Thursday, August 6, 2009

Little Miss Ness - An Inspirational Story




I have to stop here and mention one little superstar I met only a few months ago through Starshots Maroochydore - Little Miss Ness.




Ness makes a petite figure, she's very very lean and didn't have much strength or muscle tone. She wasn't really into exercise but she was pumped to come with her workmates to our group training program and see exactly what this stuff was all about.

I remember her first session, her little arms were shaking with the gatorade bottles filled with sand. Her lean stringbean legs quivered with every lunge. And boy, she was so sore EVERYWHERE for the next few days.

But this little pocket rocket showed some dedication to her new found lifestyle change that you don't often see in non -exercisers. Especially for cute attractive slim girls who can eat anything and still look good in a mini skirt ( yes yes, doesn't it make us all nauseous !) She turned up to 4 training sessions most week, set herself a high standard of performance every time and made a concious effort to feed her body like an athlete. High protein, good carbohydrates and plenty of water.

A month or two later we did the beep test, and yes that is it's real name, and yes I do think that beep is just a censored version of what it really should be called!

For those of you who don't know what it is it's a audio program that measures lung capacity ( and mental strength !) by getting you to run back and forth in a 20m shuttle run in time with the beeps. Each level is a minute long, and the pace of the beeps makes you increase your speed with each level. Eventually participants get tired and either their lung capacity makes their breathing too hard and too heavy to sustain or their legs fatigue so that they can't keep up with the speed of the beeps. If the beep sounds before you reach one end of the shuttle you have a chance to "beat the beep" on the way back. If you miss 2 beeps in a row though, you're out.

It's very interesting to see who excels in this test, as there are often "Level Stoppers" which is the term that I give to people who give up at precisely Level 4 shuttle 0 in their mind before their body is really truly exhausted. Giving yourself a goal to do your absolute best wouldn 't matter about the numbers, instead for someone who knew that the Australian Federal Police Entry Requirements was Level 8 , and they worked as hard as they could and got Level 8, shuttle 4. Then that would be someone who had worked to their full potential.

So anyway, Ness did this test about a month after she had started training with us and she got Level 8 - 3 on her first go, this placed Ness in the top 4 of our female clients which is an awesome effort ! At this stage the top female performer was Laura our Osteopath, who loves long distance running, has been training with us for 3 years and had done Level 9 - 3.

As we walked away from the beep test that day Nessie had a quiet word with me " Bianca, do you think, if I stopped smoking and trained really hard over the next 6 weeks, would I be able to beat Level 9 ' 3 ?"

At this stage I didn't even know that she smoked ! So of course "Yes Yes Yes Ness ! That is an AWESOME goal to set yourself."

Now to be honest with you, I used this as ammo to fire Ness up in sessions for a few weeks after this first test but it slipped my mind until the next opportunity for the beep test to happen.

I got a text message " Noo! My alarm didn't go off! I'm devo'd!" Ness had slept in and missed her chance! And what's worse her workmate Dave had made it and excelled with a personal best of 10, 2

The next frantic text said " Are there any more tests this week "

Sure - I wrote back - out at Glass House Mountains a 40minute drive away ! There's one at 5:30 and 6:30 tomorrow.

Whoopsie I forgot to say PM!
So I get a phone call at 5:30am the next day saying I'm lost ? Am I at the right place. Poor ness had rocked up to a morning session instead of an evening session! But it was okay , as we had another womens group starting there at 6am. So she huddled in her car in the dark and waited for us to turn up and set up.

So, when she we finally arrived and did her test 8 weeks later , well , this little super star was amazing.

Not only had she been training her guts out

She had quit smoking !

Not only can she do 50 squat jumps, sprint up hills and more

She has sculpted the legs, back and bum of a lean, strong athlete

Not only did she SMASH her previous personal best of 8,3

She SMASHED the previous top female performers performance by a whole level to get Level 10,2 !

Wow ! What an inspiration

And what a thorn in Dave's side ( pictured with Ness above ) I bet he would have loved to have had her running beside him pushing him along while he was doing his beep test the morning before!

This was great for the ladies at Glass House to see as they have only just started, and Ness's performance spoke volumes to one of our lovely ladies who did a very commendable Level 7,4 Sheree about what you can achieve when you quit smoking.

