Jay Cherry is the BOMB! by Jay Cherry & Tim Fealy
If you have been following Hometown Happenings in recent months, you may have noticed that we have been working more with personal trainer, Jay Cherry of Jay Cherry Fit. The idea behind this is to help keep us all motivated in between events. This allows us all to work towards a healthier, happier community on a regular basis instead of just occasionally. If you have not met Jay, she is down to earth, makes working out fun and, most importantly, will keep you accountable & striving towards your goals. So, who is she and what is her “Why?”1) Give us a bit of your background. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school? When did you get interested in fitness? What certifications do you hold? How and why did you decide to open “Jay Cherry Fit”?
I was actually born in Florida… so I literally was not born for this Midwest weather! I went to high school in Lowell and Westwood College for Visual Communications. I worked as a web and graphic designer for about 4 years after that. During that time, a friend asked me to participate on his team in a Mudathalon, I figured since I wasn’t overweight and young… I got this! I was so wrong! That’s when I really realized I was so out of shape and began my fitness journey starting with certifying in Pilates and Yoga, to NASM then Barre! During one of my first years training I had a lady ask “Can you just come to my house? I really hate coming here. It’s intimidating and uncomfortable.” That is when the Jay Cherry Fitness & Training sparked. There are so many women that ARE intimidated and don’t know what they’re doing and deserve the attention they need to get them on the right track at larger gyms. Honestly, even till this day, if I walk into an overcrowded gym I feel intimidated. I wanted to help women get on the right track with their goals and living a healthy lifestyle while building their confidence! Most of my clients become some of my closest friends, which is really cool!
I have recently become the Fitness Manager at Midwest Fitness & Training at 10600 White Oak Avenue in St. John. I am really looking forward to make an even bigger difference in people’s lives.
2) Why is fitness so important to you and why is helping others so important to you?
I guess I should have read the second question before I answered the first, lol!! With that said, it is very rewarding to me to be a part of someone’s life changing experience for the better, especially when you see confidence rising and healthier lifestyle choices being made.
3) What is the Chicago Blackhawks Ice Crew? How did you become a part of it and can you tell us about your experience as an Ice Girl? If you don’t know what the Chicago Blackhawks Ice Crew is we aren’t friends… JK! They are basically the cheerleaders of the NHL except skaters instead of dancers! Joinign the team was very random, I was never a huge hockey fan and, to be honest, not a skater. I was more so just interested in how girls got onto teams like that after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2015. So, I started doing my research. I found a clinic before tryouts, bought my first pair of skates and started teaching myself how to skate! Luckily I had a friend who played hockey which helped. But, I only had a couple months to prepare! Long story short… with 5 spots open and 150 girls trying out, I went on to be an Ice Girl for the following 3 years!
From that experience I took away a few important things, one being what I’ve been preaching… BE CONFIDENT in your own skin!! I definitely was not the best skater but my smile was bright and my confidence was high! Two, you can do whatever you want! I had no expectations going into it, so even if I didn’t make it at least I tried it. I put myself in a situation of being comfortable with being uncomfortable, but what got me through that was being myself and being confident in my own skin!
4) You are getting ready to host an event, the Puppies & Pilates Beach Party! Tell us about that? The event helps rescue animals? What is ABRA and will there be actual puppies at the event?!OOMMMGGG I think this is the most exciting question! haha! Anyone who knows me knows I am the crazy dog lady! I LOVE animals and I got into an organization called ABRAs Angels a little over 2 years ago. ABRAs Angels is a home foster rescue. We take in the abandoned and abused while preparing them to move on to their forever home. We recently had a mom dog that came to us pregnant and the puppies are now about 7 weeks old! I am currently fostering two puppies and still not sure how I’ve made it to work everyday.
Between my passion of fitness and passion of pups what better event to organize then a Puppies and Pilates Party!! We will have our 9 puppies and more fosters from our rescue make their debut that day for everyone to meet! I will be leading a pilates class, the puppies with be walking around with some volunteers. And, of course, I said it’s a party so the DJ will blasting music on the beach! I can’t tell you how excited I am about this event! Proceeds from that day will going to ABRA to save, care and protect more animals!
Jeanette, I loved the article. I’m so happy for you. Your fitness program sounds awesome. You have some wonderful ideas!