Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
I was born in New Zealand, but I pretty much grew up in Malaysia where I studied MassComms at Taylor’s University.
I was five or six when I first started dancing and performing. I’ve been a background dancer since then. When school started, I joined the events and professional performances all through university and even after graduation.
[Image taken by the author, Mushamir Mustafa]
Then, I moved to Vietnam at 25 with my ex-boyfriend, and decided to do fitness as a career as I had no idea what else to do.
Starting The Fitness Journey
My mom, a fitness instructor, does Les Milles (New Zealand Olympian who created a gym and started group fitness). I probably got influenced during my childhood while watching her in action. Currently, she’s been getting into pilates.
[Image provided by Jacinda]
I thought, “why not get into this field since many big gyms are opening everywhere, and fitness is booming.”
It felt like it was the right industry to go to. I started teaching Zumba part-time, so when I went to Vietnam, I had my full certification and classes set. As years went by, I took up four other programs; Les Milles, Body Pump, Body Jam, Body Balance and Body Combat.
After I got the certifications, I properly started my fitness journey.
I became a full-time fitness instructor at one of the top gyms in Vietnam and did that for four years.
I was attached to a gym full-time so I couldn’t work at other gyms. I was required to teach 12-15 classes a week, so I needed to manage my time to rest and eat well. I believe that if you don’t sleep and give energy to yourself, then you cannot perform to your fullest potential.
Fitness In Vietnam Versus In Malaysia
Vietnam has many youngsters who are into fitness, but in Malaysia, the demographic is more diverse as there are always young, mid-age and older fitness enthusiasts. However, there is a significant difference in energy between people in Vietnam and people here. That has been a little bit of a struggle for me.
[Image provided by Jacinda]
“But in Malaysia, everyone has different fitness levels, so many more injuries and things that require me to adjust accordingly. I can’t expect everyone to follow me at the same pace.”
Plus, everyone understands me here. There’s no language barrier, but everyone gets what I am saying.
The challenge I faced as an instructor in Vietnam was trying to do classes with body language and hand signs.
But I’m glad I went to Vietnam because I got a lot of new experiences from it. I had language barriers with the participants. I struggled to understand how to teach a room of 30-40 people, but it was great.
It’s Not A Simple Job
I don’t think people realise that a lot goes on in our heads while we’re instructing. There are tons to it.
“You have to look good, be presentable, and give the right energy at the right time. You can’t just scream your lungs out all the time! You would need to set the mood. You need to remember the music and the choreography! You would need to create the choreography and remember it as well.”
Then you’d have to look after the members to check THEIR technique. You would need to have knowledge of those techniques. You would need to know what to do when someone gets injured, all that safety stuff. A lot of control that you need to make sure you understand. It looks easy on the outside, but it’s much more challenging.
I have people telling me “oh, I want your job.”
Meanwhile, I am telling them that, realistically, it is no longer like a dance performance. You have to be responsible for everyone who comes into the room. It’s the health we’re talking about, and let’s just be happy together; if this happens, they deal with it themselves.
All About The Drive, All About The Power
As group fitness instructors, we are driven by volume. Still, we are just working and working and working and getting drained cause we need to find so many people. In Vietnam, I taught 18 different classes and seven different programs.
On top of that, I did performances for the gym events, photoshoots if needed, extra things on my teaching hours, and how much time spent preparing my classes. I got one day off, which can be used for performing practices and photoshoots. I spend an hour preparing for one class, or my manager might call me for training.
“You can burn out quickly, and I burnt out in Vietnam. So burnt out, that I had no appetite, couldn’t relax, didn’t have a social life, and didn’t do anything but work.”
Leaving Vietnam & Starting Over In Malaysia
I left Vietnam after breaking up with my boyfriend at the time. The relationship was already rocky because I was so caught up with working all the time. Then, I found out from someone else that he was cheating on me. So, I left the relationship; I went back to Malaysia.
Now that I am a freelancer, I’m the one approaching gyms with classes.
Sometimes, payment is not so great, or values don’t align. I am surprised that there are still gyms that have paid a meagre rate since ten years ago, which hasn’t increased much.
There are three types of payment for gym instructors:
The first is the flat rate (commercial gyms), which has been stagnant since ten years ago.
The second one is getting paid based on class attendance. If you say half the class came, you get half the amount.
Thirdly is when they pay by experience, but instructors still get paid the same and they’re looked down on and get paid so little. Personal trainers are looked at highly, but not group fitness instructors. I think we do a great job of getting the crowd together every week, and our commitment is quite a lot as well, having to memorise all these things. Isn’t that unfair? Why are we getting that amount?
Long Term Future
I don’t want to work in corporate because despite all this. I love doing it so much. Your body might not take it anymore at some point, and you must stop itching. Now I am still in the prime golden years of teaching. I might as well until I am not able to anymore. Everyone’s body is different, so until their knees give up or they get injured, that’s when they will stop.
I just want to keep going.
[Image taken by the author, Mushamir Mustafa]
Weirdest Experience By Far
Freaky and strange at the same time, people tried to stalk me, google me, and follow me home (in Vietnam). It was a girl who did this.
That is why I wouldn’t let members come to my place to hang out and eat, just for safety reasons.
Another experience… Well, it’s more of a funny experience actually.
Every quarter of the year, Les Milles releases music and choreography, so instructors just watch the videos, memorise the moves and carry it out.
Some members would know about the moves before instructors could even show them. So I am wondering, “how are you able to get those videos?”
They would be at the front and perform the choreography well. It could be like flex or an ego thing. They spend time memorising it (why do they even need me here?)
I’ve even seen them practise before the class! And they are primarily gay men. It’s like they have to be at the top. It pressures me because they might know the material more than me, and I make more mistakes, and they have also tried to correct me.
Teaching dance does help people in several ways.
To me, fitness has always felt like a performance; I love performing through dance. It inspires people, and it is nice to meet people from different backgrounds.
I had a few cases, about five ladies who have told me that they were struggling to get pregnant. They would then come up to me and say I am now pregnant!
Who knew that moving your body can help you get pregnant?
Everybody comes together, not knowing each other and not knowing the same goal. To experience the synchronisation of the whole room with music and energy, you can’t buy that. And people leave the place feeling 200% and all motivated.
If they have issues at home, they do something that helps them get away from the stress at work.
Why Am I A Fitness Instructor?
I have always been active since I was young too! Sports day was THE DAY for me. Ever since school, I would wake up early, get all my sports gear, and prepare.
I also liked to perform, so getting to combine these two is amazing.
And more than that, it’s just to help people, from simply moving and helping them realise that they can do it with my help.
I have so many people who say they can’t dance, and I say just keep coming back, and after a month, they are fine. They got it. The confidence thing comes back, inspiring people, really motivating people, cause right now, there are lots of times we feel demotivated.
[Image taken by the author, Mushamir Mustafa]
So I have to think it is not just about me.
All these people come for their reasons, which could be much more brose than mine, so it’s like therapy.
Do you know anyone with an interesting story to share? Drop us an email at hello@inreallife.my and we may feature the story.
For more stories like this, read:
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