From NFL Cheerleader to Zumba Instructor

From WTOP.com

At the age of 30, Heidi Inthavong has done more than many have in a lifetime.

A native of Shawnee, Kan., Inthavong has been a physical therapist, personal trainer and NFL cheerleader. She has been involved in charitable work and has helped coordinate the largest cheer on record.

Inthavong has opened Get Heidi Fit and Personal Training Co. at Chic Physique on the second floor of 500 W. Patrick St. She also teaches at Elite Style Cheer on Industry Lane.

The new business will offer Zumba fitness and personal fitness classes.

“My parents pushed me to go into the medical field,” Inthavong said. “I love biology and the human body.”

She received a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science at the University of Kansas, where she was a cheerleader and played soccer.

She then worked as a technician in the physical therapy field for five years.

Inthavong moved into the marketing field, working for a sports and performance center, where she met many professional athletes.

Her interest in fitness led her to get a certification as a personal trainer and in group fitness through the University of Kansas and the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

A Kansas City Chiefs fan, she auditioned as a cheerleader and entertained and motivated the crowds for six years at Arrowhead Stadium and at away games.

During that time Inthavong also did USO shows for military personnel, a program supported by the NFL.

“I went to Egypt, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Austria and around the states,” she said. “We did a two-hour variety show.”

She also turned her enthusiasm to charities such as the Alzheimer’s Association, Lily’s Hope, and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. She led a Zumbathon in October and a 5-kilometer run/walk, and on Jan. 7 plans to hold another Zumbathon to raise funds for juvenile diabetes programs.

Zumba combines Latin music and moves with exercise and fitness.

“It is exercise in disguise because it is so much fun,” Inthavong said. “You are forgetting you are getting in shape.”

People have lost weight doing Zumba regularly, she said, and four of her clients have become Zumba-certified instructors.

“What sets me apart is my background in choreography and cheerleading,” Inthavong said.

She also does boot camps — personal training workouts — as well as one-on-one personal training. Inthavong has a line of apparel called Get Heidi Fit designs.

On Nov. 12, Inthavong helped lead 1,300 cheerleaders from throughout the U.S. in the biggest cheer, entering Guinness World Records and beating China’s former record of 1,200 cheerleaders. The event was held at the Sun National Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J. The event was coordinated by the Pop Warner program, which focuses on youth football and cheerleading.