Juliet Kaska is one of the country’s leading fitness experts, celebrity trainers and fitness entrepreneurs. Driven by her own beliefs that every body can find self-love and non-judgement through movement, Juliet set out to build her business.
Her expertise and certifications bring a unique perspective and vibrant voice to a wide variety of custom workouts. She has consulted for and appeared on numerous programs such as Good Morning America, Dr. Phil and Entertainment Tonight. Numerous publications including Vogue, Shape, Los Angeles Magazine, People, Oxygen, Fitness Magazine, Glamour and Health Magazine have also featured her as a fitness expert.
In the The Move For You method, Juliet has partnered with Vionic to combine effective workouts with comfortable movement. Here’s Juliet, in her own words.
How would you describe your company’s purpose?
While I spent most of my youth studying, practicing and performing as a classical ballerina, my dance career eventually became a love and hobby. I moved to Los Angeles after college, took elective studies at UCLA, but was still unsure of where I wanted my life to go. I recognized that all my years as a dancer left me emotionally scarred – believing I was fat and weak – even though I was neither of those things. So, I hired a trainer. My goal was to work with her in order to feel strong and really get to know my body.
Our sessions together were good, and I enjoyed working with her. Overtime I began to gain the confidence in who I was. Then I began to actually, like myself. I felt empowered to take life challenges, grow my career, and date guys that were deserving of me. My life changed.
My focus became about giving other women and men a similar experience. When you know your body, you can love your body. When you treat your body with love you begin to you know your true self. My businesses, JK Zen Fitness and JK Zen Wellness are both centered on this belief. We take on teaching our clients about fitness and wellness, and how to transform their lives.
As a busy and unstoppable female business owner, how do you interpret this campaign’s purpose to set an intention to make time in our busy schedules to “Move for You”?
The Move for You program was designed for the “unstoppable” type of women. You literally don’t have to stop your day- you can just slip these little 7-minute exercise gems into your day. The intention then can be focused on being your best, healthiest self. Most women I meet want to be super women, myself included! What I want to encourage us to do is not be “her”, but be the best version of ourselves. We can be a parent, wife, business owner, or career gal, but if we don’t take care of our mind and body, then we cannot be our best selves. The Move for You workout gives you access to that without taking away from the other areas of your life.
Where do you find inspiration to feel empowered in your daily life?
My whole life I have always made a decision to live my life in the eyes of my unborn children. I think to myself, ‘will they be proud of their mom? Is this a story I can tell them one day?’, and then I act. This is a way of communing with my future. My future children give me a lightning rod of inspiration. It also empowers me to be a good person- someone that they will be proud of one day and that I can feel proud of today.
What’s a tip to motivate and get moving?
- Go to sleep early and set your alarm for early the next day. If you get the rest your body requires to function at 100% , you will have an easier time with my second tip.
- Take your workout first thing in the morning. Some studies have shown that participants have marginally better results when they exercise in the morning, versus later in the day. Which is great! I have found that when my clients schedule a self-workout early, they workout. When they schedule a self-workout later in the day, it can easily get pushed aside or forgotten.
- Signup for a program. When we commit to a program it’s like getting on a train. When the train leaves the station, you are going along for the ride and you will arrive at your scheduled destination. There are plenty of free online programs circulating around.
- Don’t leave the house. Try online workouts and workout programs that you can do from your home or office. The 21 minute Move for You work out I created in partnership with Vionic Shoes is perfect for that.
- Buy a new workout outfit. Get something that feels good, looks good to you, and inspires you to put it on. Think of this as your uniform or costume. When you put it on you are stepping into your fit-self.
- Make your first goal a commitment to workout, instead of a lofty goal like losing 25 lbs. Try a goal of working out 20 times in a month (5 times a week). At the end of that first month you will feel and look different. You will also be motivated to create a new a goal for the next month.
- Create a fitness-wellness journal. Take time each day to jot down how you feel, your energy, happiness, strength, and whatever changes you see in your body. This will be motivational, especially as you progress.
What’s your go-to style?
When I am not in head-to-toe fitness attire I love being in a sundress and sandals. There is nothing more feminine and freeing to me than wearing a flowy, spaghetti strap dress. Most of my girlfriends come home from work and jump immediately into leggings and T-shirt’s. Not me! I ripped those off, toss them in to the hamper, and slip into a sundress. Living in southern California makes this easy most of the year, and totally fashionably acceptable.
Want more? Come join the Move For You Method here!