Feminist Gym Class

Get in losers, ya girl is taking in-person clients again. 💅

My journey as a fitness & nutrition coach has led me to the YMCA---the same place where my personal fitness journey started back in 2018.

Finding where I belong in the fitness industry has been an interesting journey, and in 2023, I'm committed to making my services as accessible as possible---and joining the YMCA's ranks is a big part of that.

As a full-service gym with affordable membership options, tons of fun programming, and ✨FREE CHILDCARE✨, the YMCA is going to help me reach more people who need help building the strongest versions of themselves. 💪

(MY VIRTUAL 1:1 COACHING ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE---I've been rebuilding my virtual platform behind the scenes, and I'm so excited to share it with you all later this week. So stay tuned for that. 👀)

SO, if you're in Indianapolis and want to turn your body into a weapon---slide into my DMs, and we'll schedule your free demo session.

Feminist Gym Class has always been about creating space to elevate the voices & experiences of women & non-men in an industry dominated by cisgendered, heterosexual men.

My clients come to me because they want to feel safe to share their stories & explore their options for authentically building their strongest selves outside of harmful patriarchal expectations. And I am committed to protecting the trust they have placed in me.

Blazing a trail for the underrepresented can often be a lonely one, and I refuse to align myself with any individual or organization who seeks to exploit the trust of our community for financial gain.

Feminist Gym Class will always belong to me, my clients, and my followers--and that kind of community cannot be bought.

Moving forward in 2023 will be all about forging stronger alliances with other woman & queer-owned organizations and finding new ways to help people who feel overlooked in the fitness industry.

In case anyone is still confused about what this platform is about, here are a few value statements that can help you out:

✅ Abortion is healthcare.
✅ Gender is a social construct.
✅ Trans rights are human rights.
✅ Trans women are women.
✅ Black lives matter.
✅ No human is illegal.
✅ The gym belongs to everyone.

Thank you all for sticking with me over the years as this platform evolved from a keto weight loss account into the beautifully diverse fitness community I see today.

Stay tuned for all of the fun things I have planned for you all in 2023!

**kthepatriarchy

TW: Su***de
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Su***de is in the news again, another senseless loss that will have us asking questions we will never get the answers to.

I'm already seeing all of the messages of "check on your strong friends". Flashbacks to when we lost Robin Williams, Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade...check on your strong friends, check on your funny friends, check on your friends who never ask for help...

In 2011, I attempted to take my own life--and almost succeeded. I still remember waking up in the hospital bed, having no memory of how I got there.

I haven't talked about it in years, and most of my current circle has no idea how close I once was to the abyss. How I wasn't supposed to be here today.

This picture was taken about a month after it happened. I did a great job of hiding the sea of pain underneath.

From someone who has lived through it, I beg you---don't just check on your strong friends, take what they have to say seriously.

Before my attempt, there were so many warning signs. So many conversations where I was begging for help--pleading for anyone to listen, and my pain was ignored.

People who loved me said things like:
"Choose joy!"
"Use the power of positive thinking!"
"You'll figure this out, you always do!"
"Keep going!"

All I wanted was for someone to recognize that this pain was different and scary and overwhelming, and I didn't feel like I could face it alone. And no one believed me.

If you don't know how to talk to a friend in this kind of pain, you could offer to be with them while they call a crisis line. You could offer to help them make an appointment with a mental health professional. You could just sit with them and listen, validate, hold space---really hear them & see them for where they are.

No one should ever feel like death is their only way out.

I'm honestly not sure what I wanted to accomplish with this post--but just like all of the other dark s**t I overshare on the internet for thousands of strangers to read, I hope it helps someone out there feel less alone.

For anyone struggling, I'm so glad you're still here. ❤️ you.

After years of trying, I finally filled up an entire yearly planner. It's a really boring bucket-list item, but it still means a lot to me.

Over the years, there have been so much moments where I've proclaimed that I'm FINALLY getting my s**t together and becoming the kind of fancy, organized person that keeps a physical planner. I've always admired people who regularly use a paper planner to keep their schedule and lives organized, but I never could make the habit stick. So much money wasted on nice planners, only to get thrown away after a few months of neglect.

Once I became a personal trainer and business owner, my brain needed a tangible planner to help me organize my tasks and keep an eye on my availability as I took on clients. I absolutely loved using my Passion Planner for the past year! I'm so proud of how I was able to integrate the habit of using my Passion Planner as I built my business. Opening my second Passion Planner today felt so good, knowing that my first one was complete!

This post really isn't about a planner or a shameless plug for Passion Planner (even though they are great). This post is about making a promise to yourself, and keeping that promise. For me, part of the journey to living my best life is keeping the promises that I make to myself---no matter how big or small. Whether your goal is drinking more water, taking more walks, prioritizing rest, or filling out an annual planner to make your Type A brain happy---just know that amazing things happen when you show up for yourself.

(Also, I need to hit up Stomping Ground for new stickers!)

A tale of two tortilla chips...Grain-free or yellow corn? Which one is better for you? 🤔

Neither. Or both. It depends on your specific nutrition needs and health goals!

I bought these grain-free tortilla chips thinking that they would somehow be more nutrient-dense than regular corn tortilla chips, because they were expensive and specially labeled as "grain-free". Once I brought them home and compared nutrition labels, I saw that their nutritional panels were almost identical. The only difference in the tortilla chips are the ingredients.

So what can YOU learn from my experience wasting $7 on this bag of grain-free tortilla chips? Don't let labels trick you. Grain-free tortilla chips aren't inherently healthier, but they are great if you need to avoid grains or are intolerant/allergic to corn. Grain-free chips aren't going to help OR hurt any fat loss goals you might be working on, either. Your body will generally metabolize them both the same.

