Instructors
Valerie Hurst
Manager, Kim’s Pro Fitness
Owner, Totally Fit By Val
Valerie is a certified personal trainer and certified group fitness instructor through the Aerobics & Fitness Association of America. (AFAA).
She has been teaching at Kim’s Pro Fitness since 2004 and is a graduate of Kent State University.
Valerie personal trains, leads the Boot Camps, teaches the toning and kick boxing classes as well as oversees the management of the fitness business and its instructors. Her goal is to teach students proper form and inspire them to the next level. She motivates and encourages students to be consistent. Staying with a program and being consistent is what brings about results. Valerie inspires all of her clients and students to be results oriented.
Chris Loy
Chris Loy has been teaching group exercise classes since 1995. She is certified through AFAA in Group Fitness & Personal Training and is a 200 hour registered Yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance.
Chris currently leads the Thursday evening Yoga and Toning classes. Her Yoga class is a vinyasa style (flow yoga), linking asana (posture) with breath and movement. You will build strength, stamina, increase flexibility, and finish with relaxation for a feeling of balance and rejuvenation. Chris’ toning class will tone every muscle group. Chris utilizes various equipment; dumbbells, stability balls, medicine balls, bars and own body weight.
Renee Crates
Renee Crates has been teaching in the fitness industry for over 10 years. Renee currently leads the Monday night Yoga and Zumba classes. Her Yoga training has been with noted Yogis such as Beryl Bender Birch, Rodney Yee and many others.
Her primary training is in power Yoga, but through the years, has integrated many disciplines into her practice. She is also an experienced Zumba Instructor with over 2 years of teaching.
She has been to many continuing education studies in Zumba such as Zumba Gold and is currently working on her apprenticeship as a Zumba education specialist for Zumba Gold.
Stephanie Suter
Stephanie teaches Zumba on Wednesday evenings. She enjoys incorporating a strong fitness aspect in her Zumba class in order to provide an excellent workout, while still having fun. Stephanie became certified in Zumba in June of 2009 and hopes to expand her Zumba credentials at the convention this year. She is also certified in Hip Hop Hustle and Body Pump.
Linda Chase
Linda Chase has been teaching part-time in the fitness industry for almost five years. She is certified through AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) in GroupEx Primary, Practical Yoga, and Practical Pilates. Linda is also certified in TurboKick, a signature kick-boxing class created by Chalene Johnson, owner of Powder Blue Productions in California. Linda teaches toning class once a week and subs as needed.
Linda's full-time career has been in the accounting profession. She recently completed her Ph.D studies at Kent State University, has a MBA, and is licensed as both a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Public Accountant. Linda is a tenured professor at Baldwin-Wallace College and has worked there for the last eleven years. Linda previously worked for both public accounting firms and manufacturing companies, with her main responsibilities focused on the creation or audit of the company’s financial statements.
Ann Lew
Ann brings an eclectic background to her role as a yoga instructor. After pursuing a professional ballet career she went on to become a physical therapist. Her more recent years have been dedicated to rearing her three children. Her yoga journey began when she was introduced to a pranayama and meditation-based yoga class in college. She became committed to practicing yoga after experiencing the rejuvenating benefits of a vinyasa/flow class. Ann has been teaching yoga since 2009 and finds it to be the perfect practice to optimize the health of the body, mind, emotions, and spirit.
Ann Lew-PT, 200 hour RYT, CYT through Mitchel Bleier Yoga.
Nicole Roethler
Nicole Roethler has been teaching group exercise classes since 2004. She is certified through AFAA in Group Exercise and Personal training as well as Spinning, TRX, Turbo Kick, and Body Pump certified. Nicole is YogaFit trained and is working on her 200-hour Certified Yoga Teacher training.
Nicole enjoys leading various types of classes, specializing in boot camp style, toning, and core classes. She utilizes all types of equipment and thinks that body weight training is essential for everybody. Nicole also believes that incorporating stretching into every workout is very important.