Journey To Sustainable Nutrition And Fitness Coaching – Exclusive Interview With Jasmine Ruest
- Jun 4, 2024
- 6 min read
Jasmine Ruest is known for her sustainable approach to nutrition and fitness. After years of restrictive dieting herself, she comitted to making changes to her health and has since drastically improved her relationship with food and exercise, her confidence, and her body composition. Through her nutrition coaching strategies Jasmine has helped many women do the same. Jasmine's mission is to help women love food, exercise, and their bodies. She is the owner and head coach of Glo Nutrition based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Jasmine Ruest, Certified PN Nutrition Coach and ISSA Trainer
Can you tell us about your background and what inspired you to become a nutrition coach?
I actually started my career in the corporate world and have a bachelor’s degree in business and a diploma in Public relations so I actually worked in recruitment for almost 5 years before going full time with nutrition coaching. I’ve always had a passion for living a healthy and active lifestyle and was a competitive swimmer and soccer player growing up, however I didn’t always have the best relationship with food and exercise especially during high school when diet culture was so prominent my poor relationship with food and exercise continued into university and my 20’s where I would frequently restrict certain food groups and tried to exercise my way out of poor food choices which lead to a lot of digestive issues, anxiety, depression and frequent infections. When the pandemic hit things got worse so I decided to take it as an opportunity to improve my health which is when I took my Precision Nutrition coaching certification. Through taking my certification I learned how to fuel my body properly without counting calories or restricting entire food groups and in doing so also healed my relationship with food and exercise. My digestive issues started to go away along with my anxiety, depression and infections and my body composition became a lot more lean and strong. For the first time in my life I finally had abs, had so much more energy, and felt way more confident in not just my body but my capabilities, it was truly life changing! I knew that if I could change my own life through food and movement I could help other women do the same and that’s when glo Nutrition was born.
What qualifications and certifications do you hold in the field of nutrition?
I hold a Nutrition Coaching certification from Precision Nutrition as well as my Fit Pregnancy certification form Can FIT and a personal training certification from ISSA (international Sports Science Association)
How long have you been working as a nutrition coach, and what kinds of clients have you worked with?
I have been working as a nutrition coach since 2021, so 3 years but recently went full time with it in December 2023. I mostly work with busy women between the ages of 30-50 who want to stop dieting and build a better relationship with food and their bodies as well as build lifelong healthy nutrition and exercise habits.
What is your overall philosophy on nutrition and healthy eating?
I don’t really believe in calorie counting or eliminating entire food groups because it’s just never sustainable long term so instead a believe practicing being mindful about food choices and focus on eating healthy foods majority of the time because it’s what makes you feel good and that’s what your body craves, the other 10-20% indulging intentionally in your favorite treats.
Intentionally, meaning that you are choosing to have a treat because it’s coming from a good place not a place of trying to resolve your emotions or a place of guilt, unworthiness, or loss of control. There’s too much fear mongering out there, one donut isn’t ever going to magically make you gain weight overnight… but if you are eating donuts more often than not then that’s when it leads to weight gain. Food is such a big part of our lives so I firmly believe that it can be enjoyed while also tasting delicious and being good for you!
How do you personalize nutrition plans for different clients?
Everyone has different health goals, lifestyles and food preferences. So while there are some general guidelines like protein requirements, I typically customize the carbohydrate quantities in recipes as well as supplements depending on where a client may be lacking in certain nutrients due to maybe not liking a particular food or not getting enough of it to meet nutritional needs.
What role do you believe mental health and mindset play in achieving nutrition goals?
Mindset is truly the foundation for everything else, It’s actually the first thing I work on with most of my clients. Our emotions and feelings are highly intertwined with our beliefs around food and self worth and are heavily related to our eating behaviors. I work with clients to address their limiting beliefs as well as form new ones so they can build a new identity and the appropriate behaviors that align with their health and wellness goals.
What tools or methods do you use to track and measure progress?
Honestly I don’t really believe in a lot of the measurements out there, I’ve never taken client body measurements or done any weigh-ins in my entire coaching career, it just isn’t really needed as those numbers aren’t necessarily indicators of overall health! Instead I tend to focus on other factors like quality of sleep, the way clothes are feeling and fitting on the body, energy levels, and mood which to me are far better indicators that your nutrition and exercise plan is working!
Do you specialize in any particular dietary approaches, such as plant-based, ketogenic, or intermittent fasting?
No, truly, I don’t believe in any of them because, at the end of the day, they ultimately require people to restrict certain foods or your window of eating, which for most people isn’t sustainable long term. However, I will say that I do believe in an overnight fast where you have your last meal no later than 2-3 hours before bed and don’t eat again until breakfast the next day, which is essentially an automatic 10-12 hour fast. Just because eating really late in the evening too close to bedtime on a consistent basis can hinder sleep as well as weight loss progression.
What are some practical tips you give to clients who are just starting their nutrition journey?
Start small! People tend to have this 0 or 100 mentality when it comes to exercise and nutrition but it doesn’t work, something will always be better than nothing! Instead, I encourage people to start with tiny changes that they can do each day for example instead of going to buy your lunch every day, pack your lunch for 1-2 days of the week, or Instead scrolling on social media for 30 minutes, go for a 10-minute walk outside or do 10 pushups. When done consistently (as in 70%-90% of the time), small actions lead to massive results over time! Once you have mastered one small action, to the point where you hardly have to think about it anymore, then add another small action and continue stacking them until, eventually, those actions will have become a part of your identity!
Can you share a few of your favorite healthy recipes or meal ideas?
I have a lot and I’m always thinking of new ones! But I think my favorite is my spaghetti bolognese with brown rice pasta or zoodles and ground bison. It's super simple and makes for a great hearty high protein meal and tastes delicious. Another one would be my peanut butter and dark chocolate protein cups, they taste like reese's pieces but are a much healthier option for when you are craving something sweet!
What are your goals for your practice in the next five years?
I am currently in the process of putting together an online fitness and nutrition platform which I am hoping to release within the next year! I eventually see myself working with pro and elite-level athletes since I am so passionate about elite-level sports and would love to be part of helping athletes reach their top performance and excel in their sport! I would also love to publish a cookbook as I have so many healthy yet super tasty recipes that I want to share with the world! My ultimate end goal would be to be an investor in other health and wellness startups just because I am so passionate about entrepreneurship in this industry and don’t feel like there are enough resources to help people get started with their business ideas.
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