There’s a new Zumba class just for plus-sized men and women.

The trainer behind it should serve as encouragement to anyone who attends.

Trina Doyling dropped 100lbs after a health scare three years ago.

She’s now a qualified Zumba instructor who continues to battle with her weight.

Trina wants to lose another 100lbs. She hopes to inspire others along the way.

“My goal is to get people moving,” she said. “Just because you’re big doesn’t mean you can’t move and exercise like everyone else.

“How you move might be a little different, but that doesn’t stop big girls from partying and dancing and showing up the little women.”

Trina learned she had diabetes three years ago.

The 45-year-old went to see her doctor because she was urinating a lot. She found her blood sugar was seriously high — more than 500mg. A healthy glucose level is 80mg to 120mg.

She was admitted straight into hospital to get her insulin levels under control.

“After that I had to do what I had to do,” she said. “The first thing was I started eating healthier.

“Christmas was two days later and instead of things like macaroni and cheese, I had turkey, vegetables and a small portion of rice.”

She started working out with personal trainers Dave Wolffe and Betty Doyling, her sister-in-law. She dropped more than 100lbs in two years.

She sometimes wakes up at 4am to get her workout in for the day.

“I wear smaller sizes now, which feels good,” Trina said. “Now I can go to a women’s plus-size store like Lane Bryant and find something to wear whereas before I had to shop in men’s clothing stores just to get shirts in those larger sizes.”

Betty’s Zumba classes helped her get to that point. The dance fitness programme incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo with aerobic elements.

At first Trina had to sit out during some of the songs. Over time she was able to keep up with the full hour-long routine.

One day she built up the confidence to dance at the front of the class.

“I was at the Zumba class one day and Betty played a song and was standing off to the side talking and taking her time to start,” Ms Doyling said.

“The song was almost ready to kick in and I said ‘I’m tired of waiting’ and marched right up to the front and brought her out of the way and we started the song.

“I knew all the people in the class so I felt comfortable doing it.”

The next day Betty encouraged her to get a Zumba qualification of her own.

“My first reaction was ‘No, that’s not going to work’,” Trina said. “But Betty wouldn’t back down. She felt she could get some plus-sized people to join in my class.”

She completed her Zumba training at New York Sports Club in November. She’s now hoping to inspire other plus-sized women to get active.

“Some people don’t want to try Zumba because they’re afraid people will laugh at them if they make a mistake,” Trina said.

“But really, people just want to encourage you.

“Sometimes I can’t follow all the moves so I have to change them to suit what I can do.

“For instance, I don’t do jumping jacks so I will adjust the move so that I’m just moving from side to side and keeping my heart rate up.

“That’s what I plan to do in my Zumba class. I’ll keep the impact low so that anyone can do my class. I just want them to come out and not be intimidated by it.”

Betty told The Royal Gazette the changes she’s seen in Trina’s life are nothing short of remarkable.

“I’m so proud of her,” she said. “I think she’s come so far from the start and she’s amazing. Before she wasn’t into exercise or eating healthy at all. She would see me eating a salad and say something like, ‘you can eat that grass, I’m eating this’.

“But I know that she will inspire other people because the people in my class are inspired by her.

“They know if Trina can push herself and do it, they can too. A lot of times people won’t want to come to a class taught by someone who doesn’t look like them.

“There might be people who want to try Zumba and seeing someone my size might deter them and make them feel like that’s too hard for them to accomplish.

“They might feel like they can’t do those moves or dance like that. So if people come to the class and see Trina they’ll be more comfortable and inclined to try it.”

Trina’s Zumba class starts at Sabor Dance School in the Old Berkeley Institute on March 1. For more information e-mail zumba4trina@gmail.com or visit Zumba with Trina on Facebook.