group fitness programs that you wouldn't usually see in a gym like Pound Fit (a drum workout), Mom and Baby Latin Dance Fitness, Kid's Fitness Circuits, Kid's Yoga Safari, and eventually, women's Bollywood Fitness. I had no idea back then that Bollywood Fitness would take off the way it did and that we would be known for our seasonal Bollywood dance and fitness programs. Fast forward 10 years, I'm now running approximately 20 seasonal dance and fitness programs a year across various health centers, women's and kid’s organizations, and community spaces, as well as a free youth annual dance and safety event in 5 under-communities.

Truthfully, I experienced a lot of ups and downs due to not being a brick-and-mortar business or about the BOTTOM LINE. It’s hard to keep members happy, maintain community partnerships, and train instructors on how to run safe, effective, and fun classes. I had taken off most of 2018 to think about whether I wanted to continue in the fitness industry or not. Then there was COVID-19 which on one hand, set back Toronto Fitness for almost 2 years, but then brought us the gift of virtual classes.

I would like to thank our regular members for giving us a class to come to each season. Without them, we would have been out of business a long time ago! (P.S. I remember the names of all of our members).

I would to thank our regular instructors for keeping us moving - Alejandra, Ceejay, Pekhna, Mithila, Cheryl, and Deepak. A thank you to Aleya, a friend and fitness mentor, who has listened to my struggles at all times of the day and has referred me to the best kid Latin dance instructors. A shout out to our oldest self-defense pals Niv Goffman, Gil Katz, and Jesse Solloum from Krav Maga Maleh Canada for working alongside me since 2019 to get more youth moving and feeling safe.

Cheers to 10 years of moving and grooving,

Sumera

Sumera's Healthy and Easy To Make Holiday Desserts

Hello Friends,

The holidays are around the corner and that means there will be lots of delicious treats. From Hannukkah to Christmas to New Year’s Eve, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy active lifestyle and diet.

After losing my dad, as a kid, to diabetic complications and then watching my grandmother almost lose a leg due to a diabetic foot condition, our family has come together and made it a habit of making delicious meals and desserts that are both nutritious and better balanced. We know that giving up everything can lead to binge eating and the opposite results. 

Here are two festive desserts that you can bring to any Holiday party this season and not feel too guilty about eating them or giving them away ;).

Sumera’s Bran Loaf with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds (1-Bowl Dessert with No Refined Sugar or Dairy)

Ingredients (all room temperature except for the frozen berries)

  • 2 cups bran flakes

  • 1 cup spelt flour or all-purpose flour

  • 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

  • 1 cup dairy-free milk or cold Earl Grey tea

  • 1 large free-run egg (can remove the egg yolk to reduce the cholesterol)

  • 1/3 cup raw honey

  • 1/3 cup vegan butter or any mild flavored oil like vegetable or canola

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp cinnamon

  • a pinch of salt

  • 1 1/2 cup of frozen cranberries (you can add frozen bananas or blueberries but it will increase the amount of sugar in the recipe)

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8 x 8 loaf pan with parchement paper

  2. In a large bowl, add all of the wet ingredients and whisk together. Mix in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then add in the bran, flour, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon, and fold together. Fold in the frozen cranberries and mix lightly.

  3. Scoop the batter into the pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is light brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out slightly clean

  4. Leave to cool and then slice. Best served the next day.

Nutritional facts: high in fiber and antioxidants, medium in carbohydrates, and low in cholesterol and sugar.

Sumera’s Snow Log Coconut Bars (Food-Processor Dessert with No Refined Sugar, Dairy, or Gluten)

Filling Ingredients (all room temperature) - makes 8 medium bars/logs

  • 1/4 cup coconut cream or coconut condensed milk

  • 2 1/2 to 3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

  • 1/2 cup of almond flour

  • 1 tbsp Vanilla extract

  • a pinch of salt

Chocolate coating

  • 1/2 tsp instant coffee

  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips dairy-free (55% or higher)

  • 4 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil

Method:

  1. In a food processor pulse all of the filling ingredients together until a paste is formed (6 to 8 pulses). Make the bars/logs from the mixture. Place them on a tray lined with parchment paper. Put in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden.

  2. Melt the chocolate chips, coffee, and butter on the stove or in the microwave for 60 seconds or until the chocolate chips have melted and the texture is shiny and slightly thin. If you want it runny, you can add more vegan butter/oil.

  3. Dip the bars in the melted chocolate and code them the way you want. Place them back on the tray and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes.

  4. Once the chocolate sets, you can put the logs in a tin and store them in the fridge for up to 7 days.

    Nutritional facts: high in iron and fiber, low in carbohydrates, moderate in fats.

A Mesmerizing Evening of Classical Indian Dance & Bollywood Fusion Workshops

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On Saturday, October 5, our team ran a Classical Indian (Bharatnatyam) and Bollywood Fusion workshop to inspire the participants taking our Bollywood Dance and Fitness programs physically, mentally, and artistically. After seeing lots of big smiles, hearing lots of laughter, and getting to see the beauty and gracefulness in their movements, I think we did just that.

During the 3-hour workshop, participants were taught a history of the dances they were learning, the meaning behind the songs, and beginner steps and techniques in Classical Indian Dance (Bharatnatyam), Classical Indian dance with Bollywood Fusion, and Bollywood Dance Choreography (an evolution of iconic moves and songs from the 70’s to now). All instructors provided professional, easy to follow, and exciting learning experiences for the participants.

Although we’re sad that the workshop is over, we look forward to putting on another workshop series in February for all of you who want to join us!

For more info on the next series, please join the e-news list (on the home page) or send a message below.