To me, Jabs By Gina is more than just a workout. It’s more than just a kickboxing or High-Intensity Interval Training class. Jabs is a reason for me to wake up early in the morning. It is a community of people that encourages each other to finish as a team. And most importantly to me, it is a reason to have hope in my future.
I took my first Jabs class on July 6th, 2020. It was a Miley Monday Combos class and Shay was teaching. I was nervous at first (mainly because I have never been a big fan of organized group workout classes) but that slowly went away as I realized I was physically and mentally able to do more than I thought I could.
As time went on, I was physically able to do more than before and certain exercises that used to scare me (or I would automatically modify because I assumed would be too difficult) no longer phased me.
For a few months now, I have joked that Jabs By Gina is a pyramid scheme (it obviously isn’t). I would say this because a Jabber would convince you to take your first class, you would love it, continue to take more, constantly talk about why you love it with others around you, and then convince them to take a class too.
My twin sister Lauren (@lsgfit on Instagram) started doing Jabs classes in the middle of June and convinced me to take a class right away. I could tell she really liked the classes, but I had a hard time understanding why because I couldn’t comprehend what makes a workout class fun. When I finally took my first class, I was able to understand Lauren’s love for Jabs, began taking classes more consistently, talked about the classes with everyone I was around, and convinced friends to take classes as well. The difference between Jabs By Gina and a pyramid scheme is that Jabbers share the class with others because of how much they truly love it, not because they get anything in return.
Although I knew I could do with the exercise after being extremely sedentary for months, the main thing that kept me going with Jabs was a sense of hope in my future. After graduating in May and seeing all of the plans I thought I had right out of college go away, I was worried. I found myself getting very upset over something I could not and still can’t control.
Seeing Gina DiNapoli, the owner of Jabs By Gina and a graduate from the same business school as me, build her brand and grow tremendously by shifting her in-studio workout to a virtual at-home workout due to the pandemic, I was able to gain a sense of hope for my future career. Hope that even during very trying circumstances, I can get through to the other side. Hope that something that I have put a lot of hard work into (such as this blog) will grow beyond belief. Hope that I will be able to pursue my dreams (no matter what that looks like). Jabs and Gina have been a very positive thing for me in a very negative time and I am very thankful for that.
I truly do love Jabs and would love to help anyone who wants to become a Jabber. Feel free to reach out to me and I will help you sign up for a class!