After all, part of me really wanted to stay home, finally making progress on revising a piece of short fiction that I hope to see published soon.

Besides, it was after 6 p.m. and the Zumba class at Hayti Heritage Center would be starting at 6:30.

And where the heck were my workout clothes, anyway?

But while that part of me was gearing up to make a compelling argument, the other part of me countered: How long have I been planning to make regular exercise - specifically something I really enjoy and will be motivated to do consistently - a priority?

And what better opportunity would there be for me to try Zumba, the dance/fitness program that's become a boom industry through its combination of Latin-inspired moves with international music?

What I'd heard about Zumba in the past couple of years intrigued me.

All I had to lose was the $5 fee for the class.

And even if I wound up deciding it wasn't for me, going to the class would be one giant step away from becoming an overstuffed couch potato, one small step toward meeting my fitness goals.

After two classes - on Wednesday and Friday of last week - I haven't decided if Zumba and I are a match.

But I'm glad I made it to Hayti for the high-energy workouts led by instructor Bobbiette Palmer, who goes by Bobbie (aka Zumbabbie if you look her up on Facebook).

Once the music starts and the class is in motion, it's clear that Palmer, 28, and Zumba were made for each other.

Hip, fit and fun, she makes the Hayti class feel like a party - even without the synchronized lights and surround sound that help create the leave-your- inhibitions-at-the-door atmosphere and upbeat experience Zumba fans love.

At the same time, she's all about the fitness part of the program, encouraging participants to keep our heart rates up once we were well into the workout, reminding us to take water breaks whenever we needed them, and sweating it out like the rest of us before closing out with a cool down and stretches.

Palmer, who's gone from a Zumba first-timer to a licensed instructor in less than a year's time - and who recently moved to Durham with her family - was smitten with it from the start.

She decided to try the popular program when her 14-month-old daughter was 4 months old, with the goal of getting toned and dropping pregnancy pounds.

"I immediately loved it and knew that I wanted to become an instructor," she says. "In fact, I went home and told my husband that was exactly what I was going to do!"

Five months later, Palmer, who has been teaching classes at Hayti since last fall, was down to her pre-baby weight.

After trying to mimic her moves in class and seeing her fluidity, range of movement and technique, I'm still floored that she's not a formally trained dancer - though she did put together a hip-hop dance troupe as a student at the University of Iowa.

Now that she's a busy working mom, she's staying in amazing shape with Zumba workouts alone, three to five times a week.

So, lots of selling points there.

I've always loved dance, though I haven't taken any classes since I was in college.

And my two Zumba sessions last week confirmed that my overall fitness and stamina levels aren't quite what they used to be - or what I want them to be.

That's not a happy realization.

But it serves as a valuable wake-up call that too many hours on the couch or in front of the computer aren't compatible with the active lifestyle I want.

On the upside, after last Wednesday's class, when I was over my frustration at feeling winded early on - and mostly over my annoyance with my stumbles to some of the music - I realized I had forgotten just how alive a demanding workout can make you feel.

I don't think my search for the right fitness program for me is over just yet.

A few years back, when I belonged to a gym in Greensboro, I tried Pilates and found myself liking the deliberate pace, almost the polar opposite of Zumba.

I've thought about running during the years.

Since I've always been a fast walker, maybe it's not too late to work up to at least a slow run.

But seriously, maybe the most important thing I can do now is keep the momentum going - now that I've started to actively pursue my fitness goals again instead of keeping them indefinitely on hold.

It would be too easy to settle for finding a comfort zone on the couch.