So even though little miss Ness might be embarassed about making a big deal about her achievement - I can't ! I'm way too excited.

I just love it that she made it her goal, she stuck at it, she had faith in herself and she made it to the top of the proverbial mountain.

The only question I have now is


What next Nessie ?!!






Successful People Do The Things That Unsuccessful People Won't

Okay it's true. When my alarm woke me up at 4:45am I cursed Sammy. I cursed her to the high heavens for getting me up out of bed to bring the tyres to training this morning ( i live a 30 minute drive away from where we train everyone ) .

" But everyone wants the tyres back " i could hear her nagging voice in my head . ( and I could even see a little version of her sticking her fingers up to her face, blowing me a raspberry and saying ner ner ne ner nerrr! )

But I decided to just suck it up, had a shower, had a coffee woke myself and got on my way.

Even though it was dark when I arrived at 5:45 there was an element of ooooh what's going to happen next when I saw the dimly lit point cartwright grounds. Then I realised... this is the kind of things that successful people do, they committ to a goal and set off on a pre-determined path , only focusing on one step at a time. This is how mountains are climbed, how personal bests are achieved and how world records are broken.

I realised... this is the kind of feeling an Olympic Swimmer feels just before diving into the pool for an extra early morning session session in the middle of winter knowing that their rivals are
still snuggled in bed.

These are the things that you do that make other people (friends, family, neighbours, workmates ) look at you like you're crazy, and they wouldnt change places with us for the world.

Until summer comes, and they are feeling fat and frumpy, tired and lethargic and you come bouncing in full of energy, high on the efforts of your morning achievements, looking toned and sculpted and like you are in the prime of your life !

That's what it's all about folks.

It's about doing the things that unsuccesful people can't be bothered to do.

And then it's about reaping the rewards and then flaunting it in their face

LOL !
I am so joking about the flaunting in their face bit .

( well, it would be fun to flaunt it just a little bit hey ? *strum fingers maliciously like Mr Burns* )

But seriously, this mornings training session and the dedicated clients who wake up in the morning, fight the mist, the wind chill and the darkness inspired me to go on the hardest run i've done in the past 6 weeks.

And damn it felt good !

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

New Challenge - Looking Fit and Sculpted, Just By Being Functionally Fit!

Of late i've decided "I've had enough " of not being into hard training, last few times I've tried to go to the gym i've driven there and then at the last second I just yank the wheel and drive in the opposite direction! (Once it was to go to the Plaza and get a mexicana spud ! yummo! ) he he

But it is also hard not training,- my muscles ache and feel flabby !*(yes it is possible to be both at the same time even if you're an athlete like me ! ) it’s quite hard to get that work/life balance back again, but I am really determined that I don’t want to be an on season/off season figure competitior. Figure competing is a funny demon, it's a challenge for me , not really a passion, it's more of a means to an end, I don’t really feel like you should live your life always feeling like you are depriving yourself ( for some people it isn’t depriving yourself so its cool for them but hey , you know how I like those krispy kremes !

So my mission between now and next June is to get fit/sculpted for a comp overseas but by doing training for beach and indoor volleyball, kickboxing, cycling, pilates, and only 1 or 2 weights sessions a week and looking after my own nutrition *( I pretty much know what I can and can’t get away with by now ! ) I am going to get a bit of training off a few different pt’s to get some ideas on how to do it and see how they do it and then see which gym I feel like joining up at, goodlife is a little out of the way for me at the moment. I want to do amazing feats of strength, and then better it, I want to get pushed past that point where you want to give up, but you don't, then experience the elation after when you complete the task. I wanna be fighting, pulling, stretching, reaching, sprinting, jumping, pressing .... everything. I want that elite feeling of fitness all over again !

And of course there is my amazing mentor Di Shipway - Miss Nabba World Figure, she is awesome, I see myself coming back to see her every 2 – 3 months to see what she thinks has happened to my body and what I should change. She had heaps of really interesting insights on a whole range of topics personal/fitness/ business. It’s like she’s already one or two steps ahead of me bc she’s experienced so much she already has a view on whatever issue I bring to her !

