Women In Wellness: Jess Hiestand of Rumble On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Start your day with a win. A win for me may look different than a win for you, but make sure to start your day on an accomplishment. Maybe its drinking a glass of water or taking 5 minutes to meditate first thing in the morning. Start on a high note and try to ride that wave.
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jess of Rumble.
Jess is a group fitness and digital fitness trainer with a passion for movement and helping people feel good in motion. As a former professional dance artist, Jess loves to see people enter wellness spaces as their authentic self and bring out their best confidence. She is a National Talent & Education Manager for Rumble Boxing, helping the next generation of fitness professionals to do the same across the U.S.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
While I didn’t always love fitness and working out, I’ve always been a mover. I’ve been dancing since I was a young child and moved to LA to pursue a professional dance career at the age of 18. After years of seeing young dancers injured, retire early, and neglect strength training, I became passionate about learning how to use strength training and mobility work to be a better performer and teach others how to do the same. Wellness quickly became even more of a passion for me than dance which led to a transition to being a full time fitness professional.
And can you tell us the story about what led you to this particular career path?
When it comes to my work at Rumble Boxing, I just followed my gut and did what was fun. I had already been teaching strength and conditioning for dancers to my pre-professional and youth students, but I was still very involved in dance when I was dragged to a Rumble class by a close friend. Yes dragged. I did not want to go, BUT I had the time of my life and just started working there to take class. Eventually I realized the amount of people you can reach in group and digital fitness combined my experience in fitness and performing and the reach was wider than I previously had.
At that point, I joined the Rumble Boxing West Hollywood studio as a Clean Team member so I could get more involved with the brand and keep taking classes while working dance jobs outside the time I spent at Rumble. Right before the pandemic hit, I took a break and continued to teach dance and fitness classes elsewhere. I found my way back to Rumble West Hollywood in December 2020 as a Studio Coordinator, moving my way up to the next level of staff support.
The pandemic caused a lot of us to pivot and make more time to prioritize ourselves — Rumble started to hold auditions for new trainers and I realized that I wanted to work at Rumble over other places. In March 2021 I went through the Contender Program (an intensive audition program) and took the Rumble stage as a trainer soon after.
Now, I am very proud and excited to be building the talent team across the US as we open more Rumble studios and bring boxing to new communities. As the Talent & Education manager, I work closely with our trainers across the country (seasoned and new) to continue to build the brand essence and curate new programs that add value to our members lives.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I was first starting to pay attention to my health and wellness, I tended to narrow in on small details that were so hyper-focused that I neglected the bigger picture. I would consider the absorption rate of proteins before figuring how much I needed and if I was consuming enough or spending so much time writing a new program that I’d miss my workout for the day. While it seemed productive and “smart” to me at the time, I now know that getting 80% of the way there would have been better than getting bogged down in the details and doing nothing.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
First, I’m very proud to teach a workout that is FUN in a country where 80% of people don’t meet aerobic and strength training guidelines (health.gov). Rumble is a workout that combines boxing (a great way to do cardio) and strength training, and if people have fun doing our class they’re more likely to come back regularly and lead healthier lives.
Second, I try to work with an intersectional lens so that when I talk about work outs, healthy eating, and general wellness, I consider the limitations and barriers placed upon different marginalized groups and how those intersect. ALWAYS happier than happy to talk more on this 🙂
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
- Start your day with a win. A win for me may look different than a win for you, but make sure to start your day on an accomplishment. Maybe its drinking a glass of water or taking 5 minutes to meditate first thing in the morning. Start on a high note and try to ride that wave.
- Have a mantra. Words are so powerful. If you have a go-to phrase for when you don’t want to work out or when you’re stressed and frustrated it can help be your reset to get back at it. Below are some mantras from my friends and I.
-Movement comes before motivation so go
-I can, I will, let’s get after it
-Don’t let Rihanna down (this person is obsessed with RiRi)
-I am focused on my goals that I see in my heart and I watch them become reality. - Take a walk, preferably outdoors. Not just for fitness but for overall wellness. Ever since I got a puppy I’ve really felt better mentally, and I’m pretty sure it’s not just the cuddles! Getting outside several times a day and getting a brisk walk in gives me a break from work, sitting, and lets me reset.
- Try a bunch of different workouts and diets until you find what works for you. Avoid getting stuck in something because you think its “the best.” If you don’t enjoy it you’re less likely to stick to it.
-If you love what you do, it’s a lot easier to get in the mentality of “I get to” instead of “I have to.” So if you don’t like running, try boxing. If you don’t like boxing, try yoga. I’d rather see you moving in a way than you enjoy than not at all. - Eat something colorful every meal. Greens, Great! Berries, Amazing! Most people don’t eat enough fruits and veggies, but this is an easy way to check to see if you have some micronutrients on your plate…. Gushers and Skittles don’t count, sorry :/
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I’d get true physical education out to kids. Imagine instead of 8–13 years of dodgeball, jumping jacks, and sports, more kids learned how and why they should be moving their bodies. Given a resource of properly educated staff, this could prevent lifetimes of disease and discomfort and improve mental health. This would also help overcome barriers to low income families who aren’t able to afford extracurriculars and in areas where girls may be steered away from sports and fitness.
One of the things I loved about when I taught strength and conditioning for young dancers was dispelling fitness myths and helping them cross train. It would be awesome if all kids got that kind of opportunity.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
- Authenticity over everything. Yes, you should be yourself for yourself. At the same time, if you have causes you want to promote its a lot more believable if your speaking and moving from an authentic place. People will pick up on how much you care and be more willing to follow you and your cause(s).
- A lot of fitness professionals that look amazing aren’t even that healthy, so don’t compare yourself to them or stress about your mistakes. Refer to number 1. I wish someone told me to be authentic for the reasons above, sure, but also because you’ll stand out to all of the fake junk out there! Once you get into the industry, you realize plenty of wellness professionals are stressed out of their mind using unhealthy coping mechanisms. Others who are shredded year round are “enhanced.” Still others may be strong but eating fast food 3x a week. If you’re trying, you’re doing fine. Don’t compare because you don’t know what everyone else is doing behind the scenes.
- Flashy isn’t always effective.Sometimes what looks cool isn’t what makes result. Sometimes the simplest things, not eating processed food, taking time for yourself, and challenging yourself physically a few times a week is as much as you need. Do your best that you can in this moment. Doing your best everyday does not mean hitting PRs every day or only eating organic food that perfectly fits your macros. It means the best you can do right this second, and sometimes that may look a lot less than your PR or healthiest meal and that’s okay.
- Be proactive. It’s helpful in all areas of life, but when it comes to your wellbeing here are some examples
-Work on recovery before your injured and you’ll find it prevents injury
-Meditate and go on walks before you’re burnt out and you’ll notice it prevents burn out - Avoid waiting until you’re extremely unhappy with how you look and feel about your body to take action. If you notice something isn’t feeling great or looking how it once was, start getting back on your routine today.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
I feel like many of these topics intertwine and influence one another. If I had to pick just one I’d pick mental health. If you’re struggling with your mental health, it makes it extremely difficult to get up and work on your physical health by getting up to work out or cooking your own food. To some they may seem simple, but when you’re struggling with your mental health they can be overwhelming.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
You can follow me @jess.hiestand, you can join me in digital workouts on Xponential Plus or live in studio in Southern California, and you can see the blog we’re starting on rumbleboxinggym.com
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
Women In Wellness: Jess Hiestand of Rumble On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.