Janeil and I met on the turf of a spicy little studio called Tone House in New York City. If memory serves, we met while taking a class together. I remember her putting the pressure on during the warm up! And if you know Tone House, you know this is how you make a statement on the turf!
Janeil is athletic, gregarious and driven! She is working her magic in the fitness world. She has her own signature class called Fit and Lit and you can also find her teaching at Brrrn Studio in nyc.
In this interview she shares some insights around staying healthy and positive. I hope you enjoy and show her some love.
1. What is your philosophy around health and life?
Enjoy what you do! Health and life are not mutually exclusive. The quality of your life can greatly increase with adequate health. Small example, as a trainer, I encourage clients to be well hydrated prior to our training sessions. Your workout will feel a lot more challenging if you are dehydrated. Taking care of your health by staying hydrated improves the quality of your workout experience. Health includes physical, mental, spiritual and financial wellness. I even include financial because not feeling good about your finances can cause a lot of stress which leads to poor health. Enjoy what you do! If you view taking good care of your health as a painstaking activity that you dread you’re more likely not to stay committed or disciplined with your practice. Enjoying the journey gives you a greater likelihood for consistency! For example, if you hate running, don’t make that the form of movement you choose to engage in to stay physically healthy. If you prefer dancing or jumping on a trampoline do that instead! If you don’t like silent meditation but feel more mental clarity listening to music, reading or etc do that instead for your mental health. Same in terms of spirituality and financial, find what feels good for you and do that. Taking care of your health looks different for all. It’s not about us all doing the same thing it’s about doing it in some capacity to set yourself up for success with your quality of life.
2. Over the past few years, what were the most important health/fitness goals you set for yourself and why?
Most recently, meaning during quarantine which I’m reframing to call a wellness retreat it has been to strengthen my relationship with God. I grew up going to parochial schools from K-12th grade but strayed away from leaning on God in recent years.I am grateful to have friends that encouraged me to lean on him and I feel so much better for it. I’ve made it a part of my daily morning practice to read scripture and devotionals. The lift in energy and shift in my thought process feels so good. Being intentional to start my day with God feels like a weight has been lifted off of me. I don’t focus on fears, I focus on God. I don’t allow negative thoughts to consume me, dealing with negativity and the woes of the world is exhausting work, when you can find a connection to a higher power, you can access a sense of peace and mental clarity to function in the best way possible for YOU.
3. Tell us your story! How did you get into fitness? What are your other passions?
I first got started in the fitness space when I was younger taking Taebo classes at home with my mom! Thinking back I think she planted the seed. I first got introduced to group fitness during my senior year of high school when a good friend of mine told me about a Zumba class that she loved, because of her raving reviews I decided to check it out with my mom. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN and instantly loved the class and instructor. Throughout college I would love taking all the group fitness offerings but never considered going into it as a profession. I thought I was going to be a Child Advocacy Lawyer. Fast forward, after graduating college and studying for the LSAT, I decided to start teaching Zumba as a way to make money in the meantime. After teaching for a few months I realized that this was the profession I wanted to go into. I loved people’s reactions to taking my class and I loved how I felt while teaching. I decided this is fun and I want to keep doing this. BYE BYE Law school! Over time I started to appreciate and become familiar with the benefits to strength training. As I started to learn more about the benefits of exercise I still had a desire to know more and decided to go back to school to get a Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology. I value the education and research I was able to do there because the knowledge I acquired is threaded throughout my current teaching today.
My other passions include dancing, and reading. My passion for dance is what propelled me to create my signature dance cardio workout Fit and Lit which is fun, high energy, easy to follow dance cardio, HIIT and mindfulness.
4. Where do you see the fitness industry going over the next ten years? Has covid shaped or changed that trajectory in your mind?
I see the fitness industry continuing to be on an upward trajectory. The industry and clients have had to pivot to being receptive to virtual training. At first this was not the ideal for many but for others they are now having their best fitness experiences. The digital fitness space allows fewer barriers to entry for participating in exercise. The online space alleviates concerns for feeling shame to workout around others, commute problems and cost concerns. For some people there was real apprehension that is no longer present thanks to the digital fitness space. At some point we will be able to be in person again on a regular basis and the population that desires that will be ecstatic but now the industry has another niche market of eager at home exercisers. Covid has shaped the trajectory in my mind. Now more than ever people are caring about their health. The narrative has mostly been around mask wearing and hand washing but that’s not enough. Those practices are just a band aid. Your physiology which is affected by exercise, what you eat and your stress levels contribute to your likelihood for illness. As we continue on, I think the narrative will start to heighten these aspects of health and the fitness industry will be able to maximize on this opportunity. A population of individuals that may have never been interested in fitness may start to come around.
5. If you had to tell your clients to pick a single most important thing to focus on when it comes to their health, what would you pick? Why?
I would say healthy eating. What you choose to eat can either be cleansing or clogging. Your body’s ability to eliminate toxins and waste is an indication of your health. If you are only eating cleansing foods there is no waste to try to eliminate and the likelihood of illness is slim. I would encourage my clients to eat foods that are nourishing to their body by eating foods that your body doesn’t label as toxic. Being able to control and be intentional with your food choices is the most disciplined thing one can do. The added sugars in processed foods and drinks make it hard to say no. That’s how they were designed. Recurring consumers are good for business. If you can be disciplined with your eating habits I believe it’s the gateway to desiring to want to engage in other health practices.
6. What are your wellness essentials?
The sun, drinking water, my skincare products, “you version” app, eating cleansing foods and exercise!
7. How do you deal with stress and uncertainty?
I pray and sometimes practice breathing techniques. I remind myself that stressing and worrying about something that’s beyond my control is pointless. My response to the situation that’s beyond my control is what I can control. Choosing to feel down or stressed is a waste of my time and energy. No positive outcomes come from that so why stay there. This is the conversation that goes on in my head lol as I calm myself down from dealing with a stressful situation. I also encourage myself to do something that makes me feel good when I find myself dealing with stress. Sometimes it’s exercise, a nap, reading, or taking a walk outside. It looks different depending on how I am feeling.
8. What brings you joy?
God and serving others using my God given talents of encouraging others to live a healthy lifestyle and adopt healthy habits. My family brings me joy. I feel blessed to have a loving family.
FOLLOW:
IG: @fitandlitnyc
Sign up for her class here.