So yeah , Taking this approach to being an allround fitness ROLE model is way more inspiring to me than trying to be “the most beautiful woman in the world” which is such a ridiculous contest but it’s almost what figure competing is … I had way more fun in the Oxygen shoot , it was more about working together as a team to play up my good points, not differentiate me from others by my weak points ! does that make sense ?

I still want experiences, I just don’t’ want to be chained down by them .

I'm looking forward to this next challenge of being fit and sculpted - just by doing the things that make you that way . I can't really stomach another 3 sets of this for 20 then 3 sets of that for 30... Next year will be a different story because I will be motivated to step up on stage at a completely new and different level for my own sense of personal acheivement. Oh yeah and for the photos !

Hopefully we will sell and only move 2 houses down so here’s hoping, ( then I’l already have a studio and an attached office ! ) oh by t he way, I’ve got 6 dogs now we rescued one from the pound !

Okay anyway , I will catch up with Peita she’s been working at the Wesley Weight Management clinic and I just need an official stamp of approval that what I’m doing is heading people in the right direction but anytime you need advice or wanna

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Personal Trainer Helps Locals Trim Both Waistlines And Shopping Bills

In harsh economic times like these it is often the so called luxuries that are first to
fall by the way side, including gym memberships and personal trainers with potentially disastrous results on Australia’s already generous waistlines. Bianca Aiono from Exclusive Personal Training has made it her mission to show Sunshine Coast residents how they can save money on their food bills, get fit and lose weight in a low cost, money back guaranteed 12 week program. The program provides a support network to corporate workers and families that not only helps reduce medical costs in the long term but also shows participants how they can still get fit and have fun on a shoe string budget.


Bianca says “ Cardiovascular disease is Australia’s biggest killer costing our country
over 7 billion dollars each year, so it just makes me so angry when times get tough people are forced to cut back on their health and fitness programs. What is that going to cost our country in the long term?” Bianca says her own weight loss struggle from overweight teen to champion Body Sculptor has lasted over ten years and is the foundation of her training and nutritional system which she says works for everybody, every time. Bianca has so much faith in the accountability and fun atmosphere her group training sessions provide she offers a 100% money back guarantee that her participants will get the results they want. To prove it to local residents Bianca is offering one free week of Small Group Personal Training and a free fitness consultation to our readers when they contact her on 0433 147 833 or by visiting www.exclusivept.com.au .

Karli Styles, a self employed graphic designer from Landsborough lost 5 kilos with Bianca’s
program. “ At first I was worried about meeting the costs of both a fitness program and the food for a healthy eating plan but the kids can eat the same food I’m eating. Also, now that I don’t buy so much extra processed junk I’m actually saving money on my grocery bills.” Bronwyn Reifit a single mum of 3 from Caloundra West was also concerned with her childrens eating habits before joining the program. Bronwyn says “ I’ve lost over 12 kilos and have heaps more energy with the eating plan and the kids are really happy. The lifestyle changes we’ve made together have helped us all as a family. I didn’t realise I was actually wasting $50 a week or more by eating convenience foods”

29 year old Brooke Sugars from Currimundi says “Before joining Exclusive Personal Training group sessions I used to spend $100 a week on smokes, so now that I’ve quit it’s like Bianca’s actually paying me $40 just to exercise ! I love training outside I just couldn’t go back to a gym now. “

Bianca explains because her programs are held in parks and at people’s homes they don’t
have the same overheads as most studios and gyms. The beautiful Sunshine Coast outdoors, away from normal every day pressures and exercising with likeminded and motivated people Bianca claims is a healing atmosphere in itself. “The government should be putting more funding into preventative measures for our health system, instead of footing the bill on the other end after it’s almost too late. I want to turn my own struggle with weight loss into something positive, and if I can reach out and change as many people’s lives as possible, well I’ll feel like I’ve made a difference.”

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

And the winner is !!!!!

