Speaker 1: 0:35

My name is Joni Fay, owner of J Fay Fitness. I serve busy adults who are looking to jumpstart or restart their fitness and nutrition goals.

Speaker 2: 0:49

Amazing. Take me back. What first drew you to the fitness world?

Speaker 1: 0:54

It was a side hobby actually that drove me in this direction. I purchased, you know, an at-home spin bike and was just doing my own thing and ride after ride, it started accumulating more and more and when I hit about 500 rides at home by myself, you know, I had some family members that said you know, why don't you look into getting certified to teach us Like? You seem like you really enjoy teaching it, you love taking the classes. And at first I kind of blew it off and then, the more I did it, I was walking around my nine to five job that I had at the time and an industry that was great. It was just not what I wanted to do for another 20, 30 years. I had no passion for it and I said, okay, you know, I'm going to get certified, I'm going to have this kind of you know, maybe just as a side hobby. And so I got certified, started teaching regular spin class once a week and subbing at various big box gym locations and just after probably a couple months of having a regular class, that was it for me I said how do I get into the fitness world?

Speaker 1: 1:53

Full-time Spin class is not enough for a full-time job. It's not good on the body to do it that much. So I basically tried to think what's going to work, what would I enjoy? And I went back to school through NASM, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, to get my personal training certificate. Certification done through them took several months and I took the exam passed and then I had to do the in-person requirement training on-site exam at a local gym to get hired. I did that and then slowly work, work to build up my books, to be able to walk away from my nine-to-five job and make training my full-time job. So that's the gist of how I got into this field.

Speaker 2: 2:37

Yeah, that's amazing, though, that you were able to build up and really transition full-time into doing something that you love and that you know sparks that joy and that passion. So it's beautiful. You say it's never too late to live healthy, strong and happy. What does that philosophy mean to you and your clients?

Speaker 1: 2:57

You know it hits home for me and I pass it on and eat, sleep and breathe it. You know, for my clients because I was not a fitness kid. I did some little sports or dance class here and there, but I wasn't an athlete by any means. And in my 20s I wasn't the picture of health. I, you know, I had some weight issues and my own health and fitness journey that I went through, more so in my 30s. And so that's why I say it's never too late and I train people at 40 and above. Most of my clients and I, one of my oldest clients, I'm near 80 years old and someone that just started to exercise more and strength train and it's just proof it's it's never too late and there's always a chance to start or restart if you've been out of the game for a while.

Speaker 2: 3:46

Ooh, I love that. It's inspiring what's been one of the most rewarding client transformations that you've gotten to witness. Oh, that's a tough one. If you can think of one, we can come back to it as well.

Speaker 1: 3:59

Yeah, I have had so many great clients, and one of which has been my dad. You know family first so I can't help it. I would have to say the coolest thing has been training my dad. He loves baseball. Our family born and raised Yankee fans. You don't have a choice. My parents are from New York and so I've been all the games, and then my dad just, you know, get better and better at playing and batting and all that stuff and fielding, and so he started training with me and to see the progress on the field you know, when he's strength training with me and doing the cardio on his own, and then seeing him play after play, do so well that I think that was one of the coolest journeys to to give back to someone who you know paid for my college education and, you know, helped raise me. So I thought that was really cool.

Speaker 2: 4:59

Oh, love that. Thank you so much for sharing that story. Wow, you've built your approach around the three M's movement, motivation and my favorite music. How do these three pillars guide every client session?

Speaker 1: 5:13

Well, I mean movement's just part of the session guide every client session. Well, I mean movement's just part of the session. You know, whether it's the first few minutes of dynamic warmups, the mobility work to get you primed and ready for that strength workout, since with me you're mainly focusing on strength. So there's your movement motivation. You know there's going to be some exercises that clients think are just there's no way I can do that. Or, oh well, you demonstrated, you made it look easy and now I'm doing it. There's no way I can do that. Or, oh well, you demonstrated, you made it look easy and now I'm doing it. It's way harder.

