Rebecca Feller

By day I'm a Transportation Engineer; I design highways for a private engineering and architecture firm in the Kansas City Metro Area. After hours I pursue my real love: teaching group exercise classes. Although being a Group Exercise Instructor is my "moonlighting" job, I truly have a passion for coaching my participants through a fun and effective workout. I entered the world of fitness in college by taking kickboxing classes a couple times a week. While taking these classes at the University of Nebraska, I was told by a few of my fellow participants that I should really consider teaching. This encouraged me to enroll in a course, while in grad school at the University of Nebraska, to learn the basics of teaching. I earned my AFAA primary certification a couple months later. I didn't start teaching right away because I had just relocated to the Kansas City area and was in the midst of starting a new job and planning a wedding. I joined 24-Hour Fitness when I moved down to Kansas City in late 2002 and dove right into the classes to get a feel for how they were put together. I went to my first 24-Hour Fitness conference in November of 2003, attended auditions, and was hired the following month. For me, teaching has added an entirely new dimension to group exercise classes. One of the primary reasons I decided to look into being a group exercise instructor was because I was becoming bored with attending classes. I wanted to be up there and be in charge of the class instead of being a participant. It’s quite an adrenaline rush to get up in front of the group and successfully lead them through a class and I still get nervous before every class, but in a good way. I enjoy helping participants one-on-one during class with their form; I want everyone to enjoy their workout, but I want them to do so safely. When I attend group exercise classes, I watch and listen for cues and try to decide what makes certain instructors “better” than others. I then try to improve my technique in similar areas or use some of the safety cues that I found particularly helpful and effective. In the past eight years I have gone from a fitness dabbler to a workout-aholic. Teaching group exercise classes is something I hope to do for many years in the future. My health and fitness is very important to me, and I love being able to help others meet their fitness goals.