Bianca aims for perfect body
12:00p.m. 20th May 2009
By Anne-Louise Brown

Bianca Aiono in competition form. Photo:Contributed
Bianca Aiono is looking for a sponsor, preferably one who farms eggs.
In her bid to become one of the world's best natural body builders the 27-year-old personal trainer from Glasshouse Mountains, eats 28 eggs a day, minus the yolks.
"I spend a lot of money on eggs," Bianca jokes. "I just need to find out which restaurant is making a lot of hollandaise sauce and get the leftover egg whites before they get thrown out."
Bianca competed at the International Natural Bodybuilding Titles on Sunday and won the Intermediate Figure Category.
The title has eluded her for the past two years as Bianca struggled to meet her strict diet and exercise regime.
"I didn't believe I could do it, which meant I just wasn't lean enough to stand up on stage in bikinis and stripper heels and have a group of strangers give me a point for every fault I had," Bianca said.
"This time I started preparing months earlier and did a lot of soul searching and figured out accepting yourself and loving yourself for who you are is the best fat burner of all."
She trains at least 20 hours a week, incorporating weights and cross training.
Bianca represented Australia in swimming and volleyball before discovering body building. She was unhappy with her weight, which was 84kg, and wanted to trim down. She now weighs 68kg.
"When I was 24 I was overweight and wanted to improve my body. I got into bodybuilding and loved it – then it became an obsession," Bianca said.
"Bianca heads to the Gold Coast on May 30 for the Asia Pacific Natural Bodybuilding Titles, where she is hoping for a win.
Brekky with Bianca
What Bianca eats every day:
Breakfast: Protein pancakes made from 10 egg whites and half a cup of oats
Morning snack: Grilled chicken breast with vegetables
Lunch: Omelette made from 10 egg whites and vegetables
Afternoon snack: Grilled fish and vegetables
Dinner: Grilled chicken breast and vegetables
Supper: Omelette made with eight egg whites

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Nothing Tastes Sweeter Than Success After Sacrifice

Okay so what do I mean by that ?
A while ago I was preparing for a competition, and really putting myself through the ringer, i didn't look good enough, this was too hard, there is more important things in life ..... well basically it was excuse after excuse. I thought to myself - jeez wouldn't it be nice to be less driven... i could relax for once ! So after my october comp, i did exactly that.
I've always said to people if I could get away with it I'd eat a packet of tim tams a day ! My lil sis Sash and I said you're only truly an Aiono if you can eat lollies and chocolate before 6am. And that's exactly what i had for breakfast Christmas day he he .
But after a while, as my body reflected my eating habits, everything got softer, and bigger, my energy levels were destroyed in the afternoon.... by the by - I can NOT BELIEVE that people put themselves through that kind of blood sugar high and low every day. No wonder everyone gets addicted to caffeine and chocolate. I was back to the old days when I worked as a personal trainer in bris and i needed a nanna nap every afternoon ( i went hours without eating and when I did it was something like a high GI brumby's pizza roll )

And as I ate everything under the sun that I thought that i wanted, "ooh i haven't had a beefy's chunky steak pie in about 3 years! - let's have a go at that " and "oooh I haven't had cold rock in ages let's have that too and a caramel chocolate slice" (uuughh i feel sick ! )
Then it turned around i had no idea how to eat NORMALLY. It was that typical "i'm on a strict diet" & then "wooo hooo! i'm not on a diet-free-for-all"

So after a while i just realised I'd had enough. I'd had enough of feeling like crap, looking like crap, none of my clothes fitted, i was tired all the time, I hardly trained and i realised THIS JUST ISN'T LIVING!

It was good having that time off because it gave me a little slice of "the grass that was apparently greener on the other side" and it made me realise that "life without drive" was definitely not all that it was cracked up to be.
So now I follow my eating plan 100 % of the time ( it also includes a free meal splurge every weekend mmmmm gourmet pizza and cheesecake n chocolate cold rock icecream nd 1 500 calorie treat during the week)
I wake up before my alarm with plenty of energy every morning which means I have plenty of time to fit everything in.
I train 2 - 3 times a day which means I am looking the leanest I have ever been !
I can work from 4am and go right through to 10:30 am without stopping which means I can do so much more in a day, I am so productive - which is money in my pocket.

I really don't look at people eating their yummy food and wish that I could eat it too, because i know what they're missing out on . I know that there's always a chocolate chip peppermint drumstick still waiting for me at the end of the week - it ain't going anywhere ! But you can never remember how nice that food tasted last month when all you can feel is the dissapointment when you're looking in the mirror.

