RESHAPING HERSELF MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY
The REB3L experience has so many common threads that we really wanted to share! Whether they are redefining themselves, renewing their concept of working out or reshaping their bodies or minds, we all have something in common! This is Nichole’s story…
I started dancing at a young age and it was my life for many years. I used to watch videos of Paula Abdul and learn all the choreography. She was my idol and I was always wanted to be dancing like her. Later, during high school, my dream was to dance professionally, but more specifically for the Dallas Cowboys. I went to college on both a dance and cheer scholarship for 2 years and participated in competitions with my college dance team.
I decided to take a break while I had my kids but my passion was always in the back of my mind. After my 3rd child, I gained quite a bit of weight. I joined a Zumba class because I thought it would help but I never saw the results I wanted. However, I liked being able to dance again and I had a great instructor so I kept going for about 7 years.
A little over 2 years ago, I lost a friend to suicide that was a major part of my life for about 17 years. The grief hit me hard. I was in such a dark place that I wasn’t sure how to move forward or if I even wanted to. I developed anxiety that was so bad that most of the time I didn’t want to leave my house or even talk to people. I still went to Zumba and for that hour during class I felt good but the minute someone would talk to me afterwards, I would break into tears and fall apart again.
My Zumba instructor became certified in REB3L Groove and after I tried my first class, I loved it! It was fun and reminded me of how I used to dance. But best of all, I left feeling great for the first time in months. She had told me that I could also learn the routines at home which I was stoked about because of my situation. When I joined online, REB3L was doing a Facebook challenge which I loved because I could do it at home but I did still go to classes as well because I couldn’t get enough. I loved the strength classes too and this challenge kept me so focused that I started to worry less about the people around me and more about what I wanted to accomplish for myself. I finally felt myself moving forward to a better place.
The more songs and choreography I learned, the better I felt about myself and started to become so passionate about the format that I did both Groove and Strength classes about 4-5 times per week and I was loving it. I started getting so many compliments about my weight loss and really I felt and looked better than ever. I went from size 16 pants to size 6 in about 8 months. A few months later, I became a certified instructor because REB3L completely changed my life in just a few short months. I found the direction in life that I was looking for and found something I loved when I didn’t think that would be possible again.
Now as an instructor, I don’t see it as a job at all. It’s something that I truly love to do. I teach 4 times a week and everyday I look forward to my classes because I know that I will be making a difference in someone’s life even if they don’t know it yet. It starts out small, such as someone just saying they had fun. Then I start seeing some of the same people back every week (a few girls even go to all my classes)and class ultimately keeps growing. Even just seeing their excitement for new songs is a great feeling because I feel the same way and we have that connection. Teaching has also given me confidence, better posture, and a positive state of mind. It is by far the best decision I ever could have made and exactly what I was meant to do.