How this busy mom developed her own dance fitness program

Shedding extra weight was daunting for Angela Norris, 54, of Laurel.

So when she heard about a new dance fitness class at her gym about nine years ago, she decided to give it a try.

“My first impression was that this instructor was not just doing dance fitness,” Norris said. “It was easy to follow and you really felt like you were getting a full-body workout and not just cardio.”

The class is Boom Shake Fitness, and it was trademarked in 2016 by Columbia resident Toni White, president of Aspiring Motivations, Inc.

White, now 49, was an athlete when she was younger but when she started raising children she had trouble finding time for fitness.

“Life got busy with three children by age 22, and there was no time to work out and focus on fitness,” White said. “In 2007, I became a caregiver for my two elderly and disabled parents and it was one of the most difficult times of my life. In that moment, I decided that I needed to take control of my health, lose weight and make better choices.”

Toni White, center, leads her class in a series of high-energy moves. TNS

She started taking fitness classes and then realized that she felt that there was “something missing” and that she wanted to pursue her passion for exercising further.

Boom Shake is “for those who are looking for strength in their workout plan but don’t want to do a bunch of burpees,” White said. “It’s fitness-focused, but to music.”

White created all of the original choreography — set to country, rock, Portuguese, reggae and other styles of music — with a focus on burning fat and chiselling muscles with cardio boxing movements that include elbows, knees, punches and cross-body combinations without having to go all the way down to complete floor exercises.

“We created all of our moves to maximize results while standing on our feet,” said White, who also started an instructor training program for people to become certified to teach the Boom Shake classes.

Classes are held at Boom Shake’s Dobbin Road headquarters; at Retro Fitness in Catonsville; and through employee wellness programs, church partnerships and community events.

With a total of 22 instructors, Boom Shake recently expanded to West Virginia and is looking to grow further. White is also working on creating downloadable instructional videos for those looking to bring Boom Shake classes to their area.

Norris is now a certified instructor and has lost 50 pounds since starting Boom Shake. She teaches two classes a week and takes class herself around four to five times per week. She is a pharmaceutical representative and said that the class works well with her lifestyle.

“I feel crazy when I don’t take class,” Norris said. “I sit in the car all day and I spend a lot of time standing in a doctor’s office waiting. With Boom Shake, it makes working out fun at the end of a long day.”

Tribune News Service