So yes, my conclusion is that nothing tastes sweeter than achieving a goal after you've done the hard work and missed out on the things " average" people indulge in. It's the drive to do things
that makes your quality of life sweet - not the junk food.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Mountain Bike Cardio Sculpt

Stats
1hr 10 mins
140 average heart rate, 170 max heart rate
674 calories burnt

Muscles Targeted
Hamstrings & Gluts
In particular : Insertion of hamstrings into gluts - that's where you get that nice little perky butt crease.

This morning I woke up with butterflies in my stomach - at no later than 4am ! What ? I can't sleep in anymore, it's too exciting and I think my metabolism must just be "in the zone"! i went to bed at 10:30pm but the nutrition kel's got me on is just spot on i'm thinking ! my body just doesn't need as much rest time to recover. Plus of course the supplements : creatine, l glutamine, branch chain aminos & magnesium to help .

So today I focused on hamstrings by pulling up through my heels and sitting up right, then focused on butt by standing and riding and pushing right through, and also by just sprinting hard and hovering about 1cm off the seat. ow ! That burns
I came back and did 100 butt crunches on the swiss ball which was great for that inner thigh area - boy does that burn.
But i think next time I'm goign to have to do it before and after - to really activate and "wake up" those muscle s and get the most out of the ride.

Okay i better hurry up and eat my protein pancakes - just discovered adding a bit of water keeps the consistency more even and makes the texture more like crepes!

Today is goign to be a good day !

Fitness vow to avoid wedding day blues : Sunday Mail Article 18/4/09

BRIDES have often gone the extra yard to lose weight for their wedding, but now bridesmaids are also being told to shape up or ship out of the wedding pictures.
Plans for the big day can now include hiring a personal trainer or attending bridal boot camps to ensure no one is bursting at their satin seams in photos for the wedding album.
"No one wants to have fat wedding photos," said Bianca Aiono, a personal trainer on the Sunshine Coast who is working with more bridal parties than ever before.
"I think everyone's so motivated to have those photos that they can really remember and be confident in," she said.

Ms Aiono said many bridesmaids felt like they would be letting the bride down if they didn't lose weight. But it's not just the bridesmaids who are being forced to shape up.
"I've had plenty of women bring their men to me because they want them to look their best in the photos, too," she said.
Fernwood Women's Health Clubs also run a special program for brides and their bridesmaids called Operation Wedding Dress.
"It's growing in popularity. I think there's a lot more pressure placed on the bridal party from the brides these days to look their best," said Nic Linford, Fernwood's national programs manager.
Sunshine Coast bride Sarah Torrisi, 23, got married on Friday and had her six bridesmaids in personal training for the past two months to get ready for the big day.
She even had a 6am final boot-camp session planned for the wedding day but it was too much to fit into the day.
"I wanted us to feel better and fitter and to look good for the wedding," she said.
One of her bridesmaids, Megan Duckworth, 23, of Maroochydore, said she lost around 4kg and had become a lot more toned.
"Sarah had been getting trained and was having some great results and she told me to give it a try," she said.
"It's really great, training with friends and having a goal."
Fellow bridesmaid Stacey Schultz, 24, also of Maroochydore, said she wanted to make sure she looked her best for her friend.
"It's a good girl session and all the bridesmaids get to mingle and it's a bit of fun," she said.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Count Down

I'm getting ready for my next comp and I just can't believe how much you really can achieve in a day when your nutrition is spot on. This morning I had a bit of a sleep in and thought - well jeez how long are you really going to stay in bed for ! And i woke up at the very inhumane time of 3:45am and went for a bike ride at 4 . Crazy hey ! Well, i'm eating very clean ( no sauces, nothing processed, no sugar ) lots of egg whites at the moment ( 3 meals of 8 egg whites ) and it's amazing how much training i can get done in a day! 3 and a half to 4 hours each day ! So a run in the morning, with 300 walking lunges and 50 - 100 butt crunches, and maybe some stairs, then i do weights around lunch time with my fabulous trainer kel johnson. and then a bike ride again throught the beautiful glass house mountains in the evening. I love it ! And i love the changes that are happening so rapidly to my body. I didn't have rear delts before ! and my bike pant shorts are gaping open ! All lots of fun !
So better get going to sleep - we've got Cardio Games on the beach tomorrow for group training, then I've got to race up to Twin waters where my clients Sars, Megs & Lily are getting ready for Sars wedding. The Sunday Mail is doing an article on us about how brides are enlisting the whole bridal party into training ! So we gotta take pics and pretend we normally train on the lawn at Twin Waters then they'll get a shot of the same girls all dressed up for the wedding How cool is that !
Happy Kristie ! I've written an extra blog just especiallly for you!

