As an athlete in a variety of different sports that has taken Jordyn Kreller from the Pitch, to the Fieldhouse, to the Courts, to the track and then in and out of gyms….. It’s either quite a feat that she has continued to train so hard physically to prime and sculpt her body into a competition level fitness competitor. I can never make up my mind on whether most people would be just plain sick and tired of strenuous workouts and just let their hard earn physiques go or would the power of habit just keep the momentum going for most everyone that is such a long term competitive athlete.
As for Jordyn, the British Columbian native, years of preparation and participation in sports ranging from soccer, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball, field hockey, and track led her to be passionate about her health and fitness. “After years of sports, being coached by some of the best coaches in the industry, and observing them in their pursuit to help athletes, only motivated me to carry on this venture myself” Jordyn tell me, “I knew from a very young age that I wanted to help men and women of all ages achieve an athleticism that they have always dreamed of. Once I started weight lifting for the very first time at age 18, I knew that this was my place to make a significant impact on another person’s life. After years of schooling, graduating with a Bachelor of Human Kinetics and a Minor in Psychology, I pursued into both local one on one personal training and becoming an online fitness coach.”
“My current fitness journey has been nothing but blessings in disguise. With all the peaks and valleys I have experienced along the way, it has truly made me a stronger person. I have been into health and fitness since the age of 5, when I first started kicking a soccer ball around. Sports and competition (especially the preparation) taught me all about self discipline, poise, and grit.”
Jordyn’s description of what she does and her journey to get here is energizing and inspiring to those that want to be excited about being active. Next, I asked her what her mission is as a fitness coach, “As a fitness coach, my mission is to provide individuals with support, communication, and education on achieving a flexible and sustainable approach towards training and nutrition.”
My Motto is: “Achieve Your Body Goals, Train Like A Bad Ass, Have Nutritional Freedom, & Live Your Best Life”
Obstacles
“My biggest obstacle began in high school, after ending my gymnastics career at the age of 16, I went through a significant period of disordered eating and body dysmorphia.” Jordyn tell me, T’he scary thing was, I had no idea this was going on. The last thing I remember hearing the day I quit gymnastics was, “You know you will not be able to eat as much food as you do now …. Or else you will get fat.” This significantly impacted my mindset. Hearing those words shifted my mind from an girl who trained for life, to a girl who trained to get thin and stay thin. I researched articles upon articles; best ways to burn fat; best ways to stay lean; fat burning foods; fat burning workouts, etc.”
“I went from a solid 125lb gymnast to a 90lb thin girl. This is when I discovered the weight room and cardio machines. I abused cardio by performing 45-60 minutes of cardio followed by 60 minutes of weight training. I restricted my calories and feared every morsel of food that entered my mouth. I never went to social outings or parties, I hid in the library every single day during lunch hour, and I feared to walk across the school foyer because I knew people would judge me on my appearance.”
“If it wasn’t for my family and friends who voiced their concerns, I don’t know where I would be today. After battling this issue for 2 years, I finally went to see a dietician and a psychologist, and hired my very first personal trainer. And it was this trainer that made me want to get into personal training. “
Fitness Methods
“I learned a lot of what I rely on from a scientific perspective in my training and coaching during my research throughout my university career. Learning the research techniques on how to read specific scientific studies has allowed me to apply scientific knowledge to my practice. Although I love doing all of the research, I also find that trial and error is one of the best methods when it comes to strategies and methods. Nothing beats taking action with a client, observing the results, and seeing how you can make tweaks throughout their journey. That being said, any client who is willing to do whatever it takes to get results! It comes down to trusting the coach, and most importantly trusting themselves.”
Beginners Advice
I asked Jordyn about advice for beginners. When I say beginners, I mean real beginners who are just getting off their couch and trying to start getting active and fit the very first time. “I would advise them to stick to the basics to start” Jordyn advises. Get into resistance training. Either think about hiring a coach or research online “beginner workout programs”.
Dial in on your nutrition. Focus on the 3 basic macronutrients when having a meal: Carbs, fats, and protein. Each meal should contain a balance of a protein, complex carb, and healthy fat. Each meal should also contain a vegetable (think the more color the better) .
Assess how much water you drink.
A good starting point is 2 L per day (be careful not to overdo it though).
Assess how many steps you get in a day. Do you sit majority of the day? Then go for a walk in the morning or the evening for 15-30 minutes. Work your way to get in 8,000-10,000 steps per day
How many hours of sleep do you get?
Shoot for 7-8 hours per night minimum
How is your stress?
Stress is something that many of us do not take into account, but has a huge impact on all of the above! If you find to be a highly stressful individual, find coping mechanisms, such as meditation, journalling, yoga, daily nature walks, etc.
Jordyn’s 80/20 Fitness Rules
“Mindset.” Jordyn simply states. “We underestimate how much impact the mind has on our journeys, no matter if we are a beginner or a pro. If you don’t have confidence within yourself or believe you can achieve your dreams, then you can’t and you won’t! When it comes to working towards you goals, it doesn’t mean taking the easy route … the easy route is not your 20%. The 20% is usually the tasks that we fear, that are difficult, and my be situations we avoid. But, once we take action on our fears and difficult situations, that is when a breakthrough happens. T his is the time when we become stronger human beings!”
“What we think about consistently has a direct impact on our actions. I always tell my clients, “Mindset is like peanut butter and jam! 😛 The combination is magical!” The mentality determines whether someone will dig deep and work through hardships to succeed, or simply claim defeat. It includes exercising courage, sustaining effort over long periods and leveraging self-talk to move through each pivotal phase, before ultimately accomplishing the underlying goal.”
