This is Jodi, my coach!  We met in 2005, she transformed me for my Figure competition in 2006, and she has become one of my closest friends.  I can not say enough great things about this woman.  She is tough as nails, tells you like it is, SUPER smart (like MENSA smart!) and hilariously funny. Yes, if she were a dude, I’d be all over her.

(Please not that the references made in this interview to the words “diet/dieted” is not in the restrictive fad-dietey way, but rather a word Jodi uses synonymous to “transformation” or “metamorphosis”)

F: Hi Jodi! I’m so excited to have you here on Fitarella! Please introduce yourself to my fantastic readers!

J: HI!! My name is Jodi Jones and I am a Physique Transformation Engineer. I currently reside at www.jodiojo.com and would love for anybody to stop by and say hi! I am very silly. I enjoy people and I enjoy my craft.

F: What is your background? How did you get into Fitness & Nutrition consulting?

J: My degree is in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in biology. I was focused on Biomed. I was an engineer from 1990 to 2001 when I left the field to stay home with my children. All the while that I was an engineer, I was also an aerobics instructor and personal trainer in the evening. When I left engineering, I just focused on those. In 1998, I added nutrition to my background and have not looked back since. It is now what I am known for more than anything else and at the time of me filling this out, I have dieted well over 1000 (I’m being conservative) women in my short 11 year career. I do diet men as well but have been primarily women for the last 3 years.

F: What is you Fitness & Nutrition philosophy?

J: “Don’t just diet to lose weight, diet to feel & look good.” If you are going to put yourself through the trials of working on a goal, get the maximum amount at the end. Whether it’s beautiful hair, skin and nails, being emotionally sound, hormonally intact or even the top dog in your sport. Be the best that you can be by using food as a resource instead of just a thing you eat all day long.

F: You have had an astounding number of successful competitors on stage in Fitness, Figure & Bikini    ( i’ve seen them firsthand!) What do you think it is about your approach that has worked so well with your clients?

J: I did not diet any of them the same. That builds trust. They realized that I was more invested in their success than i was my ego of the “hottest” diet trend out there. Their health was paramount and I wasn’t afraid to pull the plug on their training if I felt that they were not thriving. I was truly humbled by how much they trusted me while I was in that position. They are some very discerning women.

F: What are the most common mistakes you’ve seen people making when trying to make changes to their body (ie, lose weight, gain muscle)?

J: Doing everything at once and forgetting that life is a habit. Until it becomes a habit, you will make “mistakes” or “not be perfect” and etc. That language bothers me and pretty much tells me that you are not ready for process of dieting. This is life…it’s not a test. There should be no such thing as “I feel like a failure”. It’s more: well that isn’t right for you…let’s try this and see how you do…

F: One of the things we’ve included in my diet recently is Coconut oil. Since people can be apprehensive about it as a saturated fat, can you explain what role it can play in a daily diet?

J: Oooo, where do I start? For one, skin and hair. You will know you are eating it almost right away when your skin is silky smooth and your hair is shiny. 2) energy without insulin spike. It’s an MCT (medium chain triglyceride) so it is digested much faster than regular fat and it gives you a bit of a kick. 3) It’s YUMMY! I love coconut oil in the diet and I am going to do a whole blog feature on it so there is more to come on this…

F: If someone were just beginning a fitness program at home, what are 3 things you’d recommend to get them started?

J: I am assuming you mean in terms of exercise? If so, I would say legs to walk, arms for push ups/pull ups and a butt with a GPS signal that can search out the direction of the floor for when you squat.

F: As a busy mom of 3 and business woman, do you have any tips on how to maintain balance in our daily lives?

J: I struggle with this every day. In fact, when you read my blog I let you in on my struggles with this. I can be like a hamster in a wheel. I LOVE what I do so I always want to do it. But too much of anything–even if you love it–is not good. I recently left my last job over this because balance is that important to me. I needed to find me time/kid time/work time and etc. I will say this, though, because I have become much better at it in the last year: set concrete boundaries and then stick to them. I will not work b/w 2 and 5 when my kids are doing homework and transitioning from school. I will not hang out with the family or answer the phone during work time. This is hard because I work from home. So, I’m learning…

F: You have recently changed the focus of your consulting practice. Can you share with us what you will be doing next? What kind of athletes will you be working with?

J: Two types of people we are really focusing on right now: metabolic repair and athletes who are looking to optimize their nutrition to better their craft. Tennis, soccer, endurance and etc. Whomever you are if you are an athlete-we’re looking for you. Metabolic repair is for the girl who has done everything to lose weight but just cannot. Maybe she has PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Disease) or she has dieted one too many times, but we’re here to back her program down and change her focus so she may start seeing some success. General hotness will always be a part of any company of mine b/c it is my signature, but I am no longer working in the competitive fitness/figure market so it’s not the same as before. No extreme!

F: What are the basic staples that one should have in their daily diet?

J: protein, carbs and fat. And I’ll be a bit more specific than that: fruit and veggies, GOOD FAT and a true protein source.

F: What is your favorite exercise?

J: Deadlift. If I could marry it, I would.

F: Favorite cheat meal?

J: Anything with butter on it. In fact, I’ll take just a stick of butter if you have one!;)

F: You have a blog, Jodiojo.com that is fabulous! What kind of things do you write about?

J: My blog is being groomed towards all usable content. I want everyone to not only learn something new from my blog, but i want to teach them how to then *use it*. Articles are great, but instructions are that much better. Right now I am in the middle of a series titled “Menu Planning” so I am teaching folks how to periodize their foods for beauty and success. (Beauty for me means a body that is functioning properly. Only then will you be beautiful.) Next will either be good fats and how they can work for you or dismounting a diet (you know…how to avoid gaining it all back by learning how to “transition diet”).

F: Thank you sooo much for spending time with us Jodi! Any last words?

J: Besides, I love you fitarella? How about just my signature sign off… WOOP WOOP!:o)

THANK YOU JODI!

Have questions/comments for Jodi? Let’s hear ‘em below!!