Local transformation expert helps others make positive life changes

Dina Juve. (Photo contributed)

By Alexandria T. Montes, Reporter
@Aliroundup2802

Dina Juve, co-owner of Fresno-based FitnessSocial Studio, is a passionate and valuable health educator dedicated to helping those looking for a positive life change. Juve was the first to become certified in kettlebells in the Central Valley and was selected as 2015 Women’s Health Next Fitness Star where she was featured on the cover of Women’s Health Magazine.

Make no mistake, it did not come easy for Juve. At the tender age of 6 she was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis and since has suffered from spinal stenosis and an autoimmune disease, which left her overweight and feeling helpless. It has been over 20 years now that Juve took her life into a direction where she never looks back. As a result of losing 90 pounds – and being free of living with the weight and guilt of being unhealthy – she is now helping others accomplish the same results.

G-Free Foodie founder KC Cornwell, a client at one time who over the past six years has become a personal friend of Juve, said she is loyal, kind and trustworthy and has the power to changes lives.

“Dina spent the first part of her life unhealthy heavy and was in an environment that was not conducive to being all that you can be,” Cornwell said. “So the brilliant thing about her is she learns people’s stories, understands people’s struggles and helps them move through whatever it is to be their best self.”

Juve previously worked as a Brand Marketing Director in Silicon Valley and moved to the Central Valley in 2001 after meeting her husband. This is where she also found her passion and her calling for fitness and health.

“The working out and the nutrition is really just the method, but the truth is Dina helps people live an entirely different life because she has lived through virtually all the excuses,” Cornwell added.

Melissa Oberti, co-founder of FitnessSocial, gets to see firsthand what sets her colleague apart.

“I think what makes her unique is that she’s gone through it and did it herself,” Oberti said. “She knows how hard it is and knows it can be a daily struggle for herself and everybody else. So just with her personal story and encouragement of helping people, she’s able to extend and offer that to help them reach their goals.”

Going through those health and weight issue early in her life also allowed Jive to get a different outlook and perspective on life.

“I used to hide in sweat pants to cover up. I think that’s another reason why I have so much compassion for my clients. I’ve been there, I’ve done that,” Juve said. “I understand it’s hard whether it’s five pounds or a couple hundred pounds. It really doesn’t matter, I know it’s hard.”

Juve has 16 years of experience in fitness and nutrition and is proud to say she still has clients she works with who first started with her then. Her expertise and certifications include StrongFirst Kettlebell, Kettlebell Institute, RKC Russian Kettlebell, Movement Code, TRX, Meditation and Yoga.

“The biggest thing for me with kettlebells is not having  the impact on my joints,” Juve said. “So you get your cardiovascular, your weight training, your mobility, your flexibility, core and of course your ab training and that was important for me.”

When Juve received her first certification from UCLA, out of 110 people, only 10 were women, so that was huge for her. What she found difficult was having women try it because it was always larger muscular men that were associated with them. It was a big accomplishment for her when she became the first woman in the Central Valley to become certified.

“That’s one of Dina’s gifts is helping other people recognize their strengths and that is certainly something she’s done for me,” Cornwell said. “I think there are a number of people who are put in the world because they have a specific gifts, right? And then there are people who are helpers ‘earth angels’ put in the world to make other people and the universe to be better. I think Dina is one of those people it just happens to be wellness, exercise and nutrition is the path that she chose.”

Outside of the gym, Juve is involved in community and charity events and is also in the process of publishing a book. For more information on Juve and her services, visit www.fitnesssocial.com or her personal website www.dinajuve.com.