Kajal Desai

Qualifications: American Council of Exercise (ACE) Group Fitness Instructor, Licensed Zumba Fitness Instructor

Personal History: Though I've been active my whole life, I didn't see it as "fitness". I grew up a cheerleader and a dancer, with small stints with sports (soccer, basketball) that just weren't my forte as much as dance. I stayed in shape through the love of movement without realizing that I was working out. My late twenties and early thirties brought about some weight gain that lead me to think about fitness in the actual sense of the word for the first time, which happened to also be the same time that we began creating a more fitness-based program through Doonya. Being able to use myself as a guinea pig throughout the development of our signature program was very helpful in understanding what did and didn't work. Now we are confident in Doonya's results! Jump to present time (3 years later) and I'm in the best shape of my life given the Doonya program itself as well as the motivation it has given me to make positive food and wellness choices. I've since added weight-training to my workout to build more muscle and get even more benefits from Doonya.

Workout Philosophy: I don't determine healthy by weight or percentage of body fat. To me it's about the energy you have and the way you feel and perceive yourself. I like to keep people fit naturally motivating them to see fitness as fun and something that they love to do not HAVE to do.

Success Story: One of my DC area students, Laura, started attending our more dance technique-based classes as she was never a fitness enthusiast. However, in Feb 2012 she tried a Doonya workout class and was hooked. Since then she has regularly attended Doonya classes and has noticed improved stamina, a tigher, more toned body and a greater love for regular exercise and healthy living than ever before. "When I took my first class, it was all I could do to finish. But, I persisted and became hooked on Doonya. Now, I cannot help but smile while sweating my way through 60 minutes of intense cardio." Laura, as well as most of our students say the same thing: Doonya never feels like a workout because it's so much fun! She just recently contacted me (since I'm not living in DC anymore) to tell me that her week is incomplete without Doonya classes or the at-home workout videos! The reason Laura's story is one of my favorites is because it really speaks to our philosophy of enjoying the workout so that you keep doing it--the results will show and the smiles will last forever.