Daughter of Rangers legend Libby Smith to teach Zumbini to city tots

Libby Smith has combined two of her greatest passions, motherhood, and Zumba, to offer a class like no other in the city.

The 31-year-old, who is the daughter of Rangers legend Gordon Smith, has been teaching Zumba for 10 years but now she will take that experience to a younger audience.

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Libby said: “A lot of women told me they would love to come to my Zumba class but they struggled with childcare.

“I thought I should do a class where women can bring their child, and I decided to train as a Zumbini instructor.”

Zumbini includes music, dance and educational tools to combine early childhood development with Zumba fitness.

Libby said: “It is just like baby sensory. The kids get their tambourines and they can dance about. It also a bonding session.”

Having the confidence to expand her fitness skills is part of a long journey for first-time mum Libby.

She gave birth to her son Edson Thunder on June 5, 2018, by an emergency caesarean, and the operation set back her fitness in a way she could not have imagined.

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Single mum Libby, who lives in Glasgow’s West End, said: “I really struggled in my pregnancy and doctors recommended I didn’t exercise.

“I was devastated because my life is exercise. I love all forms and benefits of exercise but the safety of your baby is paramount.”

She added: “I gave birth by emergency caesarean but I wasn’t prepared for the aftermath.

“After the operation, the physio came to my ward and told me I had abdominal muscle separation by three finger widths.

“I didn’t realise how much I would struggle with simple things like opening a heavy door or lifting a kettle.”

Knowing that her abdominal muscles had separated while she was growing her son and having gone through a caesarean, Libby had to approach exercise gently once she had given her body three months to heal.

She said: “We started by putting Edson in the buggy to go a walk around the park.

“I would just do very light exercises and body weight training.”

She added: “I have always been into fitness and exercise.

“I put on three and a half stone having him and for the first time walking into a gym felt intimidating.

“I did not feel comfortable in my body and I had to stand at the front of the class and say, ‘Hi, I am the teacher’.”

Libby is pictured with her dad and Rangers legend

Gordon Smith.

Through the support of her students, Libby quickly gained back her confidence and now she wants to show other mums that they can too.

She laughed: “I haven’t slept since June 5, 2018.

“Some nights I come home having worked all day and I do dinner, bath, and bed before I fall asleep.

“My mum will be like, ‘come on, go to your class’ - and I struggle.”

She added: “But I know as soon as I am there and the music starts, I am the zone.”

Libby hopes her class will empower women and give them 45 minutes of pure escapism whether they do Zumba, in a class where they can bring their baby, or with their child through Zumbini.

She said: “Zumba is so popular because it is for everybody.

“My classes are high impact but you can take it at your own level, you don’t need to have danceability.

“The studio promotes female empowerment and has a real positive vibe.

“For me, exercise is the best medicine.”

She added: “If you cannot give yourself 45 minutes out of your day to do something for you that makes you happy then how are you not going to be the best version of yourself for the people you try to take care of it?

“You never know unless you try.”

For more information on Libby Smith, find her on Instagram @houseofliberty