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My journey into nutrition and fitness began with my curiosity of a parallel discipline, genetics. Growing up I was always fascinated by the vast diversity in morphology (shape and structure) of people. During my adolescence I was an active and curious child. I observed how some of my friends and peers seemed to develop to become more athletic while others appeared to be plagued with an arcane force that promoted weight gain. I was completely captivated by this difference and upon inquiring was first introduced to the concept of genetics. I particularly remember inquiring about the biological differences between people, which was commonly answered with the cliché “its in his genetics to be that way.” This might of well had been a different language to me. Biology and chemistry caught and maintained my interest prior to and throughout college. I had never been more certain of where I wanted to invest my resources than this, so I entered as a biology student, seeing that my university offered no genetics degree. Throughout my studies I began working part time for my university as a gym attendant. While my duties were restricted to maintenance and rule enforcement, I was exposed to waves of students ranging from athletes, to those of us trying to shed the infamous “freshman fifteen.” During this time I was fortunate enough to be enrolled in several biology and chemistry courses. I immediately began to see the correlation between my studies in lecture and my peers ambitions in the gym. While I was enrolled in a genetics course, I found the link I had yearned for. It was called epigenetics.

Epigenetics is the process in which genes get turned on and off due to environmental factors. These factors include movement and more specifically, nutrition. Understanding that your activity and diet can molecularly dictate the expression of your DNA rattled my world. It sparked vicious hunger for knowledge on every topic ranging from nutrient absorption to kinesiology. In the process I accrued a slew of personal training and nutrition certifications and read countless books on the subject. I also began running group exercise classes at my university and guest lectured a nutrition course. My studies in biochemistry ultimately explained the link between gene expression and nutrition. After graduating with a degree in science I knew I had to get more hands on exposure. I was hired at a corporate gym as a personal trainer. With a very unorthodox approach, I rapidly gained favor, as my client success rate was unprecedented. I developed a repertoire and was sought out specifically for my proficiency in nutrition. Quickly rising in position I realized I was alone in my perception of the field. With the obesity epidemic skyrocketing and no shortage of trainers attempting to quench it something must be broken.

Once leaving my former employment I spent a significant amount of time running back through piles of research that I had gathered on nutrition, obesity, exercise and lifestyle and I developed a comprehensive platform based on my initial infatuation, epigenetics. I was lead to the epiphany that in order to improve one’s capacity it’s imperative to facilitate a uniform stimulus to do so. You can’t expect to win a triathlon if you only prepared to run. In an effort to improve your physique, it is imperative to acknowledge the synergy of diet and exercise. The world demanded a holistic approach that took all the factors into account; hence Enova Nutrition and Fitness was born.

From an early age, athletics and sports were an integral part of my life and my passion. However, there was a time when I was very overweight and self-conscious, which affected my self-image and outlook on life. A project I completed in the seventh grade on the glycemic index was a defining moment in my journey towards the development of my true passion, not only for my own health, but for helping others in their goals of achieving health through proper nutrition and fitness. I knew that through experience and education I could truly make a difference in people’s lives by helping them to become the best version of themselves.

I decided to attend the University of Connecticut and study Kinesiology with a major concentration in Exercise Science and a minor in Nutrition for Sport and Exercise. I spent a summer shadowing in a physical therapy office where I began to learn more about injury treatment, rehabilitation, and injury prevention. Being accepted into the Kinesiology program at UCONN was a major highlight for me and I was fortunate to be able to learn from some of the top exercise science professors in the country. As I excelled in my program, I continued to take on numerous responsibilities both on and off campus including working at a local fitness facility.

I read books, studied sports medicine, and learned about how important one’s outlook and perspective are. I went on to get my personal training certification as well as numerous other qualifications and continued my education to help change people’s lives for the better. I gained employment at a corporate gym and quickly began building my schedule with clients. My empathetic and caring personality as well as my knowledge in exercise science and nutrition contributed to me rapidly finding success. Being a personal trainer is not just a job to me, it is about helping people truly understand their bodies as well as how important a positive mind-set is. Education is a key component of my training style, as I believe it is critical to understand proper movement science and to be able to apply evidence-based strategies to achieve safe and effective results.

My best friend Jake and I always had high aspirations for creating something that would change the fitness industry. After more than three years of success in the corporate world, we both knew it was time to embark on the next stage of our careers. Before fully joining Jake and Zachary in the rising of Enova, I decided to transfer into Southern Connecticut State University and finish my bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science – Human Performance. Having a strong appreciation for the opportunities available at the university level, I was both enthusiastic and driven to learn as much as possible from SCSU’s Human Performance program. I submerged myself in my studies, attended national fitness and health conferences, and interned as a physical therapy aid for a summer. In a little over 1 year, I was able to graduate with my degree while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

I now am proud to be a co-owner and trainer at Enova Nutrition and Fitness, where we integrate the most recent research in both movement science and nutrition in an innovative approach to enable our clients to be the best versions of themselves.