West. Side. Fitness

!  VICKI MITCHELL

From growing up in a refugee camp in Thailand to owning a fitness center in West Springfield, Massachusetts, Shan Maung’s story is one of hard work, perseverance, a desire to help people, and a love of Zumba. Here, he tells his (edited) story.

“I was born in Myanmar. When I was two years old, my dad risked his life and made a decision to leave the unsafe conditions there, and we fled to a refugee camp in Thailand. I spent roughly 14 years there, where my sisters and I went to school, created a new lifestyle, and met people from different ethnicities. That was where I basically grew up for half of my life. We had a very basic lifestyle. Food was supplied to us monthly by The Border Consortium. We would receive food based on the number of people in the household. We would normally get rice, beans, tuna, flour, dried chili, and fish paste, and yearly we would get clothing. We eventually came to America in 2009 with a bag of clothes and not knowing anything about the country. It was the biggest turning point of my life. I was shy, didn’t know any English, and everything was different, from the clothes to the food to the way school was taught. I started in middle school, and although the education system was very different, the teachers were extremely helpful and nice.

“I discovered Zumba two years ago and fell in love with the concept of how Zumba brings people together and allows them to share the same passion…it can create a very welcoming environment. It became a hobby for me and I would take 4 to 5 classes a week before I became an instructor, encouraged by the many friends I made in class. I reached out to local gyms and asked if they needed a fitness instructor. Many of them didn’t want to hire me since I was new and had no experience. I didn’t give up... I kept emailing different gyms and had them put me on a substitute list so I could teach if anyone called out. The first class I ever taught was at the Club Fitness in West Springfield. I always bring the best energy to my classes and give 100%. That’s how people keep coming back for more and more. They love it when I challenge them with different high intensity songs. I also connected with my students personally and became friends with them through social media. A few months after getting my license, I

started teaching at four different schools and started to build followers. Knowledge is the key to success, and I love taking other instructors’ classes to see how they teach and learn from them.

“Unfortunately, my dad passed away from Covid in May 2020, and it changed my whole world. I was depressed and gaining lots of weight. I stopped teaching at that point. Covid cases were rising daily and people were dying. I pretty much isolated myself from people and disconnected myself from Zumba. I was lost. I hit my heaviest weight and I told myself I need to stop hurting myself. In mid-summer, I posted on my Facebook that I will be offering virtual classes. Once we were allowed outdoor gathering with social distancing, I started offering free classes 3 times a week. I invested in a speaker and started teaching classes outside. We had days when the weather was 90 or higher and we would still have classes. I brought ice cold water for people to have. People were stressed over Covid, and I wanted to give back by keeping them healthy and active. I did that for two months straight.

“In July, a friend was closing her studio due to a financial hardship. I reached out to her immediately and asked if I could buy the place. I was aware that we were in the middle of the pandemic and businesses were closing left and right. I signed the lease the next day and I started to change things around in the studio. All I was doing was spending… lots of money went into that place and I was asking myself “Shan, what are you doing?” I used all of my savings, and was left with $300. It was lots of sweat, stress and tears going into that place. Once we officially opened, we had to follow strict guidelines due to Covid and couldn’t have more than 10 people per class. It was a lot to have a business running during the pandemic, but I didn’t give up. I had come so far and invested a lot already. I kept pushing myself and staying positive.”

This month, West Side Fitness is celebrating its one year anniversary! Shan now employs six instructors, and in addition to Zumba, offers classes in Barre, VXN, Insanity, and toning, every day of the week. He says his favorite part of his business is that, “I am able to change people’s lives. I have met lots of people since I opened the studio. Some of them never worked out before and I am honored that my studio is their first workout place. When people come into my studio, they become part of the family. We create a friendly environment and supportive community for everyone to be themselves. I help people gain back their self-confidence and achieve their health goals. We are not strangers to each other...we are a big fitness family. I always tell my students to be bold, be awesome, be YOU. I love what I do and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

In the midst of all of this, Shan also had a dream to have a sushi franchise, and he is happy to announce that it opened last month! It is located in the Big Y at 433 Center Street in Ludlow, Massachusetts.

West Side Fitness is located at 15 Mosher Street in West Springfield, Massachusetts Westsidefitness01089@gmail.com Find them on Facebook and Google 413-474-1040