Courage To Sweat

That time I ran the Great Wall Marathon in China because someone told me it was one of the hardest in the world and I thought, “Oh really? How hard?”

I’m not a natural born runner. Not that anyone can be a “natural born marathon runner” because they cannot. Those folks train and train and train…. No one should dismiss their effort and dedication.

In fact, I didn’t quite run correctly when I was younger, leading me to have surgery on both sides of both calves in high school for Compartment Syndrome. My daughter likes to say, “Mom’s legs were just too jacked.” 💪🏼

I do think many of us suffer from a touch of Imposter Syndrome (others definitely have it full blown), with times where the anxiety and self doubt get the better of us. Goals in the back of our mind we fear we will fail to reach so we never bother attempting to.

God knows I do not always have the best mental outlook when it comes to myself, but I think the best trainers are not always the ones who can recite the anatomy and physiology textbook from memory, but for some clients, it’s the ones who can relate. The ones who can empathize. The ones who can have all the paperwork about your medical history that has led you to think, “I just can’t…” and be like, “But actually, you can, you just have to do it this way…”

I watched a reel earlier where Dolly Parton was talking about making a list of all the things you are good at until you believe it, and I think that’s a good place to start for all of us who turn to the negatives a bit too much. Maybe you can’t do pushups like you used to, but you’re great at reading bedtime stories. Maybe you can’t squat as heavy as you did in your 20’s, but you can still throw a football with your son.

If we arm ourselves with the list of “I’m good at…” when we’re in a place where we think, “I’m bad at…” maybe one day the positives will start taking over. Whether that be at home, work, parenthood, the gym…

Stay humble. Stay kind. Stay motivated, friends.

Back to school season is upon us! If you’ve put yourself on the back burner all summer, I have 30 minute Zoom workout sessions available at just $25 per session. It’s not a one-size-fits-all class - it’s a personalized workout just for you!

Pictured is my own home gym. It gets the job done. 💪🏼

Upcoming Zoom session times available (written in U.S. East Coast Time)

Friday, Aug 21st, 7:30-8:00 AM
Friday, Aug 21st, 3:15-3:45 & 4:00-4:30 PM

Tuesday, Aug 25th, 7:00-7:30 AM
Tuesday, Aug 25th, 2:30-3:00 & 3:15-3:45 PM

Thursday, Aug 27th, 7:00-7:30 AM

Friday, Aug 28th, 3:00-3:30 & 3:45-4:15 PM

Hit me up if you’re interested and I can send over the intake forms. These do not bind you to any fees or contract, nor will you receive spam emails - it’s just exercise and medical history so I know how to properly create a workout for you.

You do not have to have any equipment during the Zoom workouts. I work with whatever you have available to you, whether that’s a stocked home gym or just bodyweight.

See you soon! 💪🏼

-Jen

👋 Folks!

Do me a favor, would you? If you’re a follower or “like” my page, can you answer one, some or all of these questions for me so I can get a little insight:

1) Why are you following my page?
2) What would you like to get from me and my page?
3) If you’re fallen off the fitness wagon, or never been on it, what makes you hesitate about hiring a trainer (doesn’t have to be me specifically)? Maybe I can clear up some gym or wellness misconceptions.

Thank you! 🙇🏻‍♀️

Just a few of the fun and challenging experiences I have had the past few weeks as a personal trainer:

• Working on leg strength with an elderly lady with dementia after she’s experienced both a stroke and heart attack years back.

• Doing laps around a track with a nonverbal, autistic man, who certainly seems like he has a lot to say with the sounds he makes. His sideways glances lets me know he’s familiar with me now.

• Zooming and online training from afar with clients dealing with medical emergency after medical emergency and deep losses. 💔

• Helping people recover and strengthen while dealing with a previous broken ankle, impending rotator cuff surgery, and eye operations.

Despite what social media may often show you - personal training is rarely about just generic weight loss or getting “snatched”. It is most often helping folks with serious battles get the workouts they need to get to where they want to go in the current and future stages of life.

Thinking about getting a personal trainer? Give me a shout — I have in-person (Virginia Beach), video (30 min Zoom) and online (my own personal app) training options available.

Pic from recent trip to Glacier National Park — 10/10 recommend!

**This picture is obviously AI.**

…but what does it say about me that I asked AI to combine these elements?!

While I have you… this week’s 30-minute Zoom training time slots that I still have available are:

• Tues, 28th, 8:45-9:15 AM and 1:00-1:30 PM
• Wed, 29th, 4:15-4:45 PM
• Thurs, 30th, 5:15-5:45 PM

Just $25 per session. Workouts tailored 💯 to you as these are individual 1-on-1 sessions. Comment below so I can get you setup and scheduled!