Speaker 1: 5:38

Well, I've also done it thousands of times, you know, in demonstrating different exercises. But to, you know, keep encouraging that yes, you can do it. And to and to see the like look on their face when they do something like their first deadlift, it's amazing. Um, the, as a cycle instructor, which I still am on the weekends for fun, I have my regular Saturday class and the music is such a ties into the motivation and people love stuff that you know gets them excited. So I always check to see. You know, is there certain music you want to listen to in here, because I will custom make a Spotify playlist for you. Or if it's just, you know, I just want upbeat stuff, then I wing it. And you know, sometimes it's fun to see the surprise in their face like, oh, I haven't heard this jam in a minute, so it's just a little bonus to keep you going.

Speaker 2: 6:22

Yeah, I love that the motivation was making me think of how I always need a little extra dose of motivation when I'm doing like Bulgarian split squats.

Speaker 1: 6:31

Oh my goodness, that's yeah, that's a tough one, so no one likes to do.

Speaker 2: 6:35

Those. I've like written you know little workout plans for friends before and I put those on there. I put like a deadlift and they're like no, but it's good for you, it is good for you. And then the music. I mean I always have my husband pick like a few songs to play me when I do hack squat, because I hate it so much and I'm like you need to surprise me with some songs, like think about this during the week and then hit me with a little surprise when I have to do hack squats.

Speaker 2: 7:03

So you get it. Yeah, I get it, and it really makes the world of a difference. Totally. That's awesome. How do you make fitness fun and enjoyable aside from kind of what you just said even for people who feel intimidated by the idea of working?

Speaker 1: 7:17

out. I think a big part of it is, you know, meet people where they're at. You know every client I start with is coming from a different starting point. Some have never strength trained or had regular workouts and some, you know, were athletes in college and now they're in their fifties and you know they took some time off and they were raising kids and life got busy and I completely get that. So it's meeting people where they're at and not overloading them too much, like easing into it, and giving them a good foundation so that they can succeed and they don't feel overwhelmed.

Speaker 2: 7:47

Totally yeah, and I think overwhelm is like the biggest thing. That kind of deters people from sticking with fitness or sticking with a plan or a coach. They just get overwhelmed. They're like, oh, I'm at this point and I just I don't know how I'm going to be able to get to this point or get to. You know where this professional athlete is, and it's. It's again you know what you said meeting them where they're at and not like shaming them for for not being further along, makes a world of difference. Again, I wanted to touch on nutrition coaching as well. What role does this play in helping your clients achieve sustainable results, since nutrition and fitness are so closely intertwined?

Speaker 1: 8:27

Yes, the more I got into once I started my own business, I'd preach so much about how you can't out-train a bad diet and nutrition and fitness it all goes hand in hand so you have to dial them both in very well and it takes time. So with that, you know, I continued my education to get my nutrition coaching certification to offer that as well. I am always touching base with my clients, seeing where they're at with their own meal preps or are there some foods that they're kind of are getting old, if they're trying to hit their protein goals or their fat or carb? You know macro goals and what do we need to tweak? Here's some ideas you know, just kind of going back and forth and figure out what works and what may need to shift here and there.

Speaker 2: 9:12

Yeah, definitely. I feel like there's so much talk about hitting the protein goal nowadays, like everything has that little extra protein and it is helpful. But yeah, no, definitely. Why is accountability such a critical piece of your business model and how do you build it into your client relationships?

Speaker 1: 9:31

Sure, yeah, accountability, I mean it's, it's one of the main reasons that trainers exist. And there's some other critical things, you know form and making sure everybody does their exercise correctly, and all that to prevent injury, especially when it comes to strength training. Because, you know, I can't tell you how many times I've had a client come into my space and say if I didn't have this 10 am appointment every Tuesday, thursday, you know, whatever the case may be because most clients are two to three times a week training with me, I wouldn't do it. I know I wouldn't do it. And so and it varies per person there's clients that only feel the need to work with a trainer until they graduate, you know, and reach their goals, and then they want to maintain on their own and they want to try and do it by themselves, and that's great. I wish that for everybody.

