New Y fitness director has background in Zumba

Perhaps you?ve heard of, or even participated in, a Zumba class. The group dance exercise phenomenon is an aspect of fitness very familiar to Acea Theroux, the new Lynn YMCA fitness director. It has led not only to a career at the Y, but also to his wife.Theroux, 39, a Newburyport native and UMass-Amherst graduate, describes Zumba as “a Latin and international style of dance and fitness.” He was introduced to Zumba in 2011, adding: “Having never taken a dance class in my life, you could say I was WAY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE. But it would turn out to be one of the best decisions of my life. Not only did I have a dancer apparently living inside of me, this program would lead me to meet the woman of my dreams and future wife.”Theroux? wife, Heather Fletcher, is a Zumba instructor at the Y. He proposed to her during one of her classes, on Dec. 4, 2013, and the video is on YouTube. (You can see it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ebm36rpqo0) The video features appearances from Theroux? mother, grandmother, sister, brother-in-law and best friend, and Heather?s mother, son Alex, niece and best friend.?I randomly picked Heather?s class, because her bio said she was a dancer since age 4,” Theroux said, “so I thought she would be a good instructor to learn from … little did I know that first she would become my mentor, then dance partner, then best friend, and now wife.”They were married in Lynn on July 27, 2014.Theroux had learned about the possibility of the Y hiring a new fitness director through his wife, and he expressed his interest via email.?I?m looking forward to growing with the YMCA and the community here in Lynn,” he said. “And want to encourage all members to stop by the fitness office anytime to let us know what we can improve upon or just to say hi.”He added: “I think in any community the focus needs to be on families and how to spread the joy of wellness throughout each family … So, our job will be to find programs that connect families together so that they can benefit from health and wellness together.”Theroux has been a certified personal trainer since he was a 19-year-old UMass student, and he has worked as an education specialist for Zumba and another fitness company, TRX.He said, “One of my first (priorities) as the fitness director is to add more qualified fitness professionals to our team. Finding health professionals that are hungry to continue to learn and evolve in this wonderful industry is sometimes tough, but being able to work for companies like Zumba Fitness and TRX as an educational specialist has given me the chance to work with some of the best trainers in the country and now I?m able to see firsthand what the standard should be.”