Monday, March 9, 2009

In the Biggest Loser this week it was interesting to see the two sisters - i think it's Holly and Mel who have decided that they want to go home half way through their challenge. This is a textbook example of showing that the AWAY motivation can be much stronger than the TOWARD motivation.

Scroll back to those girls when they first started, they wanted to lose 25+ kilos, they desperately wanted it, so much so that they put themselves on national television through nightmarish training sessions and have found themselves having lost 10 or so kilos, they're feeling better about themselves and it's all seeming a little too hard...

So they make up a reason why they think they should go home so that they can pretend that they are more nobler than they actually are. They said that other people deserved to be there more than them, and they wanted to go home.
Actually, they are as the blue guy said - Quitters. Pretty spineless really I think . For them to say that they can continue their journey on their own at home, is unrealistic. The lifestyle habits that got the girls in there in the first place are just waiting for them upon their return.

My prediction is that they'll go home, love how they're looking, and it's all a little less urgent to lose the weight, it's all a little bit too comfortable to stay at home with their partners instead of training and hey who has time for 4 to 6 hours a day of training in the real world unless you're a real athlete. I beleive they will look back on that day they decided to go home and realise that was the point, the cross roads where they lost the chance of achieveing a permanent realistic weight solution... and it's something tehy will always regret.

So ... a lesson to learn for the rest of us
When everything seems a little bit hard, when you have enjoyed some success, know that you need a little bit more, but kinda can't really get motivated to push through the tuff stuff.. THIS is the time you need to go HARDER! Imagine it's like a little uphill part before a massive downhill, get through this part and you will achieve these results for life. It's all down hill after that little bit more of a push......so fire up for my GROUPIES at Beerwah and Kawana.

We've got Coast VS Country on Monday week 13 That's April 6th at 6:30pm at Glass House Tennis Courts on Steve Irwin way for the beep test and agility tests.

Prizes will be awarded for the most improved and the Ultimate Total Body Transformer!
One lucky winner will receive a $250 Heart Rate Monitor that tracks your calorie expenditure throughout the workout so if you DO slip up and have a choccie - you know how hard you have to work in that session to work it off. I have used it for the past 4 days whilst adding in extra bike sessions and it's the MOST body fat I have EVER lost in 4 days. I can't believe how much extra I have tightened up ... it's definitely pushed me over the edge of looking like a figure girl that's kinda outta shape and a professional athlete working up to a comp.

Keep it going guys you all inspire me too !
B:)

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Biggest Loser - Bitter Sweet from a Personal Trainer's Perspective

Okay, I have to admit, I definitely get sucked into the drama of The Biggest Loser. And it's true, the weight loss plight of our countrymen & women across the nation is publicised in a very big way. So as a personal trainer, you do get more enquiries than you normally would when the Biggest Loser is screening on tv. But what I hate about it though is how unrealistic, unrepeatable, unsafe and physiologically unsound this kind of weightloss is in the real world. It totally makes my blood boil to watch the disapointment on their faces when they realise they've "only " lost 1 - 4 kilos in a week. I know these people needed a serious kick up the bum to get their butts into gear - but what about the effect it has on the rest of Australia. I am left workign with people who are achieivng amazing results - losing 3% of Body Fat ( fill up a 1.5l water bottle of margarine - that's how much fat you're losing ) and they're disapointed because they've only gone down 1 - 2 kilos on the scale.

In my own business I hardly ever use weight on the scales, it's much more indicative of someone's progress to look at their girths , their skin folds of body fat and how they look and feel in the mirror. As a body builder I HATE it when the numbers go down by more than 1 kilo a week on the scale, because that means a portion of that weight I have lost was actually MUSCLE ! In my ideal world my weight stays the same but my body fat goes down - because then i'm achieving the ULTIMATE - lean muscle gain whilst losing body fat !