Speaker 1: 10:20

But it varies person to person when it comes to accountability. There's clients I've trained for one or two years and then they're like I got this, I'm going to take it from here and I'm your biggest cheerleader, please check in with me. You know I, you still know me. It doesn't mean once you're not face-to-face with me twice a week, no, like text me, show me some. If you need some form Q-tips, shoot me a video. I'm here, the relationship is always there. But then there's Clients. I've trained and I'm going on, you know, five years now with one of my clients. It's just, you know, it's a matter of if I don't have this, I will not do it. So whatever works for each person, that accountability was so key. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 10:55

And different personality types respond to different types of accountability differently too, like some people that I've known need either a workout buddy at all times or a trainer at all times, and they literally cannot get it done on their own. And I get it. Sometimes I'm like I understand that, but yeah, so that's awesome that you're open to kind of both types of relationships, sure, and then that you keep checking in on them too, that's awesome.

Speaker 1: 11:22

Yeah, I want them to succeed long term. You know that's part of the relationship. It doesn't stop in the space that we train in. You know, I want to hear the little wins they have on their own. How do you balance?

Speaker 2: 11:33

being both a motivator and a coach, pushing clients while also respecting their individual needs and limits.

Speaker 1: 11:40

I think that's where my undergrad psych degree comes into play.

Speaker 1: 11:44

I think you know it has served me well in any job I've had. You know this one for sure the interaction you have with people, just seeing what drives them, what makes their day when it comes to certain exercises, what motivation they need on. Yes, there's always going to be those exercises people don't want to do. You know, single leg exercises, some of the heavier lifts, you know, may not be the day that you feel like doing it, but I'm here to coach you through it and help motivate you and but also respect the boundaries of if you're just really having that awful day and this one exercise is just not working and it's, you know then we then that is a time for any good trainer to pivot and modify as we need to and give an alternative exercise for that day that still works the same muscle groups but maybe is not quite as demanding, something that they can handle that day, because not every day in the gym is perfect. We know that there's days you don't even want to show up and you're dragging yourselves in there.

Speaker 2: 12:46

Yeah, sometimes it's just about keeping that routine in place too, like some hard days I've had. I just am like, okay, I'll go and do at least one exercise and then, once I'm there, I kind of get into it a little bit more. But it's sometimes it really is just about showing up, so I get it. But yeah, that's awesome and not everyone can have like a like an amazing mindset day, every day too, and if they're forced to like do this horrible workout that they are not in the mood to do or not.

Speaker 2: 13:15

Horrible workout on your part, but you know, exercises that they feel like are horrible and they just don't want to do that day and their mindset's already like not the greatest because it's been a long day that can associate negativity with exercise and you never want to like mess up that relationship. So that's where what you said is key, like really meeting them where they're at in terms of their needs and limits. So that's really amazing. I wanted to touch on the InBody 270 scans that you offer as part of your packages. Why is tracking data and results so important for motivation and success?

Speaker 1: 13:51

It's super important and you know I learned that in my experience, you know, working in the big box gym before I went on my own A lot of gyms now have an embodied model of some sorts to see your body composition. Because that number on the home scale that we have is, you know, I say to my clients all the time I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, that number is garbage. What matters is how much muscle you have and what your body fat percentage is. Those track your overall health much better and show you know where you're at and where your goals need to be to, you know, continue to build lean muscle, to get stronger as you age, to help with balance, help with stability, to help regulate your metabolism muscle.

Speaker 1: 14:33

It's your powerhouse for that To be able to see on black and white, on a printed piece of paper that they take home once a month when they get on the InBody in my space to see where their progress is going. Or and it's never like I say, it's never pass fail If it's not going the way you wanted that month, because life happens, you know, maybe it's a vacation, maybe it's a crazy workload and you didn't get the nutrition dialed in as well, but you got the workouts and it's going to show on there. And then we just say, hey, we need to tweak it, we need to step it up a notch on the macros, let's, let's go into detail on the fat or the protein carbs, all the above. You know what do we need to reflect in and shift for next month. So it helps to see that, month over month, to be able to work on the goals and reset when we need to, versus just getting on that scale and the number not really jiving with what you think it should.

