Jamy Watson is a Jazzercise instructor in Springfield, Missouri. She has been involved in the program since she was sixteen years old but was only officially certified about a year ago. The Scoop sat down with Watson to get a sense of what Jazzercise is and how it can benefit you.
How has being an instructor changed you?
It’s made me realize how much I love to be a teacher. I’m struggling with what I really want to do with my life. I mean, here I am 40 years old and I really don’t know what I want to be when I grow up and being an instructor has helped me learn that I do like teaching and that maybe that’s a direction I want to go. It’s also taught me that I like a lot about the physical body and being able to transform your body through movement and through diet. It’s made me more interested in being healthy.
How many places does Jazzercise reach?
Oh my gosh. Haha. It’s international. Jazzercise Incorporated has places all over the world. You can pretty much go to any town. I mean, just plug it into your phone. Do you have the Jazzercise app? You can download it or even pull up their website and see how many locations. They’re all over. There’s two in Springfield.
Who can Jazzercise?
Anybody. You see mostly women here. When I was coming here when I was younger, um there was a man, two men, that would come. There are men that instruct and unfortunately we don’t find them here. But anyone can Jazzercise. It doesn’t matter what size you are. I think you do have to be at least sixteen, but you know. There’s modifications you can do for all the moves in Jazzercise. So anybody can do it.
What should people know before getting into Jazzercise?
It’s follow the leader. You know and you just gotta pay attention to your body. You have to listen and if your body says ‘oop’ I can’t do that move, then you can talk to the instructor afterwards about finding a modification for it. All of us instructors like feedback. We like to know what the students like. So don’t ever feel like, if you didn’t like a song or whatever, that you can’t run and up and say ‘ hey, that’s not a cool song,’ or ‘let’s not do that again.’ Or maybe you can always talk to them about finding a different way to do it so you do like it better.
How can people benefit from Jazzercise?
Oh gosh, Jazzercise is to me, its the best medicine there is. For your brain and for your body. I’ve discovered that if I don’t make it to class in a week or something, I’m depressed, and I feel sad and lonely, but when I come here there’s so many girls that support each other. And just as an instructor, everybody’s so supportive and encouraging. It’s the best medicine there is.
Why should people be interested in Jazzercise?
Because it’s a fun way to become healthy. You don’t even realize that you’re working out when you’re here. You’re just here dancing with your girlfriends. Who could ask for more? Especially in the middle of a Tuesday! That’s what I’m here to do. I have to take off work to come teach this class, but I love it. It’s the best part of my day.
