For those of you who don’t know, I am lucky to have the best job in the world. By a strange series of events last year, I started instructing Zumba classes at Seung-Ni Midland, and have recently started teaching kickboxing as well. Besides the fact that I get paid to workout, Seung-Ni has given me so much. I stop into the gym, on average, 6 times a week, and it has become a second home to me. My fellow instructors have become good friends, I’ve gotten to know many of the members personally, and the familiarity I feel when I walk through the doors at Seung-Ni is irreplaceable.
As I graduate and move to Ann Arbor in the fall leaving Midland behind, one of the things I will miss most is working at the gym. It will be hard to switch to a new fitness routine, and I will miss getting my butt kicked by all the other instructors I have grown to know and love. I’d like to dedicate this last fitness article to thanking Seung-Ni for all it has given and taught me.
Before sophomore year, I didn’t work out at all. Health definitely was not of top priority to me, Pizza Rolls and Taco Bell were part of my daily diet, and I had numerous health issues including back and hip problems. During January of my sophomore year, my health took a turn for the worse when I was diagnosed with mono and pneumonia. I was forced to stop physical therapy, quit pom, and take two months to rest. After I recovered, I got my first ever gym membership at Seung-Ni, not knowing how much of a part of my life it would become. I vowed to myself that I would attempt to make health my number one priority and to never feel as weak as I did during those two months.
I started out slow, only attending Zumba classes twice a week. Slowly, the mindset and energy of Seung-Ni infiltrated itself into my brain. I started to watch what I ate, and bump up my weekly class load. My desire to improve my strength and body became a huge dedication, and was encouraged with every small progress I saw.
After going to classes for about a year, our Zumba instructor announced she was moving and suggested me as a replacement. I was thrown straight into instructing 4 days later, and terrified, I taught my first class. I will never forget the feeling of leading others on their journey to a fitter self, and being an example and motivator for those who share my passion of exercise.
I would never have had the courage to teach my first class without all the other instructors and owners of Seung-Ni. They consistently push me and each other to be better teachers and examples, and live and breathe fitness. This gym has truly changed my life. Not only has Seung-Ni given me my first job and lifelong bonds, but it has also given me something that cannot be replaced: a love for fitness that has become a huge part of my life.
I’m sure I will continue to teach classes next year, but it won’t be the same. I will miss this gym like crazy. Thank you Seung-Ni for everything that you’ve given me.