Speaker 1: 15:20

And then you, there goes your motivation. So and that's also why I it's on my website I've always offered you know once you're a client with me whether it's six months, five years, I don't care. You're a client for life, in the sense that you can touch base with me and say, hey, can I pop in this weekend or when you have a break in the middle of the day, and pop in and get on the InBody. It takes 15 seconds. I want to see where you're at. I want you to see that you progress on your own.

Speaker 2: 15:49

And if or if you need to tweak something, well, there's the data. So I think it's so important. Yeah, no, I love the InBody and I love the data that it provides too, because sometimes too, you think that you look a certain way. You know, body dysmorphia runs kind of rampant but then you, you know, like I've had the experience in big box gyms, of course but like standing on the in-body a few years later and I see like, oh, like maybe I weigh more, but like, look at all this muscle, it's crazy. And then I've known people, too, who have stood on the in-body and like, when they go to the doctor's office they're classified overweight, but then their body fat percentage is super low and they have all this muscle. So it really is empowering to have that objective like in-body data. So I'm a fan. I'm a fan of it and I love that you let people come back in too.

Speaker 2: 16:35

And since they are a client for life and you can kind of see where they're at and I'm sure it's always great, so that's awesome. How has virtual training expanded your ability to reach and support clients across different states?

Speaker 1: 16:47

Virtual training expanded your ability to reach and support clients across different states. You know it's the great technology of being able to Zoom FaceTime. You know, whatever the platform, that works for both of us. No-transcript, I'm there and I just, you know. No, I can't touch to help with form, but I can verbally cue you very well, I can demonstrate and you know, see what's going on and it, you know it's, it's the closest thing to being in my space. So we get to make it happen that way, which is really nice.

Speaker 2: 17:32

Yeah, and did you start doing that like after COVID, like sort of when Zoom was more at the forefront of things, or did you do it beforehand as well?

Speaker 1: 17:41

Oh, I was doing it from day one of going on my own. Because when I decided to not wait out when gyms were going to reopen if I was going to have a job because I loved what I did and there was no way I was going to lose that opportunity I said, all right, I'm going to, I'm going to go on my own. And so my initial clients were all virtual because nobody was leaving their house. So even the clients that said I don't, I'm looking around, I don't have much equipment, I said what do you got? I got some bands, a couple of dumbbells, Got it. We can make that work. That plus body weight. You'd be surprised how creative trainers can be. So access equipment is not necessary to reach your goals. So I worked with whatever they had and then, as more places started to open up, people felt more comfortable. Then, one by one, people started to come in my space. But there's the people that, like I said, move or that have always lived in a different state, that remain virtual.

Speaker 2: 18:30

Wow, what's one underrated piece of equipment. I know you said you don't need equipment, but what's one underrated piece of equipment or training?

Speaker 1: 18:41

method that you love using to surprise your clients with results.

Speaker 2: 18:43

I'm going to have to pick two on this one, sorry, so I'm going to go heavy and not as heavy.

Speaker 1: 18:45

So we're talking like heavy. You know I love when I take out the trap bar and we do the trap bar style deadlifts, because it encompasses so many people, especially of the older ages that I work with, that they think deadlifts are dangerous, which they're not with proper form. But even the safer, better alternative is the trap bar style deadlifts. And when they get to see themselves you know a little video snippet I take of them so they can see that first lift, I love that. That's my all time favorite. Second to that, if we're not talking, you know, ultra heavy lifting, that's just a fun piece that I take it out from behind my little storage wall and the eyes light up. What's that is the slam ball, because if you're having a day and you just want to let it out, it's what it sounds like you slam it and it's filled with sand so it stops, it doesn't bounce and, you know, hit you in the face like a medicine ball would. There's a difference. So people just love some slam ball.

Speaker 2: 19:37

So that's my favorite. It's like great post-work.

Speaker 1: 19:41

Yeah, let it go, let it all out.

