SHOW NOTES
Before Bent On Better:
Jessie lives in Connecticut and has been friends with Matt April’s wife, Lynn, whom she met in an online support group for people who have gone through infertility. Before going through infertility treatments, Jessie took an interest in weightlifting and enjoyed going to the gym with her husband. Then they started going through the whole infertility process; unfortunately, they had a loss and went through some rough times. A few years later, Jessie eventually got pregnant with her son, and by that time, Jessie was caught up being a mom and working full-time for a commercial property management company.
“…you know I just really didn’t have anything for me and physically I was feeling pretty terrible and I’ll get to this, I try not to focus on weight anymore but during the pandemic, I had put on some weight, but overall I just felt terrible, I felt tired, I felt sore my body is always hurt, I had no stamina and I just felt terrible…” – Jessie
Joining Bent On Better’s Virtual Class
Having heard from Lynn about Bent On Better holding a virtual workout class, Jessie decided to sign up, gave it a try for at least three months, and hoped to maybe put together a routine for herself. Sta
rting out, Jessie had ordered online a pair of 10-pound dumbbells, a 10-pound kettlebell and some bands, and those were practically all she got, but Bent On Better had helped her modify the workout for whatever equipment she has available, whatever her strengths or limitations are, that she didn’t feel like she was not prepared in terms of gym stuff. Over time, they had started accumulating more and more equipment and now they have a barbell, a squat rack, adjustable dumbbells, big kettlebells, the whole set-up. They have even painted their walls and hung up a “Kinda Fit Kinda Fat” banner in homage to their favorite clothing company.
The Big Takeaways
Since joining Bent On Better, Jessie has seen some great transformation of herself, not just on how her body looked like and how her posture had greatly improved but so is her whole mindset about working out and fitness. With diet culture being prevalent nowadays, especially with the influence of social media, it’s easy to get sidetracked and to be led to believe that thinness and diet equal good health. With Jessie, she will exercise and lift weights because she wants to be strong and eat food that will fuel both her body and soul and this does not necessarily mean giving up her favorite brownies.
Taking the goal of intentional weight loss makes the workout even more enjoyable and sustainable; there is no beating up when a particular goal is not achieved. Instead, we learn to listen to our bodies more, take time off if needed, get back up again, build up strength and try again.
“I’m not here to do anything except get muscles and feel good, and I do feel good since I’ve started working out with you guys! My lower back pain is gone! I am so much more flexible, I have better mobility, I can get up off the floor after playing with my son and not have to crawl to a piece of furniture and pull myself up.” – Jessie
“All those little things that people overlook in their fitness journey because of diet culture, because of these high-end goals they have to hit for whatever external influences they’re getting, you set the bar as Jessie’s bar and you compare the bar only to Jessie’s bar and that’s what I admire, – you set the bar for you and the only bar you’re comparing it to is you and that is the best part about your fitness journey.” – Matt April
Follow Jessie
Jessie runs an Instagram account @polycystic_coiffure, where she shares her story about having alopecia and PCOS, connecting with people who have hair loss, offering tips for wearing wigs, and simply giving words of motivation to anyone following her fitness journey.