Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer Reveals How to Feel Slim, Trim and Good About Yourself

As a Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer, I enjoy being a part of my client’s transformational journey to their ideal body. I get excited to hear clients tell me how they’re making good lifestyle choices and changes and I love seeing them transform physically and psychologically before my eyes. One of my favourite parts of their Sunshine Coast Personal Training journey is to hear their stories of how people around them in their daily lives notice them slimming down, changing shape and compliment them on it.

But! There is one part I dislike about the Sunshine Coast fitness training journey our clients take. And that is the part where they haven’t learnt to say ‘thank you’. Right now, you’re probably wondering what I’m talking about- and also thinking Im a bit rude! – but I promise I’m not!

Have a think about when you last received or gave someone a compliment about their figure. Maybe they/you said – “Hey! You’re looking slim, you look great!”
I bet you didn’t hear; or you didn’t respond “Gee thank you! Yes I’ve been working hard”.
I bet what you heard; or what you responded was:

“Yeah, but I still hate my thighs!”     OR
“Yeah, but my bum is still too big!”        OR
“Yeah, but I’ve still got a long way to go!”      OR
“Yeah, but my tummy is still yuck!”

This is what I’m talking about – see how many “yeah but”s there are in those replies? NO MORE “YEAH BUT”S PEOPLE! Too many people with Sunshine Coast personal training programs are too tough on themselves and don’t say ‘Thank you’ and accept compliments! And it is actually a really important step of your progression to your ideal body.

Accepting and acknowledging compliments makes you feel good about yourself, when you feel good about yourself and the work that you’re doing  you’ll feel more excited and more committed towards getting better results.  And then, rather than feeling like exercising and eating clean is something you should do, it becomes something you want to do….and the positive energy that is a by- product of that ‘feel good’ vibe will attract to you more positive occurrences, more positive results and even more positive compliments!  So you see it’s a never ending cycle!

Even if you have only just started on your Sunshine Coast fitness training program, do something for yourself that makes you feel good about how you look. You deserve a reward for committing to making the lifestyle change.  Buy some nice workout clothes you feel comfortable in, do your hair, get a spray tan, get your nails done – do anything to make you feel better about yourself when u look in the mirror. Lets face it, when we look good, we feel good. So take advantage of that as a little ‘pick me up’ to get yourself started – and then when the results start coming along you’ll feel even better, which means you’ll be even more motivated to stay commited to your goals!

So come on everyone – start saying  Thank you to compliments you receive! Regardless of whether you agree with them or not, the point is to start accepting and acknowledging your hard work! Everyone deserves to feel good about themselves!

Live your Best Life, in your Best Body

Yours in Health & Fitness,

Sascha Aiono

Sculptlife Personal Training

Is someone sabotaging your journey to your Ideal Body?

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

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

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

Sunshine Coast Boot Camp for Brides

WOMEN will do anything to look perfect on their special day – even starve themselves to death, as was the case in Britain recently. But here on the Sunshine Coast, personal trainer Bianca Aiono is getting back to basics to help brides look their best without putting their health at risk. Her Buff Brides course is based on a minimum 12-week program where Bianca puts the girls through their paces three to four times a week, using the beautiful Coast surrounds as a backdrop.

Women who sign on for the program are required to have an initial consultation with Bianca where they set “smart” goals and come up with a vision blurb to keep them motivated and on track.
Bianca also runs through a healthy eating plan and takes the girls’ measurements to best monitor change in the coming months. Brides have the choice of selecting group training sessions or one-on-one work, depending on their needs.
The sweat starts pouring on the second visit, when participants begin the cardio sculpt program designed by Bianca.
Some of the cardio-burning exercises brides typically do include squats, kettlebell training, lunges, stairs, dips and crunches, which are all designed to “target women’s problem areas”, Bianca said.
“In cardio sculpt, you’re burning fat and bringing the toned muscle up from underneath. “It targets women’s problem areas – arms, abs and thighs,” she said.
Bianca also tries to incorporate some fun into the workouts at the end of the week, and this can involve anything from beach sprints to relays.
“No two sessions are ever the same,” Bianca said.

As well as the four sessions a week, Bianca encourages her clients to incorporate “incidental exercise” into their lives too.
This can be anything from playing a game of tennis on the weekend to meeting a girlfriend for a walk along the beach.

The Buff Brides course is $300 per month for group sessions and between $500 and $900 per month for one-on-one.

Read Bianca’s article Choosing the Right Sunshine Coast Fitness Program to Meet Your Goals !

Do you want to become a Buff Bride?

Click here for more information and a FREE gift!

Article by Hayley Nissen | 3rd October 2009 Featured in

Why Strength Training is Beneficial to Sunshine Coast Fitness

A Sunshine Coast Fitness Expert Reports! There’s a common misconception that muscle is heavier than fat, so why bother with strength training? The truth of the matter is a pound of muscle weighs exactly the same as a pound of fat. Muscle just happens to be leaner than fat and looks a whole lot better on the body. This isn’t the only reason to incorporate strength training into your Sunshine Coast fitness routine. In this article, we’ll take a look at more reasons why strength training is beneficial to those that wish to improve their overall health.

Beneficial for Weight Loss

Strength training is a very important factor in weight loss because the metabolism is increased as muscle is increased. The metabolism is the rate in which calories are consumed, and the rate and efficiency of the metabolism is greatly increased depending on how much muscle is present in the body. Simply put, the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. It has been estimated that for every pound of muscle, the body will burn 35 to 50 more calories a day. This not only helps reduce fat, but helps keep it off.

Helps Prevent Osteoporosis

Not only can strength training help with losing weight, it can also help prevent osteoporosis, which is especially important for women. Strength training can help prevent loss of bone density, which can lead to brittle bones and a host of other health issues. Not only can strength training help prevent the disastrous effects of osteoporosis, but those that are already suffering from osteoporosis and benefit from it as well, as strength training not only helps prevent bone loss, but it can also help increase it.

More Good News

While helping with weight loss and preventing osteoporosis are two big advantages to incorporating strength training into your Sunshine Coast fitness routine, there are many other benefits as well. It can help with cardiovascular health, prevent Type II Diabetes, and even make great strides in protecting joints. Perhaps the greatest advantage is that it can help reduce the bane of many a woman’s existence – belly fat.

Believe it or not, abdominal fat is often the result of not just overeating but stress. Our bodies produce a hormone called cortisol when we are under stress, and this hormone can increase the appetite and convert calories into abdominal fat. This fat is possibly the most dangerous of all the fat the can develop on the body because it is so close to several vital organs, putting undue pressure on them and perhaps causing them to malfunction. Not only does strength training use up cortisol, but it helps reduce the appetite and also helps reduce the dreaded belly fat.

Incorporating strength training into your Sunshine Coast fitness routine has so many benefits that it would be foolish to dismiss it. If you don’t know where to start in your strength training, why not consult with a personal trainer to get you started? Anyone can take advantage of a personal trainer’s expertise to make sure they are making the most of Sunshine Coast fitness and strength training, and to ensure they are working out safely and effectively.