Buy the chips you want, and don't let food companies trick you into spending $7 on a bag of fancy tortilla chips when the $3 bag won't hurt you. And pick up some avocados to enjoy some homemade guac with your chips--you deserve it. 🥰

Do you need to drink more water? Let me introduce you to the Emotional Support Water Bottle. 🥰

If you don't want to carry around a gallon jug of water with you all day, then a 40 oz Hydroflask knock-off will cost you about $20-30 on Amazon. Buy yourself a straw attachment set, and personalize your bottle with all the stickers that will p**s off your conservative family members. The gayer the stickers, the better. 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️

Start with a goal of finishing one 40 oz bottle of water per day, and slowly work your way up from there. After carrying this around for a few days, you'll find your life is incomplete without it. It'll be your new comfort item. Feeling nervous about something? Soothe yourself with a sip of water. Feeling angry? Rage-gulp some H2O to stop yourself from committing murder. Feeling legitimately thirsty? You know the drill.

Fighting the patriarchy while trying to be your strongest self is hard work, and you can't break glass ceilings if you're dehydrated. Sometimes we have to get creative and use Jedi mind-tricks on ourselves when we're building healthier habits, and that's ok.

How do YOU trick yourself into keeping your water intake high? 👀

F**k yes, it's International Women's Day!

I wish I had something profound & poetic to say today, but I'm exhausted and my brain don't work good right now. 🙃 All I want to say is that I've met so many badass women over the past few years who have fundamentally changed my life. The patriarchy likes to try to pit successful women against each other, but we know better--the real power lies in banding together and lifting each other up. There is more than enough room in this world for us all to succeed in our own special ways, and nothing jazzes me up more than seeing a fellow woman fu***ng CRUSH IT. If you are in my circle, please know that nothing makes me happier than seeing you succeed like the confident badass that you are. 💪🏻

Here is a list of some of the amazing women on IG who I admire (some are in the fitness/nutrition space, some aren't!):















This list isn't exhaustive, I know I'm missing a lot of women who are also outstanding in their own ways--but give these accounts a follow if you enjoy learning from fierce women! 💕

If you think that hiring a coach to help you with your nutrition and fitness goals is too expensive, let me ask you this...how much money have you already spent on things that didn't work?

I was deep cleaning my kitchen last weekend and came across quite a few items I had bought during previous diet attempts. Weight loss teas, fancy protein shakes, keto pancake mixes, sugar-free syrups, keto cookbooks, etc. Each of these items represented money spent and lost on tools that I thought would help me reach my goals and live a healthier lifestyle. They all ended up in the trash.

You don't have to hire a fitness coach to be successful with your goals--but a coach can help you reach those goals faster, and work smarter--not harder. What else does a coach do for you?

✅ Your coach works together with you to build a customized plan based on your unique situation. No cookie-cutter workouts, but an exercise plan catered to your body.
✅ Your coach is there to help you navigate the roadblocks and struggles that you'll eventually face along the way. They're there to help you get back on track when life happens.
✅ Your coach holds you accountable & reminds you why you started when you're ready to quit.
✅ Your coach gets just as excited about your wins as you do--and they remind you every day that you are a strong, capable badass who can do anything they set their mind to.

My virtual nutrition & exercise coaching can be done from anywhere in the world, and I'm accepting new clients as of March 7th. Send me a DM if you want to set up a time for us to talk about making 2022 your strongest year yet! 💪🏻

🚨 2022 AVAILABILITY 🚨
If you've ever wanted to work with me in-person, I'm accepting new clients at SoBeFit in Broad Ripple! It's a great, private gym-space where we have plenty of room to explore your options with strength training. I offer free consults where you can come tour the gym, and we can have a conversation about your goals and health/exercise history.

Here is my general availability for in-person training:

Mondays / 7 AM - 8:30 AM
Tuesdays / 7 AM - 1:30 PM
Wednesdays / 7 AM - 8:30 AM
Thursdays / 7 AM - 1:30 PM
Fridays / 7 AM - 11 AM
Saturday / 9 AM - 12 PM

My availability is perfect for people who work second shift, or who work from home and want to get an energy boost in the middle of the work day! DM me or email [email protected] to get on my calendar for your free consult. 💪🏻

Also, if you're looking for an evening session, I miiiiiight be convinced to open up Wednesdays from 5:30 - 7:30 PM--but only if you're ✨cool ✨. 😎

I’m just posting to brag about my guns for a second. No supplements, no creatine, just 100% work. 🤩

Slowly, millimeter by millimeter, I’m building my arms. It may not look like much to some of you seasoned bodybuilders, but this is HUGE progress for me! I’ve never actively worked on hypertrophy before, so this is a whole new ballgame for me—and I love it.

When you put in the work, you should absolutely brag on yourself. You’ve earned it. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small! 💪🏻

Do yourself a favor, and treat yourself to a meal prep service if you can. (It's a Bones Day, you deserve it.)

Personally, I'm obsessed with . As a working mom with three kids at home, I'll take any shortcuts I can get. I typically order 3-4 meals per week from Flexx Nutrition to give myself a few days of quick, high-protein lunches. I'm not lying when I say that these meals FILL ME UP--sometimes I struggle to finish them.

My favorite meals from them are:
✅ Pumpkin Spice Protein Pancakes
✅ Healthy Chicken Parm
✅ Buffalo Chicken Bowl
✅ Mexican Turkey Bowl

There are tons of meal prep companies to choose from here in Indianapolis, but I've found that has the best quality food with the best macros and best PRICES. Orders go in every Thursday at 6:30 PM, so keep them in mind for next week! (...or maybe the week after that, since next Thurs is Thanksgiving)

Jena Steele is a magician with her camera! ❤️