Meet this month's SH1FT STAR Jennifer Woitesek from upstate New York. Jen features in our new release workout video for SH1FT 33: PR1SON BREAK. Jen has been teaching Group Fitness since she was 19 She previously worked for clubs but has just recently taken the plunge and started teaching virtually on her own. You can find out more about Jen’s virtual transition on a recent episode of the Group Fitness Real Talk Podcast. Check out the full episode here.

WHY WE LOVE JEN: 

We love Jen because of her confidence and bravery. She’s jumped straight into virtual and is absolutely owning it. She’s not opposed to taking the hard or uncomfortable path and because of that bravery she has put herself in a strong position for what the future holds.

Read on for our full interview with Jen….

1.Tell us about yourself: 

I've been living in upstate New York all of my life and love the changes of the seasons. I have 2 sons, (Evan 22 and Cole 19) 2 Japanese Chins (Yoshi who makes appearances in my virtual workouts and Sunny Disco who is camera shy) and am married to my amazing husband Jeremy who is my biggest cheerleader as well as my videographer and photographer.

I'm a total homebody who loves nothing more than sitting on my couch with a Margarita in hand watching whatever I'm bingeing on Netflix. When I'm not at home, my favorite place is St.Maarten. Our annual Spring break was cancelled due to COVID and I can't wait to get back! Aside from fitness, I'm also an Executive Assistant at ViacomCBS and have been working remotely for several years.

  2. Where/how do you teach?

I started teaching Group Fitness when I was 19 and took a break when I had my son Evan. After my hiatus, I started teaching again at a local club that has two locations. After COVID I made the decision to leave and am now teaching virtually on my own. It's not something I would have ever thought I'd enjoy let alone love, but here I am!

3. What’s your favourite SH1FT workout?

L1FT TW1ST. I love the flow and feel of workout and how it creeps up on you after for days! And Pyramid Scheme is a big hit with my partipants. They love the build of the movements and its super fun to teach.

4. What's your favourite thing about SH1FT?

The community and support. The SH1FT Forum is awesome for feedback and ideas from other instructors. Special shout out to Erin Mussett who has helped me out more than a few times and Will for making feel appreciated and valued. The fitness community can be a strange place. I've always believed that fitness is fitness and it's our job to build each other up and offer support to one another rather than compete in a space that is limitless.

5. What does 'fitness for life' mean to you?

Fitness is a journey that has no ending. We all had/have a starting point and once we start we never stop growing. It's mind, body and soul that can take us places that we never thought were emotionally or physically possible.

6. How has SH1FT improved your life and teaching?

The overviews of the workouts are awesome for when you need a quick refresher of what a particular move is without having to go through an entire workout. The app is basically genius. The voice cueing and buzzers make teaching a class so much easier. And I LOVE the freedom of being able to use my own music.