In my early 20s, I was a careless college student. I was partying, eating out, and drinking. My lifestyle took a toll on my mental and physical health. My daily habits caused about 40 to 50 pounds of weight gain, a crappy mood, and stagnant energy.

I was still mildly active, playing in a co-ed volleyball league and lifting here and there, but I wasn’t reaching my potential.

I was inspired to change my draining lifestyle and commit to a workout routine because I knew I could do more and be more.

My strength journey began back in 2017, around the age of 21 (I’m 27 now). I realized I was entirely in charge of my own life. I had been showing up for others instead of myself for too long. I needed to make a change for my overall wellness.

I was borderline depressed, medically overweight, and frustrated with myself. My confidence was shattered and I was insecure about everything. I couldn’t believe I let my health go that badly.

So, I made a goal to pour effort into myself first and lose the weight I had gained. (Later I would shift my focus to building muscle and strength.) I made the commitment to myself to get 1 percent better every single day.

I credit these three changes for my strength transformation and success.

1. I acknowledged and committed to changing my bad habits and kept myself accountable with journaling.

I reached the peak of my frustrations and started demanding change out of myself. I dove into reading, journaling, and being obsessed with my daily planner.

The book, You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, helped me shift my energy and realize what I deserved and was capable of. It gave me the courage to make the changes I knew were necessary for my personal growth.

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I kept myself accountable to my goals by journaling. My journaling style varied depending on my mood. Sometimes I poured out my innermost thoughts and feelings that I couldn’t share with anyone else. Other times, I would write out my master plan in bullet form, like this:

This week I will:

—Gain three new clients
—PR in my leg press
—Network with three new people

This form of journaling helped me claim where I wanted to go. I journaled about all the highs and the lows in my world and always journal about the main “life buckets,” like relationships, careers, finance, and fun!

2. I connected with a new community of people who supported my healthy lifestyle choices.

A couple years into my healthier routine, I moved back to Los Angeles for the birth of my nephew. Being back home, I re-established connections that gave me so much more confidence. Making this drastic change allowed me to quite literally leave toxic people and habits behind. I shifted my focus to myself 100 percent—becoming my best and highest self.

I always advise women to put their blinders on and focus on what really matters, wherever you are.

Not everyone has the ability to uproot and physically move, so I always advise women to put their blinders on and focus on what really matters, wherever you are. I realized I had to make certain sacrifices to maintain my healthier lifestyle, and one was changing my friend group.

I created a small girl group chat (five to seven of us) where we focused on working out, doing yoga, and beach days. I had to surround myself with women who were vulnerable and open to growing together.

3. I found new ways to move my body through injury and unexpected obstacles.

I had to overcome a major fitness setback in 2022. I was in an accident, and I had stop lifting and exercising completely.

After the car accident, I was unsure what training would be like. I could have given up with that setback, but I didn’t and I’m so proud of seeing it through. I took it slow, and I started with mobility and yoga. Thanks to that gentle movement, now I’m able to lift and press heavier than before with my legs.

Here’s what my fitness routine includes nowadays.

• Monday is all about lifting heavy and training my legs. I start off strong to set the tone for the week.
• Tuesdays, I train back muscles.
• Wednesdays I devote to cardio. I keep moving with indoor volleyball or a stair workout at the Culver City Stairs.
• Thursday, depending on how my body feels from volleyball, I take a rest or do a chest workout.
• Fridays, I finish strong with a full-body routine. Friday’s focus is on mobility, core, and hip strengthening.
• Weekends are usually rest days for me. A couple times a month, I’ll teach HIIT workouts.

The last year, I’ve focused on building glutes. The moves that have worked for me are hinges, isometric holds, single-leg workouts, and upping my leg workouts to three days a week.

For glute training, I love to start with prioritizing all areas of my hip flexors (front, lateral, and back). I do 100 kicks in all directions before any leg day. For some of my clients this is challenging enough and all the workout they need.

Then, I dive into the meat of the glute workout. I used my knowledge of muscle engagement to create effective glute routines with the equipment I had. I do four sets of each move below at least two times a week. My results in just a few months were insane!

Jade’s Go-To Glute Circuit

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My body is so strong and capable of much more than I imagined when I set my initial goal six years ago.

I can’t believe that I host workouts filled with incline sprints and jumps up the stairs, or that I’m still playing high-level volleyball 20 years later. Not so long ago, I was struggling on the treadmill, scared to let go of the rails.

I’m so proud I stuck to my plan and followed through on the healthier habits like I said I would. Being committed to fitness and becoming my best, most vital self has gotten me into places I never knew were imaginable.

I found value in myself and my career by being who I naturally am: a fitness junkie, a competitor, and a hard worker. I’m proud of myself for not comparing myself to others. I understand that everyone is unique, and it’s not helpful to compare my journey to someone else’s.

Recently, I’m focusing my training on muscular endurance, so I’ve been including high-volume rep training to see how far I can really push myself. I feel stronger than ever.