Meet Gil Acevedo | Nutrition Coach & Nexus Fitness Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gil Acevedo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gil, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Starting Nexus Fitness was both a natural progression of my upbringing, personal experience, and passion. When I was growing up I always dreamed of creating something that would serve other people – getting a win for humanity, so to speak. And when I finally did grow up, life’s challenges had led me to fall in love with fitness.

Fitness has offered me many opportunities, as the greatest currency we all have is our physical and mental health. Without it, we can’t work, contribute to society, or even enjoy life. As a result, I felt compelled to create a company that would enable people to improve their health holistically, similar to how I’ve approached fitness my entire life.

Moreover, one of the most terrible pains one can have is watching family members suffer mental or physical illness. And I’ve seen many of my family members – including my parents – struggle with such ailments. Had they had access to the service Nexus Fitness provides, many of their problems could have been avoided, along with so much pain and suffering.

Lastly, my family moved here from Mexico on July 4th, 2003. They sacrificed so much so that me and my brother could access more opportunities, and I’m eternally grateful for their decision. Leaving their family and stable jobs behind, they moved to the US without knowing English. They got jobs in construction, fast food places, and factories to provide for me and my brother. Their sacrifice inspires me every morning to do everything in my power to help them financially.

In the end, starting Nexus Fitness was simply the right thing to do. It would enable me to give back to society at large in a way I know how (more specifically, to this country which has provided me with countless opportunities). It offers the potential to support not just myself but also my family financially. And our service would have helped many of my family live with less pain and suffering – but now can help many others going forward.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Through Nexus Fitness, I’m most excited about our endeavor to reverse the current epidemic of poor physical and mental health – and most satisfied about our journey thus far in helping people improve their mental, cognitive, and physical health, so they can perform at their best and fulfill their own personal mission.

Now, you may wonder how our services can enhance mental, cognitive, and physical health simultaneously. The answer is in our name, Nexus Fitness. Nexus refers to a connection linking multiple things. And that is precisely what we’re doing with the mind, brain, and body. Our company and coaching links all three to provide personalized and innovative strategies that enhance performance by helping people reach their physical, cognitive, and mental goals.

Science is progressively elucidating the interconnected nature of the mind, brain, and body. One can’t function without the other, and if one part of the system isn’t working optimally, the entire system suffers. So, in order to perform well in any human endeavor, we first need to master our physical, cognitive, and mental fitness. And that’s why we’re connecting all three into a single service. What’s unique about us is the method in which we combine all three through tailored programs (meeting each client where they’re at) to ensure comprehensive performance enhancement.

My co-founder Gina and I faced similar challenges in terms of physical injuries and mental struggles like anxiety. By training and working on ourselves physically, cognitively, and mentally, we were ultimately able to overcome these challenges. And our personal experiences motivate us to help individuals daily on a one-on-one basis.

In addition, we’re starting up a new program in partnership with San Diego Social Leagues, a non-profit organization, to train people in a group setting at the park, where we’ll teach the foundations of fitness to all of San Diego.
With poor mental and physical health plaguing populations at a global scale, we have our work cut out for us. The service we provide is something Gina and I wish both we and our families had access to earlier in our lives. It would have provided immense help in combating a lot of pain and suffering. But now that we have this company and service, we’re compelled to achieve our vision and mission – as it’s too important not to do. And having a vision greater than yourself is what truly makes life worth living.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We’d experience San Diego’s best, including both indoor and outdoor activities. We would start the perfect day by getting in an awesome workout at 24 Hour Fitness, then proceed to visit some of the main attractions San Diego is known for. For instance, we’d visit places like Balboa Park and San Diego Zoo the first day. Second day, we would spend the day at Seaworld. The next day we would explore Downtown, like the Gaslamp Quarter and Little Italy. After that, we would spend a day at the beach, like La Jolla Cove, and do kayaking and snorkeling. Lastly, we would explore Old Town and Coronado Island.
Each day we would try a number of new restaurants, but some for-sure restaurants would be Phil’s BBQ by the Sports Arena, Garage Buona Forchetta in Coronado, Mona Lisa in Little Italy, Sushi Ota by Mission Bay, and the Boiling Crab in Mira Mesa. That would be for lunch or dinner, but for breakfast/brunch we’d hit up Snooze or the Broken Yolk.

Lastly, we would relax at night by enjoying a movie at the cinema or listening to the sound of waves at the beach before heading back home and calling it a day. Though enjoying a little nightlife in Downtown wouldn’t be off limits 🙂

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My gym and business partner Gina. Back in February 2022, the cosmos positively conspired to form our relationship in the happiest place on earth, the gym.

The synergy between us led to new heights in our happiness and impact on this world. And the synergy formed by our stories, skills, and character has enabled us to successfully develop our company. It has enabled us to push each other in the gym, break physical and mental barriers, and ultimately set us on a path where being together makes each other better.

We’re complementary in nature in many ways. I come from a Computer Science and Engineering background with a fascination with human performance and business. I also have a Nutrition Coaching Certification. Gina, on the other hand, comes from a Neuroscience background with endless knowledge about the mind, brain, and body. She is also a certified personal trainer. So, given our skills and interests, we both felt confident that we could make this business work.

Last but not least, I’m grateful for Gina’s endless support that makes this journey easier and worthwhile.

Website: https://www.nxsfit.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gil_acevedo_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilbertoacevedo/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gilbertacevedo38

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nexusfitness

Image Credits
Holly Dong