I’ve always loved fitness and the fitness industry. It’s been part of my life from the start.
When I was 13, Santa brought me my first weight training set—a bench with leg extension and leg curl attachments, a handful of bars, and about 150 pounds of cement discs wrapped in plastic. There was also a black-and-white poster of a ripped guy showing the exercises as the plan to follow. I was hooked.
After my baseball days, it felt natural to move into a fitness career. I majored in Health Education, and after surviving my student teaching, I realized teaching younger kids about the food pyramid and anatomy wasn’t my path. I didn’t want to wear a tie every day, either. So I finished an internship at a corporate gym and decided to become a personal trainer and strength-and-conditioning coach. That was twelve years ago.
Since then I’ve grown a lot as a coach and as a person. I’ve watched the fitness world change, evolve, and ride the waves of fads. We’ve seen things like Thigh Masters and Shake Weights come and go. Overall, though, the industry is full of well-meaning people trying to help others live healthier, more meaningful lives. I’m proud to be part of that.
Like any field, there are outliers who give the whole thing a bad name. It can feel like a larger problem than it actually is, but it’s real enough to notice. And today, it’s clear that the way women are portrayed, packaged, and marketed in fitness is a big issue—one that a lot of people are ready to address.
If you’ve picked up a magazine or opened any fitness site lately, you’ve likely seen women shown in hyper-sexualized ways, often photoshopped beyond recognition. It isn’t just models or athletes—it’s a broader message that tells women they aren’t enough as they are and that they need to look a certain way to be valuable. Phrases like “toned” or “sexy” get used repeatedly to sell an often unattainable look. And sometimes fitness celebrities rise to fame for looks rather than expertise, which isn’t helpful.
This is frustrating and it needs to change.
You might know that last weekend I shared a guest post from my friend Neghar Fonooni, “A Woman’s Journey of Strength: How Lifting Changed My Life Forever.” Neghar “gets it.” She isn’t anti-fitness or anti-weight loss; she’s about helping women realize they’re beautiful before they walk into the gym. If someone wants to lose weight, that’s fine, but happiness isn’t tied to a number on the scale.
That perspective is why I’m excited to introduce Lean & Lovely. It’s a 12-week fat-loss program split into three four-week phases, each with a slightly different focus in training, nutrition, and mindset. The plan centers on kettlebell work—Neghar’s specialty—but also includes bodyweight and barbell training. The goal is to help women get fit, gain confidence, and love their bodies as they are.
Lean & Lovely isn’t about selling sex or pressuring anyone to look a certain way. It’s about meeting your body where it’s at and embracing a mindful transformation—physically and mentally. The program includes:
– 12 weeks of fat-burning workouts
– a comprehensive Nutrition Handbook that teaches fat loss without harsh dieting
– more than two dozen bonus “sweat session” workouts you can do anytime, with minimal time and equipment
– instructional videos for every exercise
– a set of mindset exercises to help you be happier, more positive, and more productive
The program is on sale this week at 50% off, a great deal given everything that’s included.
And there’s a bonus: anyone who purchases Lean & Lovely through this site will receive a 75-minute webinar, “Jane from Joe: Do Women Need to Train Differently Than Men?” for free when you email your receipt with the subject line “L&L Giveaway” to tgentilcore18@yahoo.com. The webinar will be released as a standalone product in a few weeks, but you’ll get it early with your receipt.
If you’re curious, you can explore Lean & Lovely and see what it’s all about.
