My Beginnings as a Fitness Instructor

Hello, fitness friends! For my second blog post, I’d love to share a bit about my journey to becoming a fitness instructor. It’s been a long and winding path, but one filled with passion, dedication, and a lot of fun!

I’ve been active my entire life, starting ballet at the tender age of three. My dream was to become a ballerina someday. Unfortunately, my grasp of learning other languages prevented me from remembering when the teacher instructed tendu, ronde de jambe, pas de bourree…I always had to look around and see what the other dancers were doing! Although you will find we still do a lot of plies in class! What better way to strengthen and lengthen those thigh muscles! And I loved to pirouette! Haven’t tried that in years – reminder to self! Carefully!!

I took ballet and modern dance classes until mid-high school when my interests shifted. During this time, the 20-minute workout craze hit—remember those three women in leotards doing aerobics? I loved Jane Fonda Workout VHS tapes and even the Cher workout! What a leg workout! Despite my enthusiasm for fitness, I never dreamed of becoming an instructor until much later. It wasn’t until I started taking my kids to the YMCA for swimming lessons that I saw a Zumba class in progress. The instructor was amazing, the moves were exciting, and the music was addictive. I was hooked!

When our amazing instructor left the Y to pursue other opportunities, I decided to take the plunge and attend Zumba Instructor training. I started as a volunteer at the Y, and though I was terrified—my knees shaking and mouth dry during my first class—I never looked back. That was 16 years ago! Since then, I’ve been on an incredible journey, teaching fitness classes, meeting amazing people, and sharing my love of movement and music with others.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I hope my story inspires you to pursue your own passions and stay active, no matter where life takes you!