What do you love about teaching Bellyfit?

There are so many great features to this program! I think the top highlights for me are the variety of moves and combinations plus the freedom we have to make our own – unlike other “packaged” programs that require fitness leaders to follow a script, Bellyfit really respects our training and experience. I also love the branding and marketing materials that are provided because that’s not my strong suit. And of course the music! Not only is it handed right to us, but every song is good! For my other classes I spend a lot of time shopping for good CDs, and they aren’t easy to find, so Bellyfit really takes a big load off my mind in the music department.

Check out Terri Roberts’ Profile

Who are you and what are your passions?

I am a full-time fitness professional. I was not involved in fitness or sport growing up, but I did study dance. I trained in tap, jazz and ballet and did exams and competitions. In university I majored in English Lit, minored in Women’s Studies in my BA and went on to complete a Bachelor of Education after that. I taught high school for a few years but struggled to get enough work to make ends meet. After university I began taking lessons and performing in belly dance. I certified in fitness a few years later as a means to fill out my dance experience, not really intending to make a career change. As it happened I was much more in demand in fitness than in formal education, so in 2007 I made the switch full time and I have been having a great life ever since!

I have many passions but I suppose, at the end of the day, they really all boil down to making the world a better place by helping people learn. I am a born educator, so that’s my method of helping people. I’m particularly passionate about educating from a feminist perspective. I like seeing how feminist and educational philosophies interweave. That being said, I’m also a very practical person. Teaching fitness and dance to women and the volunteering I do as a Trainer (leadership training for adults) and Ranger Guider with Girl Guides of Canada are how I accomplish my philosophical perspectives in a very real way.

What is the most common feedback you receive from your participants about Bellyfit?

• This is the first time all week I’ve really breathed
• This class feels so different from other classes
• I feel like I learn something new in your class
• The music is so different

I love when participants come to Bellyfit and realize there’s something quite special happening. Mostly they can’t quite put their finger on it just yet, but there’s definitely an awareness blossoming!

How do you feel that Bellyfit supports your lifestyle?

It’s funny to say this, but I don’t always find the time in my day to workout, meditate or practice yoga! The management side of my job often creeps into what would otherwise be my personal time. Teaching classes means I can’t stay late for a meeting or spend more time on the budget or whatever else the higher-ups feel is more crucial at the moment. I must go teach Bellyfit at the appointed time, so everything else just has to wait. I often tell my regular participants they can use me as their excuse too… they can tell the boss/husband/kids “Sorry, I promised Terri I would be in Bellyfit tonight. Buh-Bye!!”

What do you think are the qualities that make a great Bellyfit Instructor?

Being a good instructor requires honesty and a strong dose of patience, for our participants and ourselves! I see so many participants come into my classes with expectations of perfection and then
become disappointed when they aren’t perfect all the time. When I do a few moves in the wrong order, press the wrong button on the iPod, feel too tired to do the high-intensity version of a move, etc I point that out to the participants. I want them to see that I’m not perfect, I’m not 100% rock star all the time.
Once they realize this, I see their sense of urgency for perfection dissipate and they enjoy the class more.

What is the #1 thing women need to do to stay healthy and fit? (other than Bellyfit)

Get enough sleep! I really think most of us are sleep-deprived due to our rush, rush, rush lifestyles.

Video Content

Video from Terri’s TEDx talk

TEDxBrasd’Or took place on August 20, 2011 in Membertou, Nova Scotia. It was the first-ever TEDx event on Cape Breton Island.