24 Years. One Community. One Instructor.
About Erica · Exercise with Erica
First class at Fairlington Community Center
Erica walked into her first fitness class at the Arlington County Parks & Rec program at Fairlington Community Center — and she was completely hooked. The workout, the community, the energy: she immediately knew this was something special.
Caught the fitness fever. Started teaching.
After years of dedicated participation, Erica began substituting for her instructor — and discovered she had a gift for leading a class. The transition from student to teacher felt completely natural.
Became primary instructor when her mentor retired.
When her own instructor stepped down, Erica stepped up. She inherited the class, the community, and a responsibility she's taken seriously every week since. That was 24 years ago.
Moved entirely to Zoom — community stayed together through COVID.
When the pandemic shut down in-person gatherings, Erica moved her classes to Zoom. Her students didn't leave. They showed up — camera on, weights ready — week after week. The community proved it was real.
24 years. Still the same community. Still going strong.
Students who joined as thirty-year-olds are still showing up in their fifties. Daughters now exercise alongside their mothers. The class that started at a community center in Arlington now reaches students in Georgia, Washington DC, and beyond.
First class at Fairlington Community Center
Erica walked into her first fitness class at the Arlington County Parks & Rec program at Fairlington Community Center — and she was completely hooked. The workout, the community, the energy: she immediately knew this was something special.
Caught the fitness fever. Started teaching.
After years of dedicated participation, Erica began substituting for her instructor — and discovered she had a gift for leading a class. The transition from student to teacher felt completely natural.
Became primary instructor when her mentor retired.
When her own instructor stepped down, Erica stepped up. She inherited the class, the community, and a responsibility she's taken seriously every week since. That was 24 years ago.
Moved entirely to Zoom — community stayed together through COVID.
When the pandemic shut down in-person gatherings, Erica moved her classes to Zoom. Her students didn't leave. They showed up — camera on, weights ready — week after week. The community proved it was real.
24 years. Still the same community. Still going strong.
Students who joined as thirty-year-olds are still showing up in their fifties. Daughters now exercise alongside their mothers. The class that started at a community center in Arlington now reaches students in Georgia, Washington DC, and beyond.
Teaching since 2001
She started as a student. She never left.
Erica took her first class at Fairlington Community Center in 1992 — and she was hooked. She caught the fitness fever, started substituting for her instructor, and eventually inherited the class when her mentor retired in 2001.
Twenty-four years later, she's still teaching the same community. Through life milestones, through a pandemic, through Zoom — the class kept going. Students who joined as thirty-year-olds are still showing up in their fifties. Daughters now take class alongside their mothers.
That's not a fitness class. That's a community.
Away from the mat, Erica is the founder of The Perfect Pita — proof that she brings the same energy to everything she does. Running a business hasn't slowed her down. If anything, it's made her more committed to showing up — for herself, and for every person in her class.
Whether a teacher or a participant, these classes have supported me physically and emotionally through all of life's ups and downs. I am forever grateful — grateful beyond words in fact.— Erica, Exercise with Erica
Teaching philosophy.
Every class Erica teaches has modifications. Whether you're starting from scratch or returning from an injury, there's a version of every exercise that works for your body. The goal is consistent movement — not perfection.
"All you have to do is show up" is more than a tagline. It's the entire philosophy. Erica's students show up week after week — not because the class is easy, but because the structure, the accountability, and the community make it possible to keep going.
Erica knows her students. She knows when someone is struggling and when they're having a breakthrough. She'll call you out when you're going through the motions — in the best possible way. That's what two decades of teaching the same community builds: a genuine investment in every person on screen.
Ready to try a class?
Live on Zoom. Modifications included. No experience required — just show up.
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