Lia Jiannine creates hybrid Zumboxing class at Rec Center

By Crystal Fernandez
Staff Writer

While most students are in class or having lunch on a Wednesday afternoon, Lia Jiannine,  FIU’s recreational services assistant director of fitness, and her class are moving their bodies to heart-pounding dance and latin beats, working on their jab-cross combinations and stomping their feet in a club-like atmosphere.

These are some of the sights and sounds of Jiannine’s class, a  Zumboxing workout being offered at the Recreation Center.

If you have taken an aerobic class at “The Rec” chances are she is a familiar face. Some of her weekly classes include Zumba, Kickboxing, Total-Body, Cardio-Sculpt, Spinning, Hip-Hop and now Zumboxing, a heart pounding combination of  zumba, cardio and kickboxing.

Jiannine said  her class is a fun switch for anyone who is stuck in a workout slump.

“It’s something new, and that’s what I like most about it. Sometimes workouts get repetitive and  I’m the kind of person who likes to switch it up,” Jiannine said.

The 50-minute class is offered at the rec center Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m..

“It’s intense and it’s so much fun and fast-paced. I like to make it into a club-like atmosphere and that makes the time fly,” Jiannine said.

Jiannine is no stranger to high intensity workouts. While pursuing a bachelor of science in health science education at the University of Florida, she joined her first collegiate recreational class at the age of 17, a hip-hop dance class under the University’s group fitness program called Gator Funk.

“It was a lot of fun,” Jiannine said. “I was basically just looking for something to do in my spare time and I really enjoyed it. It opened up a lot of doors for me.”

Jiannine enjoyed it so much that it wasn’t long before she joined an 8-week fitness training class to obtain her fitness instructor certification. Jiannine was one of only six selected for the certificate and has kept herself busy ever since.

As she moved on to obtain her master’s degree in exercise and sports science, she began teaching. Everything from kickboxing, total body, cardio blast, interval training, step, spinning and even Gator Funk, at her Alma Mater until 2007.

Gator Funk was always my favorite.  I still run into people that took my class more than a decade ago.”

To start a new chapter in her life, Jiannine moved to Miami. In July 2010, she applied for a fitness coordinator position and joined the FIU recreational family.

“I wanted to get out of Gainesville and live somewhere else … I still wanted to stay in the same field, so I applied for a job at FIU, and here I am almost 5 years later.”

Despite her energy-demanding job as a fitness coach and her busy schedule, Jiannine is happy to do what she loves every day. She is passionate about her career and relies on the energy of her students to keep her going.

Jiannine is also a doctoral student at FIU and is recruiting volunteers for a research study examining the relationship between physical activity, self-concept and sexual behavior for which anyone can volunteer.

“I got to learn about nutrition, drugs and sexual behavior. What is more interesting than that?” Jiannine said.“Health is just so relevant to every aspect of human life.”

Be the first to comment on "Lia Jiannine creates hybrid Zumboxing class at Rec Center"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*