Jonathan Alley struggled with weight his whole life. In November 2016 he made the decision to finally make a real change and undergo gastric sleeve weight loss surgery. Since then he has lost a total of 145 pounds, partially due to the new passion he found when he stumbled into Evelyn “Cookie” Miron’s Zumba/MixxedFit mash-up class at Eastern Athletic Club in Beaufort, NC in February 2018. He got licensed to teach Zumba that July, started subbing, and now teaches three classes a week.
What Jonathan calls his “secret identity” is working in the office of Beaufort Carolina Comfort, Inc., the heating and air conditioning business his parents started in 1980. He graduated from East Carolina University in 2009 with a BA in English (concentrated in Film Studies) before returning home to Beaufort in 2014.
Jonathan is licensed to teach both Zumba and STRONG by Zumba. He is currently studying to take the AFAA group fitness certification exam. He was an instructor in the 2018 Turkey Burn Toy Drive & Hurricane Relief Fundraiser and a 2019 Zumbathon for Batang Sidewalk Ministries (a charity in the Philippines). This will be Jonathan’s third year at GAINS and first as a presenting instructor.
Jonathan has a pretty simple motto in class: have fun and keep moving! You can do those things no matter what your fitness level or ability to dance may be. Have fun, laugh, express yourself, and get some extra movement in your day. Who knows, you may inspire someone else to do the same!