An Omaha woman is all about staying happy and motivating herself to stay active and she's now inspiring others.
In Monica Koffi's Mixxed Fit class, it's a one two combo of smile and positivity. She's been teaching for a little over a year. It took a bit to get here though.
"It was my 4th child and I had gained a lot of weight," she explains, "I just didn't feel good about myself. I was kind of stuck in this constant circle of trying to loose and gain, and you know women we struggle with those insecurities a lot."
The approach was simple: dance like no one was watching.
"Just have fun with it! and that is kind of what started the whole weight loss thing for me," she said.
The pounds melted off, a year later, she has lost 70 pounds. Friends and family started joining the classes. Her sister teaches now too.
Monica says most of all, it's just about bringing that fun of being active, to others.
"Ladies {come} in here not knowing things and they {leave} out with a big ole smile on their face and they got a great workout," she said.
Monica will be among those at the Maple YMCA's Mixxed Fit Danceathon Friday, Sept. 16th. The cost is $10 for members and $15 for non members. All the money raised goes to the YMCA. To pre-register head here https://ops1.operations.daxko.com/Online/Programs/ProgramDetails.aspx?id=90a286cf-ab18-4a8f-9645-959d05176fc5&pid=1714331&cid=3129
