Keep mentally healthy in May with CuspIt–a guide to a healthy life

By Angelina Miller
May 12, 2018

“We all are on different journeys in our lives. Whether it is to graduate college, or build your dream career, each day can always be another step in the right direction.”

Those are the powerful and uplifting words of Jaclyn DiGregorioa 23-year-old personal trainer, nutrition coach and entrepreneur who is wise beyond her years. DiGregorio devotes her life to empowering college women to live healthy, balanced and confident lives, with her self-run business, CuspIt.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), one in five Americans is affected by mental health conditions. Millions of Americans live with a variety of different mental illnesses today. During May, NAMI and the rest of the country celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month by putting an increased amount of energy towards raising awareness of mental health.

This year specifically, NAMI is promoting the theme of “Cure Stigma,” to educate others on how stigma can be toxic to mental health.

Every day, different stigmas are toxic to the mental health of males and females, young and old, from creating an environment of fear and silence. Stigma can prevent many people from seeking help and treatment. The National Alliance on Mental Health states, “The perception of mental illness won’t change unless we act to change it.”

Jaclyn DiGregorio is one of many that has suffered from stigma, and other mental health conditions.

After graduating from Springfield High School in 2013, DiGregorio spent her college years studying marketing and international business at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. During her years at Georgetown, DiGregorio silently struggled with her mental health and did not know how to handle this battle.

“There is so much pressure on you as a college student to be perfect at everything, and manage so many different things at once,” DiGregorio said. “I didn’t know how to handle this and it took a very serious toll on me.”

During DiGregorio’s first two years of college, she strongly attempted to manage all of the responsibilities that her double major threw at her. DiGregorio put an immense amount of pressure on herself to get straight A’s, be super, have a thriving social life and work a part-time job for extra money.

However, at the end of her sophomore year, DiGregorio came to a harsh realization that she was struggling to balance all of her responsibilities and remain mentally and physically healthy. Trying to successfully do all four of those things and find time to eat and sleep became nearly impossible.

“I dealt with an emotionally and physically vicious cycle of overly restrictive diets resulting in binge eating,” DiGregorio said. “I gained weight, and I lost confidence, happiness, passion, and my sense of self-worth.”

Fortunately, DiGregorio caught herself early enough in the game to be able to turn her life back around through shifting her mindset and being kinder to herself. Having that shift of mindset and learning to acknowledge the many great things that she was accomplishing on a daily basis really helped DiGregorio alleviate some of the constant stress and pressure that she was once feeling.

“If I worked hard and studied for a class and got a B, I learned to think it’s okay. I did my best. It’s not the end of the world. I’m still going to have a great career.”

However, DiGregorio was still aware that other college students were struggling their mental health and the same things that she struggled with. She felt as if there was a lack of resources to teach these women how to lead healthier more confident lives, and developed a desire to create those resources and begin helping others. 

“If women aren’t able to develop a high-level of self-confidence during college, they will carry these insecurities with them for the rest of their lives,” DiGregorio said. “Without teaching women to be confident at 18 years old, we are teaching them that it’s okay not to go for that job, not pursue their passions, and not to stand up for themselves even when it’s most difficult.”

Having these thoughts is what Jaclyn calls her “cusp moment, and her turning point.”

For the first time, DiGregorio truly was taking care of her physical and mental wellbeing. She pushed herself to become a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, run a marathon, start a business, and publish her first book “The Cusp Method,” which became an Amazon bestseller. DiGregorio also found her confidence to fall in love, earn her highest GPA of college and start taking more risks, such as starting her own business as a 21 year old.

For DiGregorio, mental health means feeling good about herself, her journey and being kind to herself. “It means knowing that it’s okay to fail and it’s okay not to be perfect,” DiGregorio said. In order to do this, DiGregorio takes care of her body by fueling it with foods that make her feel good, and mind by giving it time to relax and unwind.

Being a young entrepreneur actually empowers DiGregorio’s wellness journey every day. “I have no set hours where I need to be working, and hundreds of things that need to be done each day. On top of this, I need to get enough sleep and spend time with my family and friends,” DiGregorio said. “I find that setting a separate between my work and my social life really helps me balance it all.”

Through CuspIt, DiGregorio now has the ability to empower women to be healthy, find balance and build confidence in their lives.

DiGregorio wrote her own book, runs a website, blog, social media platforms, sells apparel and, most importantly, runs wellness workshops as colleges all across the country.

Whether it may be for an orientation programs, student-run clubs, or on-campus conferences, DiGregorio runs wellness workshops for 30 minutes or 1 hour to teach women how to make better choices regarding nutrition, fitness and wellness in a college environment.

After speaking at 75 colleges, DiGregorio found that although everyone’s problems were different, they all had one common theme. This was, that managing wellness and feeling good about yourself in college is hard. In Jacyln’s eyes, CuspIt makes it easier.

After at a local college, one of the girls came up to me afterward and confessed that she had been struggling with an eating disorder and wanted to get help,” DiGregorio shared.

“My talk made her realize that she wasn’t taking care of herself or feeling good about herself so she had to change something. Even though she knew it was a long road ahead and going to be challenging, hearing me speak about my journey and the way I turned my story around, made her want to do the same. I referred her to the mental health resources at her school and she’s been great ever since.”

DiGregorio’s upcoming CuspIt app is filled with easy recipes, 24-minute workouts one can do with dumbbells or bodyweight, and weekly wellness challenges. This is all to fuel her mission of empowering  college women to be healthy, find balance and build confidence.

“I find that one of the biggest changes college women make after following CuspIt is the way they think about wellness,” DiGregorio said. “They usually drop the common all-or-nothing attitude that relates to food and exercise.”

After going through the CuspIt method, women look for balance in their nutritional lifestyle, and are comfortable with doing a 5 minute workouts or going for a short walk instead of doing intense 45 minute workouts.

“I won’t be satisfied until there are no more young women struggling with low self-confidence and everyday wellness,” DiGregorio said.

To learn more about Jaclyn, follow @cuspit on Instagram, check out her website at cuspit.com, and look for the CuspIt app.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Angelina Miller

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Perspectives

Special Project

Title IX Redefined Website

Produced by Cabrini Communication
Class of 2024

Listen Up

Season 2, Episode 3: Celebrating Cabrini and Digging into its Past

watch

Scroll to Top
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap