Self-Care & Mental Wellness: Jennifer Renfroe Of Crunch Fitness On The Top Five Selfcare Practices That Improve Mental Wellness

An Interview With Maria Angelova

Exercise — move your body every day! Exercise increases endorphins and is proven to reduce stress. If you are just starting your fitness journey, start with 15 minutes of any type of movement, and increase the duration and intensity slowly. Don’t focus on the results, focus on the way moving your body makes you feel!

Let’s face it. It seems that everyone is under a great deal of stress these days. This takes a toll on our mental wellness. What are some of the best self-care practices that we can use to help improve our mental wellness and mental well-being? In this interview series, we are talking to medical doctors, mental health professionals, health and wellness professionals, and experts about self-care or mental health who can share insights from their experience about How Each Of Us Can Use Self Care To Improve Our Mental Wellness. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Renfroe, Senior Vice President of Group Fitness at Crunch.

With more than 30 years of industry experience, and 20+ years with Crunch, Jennifer leads Crunch Franchise’s group fitness department and specializes in programming, training, and development. She developed and currently oversees the group fitness programming in over 300 locations with a focus on the innovation and implementation of Crunch’s proprietary programming. Jennifer has multiple years of international education and training experience and is on the advisory council for ACE. She specializes in group fitness, small group training, and public speaking, and is also a continuing education provider for ACE and AFAA.

Thank you so much for doing this interview with us. It is a great honor. Our readers would love to learn more about you and your personal background. Can you please share your personal story? What has brought you to this point in your life?

I’ve always been passionate about fitness. I am truly lucky to have a career that focuses on self-care through the power of fitness. I started teaching at the age of 15 after struggling with body image and physical fitness growing up. It was a way to share my journey and be a part of a community of people that looked at fitness as a tool to achieve not only physical health but also mental health. The power of sharing group fitness to impact and influence the journey of other people was highly appealing to me. As humans, we need and want a connection with others, and group fitness was the vehicle I used to establish long-term connections that have truly impacted my life and career. Being able to share a smile, teach, empower others, and simply help people as they embark on a fitness journey has been one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given.

I have been a part of the Crunch family for over 24 years and have been part of a unique organization that maintains a true “No Judgments” environment that prioritizes having fun while staying fit.

What is your “WHY” behind what you do? What fuels you?

Each year, I set a different intention and refocus on the “why” behind being involved in group fitness. Ultimately, I got involved in group fitness to be able to help people achieve their fitness goals while also exploring how fitness truly impacts the mind, body, and soul. The connection between class participants and the instructor, which becomes the community, allows group fitness participants to reap the benefits of working out with a group that motivates, supports, and provides accountability. This true sense of connection directly impacts a person’s overall well-being and provides a community for people of all different backgrounds and goals to flourish. It is one of the most satisfying feelings to see someone not only meet their fitness goals but also connect the mind, body, and soul in a true 360 journey.

Sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake or failure which you now appreciate has taught you a valuable lesson?

I’ve been involved in fitness since I was 15, and it has always been my passion. After graduating high school, I went to college and majored in accounting, disregarding the internal voice that was guiding me to follow my passion for fitness. After graduating, I spent five years working in the accounting field only to end up unhappy and unfulfilled. One day, I realized that unless I made the immediate change to follow the path that I was meant to be on, my life would not be complete. The very next day I started pursuing fitness as a career and never looked back. The mistake of spending years in a job I was not meant to do motivated me to make a quick and aggressive change to reach my personal goals. The lesson learned is to never ignore your internal voice. Use that voice to steer you in the right direction and to light the flame inside that will fuel your fire for a lifetime.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

I don’t think there is any one way to lead. Leaders have a variety of traits that make them successful, but ultimately, you must work with each person on your team to make sure you are being the best leader to that individual. My father served in the Navy, and he taught me three things that I carry with me when working with teams and individuals alike:

• Good Communication: Be clear and precise with any form of communication. Let people know the facts, and don’t ever leave anyone feeling as though they are in the dark.
• Respect: Respect everyone around you. Provide the same level of respect to people regardless of their title or rank in an organization. The more people feel respected and heard, the more they feel part of a team and will go above and beyond to help an organization meet its goals and objectives.
• Passion: Leaders must be passionate about what they do to motivate others within the organization. Your passion at 10 or 20 years should be the same level as it was on day one. Learn every position, and experience everything through the eyes of the members of your team. I still teach classes to this day, since it is where I reignite my passion for fitness.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now? How do you think that will help people?

At Crunch, we are constantly working on innovative classes designed to motivate and entertain our class participants. We recently launched a new proprietary hot yoga program and just completed the launch of a new boxing program. The diversity in our class offerings will help people reach their goals, stay motivated, make connections, and jump into the fiercely fun fitness that can only be found at Crunch.

We also just launched an instructor training that focuses on the eight key characteristics of a rockstar instructor. This training leans heavily into the concept of how the unique culture at Crunch attracts a variety of members, allows a community to form, and then provides the connection that all human beings need. Culture combined with community truly leads to connection.

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, about the interface between self-care and mental health. From where you stand personally or professionally, why are you so passionate about mental well-being?

Mental well-being impacts every aspect of your life. As a fitness professional, I’m passionate about showing people that fitness is only one component of a true 360 experience. You need to build a solid foundation for the mind, body, and soul. Too often, people focus on only the fitness aspect and don’t realize that without a calm and focused mind and a soulful approach to wellness, they are missing crucial components in the overall wellness journey. If you don’t devote the time to making sure you are mentally healthy, the physical component of health and wellness will never reach its fullest potential. It’s all about balance, looking at health as a collective, and never focusing on only one component.

Based on your research or experience, how exactly does self-care impact our mental wellness?

In my experience, mental wellness starts with prioritizing self-care. To share your talents with the world and be the best possible version of yourself, you must take care of yourself. If you want to impact others positively, you must have a positive and well-balanced mindset. Self-care contributes directly to mental wellness by providing a solid base and foundation of health for your mind, body, and soul. If you choose one self-care ritual from each category, this serves as a springboard for improving mental health and carving out the time to focus on what is truly important in maintaining a well-balanced life. Self-care contributes directly to decreasing stress and increasing feelings of stability and balance.

Here is our primary question. Can you please share your “Top Five Selfcare Practices That Each Of Us Can Use To Improve Our Mental Wellness”?

1. Exercise — move your body every day! Exercise increases endorphins and is proven to reduce stress. If you are just starting your fitness journey, start with 15 minutes of any type of movement, and increase the duration and intensity slowly. Don’t focus on the results, focus on the way moving your body makes you feel!
2. Wake up peacefully — create a morning ritual to be kind to your mind and body. Set your alarm with a soothing tone, and don’t look at your phone or email for the first hour after you wake up so that stress levels do not escalate. Read for 15 minutes each morning, and set an intention for the day.
3. Try it out Tuesdays — try a new “healthy” food or snack every Tuesday. Take care of your body by eating clean. Certain foods also have a direct impact on how you feel. The way you feel physically impacts your mental health directly.
4. “Share the Care” — doing for others is a great way to also take care of yourself by making connections with the community. Join a service organization or just do a simple act of kindness for another individual. Kindness is contagious, and positivity directly impacts your mental health.
5. Reflect and reset — take a walk and disconnect from devices. Appreciate the time, and reflect on your goals and the progress you’ve made over the past thirty days. Congratulate yourself for making small changes that have a big impact on your life.

Can you please share a few of the main roadblocks that prevent people from making better self-care choices? What would you suggest can be done to overcome those roadblocks?

The number one roadblock is time. You must allocate the time to take care of yourself. Start setting the goal of Self Care Sunday, which means one day a week allocated just to self-care. As you expand from that one day, layer in 15-minute mini self-care breaks throughout the day to refocus and reset both your mind and body.

In one sentence, what would you say to someone who doesn’t prioritize their mental well-being?

You have one life, so live it well.

Thank you for all that great insight! Let’s start wrapping up. Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does this quote resonate with you so much?

“There are 4 things you can’t get back in life:

1. The word after it is said
2. An opportunity after it is missed
3. Time after it is gone
4. Trust after it is lost.”

This quote resonates with me because it speaks to how you treat yourself and how you treat others. Ultimately, it speaks to self-care and being mindful of how you treat yourself, people, time, and space.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? They might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

I believe that loving and caring for animals can play a huge role in mental wellness, and ultimately, is a form of self-care for humans that also benefits animals who have fallen on tough times and live in a sanctuary or shelter. Best Friends is a no-kill animal sanctuary based in Utah, and it would be an amazing experience to meet their Board Chair and Co-Founder, Francis Battista, to talk about how animals and the power of animal rescue enrich the lives of humans. To paint a picture, one of my favorite pictures is an image of a dog and a person side by side, and the caption under the dog reads “Today, I rescued a human.”

I truly appreciate your time and valuable contribution. One last question. How can our readers best reach or follow you?

Jennifer.Renfroe@crunchfranchise.com or Jennifer Renfroe on LinkedIn

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.