Today we’d like to introduce you to Genevieve Cohen.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Genevieve. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As a kid, I was always very active. I went to athletic training camps, played sports in all three seasons, and in high school, I trained year round for tennis. I thrived in that team environment and had a true sense of belonging. I was never skinny like the other girls, but I was healthy and I was happy.
When I went off to college, I ceased all activity, and went on the “college diet.” By the end of my junior year, I had gained almost 40lbs. I isolated myself from my friends. My clothing stopped fitting. I used food to try to suppress my emotions. I felt lethargic ALL of the time and I struggled to find enjoyment in the things that I loved. Worst of all, I lost love for myself. I reentered in an unhealthy relationship that I had spent years trying to break free of because I felt SO deeply unworthy of love.
It wasn’t until my 21st birthday that I finally saw that I had a problem. I looked in the mirror and felt like someone had stuck an air pump in me and blown my body up like a balloon. I didn’t recognize the girl looking back at me.
I was lost, confused, depressed, and 50lbs. overweight. I had tried to lose weight SO many times before. I got gym memberships and never went. I counted calories for a month and then gave up. I did all of this research but the issue was that one person would say one thing and then the next person would say something completely different. I didn’t know who or what I was supposed to believe.
Finally, I decided enough was enough. I became like a sponge and absorbed anything and everything I could think of to promote lifelong, sustainable weight loss. I knew that if I had a plan that I could not fail. I put all of my energy into cultivating a positive mindset about my body and transformation. Within 9 months, I reached my goal of losing 50 lbs.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Two months into my journey, I developed this horrible back pain. My doctor told me to cease all activity until the pain subsided. But the thing is… it never did. In fact, it only continued to get worse. I was devastated. I feared that not being able to workout would prevent me from reaching my goal. But I decided to keep pushing forward and focused on my nutrition and mindset.
I reached my external goals in just 9 months, but I still wasn’t happy due to the emotional drain caused by my back pain. I saw doctor after doctor and none of them could help me. I spent 2 miserable years resenting my weight loss. I LOVED the way that I looked, but I HATED the way that I felt. I honestly felt WORSE than I had before my weight loss. My back hurt 24/7. I couldn’t even walk for more than 5 minutes without the pain making it unbearable. I began to isolate myself from my friends all over again. How could I do anything social or fun if every breath I took was so painful? I fell back into my depression and began to lose sight of who I was.
Then, I decided to make one last push. And this time, I was going to face the very thing that I feared the most: fitness. My muscles were SO weak from 2 full years of almost no activity. I actually cried minutes into my first workout because I couldn’t do a single push-up. I remember at that moment, I had to make a decision. It was either: give up now and be miserable for the rest of my life, or push through the pain and live the life I deserve.
My best advice is to stay positive in the face of adversity. By focusing on my wins over my loses, I was able to get to a point where I could push through my back pain. As I grew stronger, the pain weakened. As I exercised more frequently my mood improved. As my mood improved, my back pain improved. I was happier and more energized than ever. When I looked in the mirror I no longer loathed the person looking back. I LOVED her. I loved the way that I looked AND the way that felt for the first time in my life. People would literally tell me that I was beaming confidence. I finally felt happy. Complete. And like I had shaped myself into the person I was meant to be.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Gen’s Gym story. Tell us more about the business.
I am an online health and fitness coach that specializes in helping women lose weight, gain confidence, and repair their relationship with food by beginning to recognize it as energy, not the enemy. I am most known for my Instagram account, @gensgym, where I set out to inspire other women to find happiness in their health.
I adore my clients. To be quite honest, I am obsessed with them. Take my client Jenna for example. Jenna is a college student and had doubts that this program would be the right fit for her. She had seen personal trainers, worked with nutritionists and was attending orange theory fitness classes multiple times a week – none of which brought her any results. She (and her mom) were incredibly frustrated by the time and money invested in Jenna’s health with little to no return. Jenna also had serious concerns over FOMO. She worried that if she pursued her goals that she would not be able to go out and have fun with her friends anymore. Over the course of her first month, Jenna struggled because she felt as though she was not seeing the results she had hoped for… and then she moved back into school, seeing most of her friends for the first time in months. “My friends were BLOWN away,” Jenna said to me with excitement in her voice. “Holy crap Jenna. You look amazing!” They all fawned over her. “I WORE A CROP TOP FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!” She shared. Jenna lost 10lbs. in just her first 5 weeks and we are only just getting started. “What has been most helpful for me,” Jenna shared, “was learning that I can still go out with my friends and be healthy. I don’t NEED to eat that plate of nachos, nor do I NEED to have multiple drinks in order to have fun.”
My clients choose to work with me because I have been where they are now and I know how to get them where they want most. I know what it’s like to feel so uncomfortable in your own skin that you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning because it means seeing your reflection in the bathroom mirror, tugging at your shirt to keep it from riding up, and saying no to social gatherings that involve any form of physical activity out of fear of embarrassment. Anyone can become an online coach or in a personal trainer, but very few people have experienced the same struggles as their clients. Without this deep personal connection, a coach and client can only bond so much.
My clients also choose to work with me because I get them results! My client Rachael was first drawn to me because she too suffered from years of chronic back pain. She reported being in pain constantly in spite of the fact that she attended physical therapy and followed her medical professionals care routine. Her pain prevented her from feeling fully present in her relationships and social life and when we first began working together she could only workout once per week out of fear of the pain. Rachael worried that she may not be able to see dramatic results due to her physical limitations. We focused heavily on her nutrition and mindset and worked on building her strength and endurance. Slowly, we integrated more workouts and began to build muscle to support her severe pain. Rachael now works out 3-4x per week and is physically active every single day. Rachael is down 30lbs. from her highest weight and is frequently berating me to give her more workouts!
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Yes! First of all, Instagram. I encourage all of my clients to make a “fitstagram” where they post about their journey and also follow like-minded women for constant inspiration. Many women may not feel comfortable or safe sharing about their journey on their own personal account, so having a separate account just for fitness makes them feel safe! Other apps that I like are headspace and calm (for meditation), Sweat (for workouts), and My Fitness Pal (for tracking food).
I have also recently gotten really into audiobooks! You can either purchase them from iTunes or you can use services such as audible or Scribd if you plan on making it a regular part of your day. And of course, you can always read traditional books as well. Some books that I have found particularly transformative and recommend to all of my clients are The Success Principles by Jack Canfield and The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins.
Contact Info:
- Email: contactgensgym@gmail.com
- Instagram: @gensgym
Image Credit:
Gen’s Gym, LLC
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