Health and fitness, while very important aspects of maintaining a balanced lifestyle, are not always at the top of everyone’s priority list. Jillian Donaldson, a 26-year-old certified exercise instructor, knows the power physical activity has in transforming a person’s life. From personal struggles to professional progress, Donaldson credits Beachbody—a fitness and nutrition company–with helping her realize her health goals, and uses her success to inspire others.
Donaldson, a native of Massapequa/Farmingdale has always had a passion for helping others. She received both her B.A. (’10) and M.A. (’13) in psychology from Adelphi University in Garden City, and currently works for a housing agency that assists individuals with mental illness reintegrate into society.
“I initially became interested in fitness for superficial reasons, like most probably do,” said Donaldson, who gained and then lost some additional weight in high school. “I was too immature to stick with a routine then, but when I stopped taking care of myself and gained the weight back in college, I realized I had to examine the health side of things.”
Donaldson began doing her own research about how to truly take care of herself and prepare her body in the best way possible for strenuous physical activity.
“When you take a second to think about how, at any moment, your body could be asked to perform extremely strenuous tasks, you want to do anything you can to prepare yourself in the best way possible,” said Donaldson of her mindset.
“My specific interests have evolved over time as I’ve learned more about nutrition, kinesiology and our world in general,” said Donaldson, who has been certified as a group exercise instructor since 2010 and has various specialty certifications as well.
She discovered Beachbody more than 10 years ago from the company’s “Slim in 6” infomercial and never looked back. It actually took Donaldson several product purchases before she realized that the DVDs were all made by the same company.
“Most people know Beachbody as the company that created P90X, Insanity and dozens of other workout programs. In my book Beachbody is seriously the most incredible company ever,” said Donaldson of the brand, which was founded by the exercise-loathing Carl Daikeler who began Beachbody to solve his own problem. “In the last eight years, Beachbody has evolved into an entire network of customers helping other customers achieve their goals—both physical and financial—in the most supportive way ever.”
Ever the people person, in Donaldson’s role as a “coach,” she is able to connect with her clients—nearly all of whom she has never met—and asks them to trust her.
“It’s so powerful because weight and overall health are such personal topics; trusting someone who’s virtually a stranger with such sensitive information and having them help you overcome potentially lifelong struggles creates a bond like no other,” she said of the coaching network that works to bond people together.
Each coach takes on the job with one goal in mind: they are committed to ending the trend of obesity, one person at a time.
Beachbody also offers TurboFire and TurboJam, plus PiYo and Turbo Kick, which Donaldson is certified to teach. The programs range from beginner to advanced for a variety of skill and stamina levels, and take both aspects of fitness and nutrition into account.
“The trainers are world class, and all our programs are able to be completed in 90 days or less, which is a very reasonable time frame for most people,” said Donaldson, who advises anyone who starts an exercise program to take things slow, but schedule a workout to ensure it is a priority. “A lot of people adopt an ‘all or nothing’ mentality about fitness, but give yourself permission to fail…nobody’s perfect.”
As with any exercise program, the less you rush, the more you can gradually increase your focus, allowing you to be less apt to quit after a few negligible slip-ups.
Of the programs mentioned, Donaldson spoke on the variety of each one; yoga, body building, tai chi and HIIT (high intensity interval training) programs.
“It is crucial to go at your own pace, even if you can’t grasp the choreography, do the best that you can because you can only go up with practice,” said Donaldson.
She also recommends to begin exercising where you are, as one person’s starting point may not be the same as another, both physically and mentally.
“If you’re a marathon runner, don’t try to convince your couch potato friend to tackle TurboFire with you because you’ll both be set up for failure,” she said. “If you want to workout together, pick a fun activity that you can both do together and stay motivated. Hold each other accountable, but don’t be afraid to do most of your workouts solo and just keep your friend in the loop.”
Another tip is to be mindful and schedule your workouts. Donaldson believes that if you don’t schedule a workout for a time, you have nothing to interrupt you, and it won’t get done because, inevitably, something else will become “more important” and get in the way.
“If that time means getting up to exercise at 5 a.m. before you head off to work and your goals are that important to you, you’ll find a way to make the time,” she said.
While it may seem obvious, Donaldson noted that most people don’t realize how much a well-balanced diet and exercise go hand in hand.
“The more fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, lean protein and healthy fat you eat, the faster you’ll see results and the more pronounced those results will be,” she said. “No matter how hard you work, you won’t see results if your nutrition is terrible.”
For those who need a jump-start on nutrition, Donaldson recommends the Ultimate Reset program, which was designed by leading food and wellness experts Darin Olien and Isabel Daikeler. It’s a three-week food boot camp that requires people to buy fresh ingredients, cook their meals and take various supplements to aid in detoxifying the body. The creators of the program went one step further and took into account nutrients and health benefits that can be acquired from so many different foods and spices.
“I’ve done it twice now and it’s truly incredible. You eat three times per day and the meals are huge, definitely no starving,” said Donaldson. “Not only do I lose a few pounds, but I improve my sleep, have greater mental clarity and my muscle tone improves—even though you’re not supposed to exercise during the three weeks,” she added, also noting that there are less intense options available including the “3-Day Refresh” and daily Shakeology protein shakes, both of which are very simple to follow.
As a coach, Donaldson is an entrepreneur, as she supplements her income by helping people get healthy. Her clients range from Massapequa, Seaford, Wantagh and all across Long Island to out of state and across the country as well.
“I’m the person people come to when they want to get started with a new program, want to be connected to others or don’t know where to start,” she said. “In all honest,y I would do this for free any day because I love what I do.”
So why join Beachbody? According to Donaldson, it is more than a fitness company—it offers support that no gym or training facility can give.
“The number one reason why most people fail to achieve their fitness goals isn’t a lack of knowledge or inability, but it’s because they don’t have a support system in place,” she said. “With the support of a coach you’ll be plugged into a whole team of people who can answer your questions, provide motivation on days you need it, and cheer you on when you reach all your personal milestones. Someone is available for you pretty much every hour of the day.”
If you are interested in becoming a coach, according to Donaldson, it’s easier than you think.
“Becoming a coach is incredibly easy. You pick your workout program, your preferred flavor of Shakeology, and you’re all set,” she said. “Anyone can become a coach and you don’t have to be a fitness expert to be involved, you just have to truly care about helping other people succeed.”
Aside from improving upon her own fitness goals in the future—which includes becoming more flexible and being better prepared to run her second Tough Mudder race—Donaldson sees herself continuing to do what she loves—helping people.
“Truthfully, I see myself helping to develop future coaches like myself,” she said. “This business changes you; it instills in you this insatiable hunger for helping people achieve their full potential and lead healthy, fulfilling lives, even if they can’t see exactly how to do that on their own.”
For more information on Jillian Donaldson and Beachbody, visit www.jilliandonaldson.com and www.getyoufitnow.com.
