It is Jená Emily Utley’s goal to help women create wholeness in themselves by healing the body, mind, and spirit holistically. A lifetime athlete, educated in both Exercise Science and Physiology, Jená knows the power balance between what it takes for the body to function at its highest level as well as what is needed within our “inner selves” to make it work. She believes that her approach to health and fitness was predestined and that she is living out the God-given purpose of her life by developing and sharing with women the tools to make them complete.
FWM: Jená, I’m honored to interview you for this issue. Please introduce yourself to our readers.
JEU: Hello beautiful readers. I’m Jená, a highly energetic, multi-passionate woman. I understand that one of the purposes God has placed me on this earth is to help women, especially black women, heal their bodies as naturally as possible, grow spiritually closer to Christ, and live sustainably. Why? So that they can attack their God-given purpose from a place of wholeness, boldness, and full strength. I do this work via digital courses, one-on-one coaching, speaking, and digital storytelling that I post on my blog and YouTube.
FWM: What led you to the fitness lifestyle?
JEU: From an early age, I had a love for health and fitness. My dad was (and still is) a phenomenal athlete. He played D1 SEC football at Ole Miss, and he was still big into working out even after he graduated. Some of my earliest memories of us are me begging him to take me with him to work out! Following in his footsteps I was a multisport athlete. I ran track, danced, cheered, and even dabbled in soccer, basketball, rowing, and volleyball. Picking exercise science as a major in college felt like a natural decision. Being an athlete is one thing, but learning the actual muscles and mechanics of why the body moves as it does and the things that make it perform optimally fascinated me. It still does! The body is so complex, and I quickly learned that what seems logical isn’t always factual concerning how the body works. This is one of the reasons I push women to research their personal trainers. It does take some knowledge on Anatomy, Physiology, and Nutrition to properly set up a workout prescription. This is one of the biggest causes of so much confusion and misinformation in the fitness & nutrition arena, but I digress. So looking over the sum total of my life, I can’t say anything led me into a fitness lifestyle; it was more of a predestined thing!
FWM: Please tell us more about your holistic approach to wellness.
JEU: I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and my master’s degree in Exercise Physiology. During my two programs, I started personal training. After some time of working with multiple clients, I started to notice some central themes among a few of them. I noticed that it wouldn’t matter how much cardio or how heavy my clients lifted if they were not well in their spirits and souls they either (1) struggled to reach their goals or if they even reached them (2) were very hard-pressed to sustainably maintain the progress they had achieved. Even with all the accountability and knowledge I could share, there was still that missing piece. Being in a traditional gym also left me feeling stagnant. There were so many moments that I wanted to physically grab my clients by the hand and pray over them, but I didn’t want to get reprimanded or fired.
So after I graduated from graduate school, I moved back home to Memphis. I found a job working at this boutique Bootcamp gym. It was great for a moment, but it really drained me of my energy. I knew that God was calling me to nurture people in a way that was so atypical compared to how our society is used to experiencing the gym and our health. After a very challenging conversation with my then boss, we parted ways, and I went full time into my own business.
From that moment to now, the way I holistically approach health is rooted in God. From His well, I work to help my clients change their language. To stop taking ownership of diseases, to address spiritual issues that may be causing the sickness and weight gain (heartbrokenness, rejection, stress, sin, etc.), to find physical activities they actually enjoy, to learn how to have balance in the way they eat instead of eliminating whole food groups that they don’t even have food sensitivities too. My holistic approach considers the whole woman, including the types of products she puts on her skin, the relationships she has in her life, and her staying committed to her purpose so that the provision she needs to thrive is there.
FWM: What keeps you motivated?
