Jul
23
At age 40, Cristina Galicia Erickson has found herself with a thriving second career as a Zumba instructor.
“Funny thing is, I’ve never danced,” Erickson said, about her life before taking her first Zumba class.
That was about four years ago, shortly after Erickson found herself divorced and a single mom. She hoped to find something to rebuild her self-esteem and decided to try a Zumba class at a Benicia gym.
Zumba is a fitness dance class based on Latin music and movements. Erickson found herself enjoying the class, and soon found herself wondering if she could teach it.
She continued taking the classes at 24 Hour Fitness in Fairfield. That’s when everything changed.
“The manager saw me with a Zumba shirt and thought I was a Zumba instructor,” Erickson said.
She told the manager she was not the teacher, but hoped to become one. The manager then told her about the certification process to become an instructor.
Soon, Erickson found herself facing her first class — but it wasn’t her last. She reveled in the experience.
“I feel like I found something in me I hadn’t seen before,” said Erickson, who last month celebrated her fourth year as an instructor.
After rotating through several gyms, including various 24 Hour Fitness locations and In-Shape in Vallejo, Erickson ended up teaching Zumba for the Greater Vallejo Recreation District.
For the last three years, she has held classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Vallejo Community Center. About 20 of her former students have gotten their own Zumba instruction certifications, Erickson said.
Erickson said she was amazed by how big her classes have gotten.
“When I first started teaching here, there were only one or two students,” Erickson said last week, shortly before a class of more than 30 filed into the community center’s main hall.
Erickson has also become a strong fitness advocate, encouraging her students to live healthy lives. Among them is Laura Goldstein, 24, of Vallejo, who lost 20 pounds in the last six months.
Goldstein credited Erickson’s Zumba classes for much of her weight loss.
“Before I wasn’t doing anything, so Zumba had a big impact on me,” Goldstein said.
Contact Lanz Christian Bañes at (707) 553-6833 or lbanes@timesheraldonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @LanzCBanes.
Cristina Galicia Erickson
Hometown: Vallejo (by way of Quezon City, Philippines)
Age: 40
Occupation: Zumba instructor
Family: Husband, son, daughter
Quote: “I feel like I found something in me I hadn’t seen before.”
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