Jen's Story 

I wasn’t always this way. In search of optimal health and wellness. I grew up on the standard American diet, i.e SAD. It was either kraft mac n cheese for dinner or pick whichever drive thru we hadn’t had lately. Soda was the beverage choice over water and I couldn’t tell you the names of many vegetables. I had ear infections often, as well as sinus infections. I’m not sure how or when exactly the connection was made, but when I was 11 I had a head cold with a sore throat. My mom offered to make me a malt to soothe my throat. I declined, stating it would make my cold last longer. I didn’t know then what I would come to begin to understand in my 20’s.

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In my 20’s I started playing around with cutting out dairy when I would get sick. I upped my vitamin C, and drank water and teas. I recovered in a couple days versus a week. And it lessened the severity too. I knew I was on to something. But being 20, I only changed my habits when I got sick. I was in college, I partied. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology, minor in Archaeology and Sociology. Upon graduation, I did what everyone does. I tucked my diploma under my armpit, moved to Montana, and got a job bartending at night so I could play in Mother Nature all day. I mean, everyone else does do this…right?

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In short, it took decades. In my thirties, I discovered vegetables and cooking real food. I also had this awesome dog who got sick. To avoid medications I got him off processed foods and watched his health flourish. I joined an all womens functional intensive training group Kaia, that promoted Vegan. I did my first cleanse with them. It was eye opening. Through increasing my wellness, my confidence was boosted as well. I signed up for my first triathlon. Then my Iron Girl. Then a 64 mile bike ride through Napa. I toyed around with foods for recovery. It all kind of started coming together. Food and disease, or dis-ease, in the body. In the past I was no stranger to the gym but only made it a part of my routine when I was hardcore committed to losing weight.

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After many yo-yo diets in a constant battle to get the hot body, I finally started catching on that feeling good is not a skinny body, but a healthy body. I started to do my own research, I became an ambassador of my own health. And in my 40’s I walked away from a very successful job in the casino business. I went back to school to follow my passion of living a healthier lifestyle for myself and learn how I could use that knowledge and my experience to support, encourage and guide others. I graduated in 2018 from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and am an integrative Nutrition Health Coach. The training allowed me to evaluate my life holistically and see how my health was affected by not just the food I put in it, but all aspects of life such as relationships, career, physical exercise, and spirituality. All areas need more balance in order for us to be healthy. It was shortly after I graduated that I was introduced to Dan Moriarty by mutual friends. They introduced us because we, ”geek out on the same health and wellness stuff.”  Turned out we do! And even better, we both want to share it with as many people as we can. Our worlds collided and Focus Fitness was born.