JEU: To be completely honest, nothings keeps me motivated. I often tell the people in my tribe to stop relying on motivation to do what needs to be done. I think motivation is beautiful and is definitely needed and appreciated, but it can’t be what we fall back on. Instead, I would stay what keeps me rooted and pressing forward is knowing that there is no way around my purpose to do what God has told me to do. I hold strong to the thought that I meet God empty when it’s time for me to leave this earth. I want to ensure that I accomplish all of the plans that God has for my life. If I wait on motivation to be there all of the time, I may miss some divine opportunities. Plus, when I am not moving forward I am not helping women who are battling with curable and reversible health issues, generational curses, and the deep desire to walk in wholeness. I have a clear understanding that Jesus keeps me in a place of peace when I stay in His will for my life, even if everything I see with my eyes seems like it is going wrong. However, when I am distracted or being disobedient (which is normally unintentional), my entire life is affected! My sleep isn’t as good, massive amounts of doubt and sadness arise, and there is this overall feeling of being stuck that swells up. So, purpose keeps me working and moving forward even with a lack of motivation.
With all that being said, I will say that when I don’t feel like doing something and I just start andtheHoly Spirit meets my faith in action and refreshes me such that I get a boost of clarity and energy to work. I also have to mention that working on the right things (the simple and timely work that God is telling me to do or the things that add to my creativity and rest) give me a boost as well!
FWM: As a collegiate athlete, you performed on the highest levels. How much different was your fitness regimen then vs. now?
JEU: While running track in college, my fitness was 100% performance-focused. The way I ate, ran, and lifted all centered around the question: “Will this make me run faster and jump further?”. Pushing myself to the limit was something that I did all the time, and I wore it like a badge of honor. My fitness regimen is very different now (if I am not prepping for a fitness show or sporting event).
These days, I really focus on being kind to my body and making sure my fitness goals complement the journey I am on to heal my gut and balance my hormones as naturally as possible. I put a lot of emphasis on mixing up my workouts to keep them fun. I’m currently 32. Over the last few years, I have become more financially stable, and that has given me the ability to pursue new activities, like ballet, that I thought I had missed out on.
Not to mention I love lifting weights! That will always be a part of my life, but I have switched from trying to lift super heavy every day to more functional lifting with heavy days 1-2x a week. To me, functional lifting keeps me from overtraining (which leads to injury) so I can strengthen my core muscle groups that will allow me to do everyday activities with ease. Everyday activities such as opening a can of pickles, move furniture around, stand up from a chair or the ground, carry groceries from the car into the house in one trip, and lift my bike onto the bike rack on my trunk!
FWM: What is the one piece of fitness advice that all women should embrace?
JEU: I want to share 4 pieces of advice that I think all women should follow.
(1) Focus more on healing and being healthy instead of how you aesthetically look. Being healthy and working to heal your body properly with consistency, love, and patience will naturally allow you to actually be healthy on the inside and that will manifest in outward appearance. I have competed and won a few bodybuilding shows, and one major thing that has taught me is that just because someone looks fit does not mean they are actually healthy. Trying to cut corners, starve yourself, do 1000 hours of cardio, and try all the diet therapies just to have a flat tummy or fit into an outfit is super dangerous to your gut, hormone, and adrenal health. Not to mention the sadness, self-doubt, and fear those types of practices cause.
(2) Don’t be afraid to lift weights. You will not look like a man. The more lean muscle mass you put on the better it is for your metabolism, bone health, and it will allow you to age gracefully while maintaining your independence.
(3) Stay limber! Often times we confuse a lack of strength with a lack of flexibility. And no, I am not talking about yoga. Simple static and dynamic stretching will always be the gold standard to maintain range of motion, joint health, and muscle health.
(4) Forgive yourself and your body. Your body does love you. It fights for you every day to live. Cast down every word of death you have ever spoken to your body because of fear, anger, and doubt. Let it know that you will work in unison with it.
FWM: How can our readers connect with you outside of this interview?
JEU: If you would like to join my tribe so we can journey through life together, I recommend joining my mailing list and following me on YouTube and Instagram. If you want to learn more about my products and coaching, you can find that information on my website.
http://www.jenaemilyutley.com/tribe
http://www.youtube.com/jenaemilyutley
