JENNIFER ST PETER; Fit Couple Life, Facing & Setting Personal Challenges, Martial Arts & Discipline, Becoming a Cookie

In this episode, Celeste speaks with Jennifer St Peter, an IFBB Bikini Pro, and a financial service industry career woman who also has her black belt in Krav Maga. Jennifer won her pro card and took the overall title in 2019 at Jr Nationals. 


Celeste starts off the episode by asking Jennifer if there’s anything she thinks about or a ritual that she performs right before her heel hits the stage. After sharing her routine, Jennifer goes on to talk about her experience with Krav Maga, telling listeners how she got started in the sport and how long it took her to achieve her black belt. Jennifer mentions that her and her husband took on Krav Maga as another fun “fitness thing” they could do together as a way to challenge themselves. Celeste and Jennifer then discuss the discipline that comes with Krav Maga and bodybuilding and Celeste asks if the disciplines that both sports require differ or support one another. 

The conversation then transitions to the Instagram page Jennifer shares with her husband, who is also a competitor. Celeste asks Jennifer to share how she and her husband met, about the nature of their relationship, and what made them decide to start and run their Instagram page together. Jenn explains that before meeting her husband she was not a someone who went to the gym and working out was not part of her regular routine. She explains how Travis, her husband, originally got her attention by challenging her to a Sudoku match and how from there the relationship blossomed into a future of exploring and growing together in new ventures, many of them being activity and fitness related. 

She shares what it is like to be on prep at the same time as her husband and the dynamic their relationship takes on during that time. Celeste also asks Jennifer about how her and Travis prioritize their schedules while on prep, as they both also work full time. After discussing scheduling and priorities during prep, Celeste asks if Jennifer and Travis currently have any plans or goals outside of bodybuilding competitions to accomplish since they are now both in an improvement season. 

While on that subject, Celeste asks Jennifer about what it feels like to be in her first long off season after being in prep or competition mode for the last three years. Jennifer talks about how she sees the current situation with Covid as a blessing in disguise, forcing her to give her body the rest it needed after being on a regimented training schedule for so long. 

Jennifer shares some of her struggles and challenges she faced while prepping during Covid and what it took to finally get her to the stage. She also mentions how she and Travis are experimenting with taking a macro approach to their diet for the first time as opposed to their preferred meal plan approach. Celeste then refers back to Jennifer’s mentioning of an injury she sustained while being in prep, asking her to share more details about the injury; how it happened, what she was doing, and how she adjusted her prep strategy accordingly. 

Next, Celeste asks Jennifer about her current goals she’s focusing on this improvement season in regards to improving the physique she’ll bring to the stage next season. After sharing where she will be focusing her attention in her training, Jennifer talks about her posing. She shares the feedback she received and where and how she will be adjusting her presentation.

 Jennifer talks about her experiences with her posing coach and what she has learned from working with her. Celeste acknowledges that Jennifer has become a student of the sport, taking the time to study not only her feedback but also what the judges are rewarding and how she can apply that to her personal stage presentation. Celeste asks Jennifer about the biggest differences she’s noticed in terms of conditioning and physiques as she made the transition from the NPC to the IFBB stages. 

Next, Celeste asks Jennifer about her training and has her share her favorite exercises for glutes, hamstrings, and shoulders. Aside from training, Celeste circles back to the topic of diet and nutrition, asking Jennifer how she hopes and plans to enjoy the holiday season now that she is using a macro approach. Jennifers mentions the need for a mental, and physical, reset and how she will implement that in regards to nutrition during the holidays. 

Jennifer then gets the opportunity to share how she became affiliated with the Competitors Cookie Co. She talks about her love for cookies, how she started working with them and how she was able to create her own cookie. Jenn shares the fun yet difficult decisions she has to make when deciding which flavors and combinations she wants to include in her personal cookie. 

After discussing the art of cookie creating, Celeste asks Jennifer about her journey mentally and emotionally through her varying placings on the national stage after having been a top placing competitor at the regional level. Jennifer touches on her experience at NPC Universe and how she saw her lower placing as an opportunity to grow and better herself as opposed to letting it defeat her. She then walks us through her experiences regarding the feedback and adjustments to her training and physique she made to try to satisfy what she thought the judges wanted to see, yet how ultimately, she realized she needed to bring the physique that she personally was happiest with presenting. 

Jennifer explains how she met and ended up working with her current coach, Casey, of Team Boss Bodies, and the plan they created together to help Jennifer reach her goal of becoming a pro. Jennifer shares her biggest takeaways from all her national show experiences, discussing her mentality going into each show and if her thoughts and expectations changed from show to show. After sharing her mindset approach to her national competitions, Celeste asks Jennifer to share her best advice for the first time competitor as well as the girls on their road to pro. Finally, Jennifer tells listeners can connect with her further and shares the best way to find her on social media. 


CONNECT WITH JEN:
https://www.instagram.com/ua_fitcouple/

CONNECT WITH CELESTE:
https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/


EPISODE TIME STAMPS:
[0:45] Celeste introduces Jennifer.

[1:40] Celeste asks Jennifer to share her pre stage ritual.

[2:45] Celeste asks Jennifer about how she obtained her black belt in Krav Maga. 

[4:40] Jennifer talks about how the discipline she gained from Krav Maga carried over into bodybuilding.

[6:40] Celeste asks about the beginnings behind the Instagram page Jenn & her husband started together as well as her beginnings in fitness.

[10:30] Jennifer talks about how her and her husbands schedules work seeing as they are both athletes and work full time.

[13:33] Celeste asks Jennifer if her and her husband have any goals or activities they plan on doing together during their improvement season.

[15:00] Celeste asks Jenn about how she feelings about taking her first long off season after three years of almost consistent prepping and competing.

[22:43] Jennifer shares details about her fall she had while in prep.

[28:35] Celeste asks Jenn about any goals she has for her current improvement season.

[30:25] Celeste has Jenn share feedback she has received on her posing.

[33:50] Celeste asks about Jenn’s transition from the NPC to the IFBB and what differences she noticed in terms of conditioning and physiques.

[36:30] Jennifer shares her favorite exercises for glutes, hamstrings and shoulders.

[39:25] Celeste asks Jenn about how she will be approaching her diet and how she plans to enjoy the holiday season now that she isn’t dieting.

[42:50] Jennifer talks about her cookie obsession and how her collaboration with the Competitors Cookie Co. 

[48:40] Celeste asks Jenn about her feelings mentally and emotionally in regards to her varying placings at her national shows despite having been a top placing competitor.

[57:00] Jenn talks about the difference in her thoughts and expectations going into each different national show.

[60:15] Celeste asks Jenn to share her best advice for first time competitors and also for the girls on their road to pro.

[63:30] Jenn shares where listeners can find and contact her on social media. 

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