Is someone sabotaging your journey to your Ideal Body?

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As a Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer, I enjoy being a part of my client’s weight loss and fitness journey – I get just as excited about their progress as they do! I also love to hear their stories about the compliments they get from the people around them in their daily lives.

Unfortunately, there can be an unpleasant side to peoples’ comments when embarking on your own health and fitness regime. I’ve often had to tell my clients to be wary of the people around them and how these people respond to their health and fitness regime.

Hopefully most of them will be like your personal cheer squad – the type of people who support you no matter what. They are there praising and encouraging you when things are going well and pick up your spirits and help you back on track when things get tougher. ( Being a Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer means I’m  a 1 person cheer squad too!)

Then there are the people who appear supportive and believe they are being supportive but they may say things or behave in ways that lead you off your track or discourage you.
These people are the unconscious saboteurs of your weight loss journey and are more than likely people close to you, such as your family, friends and colleagues. They don’t intentionally go out of their way to sabotage you but act out of habit or what they think is right.

This happened to me once when I lost quite a bit of weight. I went to a party where there were people I hadn’t seen in a while, I bought a new outfit and I was looking forward to seeing their reactions to the changes I’d made.
The funny thing was I could tell they had noticed I was leaner – they’d look me up and down or out of the corner of their eyes – but no one made a comment what-so ever! It was confusing and a bit discouraging.
It happened again with the same group of people a few times over several months as I kept slimming down. I finally figured out that my success was confronting to them in some way. Instead of letting it get to me, I decided that if these people made no comment about my trimmer figure – I knew that I was looking good!

The people in your life may not be so subtle. Perhaps you know people who are conscious saboteurs – people who intentionally try to stop you from achieving your goals by behaving in certain ways or putting obstacles in your way. They might appear to be supportive but are actually thinking of ways to foil your success. Keep your eye out for these people as they are often those close to you, friends, family, colleagues or acquaintances and can be difficult to spot.

So while you are on your way to a slimmer, healthier, happier you – be aware of the people around you. How many are genuinely happy for you and your progress and how many are confronted or threatened by your success?
At the end of the day, remember that you are your own person and you are working towards your own betterment and personal development.  Don’t let someone else’s issues affect your own journey.

Live the life you want & love the body you’re in!

Yours In Health & Fitness,

Sascha Aiono

Sculptlife Personal Training

The Secret to Sticking to Your Sunshine Coast Fitness Program

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Mental toughness is an attribute everyone needs when embarking on a fitness and weight loss regime. Whether its to push through those last ten crunches when your abs are burning like fire; or that last hill sprint when your body is screaming at you and your tired and sweaty or  pumping out the last 5 reps when your muscles have totally turned to jelly. Training your body and your mind is something I consider really important for success and I’ve found that two simple words have an astounding effect on your mindset when you’re at this point…

“Strong mind” are the words I use for myself and my clients,  the looks of discomfort and strain on their faces instantly replaced with an expression of steely resolve and determination to finish the set. It’s a really cool thing to see. It’s the ‘mind over matter’ mentality that pushes you through those last 30 seconds you were so sure you couldn’t finish – but then before you know it, it’s over and you did it! It’s a great feeling.

A lot of people don’t realise that mentally they are ready to give up long before their body is, as soon as it starts to feel uncomfortable or as soon as that burn just starts to set in, already they’re thinking ‘ok that’s enough’ or ‘ouch that hurts’ and they give up. A word of advice  - unfortunately exercise is not supposed to be comfortable! Not if you’re looking for great results! And I don’t mean that you need to flog yourself within an inch of your life to get results, what I do mean is that you need to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. That’s what achieving results is all about –  in any area of life.

Before I was a trainer, some years ago, I was participating in a bootcamp where we given 100 squat jumps to complete at the end of a gruelling hour session dragging tyres, hauling logs, carrying sand bags, backwards tiger crawling and many, many sprints up a hill that was literally at a 60 degree angle from the ground. If the squat jumps weren’t low enough or we didn’t keep in time the count went back to zero.
The second time we got to 50 only to be told the count was back at zero I was feeling like I’d never be able to finish it, the more I focused on the numbers the more I felt aggravated, discouraged and tired and just wanted to give up.
It was at these sessions that I developed the trick of focusing my mind outside of the physical discomfort and diverted my thoughts elsewhere. I’d think about what else I had to do that day, take in the scenery around me or think about how much stronger I’d be the next time we had to do squat jumps. Since I am still able to walk today its clear that my trick worked and I got to the end of those never-ending squat jumps!
( However, I was very sore over the next few days! Click here to find out more about injuries, strains and sore muscles)

It’s great to share with other like-minded people the mental toughness that has inspired you to keep going even when you were sure you couldn’t. So I’d love to hear about the times you’ve thought you couldn’t finish the set or make it to the end. What were you doing? What were you thinking? And what got you through it?

