#personaltraining

• FBG: If someone can’t afford a personal trainer, what’s the No. 1 tip you can give them to get fit?
• JJ: Your health is in your hands. If you want it bad enough then you will make it a priority. Don’t sit around waiting for the magic “get healthy pill” because it’s not coming, and take your health into your own hands and learn as much as you can so that you can empower yourself.

– Team Hollywood Trainer

‘Each individual woman’s body demands to be accepted on its own terms’ ~Gloria Steinem ~
Until the age of 21 I never cared about my body. I never worked out, I ate as how my mom cooked for me and I was lazy AF. My husband can eat whatever he wants without gaining any fat. When I on the other hand eat the same crappy food (cookies, chips, fries, lots of carbs, candy) I gain like crazy. It’s nice to have my curves from my Caribbean family side, but they are all super fat on the island and I don’t want to be fat! I started to work out. Joined body pump classes in the same village and followed some spinning classes. As not unexpected, I didn’t lose much fat. On my 24^th I moved to Spain and it only got worse. All those fried tapas and new foods, not doing any sports at all… it was horrible with my conditions. I decided to join the local bootcamp 3 times a week. At 7am rain or no rain, I was present. I lost lots of weights, met my first nutritionist and added the gym to my weekly routine. This to get more toned up. I started to feel beautiful and a whole new world opened up! I learned to cook healthy, not to eat unreal food and ate a peace of fruit instead.

After 2 years I started CrossFit and after 2 years I wanted to do the Spartan Beast race. It’s an obstacle course of 24km. I took personal training, a new nutritionist and trained 9 hours a week and was super fit! I got my first abs visible and finished the Spartan race when I was 30. But when I went back to 4 hours a week training and quit the strict nutritionist program, I was gaining weight again, which is not unexpected.

But at that moment I realized I don’t want to stick to the ‘1 cheatmeal’ moments, the no alcohol and everything that comes with looking like someone you’re not. Obviously I have the build of a black woman and not the black woman from Africa, but from the Caribbean which means I have curves and yes I do have some fat. When I reached the 18% of my body fat percentage I realized it was getting tricky to continue. Lower than 18% woman can lose their period and get other physical complaints. Do I really need a six pack? Do I really need to live with 1 cheatmeal a week? Only water? No cocktails in the weekend? And ohhh goshhhh my ass!!! My booty was flat like fuck!! I want a booty!!

I met a new personal trainer. He works with a nutritionist. Arghh again?? He told me that if I wanted that booty I needed to listen and take the nutritionist too. I wanted that damn booty so yes, here we go again. 2 personal training a week, 2 days CrossFit and a monthly check my fat day at home. After 3 months I was totally done with it! Yes my booty was growing, but can I not just be beautiful with a little bit more fat on the hips?

I was a month without any carbs (very dangerous! Never do it, he was crazy!!! Google it, it’s unhealthy AF!) Quitting so suddenly and starting to eat normal carbs straight away made y body blown up. All mass, not fat. Now how do I get rid of that blown up body? I ate healthy, chickpeas instead of rice and started to add a few runs during the week along CrossFit. It helped and I looked really good. I believe I finally found the body I love!

Curves, a phat booty, no abs but a flat belly that suits the rest. My body is in proportions. Since the last 1,5 year I swapped CrossFit for the gym only. There I can focus on the muscles I want to work on, I can have my long nails, my difficult colored hair that can’t be in the rain, and work out like all hot models do. CrossFit was fun, I still miss the community vibe but in the gym I can train to maintain the body I feel comfortable with. It was a long journey, specially where I come from; a village, a diet that was normal to me with lots of carbs and a lot of extra’s I never needed and without any sports background. Both my parents never did any sports and neither did my brother. I had to create my own journey and although it almost took me 10 years, I’m finally know who I am, how I look best and how I have my best, healthy and natural (not strict with one cheatmeal days) diet. I learned a lot from all my nutritionists and personal trainers. I know now my body is curvy, I know how to express those curves and still be fit, be in balance and how to keep my body compact by training, moving and not chubby and unhealthy. Cardio, weights and healthy food choices are the key. Nowadays I know what to do in the gym and to take a banana instead of a sneak when I’m hungry. I accepted my body on my own terms and I feel GREAT! Mentally sports helps A LOT and not eating sugar (of course I love to have a cake or drink a coke, but not all the time anymore) keeps your energy level stable. I LOVE MY CURVES and my big phat booty. I wish it was even bigger. But hey, fat doesn’t always go to the places you want to, unfortunately.