Jen Rulon | Finding Your Why to Better Health

The former triathlete talks about her transition to life coach and how people can stick with their New Year's resolutions of improving their health.

In addition to finances, one of the things people look to improve at the start of the new year is their health. You see it every January, as people will pack the gyms for the first month of the new year, only to give up on the resolution by February – if not before. But, as triathlon and fitness coach Jen Rulon notes, resolutions and changes in habit don’t need to start when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Day.

“Everybody thinks they need a new year to start their goals, whether that’s to lose five pounds, to start drinking more water, to start walking 10,00 steps a day. But, honestly, you can wake up every day as a fresh start. It doesn't have to be a new year or a new month. Your diet doesn’t have to start on Monday. If it’s Thursday, you start tomorrow. Every day, to me, is a fresh start.”

Rulon has been coaching triathletes since 2001 but has also recently ventured into becoming a life coach. Back in 2020, when COVID overtook the world and a lot of athletes weren’t sure if races were going to happen anymore, Rulon wrote a book called “Self-Motivation Strategies for Women,” which focuses on fitness, nutrition, wellness, and also helps navigate other changes that women experience.  

“I realized that, not only did I shift as an athlete and a 15-time Ironman triathlete and then became the everyday healthy human, all of a sudden, my coaching and my business was starting to shift, too. It made me realize that, maybe, my next step is working with women.”

But Rulon helps both men and women, and one other way she does that is through her podcast, The Everyday Healthy Human, which she launched in 2023. Not only does this allow her to broaden her reach, she said, but it also gave her a sense of purpose again following her divorce from her husband of nearly 20 years.

“I was in the triathlon space, but I wasn’t in the fitness space. I didn’t really know what I was trying to do with my business. I was a lost soul, because, personally, I was going through a major change. I was at that point, going, ‘Well, what am I going to do?’ I’m like, ‘Well, let’s do a podcast. A lot of people might be in the same boat that I am.’ So that’s why I started it.”

Having experience working with triathletes has been beneficial for Rulon in taking the next step in her coaching career, she said, and has helped her be able to dig deeper when it comes to more personal and life coaching.

“I’ve always noticed that it’s fitness, nutrition, then mind-set, then emotional. I will always help people on the fitness space and the nutrition space, because once you start getting confidence and building confidence within that, you could really dig deep with the emotional and the healing.”

When it comes to a new year and people wanting to get that fresh start going, Rulon said some may upend their plans entirely based on not being able to accomplish what they set out to do one day. But instead of giving up on their goals, people can start again the next day.

“If you’re at it for a whole week, and then, all of a sudden, life happens and you didn’t get your workout in, it doesn’t mean you can throw your workout out the door. Start fresh tomorrow. I think that’s the biggest mistake a lot of people will do. They miss one day within the first month and then they’re like, ‘OK, I’m done.’ And I’m like, ‘No, start tomorrow.’”

Rulon added that people can also alter their plans, as long as they are able to get some form of exercise.

“Say you put yourself down for a run. But, maybe, your body’s a little tired and you’re feeling a little fatigued. Then you say, ‘You know what, what I could do instead of running for 30 minutes, I could walk for 30 minutes.’ There’s no reason for you to add more time to it if you only have those 30 minutes. Take advantage of those 30 minutes. If you only have 20 minutes, take advantage of those 20 minutes. A lot of people will complain about time like, ‘Oh, I don’t have as much time.’ That’s OK. Get out there and walk for 20 minutes. That’s all you need.”

But to stick with your routine that you have laid out, Rulon said there must be a reason behind you wanting to change your mindset or achieving another kind of goal.

“Another thing people forget about is, a lot of people will be like, ‘Oh, it’s the new year. I’m going to lose weight. I’m going to get into a better mindset. I’m going to do this. I’m going to do that.’ But they don’t have the reason why they are doing it. Is it because you want to run with your grandkids or go skiing or surfing with your grandkids when you’re 70 years old? A lot of people need to remember or find what that why is, and that will help a lot of people. That will change the narrative on why they’re losing the weight or why they’re exercising or why they’re consuming more water.”

People shouldn’t be going solo when attempting to achieve these goals either, Rulon added. It’s best to have at least one person in your corner when you are working on ways to better yourself.

“Having an accountability partner, whether it’s a coach, your husband, your wife, a girlfriend, a friend, or a lifting buddy – having a game plan is huge. I have something in my program where I give my clients habits. Drink 90 ounces of water a day, do meditation, and read for 10 minutes before you go to bed. What will happen the next day is, I’ll get a message saying they missed this and this, so I reach out to them. They see that I’m watching them. So, having a game plan, accountability, and having the knowledge of what they need to do right.”

One of the highlights of her Everyday Healthy Human podcast Rulon mentioned was the episode in which she talked about why she got into Ironman triathlons and why she was able to complete 15 of them. When she was 17 years old, she came across the Ironman World Championship on television and saw the men crossing the finish line. One hour later, she saw a woman cross the finish line. Rulon then told her grandfather and her mom that, before she turned 30, she was going to participate in the same event. And her grandfather said he would be there when she does it. Unfortunately, before the event, her grandfather had passed. But Rulon still pushed through because she wanted to do it for her grandfather.

“Grandpa was a big part of my drive to do the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, and I share the whole story on the podcast. But I still get emotional thinking about it. It was a 28-year-old dream that actually came true. I remember coming down this hill, and I saw my mom and her best friend, and I just started crying because, in a weird way, I didn’t want to say goodbye to Grandpa. We had this journey for so many years.”

And for those who are wanting to try something new in 2024, such as going for their first triathlon, Rulon suggests people trying for a sprint triathlon first. It’s one that takes about two months of preparation for people to be ready, and she has a full outline of what people should do building up to it.

“What I suggest to everybody is that you do two swims, two bikes, two runs a week, and then you add two strength trainings. Don’t forget about a day off. That’s the biggest thing you can do to get ready for a sprint triathlon in six to eight weeks, easily.”

If you would like to receive a free PDF on preparing for a sprint triathlon in six weeks, click this link to sign up for Rulon’s website.

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