Fitness for All: Inclusive Approaches to Exercise and Wellness

Port Culture gets up close and personal with PE-born and bred, Jodene Geswindt. The fitness enthusiast spends some time out of her busy schedule to share about her fitness journey and lifestyle.

1. What drew you to a love for fitness?

– My father was very athletic and whenever he used to go out, he’d always take me with. It used to be my favorite time of the day.

– I was also very involved in sports during primary school – I took part in tennis, athletics and netball and excelled in them. In high school I decided that I’m going to play tennis until I get to matric and decided that I’m going to play netball because I knew I was going to be the best player for the season in matric again. Keep in mind that I last played netball 5 years ago and I remember speaking to the 3rd team netball coach that I’d like to play for her and she let me. A few weeks later the 1st team coach approached me and let me train with them and I made it to the reserve team and played in the second half when during matches.

– I tried playing for clubs but it didn’t work out until I got to the gym and fell in love with the progress I made, learning about the importance of moving your body and seeing how it affected me on a daily basis and how much confidence I also gained from working out.

2. Can you share a bit about your educational background and certifications in fitness training?

– I don’t have a certificate in fitness , however it is something I’d like to invest in. I plan on doing an advanced sports conditioning course this year to add to my knowledge because I’d love to work with athletes in the future.This course covers a PT (personal trainer) qualification as well.

– I’ve been with a PT for over a year and I’ve learnt a lot especially with regards to the gym: how to use equipment, what exercises helps strengthening which muscles and muscle growth. I’ve also learnt and experimented with supplements during this time. I have come to know about the side effects and which brands work best on different genders and how it should be incorporated into diet. I was also with a sprint coach for about 6/8 months before I started my fitness journey at the gym.The training one does as an athlete is completely different to the training one does at the gym. I’ve learnt how to do conditioning training to condition your body for a certain sport, which muscles needs to be worked out regularly and training one does as an athlete. You also do a lot of HIIT (high intensity) training as an athlete.

“Clients think by just exercising, you’d get your desired body/fitness goals. That’s not how it works …”

3. What challenges did you face when starting your career, and how did you overcome them?

– Since I didn’t have a degree or qualification counting in my favour, the only thing I could depend on was to show off how I progressed over the years.That made people question how I did it. I had to put myself out there, I never had clients to use as an example and the only way I could do it was by starting with myself. The one major challenge I faced was getting people to trust and believe that I could help them reach their fitness goals. I worked on myself and transformed my body into my desired body and that caught people’s attention, especially people I had a personal relationship with.

4. How do you stay updated on the latest fitness trends and scientific research in the field?

– I do a lot of research on YouTube and searching the social media algorithm on fitness. They give a lot of detail as to why certain videos/pictures go viral. Some influencers boost their posts to reach more people, which means they pay for it. I also watch how successful fitness influencers reach their audience and how they maintain it. In most cases they have their desired body, which is the product they’re “selling” because people are drawn to what they see and if the algorithm sees that people always go back to your page and they interact.

5. At the start of the year, many individuals set fitness goals, but often veer off track as the year progresses. Do you have any advice for those facing this challenge?

–  Firstly you need to prioritize your fitness goals and by doing that you need to know and understand why you have to make it a part of your daily life.This means you have to research the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and how it affects you.

  • Secondly, you have to know how to train. If you can afford a PT (physical trainer), that would be great because they’re there to keep you accountable which is a good start for a newbie. If you can’t afford a PT, then join classes (that) your local gym offers and make time to attend these classes as one can learn a lot from these.
  • Then thirdly when you’ve reached a certain level of discipline, you start prioritizing your diet and then I can assure you, you’ll start seeing a lot of progress in your body.One last bit of information would be to hang around gym buddies that are consistent in the gym and willing to help.They will also keep you accountable to a certain extent.

6. What advice would you give to someone wanting to be more fit but is unable to afford a gym membership?

– Go running, get a skipping rope and one resistance band and you can do a full body workout from the comfort of your home. You can even do workouts without equipment and still be able to tone up nicely. All it takes is to search for “home workouts,” stick to the routine and you’ll start seeing improvement not just in your body but your mood on a daily basis as well.

7. Given the significant emphasis on mental health in today’s context, what additional advice can you offer to individuals seeking a more well-balanced life?

– What you consume plays a vital role on how you feel about yourself because your body shows what you take in. Fast foods and unhealthy carbs makes you run on low energy levels for most of the day, which makes it harder for you to focus, whereas healthy food helps you run on high energy levels, which makes it easier for you to do the things you set out to do and you don’t feel lazy and unmotivated as much. So your diet is another important factor you should take interest in.

8. What are the key principles of a well-rounded fitness program that individuals should prioritize for overall health and fitness?

– Firstly, your workout routine and that’s (part of) the basics.

– Secondly, ensure you get enough rest and prioritise your diet.This is even more important than working out.You need to rest because it helps with muscle recovery and a well balanced diet, will make you reach your body goals at a much quicker pace.

– Thirdly, always strive to grow, this will help you not to get stagnant.

– Lastly, surround yourself with like-minded people, because as hard as it may sound, the people you surround yourself with rub off on you and you subconsciously learn their habits, good or bad.

9. In your experience, what are some common misconceptions or myths about fitness that you often encounter, and how do you address them with your clients?

– Clients think by just exercising, you’d get your desired body/fitness goals.Thats not how it works … What one also needs to consider is firstly your diet and secondly genetics. As much as PTs don’t like to admit it because they want to attract more people, for others it’s easier to reach their goals because of their genetics or they’ve been training for a long time. People need to learn patience and stick to the programme, set their minds and accept that it’s going to be a process, if you’re doing it the healthy way.

– Another one would be training your core doesn’t mean that it’s going to give you a snatched waist. No! Your diet is one major factor that needs to be considered and maintained. If you don’t, the process would take even longer and you won’t get the results you hope for if you don’t stick to the plan.You also need to incorporate back training to give you that look (which requires upper body workouts) that a lot of females don’t want to do because they believe it’ll make them look bulky, which is not the case.

10. With the rise of technology and fitness apps, how do you see the role of technology in shaping the future of fitness training?

– People will no longer need to go to the gym.They would be able to train from the comfort of their homes using apps.They will provide all the necessary details needed to reach their goals but one thing I know people struggle with is consistency and I don’t think an app would be able to help much in that regard. The same level of respect an individual has for an app is not the same as for a person. So getting a person (PT) to keep you accountable and grow relationship with is better than relying on an app.The culture in a gym is also one to look forward to and an app won’t be able to compare to that.