Fitness, fashion and design specialist Jaclyn Genovese chats with City Life about living a life of fitness.

What are the basic rules to staying fit?
For me, consistency is key to staying fit. Instead of saying, “this week is my week,” and jamming in five to seven workouts in the first week and then overexhausting yourself, I recommend setting two to three workout sessions a week and sticking to those for a long period of time. Even once a week is a great start!

As this begins to become a routine, you will then crave more workouts and make your workouts a priority. As an entrepreneur, I do have the luxury of creating my own hours, so my staff know ahead of time what days my regular workouts are, and I revolve my entire week around those two to three workouts.

Even when I’m travelling, I either make sure to do some at-home workouts in my hotel room or find a nearby gym so that I don’t lose my consistency. Once you take a week or two off, it feels almost impossible to start back up again!

If you’re finding it hard to start, find your motivator, whether that is a kick-ass fitness class (try one of my #fitnessbyjacflash classes!), a girl squad to work out with, a personal trainer or an online fitness motivator to get you into the zone.

Beauty, to me, is happiness. It is about moments in life where we feel most comfortable, happy, proud, excited and free

What are the dos and don’ts of trying to get healthy?
Again, consistency is key. If you have specific issues you want to deal with — for example, digestion issues, hormonal or skin issues, fatigue or something even more specific — I highly suggest seeing a naturopath. My naturopath (Dr. Tracey Beaulne) changed my life. Naturopaths cater more specifically to you. My naturopath did endless tests to see what was going on in every aspect of my body. Instead of saying, “nope, you’re fine,” and sending me on my way, she listened to me. If I was low or high in the normal range of a test, she still addressed it, as that was still a factor in what was affecting how I felt.

In regards to diet, I suggest doing a food sensitivity test once or twice a year (your food sensitivities can change over the months) and base it around that. Personally, I try to stay away from refined sugars, dairy and gluten, as well as my food sensitivities. Aside from the things I stay away from, I literally eat whatever I want, whenever I want, and in whatever portions I feel I need in that meal or snack. Listen to your body! I have made it as much of a habit as possible to eat to nourish my body. I try to ask myself every time I eat: “Is this going to help me get stronger and healthier?”

Define beauty.
Beauty, to me, is happiness. It is about moments in life where we feel most comfortable, happy, proud, excited and free.

It is not about the pressures of looking one way, as we are all unique, with unique experiences, memories and accomplishments that connect to create our own versions of beauty. Our bodies are just a shell that we must take care of as best we can so that we can create more of these beautiful moments and share them with loved ones for as long as we are able.

What is your goal for 2018?
I want to become as strong as I can (both physically and mentally), I want to help in bringing women together, I want to support other women in both the outside working world and the inside one (i.e., stay-at-home moms). I want to speak up and push for change where I can, and I want to say “no” more and take time to relax where I can.

What is your favourite kind of workout gear?
As I owned a clothing store for eight years, I still have a great love for fashion. Right now, wearing matching sets is a big trend in fashion, so I love workout outfits that are made in a set, for example a burgundy sports bra with matching burgundy leggings.

www.jacflash.net
www.instagram.com/jaclyngenovese

Photos courtesy of Jaclyn Genovese