Meet the Kettlebell Queen Who Successfully Lost 80 Pounds

Voting is now open for our Next Fitness Star competition, and the search for the fittest female personal trainer is heating up! Check out the finalists’ bios and videos all this week on WomensHealthMag.com, and head over to thenextfitnessstar.com to vote for your favorite until August 3rd (you can vote once a day). 

DINA JUVE
Age: 41
City: FRESNO, CA

Catchphrase: “You got this!”
Spirit animal: Wolf

About me: I know far too many women who have struggled with their weight, their health, their self-image. I’ve been one of them. I was unhealthy and overweight for years, until I realized that I was the role model for my young son and how he would live his life. I successfully lost 80 pounds—and have kept it off for 20 years. I’ve been through four pregnancies, and my body has never looked better. So I’m not just a trainer who’s telling you what to do; I am a living testimony showing you that it can be done. My secret? Kettlebells. I’ve tested countless training tools over 12 years as a personal trainer, but for me, nothing beats them. As a StrongFirst certified instructor [editor’s note: that’s the gold standard of kettlebell certs], I design my workouts to be fast, efficient, and results-driven.

1. Advice to newbies? Before you can change the outside, you have to change the inside. We focus so much on workouts and diet plans, but the attitude comes first. Once your mind believes you can do it, your body will do it.

2. Most valuable exercise—go! Hands down, the kettlebell swing. It’s a full-body, weight-training, and cardiovascular workout if done properly. It fires up your posterior chain (the muscles in the back side of your body—hamstrings, glutes, lower back) and your arms and core, helps improve posture and overall mobility, strengthens your heart, and torches fat. And it is low-impact but will get your heart rate up like you’re sprinting. With one exercise—which you can do at the gym, in front of the TV, or out in your backyard—you can transform your body.

3. Best way to track results? Measurements and photos don’t lie! While the scale can also give you info, if it has an emotional impact on you, throw it out.

4. Favorite healthy recipe? Ones that don’t require a ton of ingredients or prep work. I love making egg muffins because I can use them for snacks and meals: Mist 6 muffin cups with nonstick spray, then whisk together 6 eggs and 1/4 cup milk, along with any mix-ins (cheese, veggies, deli meats—play around with whatever you have); pour the mix into the cups and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Biggest misconception about fitness and weight loss? That you have to live at the gym to get—and maintain—results. An individual should not have to spend an hour and a half to two hours on a workout to get the body she wants. A strong, 30- to 60-minute workout three to five days a week is all you need.

Check out Dina’s video below:

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Check back for more Next Fitness Star finalists, and head on over to thenextfitnessstar.com to vote for your favorite!