TEMPLE, Texas — Staying healthy during this pandemic has been hard, but Waco fitness instructor Teresa Cleveland has inspired her clients to get fit by dancing. In this week's “Your Best Life” 6 News Anchor Leslie Draffin explains how dancing also helped Cleveland lose more than 100 pounds.
When COVID-19 shut down gyms across the state, fitness instructor Teresa Cleveland got creative.
"With everything that's going on, people need to stay excited you know one thing people love to do is dance,” Cleveland said.
Cleveland, who teaches Hit the Floor fitness at the Dewey Recreation Center, moved her dance classes online and started to host “Crush it Competitions,” where people could earn money and prizes for getting fit.
Cleveland said, "It's like a big old party, even when you go to a party and you're sweating, you're gonna keep on dancing because you’re having fun. That's how it is at my fitness class, I like to keep it fun."
Cleveland’s clients encourage each other online and have lost anywhere from five to forty pounds. Cleveland knows the struggle all too well. She lost more than 100 pounds after she had her twin boys, and dancing helped her do it.
"Dancing is a way to just keep your heart happy, and a lot of times, a lot of the people in the group may have had a hard day at work or be busy, doing this and that, but oh, it's time to dance. And I have to make it exciting and believe me you're not going to go to a dull party, nobody wants to go to a dull party."
Now that gyms are back open, the party's back too. Cleveland’s hour-long dance classes include line dancing, choreographed routines and interval training.
"So when you come to my class I have to be loud, I have to be energetic. I do a lot of jumping, and anything to get you to want to dance and see your weight loss. I think once people start seeing the weight loss in dancing, they're like, 'Okay, I'm gonna keep doing it.'"
Cleveland said if you think you can't dance, just try it.
"It just keeps you happy, especially with everything that's going on. We just need to stay happy, stay motivated, encouraged to keep going" she said.
If you’d like to check out one of Cleveland’s Hit the Floor fitness classes, check out the Dewey Recreation Center’s website.
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