EVANSTON — Maggie Jones never anticipated being a fitness teacher, but four years and five certifications into the adventure, she is keeping her energetic and inviting approach to all kinds of exercise.

Jones teaches cycling, Pilates and kettle bells at Evanston’s recreation center — and her goal is to make every class different and exciting. 

“So I was the kid that, when I was in school, I would pretend I had all sorts of illnesses so I didn’t have to do P.E. because I found it to be such a drudgery,” Jones said. “I really think fitness needs to be fun, so I don’t like teaching the same class twice.”

To achieve this, she uses a variety of approaches to her different classes. Her 7 a.m. cycling class frequently travels the world on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, with the help of Jones’ videos of races through different countries. The travels are only boosted by Jones’ own love of travel, as she has gone to Italy, Haiti, Jamaica and her favorite, Egypt. 

That’s not to say Jones doesn’t mix it up, though. The class also has the chance to compete against each other as teams, play games and more. For instance, Jones said she sometimes has the class play Trivial Pursuit, in which cyclists have to do an interval if they get the wrong answer or get to rest longer if they answer correctly. 

“When I used to do cycle boot camp, we did, like, Chutes and Ladders, so that one was a really fun class,” Jones said. “... Every number had an exercise, and so if you landed on a ladder, you would go up ... and chutes would take you back down. So it was fun to do that.” 

She pointed out that the cycling class is good for people who want to exercise alongside others but still set their own pace. 

“In cycling, you control your ride, you take responsibility for how hard you want to go,” she said. “The nice thing is we all ride together, so we start and finish at the same place.” 

Sometimes she brings in guest instructors for even more variety. In the winter, the rec center also has multidisciplinary activities on Saturdays so students can traverse three different kinds of exercise in 90 minutes, such as cycling, strength training and yoga. 

She also loves the kettle bell class at 4:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays, which she describes as a total-body workout that combines cardio with strength. 

Another of her passions is music; she creates playlists for her classes that are meant to guide the exercises. 

“Music will really make or break a fitness class,” she said. 

Sometimes, if it is a special occasion like a holiday, she might mix up the theme of either the music or the video or both. Her cycling class, even from within the walls of the cycling room at the rec center, has toured Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day or cycled along to Valentine’s Day themed music. 

Whatever Jones does for her classes, though, it’s all about the journey, and that journey can be accompanied or shaped by things like visuals, games, music and friendly competition.

“Funny thing, the thing I’ve enjoyed most about fitness is not necessarily the fitness part,” Jones said, laughing. 

When asked what she would recommend for people wanting to start exercising but unsure or hesitant about it, Jones’ advice is to just try different things. 

“If you don’t try, you’ll never know,” she said. “And some of us are social exercisers; others are more of the solo. Just do what you like ... but you’ll never know if you don’t try.” 

“Like, I never thought I would be teaching a fitness class in my life — ever,” she finished. 

And although she tries to create an environment in her classes where everyone is welcome and there is something for everyone, it is really all about enjoying the journey to fitness and smelling the roses along the way. 

“I’m a big believer that if you ... feel empowered ... you will always try to go a little further and try more,” she said.