Speaker 2: 19:44

I love that and I am also a fan of trap bar deadlifts. Just a lot of people I feel like think, oh, like I could never do a deadlift. That's just for power lifters or that's just for I hear a lot that's just for bulky men and I'm like what do you mean Get under that deadlift bar girl, you can do it. It's so fun and everyone's so proud of themselves. I was proud of myself the first time I did a deadlift. I was like a deadlift, no way I know. So that's beautiful. You get to witness that. Yeah, that'd be a dream. You also host women's wellness events. What inspired you to create these and how do they tie into your larger mission?

Speaker 1: 20:22

Yeah, that's, you know, something new in the last year. You know I pace myself since I'm a solo run operation, trying not to do too much, too quick. So you know, the first few years were the training and then weaving in the nutrition. And then, you know, as I was approaching year five, I said, you know I'm going to get out there, I'm gonna get out of my comfort zone again, because that's where, for me, the magic happens, that's where I've had such great moments. So, being 43, going through perimenopause, I've learned a lot.

Speaker 1: 20:53

I've done tons of research and when it comes to nutrition and that, like that's what I'm certified in navigating that, just navigating building muscle, all genders as we age, you know all this stuff that people want to learn more about. But I geared it, you know, to start off, you know primarily women retreats or workshops. The first thing I did was a retreat, but you know I recently did a nutrition seminar for an entire faculty of a private school. Anyone that wanted to sign up could come and you know we just went over an hour. Of all things, nutrition was the main focus, while most of what I'm doing insofar as like the retreat side, when it's an overnight, weekend or more event, then that's typically all women, but here and there, you know, I may be asked by schools or businesses to come in and speak for an hour on strength, nutrition, both, and that's to anybody that wants to join, kind of thing. So it's been a lot of fun. Just, you know, getting outside of the space of my gym, which is neat that sounds so fun.

Speaker 2: 21:54

Do you have any plan for the future coming up?

Speaker 1: 21:57

I was asked after a recent nutrition seminar I did at a private school. You know when's your next retreat by a couple of ladies? So that's kind of in the planning stages of if we're going to do destination, if it's going to be just a one day onsite thing at that school, you know. So we'll, we'll see what happens, but I'm excited that there's interest and you know I should probably get working on like just another public signup retreat at some point.

Speaker 2: 22:20

So yeah, it's been a lot of fun stuff in the works, kind of last few questions. What advice do you have for busy adults who feel stuck and need that restart in their fitness journey?

Speaker 1: 22:37

I would say a couple things. One, just one small step at a time. Don't try to do it all at once, because you know, as you mentioned, that can really just deter people and just pull away their motivation very quickly because it seems overwhelming. So one small step, whether it's you need to start drinking more water, that's goal number one. You need more protein that's goal number two. More fiber, like piece by piece. Take the small steps, ask for help when you need it. And then the other biggest thing that you know I'm constantly talking about is get outside of your comfort zone. Like I said earlier, you know that's where the magic happens. It seems scary, you seem I don't like this. It seems a little uncomfortable. That's where growth happens. So you have to get uncomfortable. You have to do the things that are outside of your safety bubble. As I always said about myself, it's easy to stay in the bubble, but you know great things happen when you take that step outside.

Speaker 2: 23:23

Yeah, I definitely agree. Is there anything else that you want to touch on that I didn't ask you, or that you want to share today?

Speaker 1: 23:33

Just being grateful for all the people that have supported me, especially my husband, from day one when I sat there in fear of the world shutting down and you know, gyms closed and what am I going to do and to have that one person that said, go, you can do this on your own, get your LLC, get your business license, you can do this. And at that moment I didn't think I could do it. So I'm grateful for you know all the people that have supported me, especially my clients, you know, along the way, and everyone's just been really amazing. And the initial cycle class that I had. That was my inspiration to go back to school to do what I do now. I am forever grateful.

Speaker 2: 24:16

The OG.

Speaker 1: 24:17

Yes.

Speaker 2: 24:17

Shout out to the OG. Well, thank you, Joni, so much for coming in and making the time to talk to me today about JFA Fitness and your journey. This has been such an incredible conversation and I know that our audience is going to really love this episode, so thanks again.