Yours In Health & Fitness
Sascha Aiono
SculptLife Personal Trainer

PS –  For our clients I promise that the above session wont appear in our group training sessions!! Way too hard just for the sake of being hard! Here at Sculptlife we’re about getting results that are achievable and maintainable without being flogged within an inch of your life!
If you’re not already a client, why not give us a try to see how we can help you achieve your ultimate health, fitness and figure goals. Click here to arrange your free fitness consultation – we’d love to help!

Sticking To Your Sunshine Coast Fitness Program – Even When The Weather Gets Cold!

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Early mornings are not so fun in winter when its cold and dark outside, it becomes quite temping to just stay in bed where it’s warm and cosy! Even a Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer can find it difficult to get out of bed and slog it out in the cold – which happened to me just this morning.
My alarm went off at 6 am (which is a late start compared to the 4.30 am wake ups I have in order to start training clients at 5.30am) it was dark and cold at 10 degrees outside and all of a sudden that sneaky, whingey little voice inside my head said “Aww, but I dont wanna go for a run! It’s cold and dark – I cant be stuffed!”  So I hit the snooze button and rolled over.

I lay there thinking about how much I loved bed, so cosy and comfy, and how nice would it be to stay there all morning, get up at 7.30 and just skip training altogether.
Almost immediately images from the night before popped into my head, I had been to a BodyBuilding contest and seen lots of lean, buffed bods in bikinis and high heels strutting around on stage. It was then that the Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer in me piped up and said “Unfortunately for you being warm and cosy in bed isnt going to get you to your health, figure and fitness goals! Get up!”
(See! Even us trainers are vicitims of our own trainer-to-client encouragement!)

And so reluctantly I got up, reached for some training clothes, devised a way to get dressed that would expose the least amount of bare skin to the cold air outside the bed covers (ie: getting dressed under the covers!!) This took a while, considering I was getting dressed in bed and when it’s cold outside, I usually layer up my workout gear so I’m warm until my heart rate is up, then I can start taking off the layers as I get warmer. Finally I was ready and went for my run.

Forty-five minutes later I was pumped, on an endorphin high and feeling great and I thought about how my day would have started if I hadnt gotten up and trained; it seemed like a sluggish and lethargic way to start the day and I was glad that I hadnt stayed in bed.

Even some of our clients have encountered and overcome this same early morning, inner-monologue debate. One such client bounds up to me in the mornings at 5.30am in the dark, and cheerily says “good morning!” while i’m still mentally waking up! (Even though my body is up and awake – my brain is often half and hour behind my body!) It takes a bit of mental toughness to get up and get going when the rest of the population stays inside in their beds where its warm.

I’d like to know about the times you’ve had to talk yourself out of bed to get to training or the tips and tricks you’ve come up with to make sure you get out there and get working towards your goals. One of our Sunshine Coast Personal Trainers – Sammy, her trick is to set 3 different alarms, while our office administrator Tiani asks her boyfriend to help her out of bed – this ‘help’ he interprets as pulling the covers off her, refusing to give them back then literally kicking her out of bed!   Harsh, but effective none-the-less!

If you’re having a little more trouble than getting out of a warm bed when trying to stay motivated on your fitness journey make sure you check out our article on “refocusing on fitness.”

So lets hear it then! Post your comment below!

Yours In Health & Fitness

Sascha Aiono
Sculptlife Personal Trainer

Vanilla & Blueberry Protein Packed Porridge

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Vanilla & Blueberry Protein Packed Porridge 

60grams of oats  (¾ cup )

30grams of frozen Blueberries

3 Tablespoons of Vanilla Protein Powder

¾ cup of water

Chuck all ingredients except the powder in together and zap in the microwave for 1 minute

 Stir through protein powder and add a dash of milk or any additional water as required.

