Meet Jodi!
Jodi Hogan is our own Ms. Massachusetts 2015 & Personal Trainer & Owner of ThinkFitPT who currently resides south of Boston. When she’s not working it out with clients or fundraising for the Make-A-Wish foundation, she loves Soccer, Basketball, Dancing, Cooking and Reading. I am beyond PUMPED to have Jodi lead the fitness component of our very first Women’s Wellness Workshop on October 24th, and we look forward to seeing you all there! Here’s a sneak peek at our trainer…
Firstly, Congrats on being named Ms. Massachusetts! When and what inspired you to go after the title?
Representing Massachusetts at a National pageant has always been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. When people think about pageants, they usually only see the bad things–like YouTube videos of girls tripping while answering a question on stage, or in the news for something they did wrong.
What most people don’t see is all the great things that they do as well. Some of the smartest, most selfless and well-spoken girls I know are from the pageant world. Since I was crowned Ms. Massachusetts USA, I have had the opportunity to do many events for all different organizations throughout the state. I also have personally raised over $3,000 for the Make-A-Wish foundation and hope to reach my goal of $7,000.
Why did you decide to pursue Personal Training as your career path?
I have always been an athlete and am constantly on-the-go. In college, I played basketball and also was on the competitive dance team. After graduation, I worked for a company in Boston and really enjoyed the Health/Fitness lifestyle aspect of the organization. After almost 3 years of corporate work, I decided I wanted to focus more on the fitness side of things.
I fell in love with weight training when I started training for my first Bikini competition and decided to pursue personal training. I also love that training has so many different outlets and you can try new things. I am getting Barre-certified this month and hope to get my certification in Pilates as well. I am currently teaching a kickboxing conditioning class Mondays-Wednesdays-Fridays at Southshore Sports Fighting in Norwell, MA. I really love the variety!
What has been your biggest challenge in getting your own business started?
The biggest challenge is Advertising! Building a client database has been a struggle so far because I did not grow up in the area and I am just starting out. The personal training business is also hard because most people want to work out on their own or don’t think they can afford a trainer. My philosophy is that your health is an investment in yourself. There are plenty of ways that you can save money each month to really focus on yourself and to reach your goals.
What would you say are the top health benefits of personal training for new mothers in particular?
As a fitness professional, I believe that the most important thing women can do postpartum is to remember to take care of themselves physically and emotionally, as well as their children and family at large. Tough one for Mama’s I realize, but personal training can help create accountability to exercise with an actual schedule (with flexibility of course) to stay on track as best you can. Proper nutrition, hydration, and ample activity can work wonders during a sleep-deprived fog.
Another huge benefit is that many new Mamas want to get their pre-baby body back but do not know where to start. The great thing about a trainer is that he or she can design a customized program that will be challenging per individual but not to a level where it is unsafe.
Who do you personally lean on for Wellness inspiration?
Social media has been a huge help for me and can be a huge help for new moms. There is a YouTube video for everything out there. If a client asks me about a certain exercise that I’ve never heard of before, I YouTube it!
The internet is filled with free recipes, workouts and tons of wellness tips like you’ll find here at What Makes You Move, Mama?.
I also love Instagram and follow a lot of fitness gurus and trainers. They post links to other people’s pages and you can get tons of free, credible information!
What Makes You Move, Mama? 