IN BED WITH: Janessa Laureano

2. We sort of live in a burnout era right now, where it's almost glorified or made to seem that that's the sort of lifestyle you need to live right now. So, between running your businesses, working out, or managing your socials, how do you manage your time and what do you think about this sort of burnout era that we're living right now?

I agree with you. It’s almost like if you're burning out, you're doing something right. I try as much as I can to keep the balance, but I'm not going to pretend like I'm an expert because I have fallen into burnout more times than I can count, but I don't like to glamorize it. I’m just always trying to work towards that and remind myself to slow down. Especially over the last 2 years and owning a business during the pandemic. The amount of work, time, energy, and money it took caused a lot of burnout and there had been times where I felt like I had no other choice. However, now that things are starting to get back to normal, I feel as though I do have a choice to take days off, go for lunch with a friend, or sleep in. Sometimes I like to clean my apartment so that my headspace is clear and that kind of helps me with burnout. Also, saying no to people when I don't want to do something because I have been guilty of taking on too much and saying yes to everyone and then that results in burnout. So I've learned a lot, but I wouldn't say I'm a master at managing it yet.

3. An obvious recurring theme in your life is fitness and with fitness we see so many different approaches and views – what's your take on fitness and how is it reflected in your gym, O2 Fuel?

O2 Fuel was originally an athletic conditioning company that worked with athletes and then it started transpiring into your regular everyday adults or general population, if you will. Just because you don't play sports anymore, it doesn't mean that you can't look like, feel like, or be an athlete and so, we train our clients like athletes. That's how they see the best results and we help them make it into a lifestyle too. It's not just people coming in for a few weeks and working out, we help maintain it for the long haul. This is something that is present in my life as well because I started off playing sports as a kid and played them my whole life. As I got older, I wasn't really competing in sports anymore but I still wanted to carry that feeling into my adult life. It was such a lifestyle and such a big part of my identity. I loved the way I felt when I was training for sports, the way I was eating for sports. I had a community around me, so I wanted to continue that into adulthood for the rest of my life. So, this is how I still get that feeling and maintain that lifestyle. I still consider myself an athlete, regardless if I haven't been to a track meet in a few years. 

4. One of the most crucial factors in fitness is recovery. How important is recovery to you?

I always tell people that there are certain pillars of health, fitness and wellness. Sleep and recovery is one of the most underrated ones that a lot of people overlook. Mentally and physically, if you're not getting proper recovery, you're not getting proper sleep, you're going to feel it. That can also lead you to mental and physical burnout, which can ultimately lead to injuries. Personally, I'm really trying to work on incorporating things like a set bedtime, turning my phone off at a certain hour, and using guided sleep meditations. I try to do the same with my clients too. Sometimes they tell me “I'm eating well, I'm working out five times a week, I'm drinking water and I don't understand why I'm feeling off” and I always ask them, “how much are you sleeping?”. A lot of the time they don't realize that it doesn't matter if you're working out every day or that you're eating well because you still need that pillar of rest and recovery. So, I really stress that with myself and my clients.

5. What fuels your motivation? Do you have any sort of tricks, techniques, or tips that you might do to maintain it?

My motivation comes from just wanting to live a quality life, wanting to be confident, feel strong, and feel healthy. I try to have little tricks to stay disciplined, and one of them is listening to podcasts. It’s a huge tool that just reminds me and reinforces why I try to have a certain lifestyle, and I try to prioritize that every time. 

6. Do you have anything you’d like to leave us with? A quote, mantra, or lyric that resonates with you?

Pura Vida - which translates directly to pure life but has multiple different meanings behind it. One that stood out to me the most was this; if everyone in the world took their biggest challenge or their biggest problem and they wrote it down on a piece of paper, put it in a hat, and everyone had to take a new issue out, chances are you would wish that you could take your original problem back. It puts into perspective that no matter what you're going through, you need to remain optimistic, grateful and understand that things could always be worse. Now, anytime I go through something challenging, I just remind myself that it could always be so much worse and that I'll get through it.