 Enjoy!

Sunshine Coast Outdoor Personal Training !

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Ros and Kerry Smerdon, Avocado & Custard Apple Farmers in the Glass House Mountains have been training with us for almost six months now and the have been making some amazing lifestyle changes ! I am really impressed with how much their fitness levels have improved, as well as their tone and shape. They are an absolute pleasure to train but you gotta watch out for these guys competitive streak -  and I think Ros’s interpretations of the rules on our “Games Day” are always… hmmm a little “lateral” but Kerry puts up a good fight too !

Ros was named Rural Business Woman of the Year ’08, hear what she has to say : “While we had a physically active lifestyle through our work, Bianca and her team have showed us to eat well and exercise for strength and our health.  Their encouragement and interest in our health and wellbeing is not just as trainers but as friends also. Choosing healthy meals, not simply quick meals well has now become a positive habit for us. We have a lot more energy as well as losing weight and toning up.”

Kerry and Ros training at home with panoramic Glasshouse views

Ros & Sash laughing at Kerry's boxing jig drills

Kerry shows he's multi talented and displays his highland jig skills

Kerry & Ros Training

Sunshine Coast Personal Trainers Help Local Dad Star in First Triathlon !

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Sunshine Coast Personal Trainers

Way To Go Simon !

Sunshine Coast Personal Trainers

Daddy is a star


“Hey Bianca, you will be very proud – Simon did his first ever triathalon this morning with Dave and Jules!! Just want to say thanks to you and your brillant, fantastic awesome team of professionals. You guys are the best trainers in the world! Yep! We are with you for life! thanks so so much for all of your good work. without meeting you guys this just would not have been on our agenda. Shen x” Shennan Thomas, Mountain Creek

Sunshine Coast Personal Trainers

Caloundra Triathlon

Excuses, Excuses. Why you CAN lose weight.

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Exercise Excuses. We’ve all used them, we’ve all heard them. But are you really letting your exercise excuses convince you that you can’t achieve the body you want?

When it comes to weight loss endeavours, we usually use excuses to justify why we failed when we didn’t see the results we wanted. So, instead of convincing ourselves something else was to blame for our less-than-satisfied results, why not take on a ‘whatever it takes’ attitude for success?

Now, we all have different circumstances in life that can make exercise regimes difficult to follow compared to the next person. So what is the big secret that the successful ones know that the others don’t?
Well, those that succeed look for ways to make exercise and their lifestyles work; instead of looking for excuses.

Have you heard yourself use any of these excuses?

I’m too busy, I don’t have time.

Ever heard the saying ‘if you want something done, ask a busy person’? We all have the same 24 hours in a day and yet some people seem to get a lot more done than the rest of us. It’s usually these people that have a regular exercise routine in place and have made their health and fitness a priority. Additionally, the energy you earn from exercising regularily and eating clean means you can power through so much more than someone who doesnt. Don’t cheat yourself of the body you want because you haven’t made health and fitness a priority in your life.

I dont like exercising

I’m guessing you dont enjoy it because you’re out of shape and it feels difficult. Well, like I said before, if were easy every one would do it. If you perservere your fitness will increase, you’ll feel lighter and leaner and you’ll begin to love the feeling that comes with being fit.

I went for a walk last week and I drink low fat latte, thats good enough

Telling yourself that minimal effort is enough to budge that stubborn body fat is only cheating yourself of the results you want. Think to yourself, ‘am I really giving my honest 100% effort here?’
You’re the person who will care the most if you don’t reach your figure and fitness goals. We all know feeling disappointed when you know you could have done better really bites, so don’t let that happen, give it all you’ve got!

I’m trying really hard

There is a difference between trying and doing and unfortunatley your body only cares about what your are doing, not what you are trying to do. As much as we would love it, your body isn’t going to say ‘well, they are really trying hard to not eat junk food, let’s cut them some slack and shed a few kilos’.
It’s about what you do, not what you try to do.

So, how did you fare? Are you using these Exercise Excuses to convince yourself you can’t acheive the body you really want? It’s important to get used to the idea that obtaining your ideal body will take some hard work and sacrifice.
Make sure you understand and accept that from the start and just get on with the work that has to be done. You’ll find that you CAN lose weight and i’m sure you’ll be pleased with your results!