Hi, I’m Jen.

• I’m not an Influencer and have zero desire to be. I just want to have a positive influence on some folks.
• I keep my personal page and my business page separate. Folks will say that keeps me from making more money, but honestly I don’t give a crap.
• I’ve worked 1-on-1 with well over 100 personal training clients now, from kids to seniors living their best lives. Their stories aren’t on here, but I know their journeys.
• People like me. It feels funny to say that, but ask any of my past clients, they’ll tell you.
• Nature and travel makes me breathe better.
• Exercise can solve mild mental health issues (go see a specialist/professional for the serious stuff). I have had my mindset and mood fixed through exercise.
• I’m not trendy, but I know what I’m doing.

If you’re interested in personal training (in-person, Zoom or app) or health coaching (Zoom and email) hit me up. I don’t do pushy, guilt-trippin’ marketing tactics, we decide together if we’ll work or not, move forward or move on.

Thanks for reading this far. 😀

After becoming a certified Health Coach through the American Council on Exercise last year, I’m finally branching out and offering health coaching services.

See the new page on my website for the breakdown on what exactly health coaching is, and the 3-month plans offered: https://couragetosweat.com/health-coaching/

The best part about it is two-fold:
1) You are the main decision-maker.
2) It is designed to fit into your life - no added stress!

Shoot me a message, comment ⬇️ or email [email protected] to get started or ask me any questions!

Online Health Coaching - Personalized Wellness & Accountability Transform your health with personalized online health coaching. Build healthy habits and stay accountable with one-on-one phone and email support.

I’m back from a glorious week away traveling through Utah-Idaho-Wyoming-Montana to see some of the best National Parks the USA has, with some fun stops along the way to see alpacas and aircraft.

That being said — I’m back and have some days/times available for those seeking 30-minute Zoom trainings this week. This is a good way to try it out, see if it works for you, before creating a more set schedule.

**Note these are in East Coast USA time!

Monday 13th: 2:00-2:30 PM

Tuesday 14th: 1:30-2:00 PM, 2:15-2:45 PM

Wednesday 15th: 6:00-6:30 AM, 1:00-1:30 PM, 1:45-2:15 PM

Thursday 16th: 6:30-7:00 AM, 7:15-7:45 AM, 8:00-8:30 AM, 8:45-9:15 AM

Friday 17th: 6:30-7:00 AM, 7:15-7:45 AM

💪🏼 Price is $25 for 30 minute training session
💪🏽 You can use whatever equipment you have available to you (even if that’s just bodyweight!)
💪🏾 Schedule with me beforehand by commenting below and I’ll send you one form via email and the Zoom link.

❌ No I will not continuously send you messages or emails after the fact. I do not do spam marketing.

Interested? Comment ⬇️ and share with a friend. I plan to do these offerings weekly around my normal work schedule.

Every once in awhile I get to fooling with my website. It’s definitely one of my least favorite parts of running a small business, but alas, here we are!

I’m not a personal trainer that posts often about her clients because I respect their privacy - and frankly, I’m just too busy!

Currently I’ve been working with a lot of 50-80 year olds. What a lovely population to work with, learn from, exercise with, and chat with daily!

That being said, if you or your loved one are in the or general area and seeking a trainer during your golden years (or golden years are on the horizon), give me a shout and let’s see if we can work something out.

*Note - I accept all ages and capabilities.*

Hi, I’m Jen! Why you should spend part of your day reading what Jen has to say.

Hi friends!

I am offering for my app clients (current, past, wanna-be), if you find a friend to sign up on the app with me, you & that person will get $20 off that next month of training.

So, if you normally pay $150 for 1 month of 60-minute training, the next month will be $130 for you, and your friend will also get $20 off whichever package they choose. Normally 45 mins is $125, so it would cost them $105 for their first month (would go back up to $125 on the second month). If 30 mins, normally costs $100, so would be $80 for the first month (goes back up to $100 for second month).

If you have a friend or family member interested, they can email me: [email protected] or comment below.⬇️

How does the app work you may ask? It’s quite simple…

I program each workout for you depending on your goals, equipment available, physical/medicals restrictions/limitations. I schedule them for you on days requested. You open the app, see what you have to do (mini demo videos come with each exercise so you can do a quick form check), mark complete when done. That’s it!

I’ve had some clients for YEARS on this and it works very well for accountability. I see when you have or have not completed a workout. We can chat with each other. You mark how difficult it was so I know if something needs tweaking.

Hope to hear from some of y’all soon! 😘