Pescadero’s Zumba classes are the happiest workouts on the coast. Here, the Latin-inspired dance workouts have a cult following; twice a week, classes are often so full that you might have to search for a spot to dance in the multipurpose room of the elementary school. It’s easy to understand the program’s success. Each hour-long workout is an adrenaline joy-fest soaked in feel-good endorphins. Not just because it feels good to dance, but because of Puente’s dynamite teaching pairs: Erika Vera and Arcelia Arenas on Tuesdays, Gaby Flores and Lisa Sumano on Thursdays. Both classes are held at 6 p.m. In their hands, Zumba isn’t just a hardcore workout. It’s also really, really fun. Just spend one song with Zumba instructor Erika Vera. Five minutes into a hot salsa number with a seemingly endless choreographed series of jumping jacks, lunges, air jumps and sidekicks, she can’t stop smiling. Neither can fellow instructor Arcelia Arenas. The two women project raw strength and enthusiasm. They do 15 squats in a row with their hands clasped in front of them. The harder the routine, the wider they beam at their students. The song stretches on for ten minutes. Twelve. It seems like it may never end. The women who came for a workout are flushed as they fight to keep up. But they’re … Continue reading Puente’s Zumba: a party in every workout