PS – If you need some help getting serious about your training and healthy eating regime, give me a call at 0433 147 833 or visit www.sculptlife.com.au to book a free fitness consultation valued at $80. We’ll help you bust some of these excuses to get your to your ideal body!

The Top 6 Most Common & Critical Dieting Mistakes

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So our last two weeks of the Your Best Body Challenge are fast approaching and
after seeing the calibre of effort from everyone in last weeks sessions I can see
you guys really mean business! Congratulations on your efforts thus far, I almost
didn’t recognise some of you !

One quote I would like to share with you, which I find helps me focus when I have my
eye on a finish line is:

If it was easy, everybody would do it

I suppose it’s my own form of saying, “Get some Tuff’n Up Juice inta ya !” Anything
worthwhile doing is going to take some hard work and some sacrifice. So to help
you through these last couple of weeks I wanted to let you know some tips so that
you can work smarter not harder.

The 6 Most Common and Critical Dieting Mistakes

1. Skipping Meals or Snacks.
Don’t think that you’ll lose more fat by skipping meals, actually the opposite will
happen and your body will go into starvation mode, hanging on to fat for dear
life.

2. Overcompensating with portion sizes
You should finish each meal just before you feel sated, and not eat more in one
meal just because you skipped the one before. Or undereat because you gorged
the night before, just get back on the bandwagon and eat the normal meal you
originally planned.

3. Relying only on the scales for your progress
You should be aiming for a half a kilo to a kilo of pure fat loss a week. Weekly losses
above that mean you’ve also lost fluid and sacrificed some fat burning muscle. It also
means that you are more likely to gain that weight back again.

4. Severly restricting calories
Lowering your calories excessively makes your body say :
“Am I in the desert? Am I walking on the kokoda traill in enemy territory? Well I better
hold on to this energy dense fat as stubbornly as possible, and burn some of this
energy expensive muscle because I don’t know when I’m going get my next sqare meal”

5. Being impatient & unrealistic
I could almost say The Biggest Loser has been the bane of my existence! I get super
motivated clients at the first weeks of programs, and then when they don’t lose 10 kilos in
the first week they are disapointed! Remember, if it was easy everybody would do it, and
that weight didn’t come on in a week, so set yourself realistic weight loss goals with a
routine that fits into your lifestyle and you will achieve safe and permanent weight loss!

6. Relying on the scales as your only feedback.
Many people make educated and well informed opinions on events everyday. Not so when
it comes to their weight and body image! You can’t compare apples to oranges, so why
only use weight as your measure of success when weight takes into account muscle
glycogen (energy) storage, the amount and density of lean muscle, hydration levels ASWELL as
fat. Use measurements, how your clothes feel, how you look in the mirror and compliments
from friends and family to really gauge how you are going.

So, now you know the Top 6 Most Critical Dieting Mistakes….. Don’t Make ‘Em!!!
I urge you to go through the Your Best Body Guide again this week, mark your Week 6
Self Assessment and plan out your sessions and meal ideas for the next two weeks.

That is the most powerful advice I could give you right now, if you have any questions
please don’t hesitate to send me an email at info@sculptlife.com.au or call the office
at 5438 7609.

Bye for now !
Bianca

PS. We’ll be doing our Christmas Break Up Games & YBB Awards Breakfast on Dec 12th 7am – 10am at Point Cartwright. Stay tuned for more details !

Five Tips for Making Sunshine Coast Fitness a Priority

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Committing to a Sunshine Coast fitness program is really hard.  It’s tough to stay motivated when you are the only one saying you have to do it.  It’s hard to see the fruit of your labors when some of them are only measurable with a doctor’s complex testing and instrumentation. It’s exceedingly easy to be consumed by the pressing responsibilities of life and it’s really easy to tell yourself that one more day won’t make a difference.

To make Sunshine Coast Fitness a priority in your life, you need to give yourself as many reasons and as many helpful tools as you can.  Here you’ll find five great tips for making fitness a priority in life, rather than an afterthought.

5 Tips To Make Health And Sunshine Coast Fitness A Life Priority

Clarify your undeniable need for fitness, enlist some help, and pencil—no pen—fitness in to make sure that you live well and live long.

