About Velda…

I am a certified fitness specialist with over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry.    I am the Wellness Program Manager for Albemarle Hospital and have been working there for 5 years.  My fitness career started in Washington, D.C. but I eventually relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area.  I started becoming popular as a funk and hip hop aerobics instructor and dancer. 

I was a fitness model for NIKE’s Side Out women’s fitness apparel and began a fundraiser called “Velda’s Hip Hop Dance Party".  This venue enabled me to help raise money for different charitable organizations. 

After relocating to Tecate, Mexico to work at Rancho La Puerta,  I acquired a cruise ship contract through their sister spa called the Golden Door.  I worked on the Sagafjord and Sea Goddess II as fitness instructor and personal trainer and later a supervisor.  I was the first African American to work on these cruise ships.

I earned a business management and fitness specialist degree from the University of Phoenix and San Diego City College and am currently working on my master’s in Health & Wellness Promotion from Virginia Tech. 

I teach all different types of fitness classes including low impact aerobics, body sculpting, stretch, Pilates and Step aerobics. In addition, I teach hip hop and line dance classes. 

I have three exercise videos entitled, “Very Energetic Light Dance Aerobics” – a beginner-level low impact aerobics workout, “Total Body Stretches”, a complete stretch routine from head-to-toe, and coming in February 2010 is "Aerobic Basics for Children (ABC)" - an aerobics workout for children.