Write it down—what gets done in the course of your day?  The things you’ve made time for.  Exercise should be top of that list because it is what will ensure that you are around to do more and live better.  Schedule time for fitness just as you would for getting dressed, working, and attending important meetings.  Block out your time for fitness in your daily planner first so that you make the time.  Schedule exercise in at a time that makes sense and the rest around it.

Buddy up—get a friend to be your fitness buddy; or, if a friend isn’t interested or available, partner with a like-minded acquaintance at the Sunshine Coast fitness  center and make him or her your friend and fitness buddy.  Having a buddy makes fitness fun and (close to) painless and helps you support each other.  You’ll find that the reasons you give your buddy to go on work for you, too!

Make a list—list all the reasons why you want to get fit and be healthy.  This helps you set fitness goals, motivates you with clear reasoning, and works as a reminder for those times when ambition is waning.  Refer back to your fitness list to see what goals you’ve accomplished, what goals need revamping or replacing, and for general motivation.

Reward yourself—create a reward system as further motivation; with one caveat—your reward cannot be food.  Give yourself something worth working for, something that promotes fitness, and something with lasting motivational power.  A spa treatment, new clothes/wardrobe, a long weekend or vacation, or new recreational or even fitness activity are some good rewards to start with.

Look to the pros—the guidance and support of a good personal trainer is unbeatable as a prioritization strategy for Sunshine Coast fitness.  A personal trainer will help you in innumerable ways by making exercise more enjoyable, more ‘do’-able, providing ongoing information and support, structuring a fitness program tailor-made for you, and being a general source of motivation.  You’ll find that keeping that appointment time and being accountable to someone else helps, too.

You’ll find these five simple tips for prioritizing fitness in your life will go a long way toward your success on the Sunshine Coast fitness trail.  Small changes like these can make a big impact and really help you keep your good health and well being at the forefront of your list of things that need doing.

Sunshine Coast Fitness Tips For Beginners

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Starting on the path to better Sunshine Coast fitness can be a difficult road in the beginning, but those that make the commitment to stick it out will be rewarded not only with better health, but feeling better as well. There are plenty of pitfalls for those that are starting a Sunshine Coast fitness routine, but being aware of them and working through them don’t have to be a struggle. In this article, we’ll take a look at five tips for people that are starting on the path to better health.

Eating Right

Improving your eating habits is an important part of improving your overall fitness. A great way to think about what you eat is that it is fuel for making your body work better. A diet that is comprised of a healthy balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables will help your body work better, and you’ll be surprised to see how much more you can eat following a healthy diet than one that is made up of fast food or lots of junk food. But changing your diet doesn’t mean starving yourself – if you’re following a Sunshine Coast fitness routine, your body will need plenty of fuel to run efficiently.

Work Out with a Sunshine Coast Fitness Trainer

A personal trainer doesn’t have to be a drill sergeant! The relationship that you form with your Sunshine Coast fitness trainer can be a highly valuable one. Not only will he or she be there to make sure you are working out in a safe and efficient way, but they can help encourage you when you’re feeling down or that you can’t get through the next exercise. A personal trainer can also assess your needs and create an exercise program that is right for your body and reaching your goals.

Stay Positive

It’s easy to lose your enthusiasm for working out shortly after you’ve only begun. You may not see changes in your body soon after starting an exercise program and this can be very disheartening. While it’s true that you might not see changes right away, you are making great strides in ensuring that your healthy lifestyle will have a positive impact on your health and your self confidence! Try keeping track of your progress and you’ll see that, while you may not see changes overnight, the small changes will soon add up.

Get Plenty of Rest

While exercise is an important part of improving your health, getting plenty of rest is just as important. Sleep deprivation has lots of had effects, from temperament to loss of memory and concentration and can even reduce reaction time. Try to avoid exercising right before sleeping, as well as caffeinated products, and try to get eight hours of sleep every night.

Make a Lifestyle Change

Those that are willing to make a lifestyle change, rather than those that only want to lose a few pounds for an upcoming event, are much more likely to succeed. Crash dieting may help you reach a short term goal, but what will happen when you go back to your regular eating habits? Most people will put the weight they lost right back on. Making the commitment to change the way you eat and your exercise habits will not only help you reach your goal, but you’ll be much more likely to retain the good results.  There is no better way to stay on track, than to hire a Sunshine Coast fitness trainer!

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