In the Real World
1. You don't have to flog yourself to get permanent and realistic weight loss
2. When you're that heavy walking for fat burning is more than effective,
3. Running before you are strong enough can lead to serious long term injuries such as shin splints and stress fractures and is totally unneccessary
4. It is physiologically impossible for your body to process more than a half a kilo to a whole kilo of fat loss per week to be able to sustain it and keep it off for the long term
5. Weight loss of 6 - 10 kilos a week, is muscle, fat loss, loss of colon contents, fluid loss, and muscle glycogen (* stored energy ) loss.
6. People who are on their own weight loss journeys think they are failures if they lose less than 4 kilos a week
7. You don't need sadistic trainers screaming at you their own version of "Tough Love" for you to lose weight
8. Half the people who lose weight on the Biggest Loser have to either turn to another celebrity plan to lose weight to keep it off or they put up to 30 kilos back on.


I could keep on going about this but they're not going to make a tv show about losing a half a kilo to one kilo a week . Unfortunately you have to tilt reality a lot more than usual to make it interesting enough for a reality tv show.

Like they say - Don't let a permanent safe and effective weight loss solution get in the way of a good reality tv story !

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Fitness Expert labels Doctors push for Lap Band funding irresponsible

Personal Trainer offers guaranteed 5 – 18 kilo weight loss program as answer.


Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer, Bianca Aiono from Exclusive Personal Training says

the Queensland government needs to put more funding in community based health and

wellness programs not more lap band surgeries. Miss Aiono says for the same cost of one

patients surgery, 10 people could be put through 12 week programs that educate,

motivate and create life long sustainable habits instead of creating a band-aid solution. She

asks, “If our children are obese, and children learn from their parents, is Australia soon going

to be a nation of third generation lap band patients? Promoting this as a solution to this health

crisis is irresponsible and gives overweight people the impression authorities think healthy

eating, gentle exercise, and a little self discipline is beyond their reach."


She says “ It just doesn’t make sense to me, you can’t reduce the intake of a 6ft 3

man to eating only half a cup of food six times a day, a 15 year old girl eats more than that .

By severely restricting calories you are slowing down the metabolism, and promoting muscle

wastage not fat burning.“ Miss Aiono offers to educate readers with a free special

report “ Finally – the Truth About How To Lose Weight” – Top Personal Trainer and

Fitness Coach Reveals Insider Secrets The Weight Loss And Fitness Industries Don’t Want

You To Know which you can order by visiting www.exclusivept.com.au or calling her on

0433 147 833.


Miss Aiono has had experience working with lap band patients post surgery, and has heard of

patients sucking on chocolate and drinking coke all day or replacing their food compulsion with

another addiction such as gambling. One patient discovered standing up meant that gravity

allowed him to force more through the lap band and others developed bulimia because they

realised they could just keep binging on all the wrong foods as their body would just through it

up again and again.


Exclusive Personal Training programs take clients through a fitness and weight loss

programwhich uses fun and self esteem building cardiovascular exercise in a team

environment as well as one on one situations. The program also entails muscle building

resistance workouts and nutritional coaching to completely overhaul the lives of participants.

Miss Aiono has so much faith in the programs she offers a guaranteed 5 to 18kilogram weight

loss or she will refund the entire program investment. “It’s a trust development thing, because

essentially our clients know if we don’t work together to get them their results – we don’t get

paid ! “


The most significant outcome of the program though is the butterfly effect of these

programs where participants as they make their own positive changes, in turn will affect the

lifestyles of their partners, families and social circles and create a much greater impact on

Australia’s obesity epidemic than increased funding to lap band surgery.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

All Jacked Up On ... Creatine !

Just a quick note to say training is going awesome, thanks to my fantastic trainer Kelli Johnson www.keljohnson.com I am loving the high rep training and the results they are already bringing !
I have never trained my legs this hard before, so I am expecting great things ! And my shoulders are already beefing up ! nice one! Thanks Kel for your spin on things, it is keeping me sane and focused!

This is the first time I have been really regularly taking creatine and lgultamine - having not quite grasped how important they are before now. I did a heavy back and bi's session yesterday and went to turn my ipod off which was clipped on to my shoulder strap - I got a real fright ! Try as I might, I couldn't get past my pumped up bicep to reach it ! Then i started cracking up, all the while still trying, he he.... i know, doesn't take much to entertain me these days! Although it would have looked pretty funny to everyone else at the gym!

We just had a great session in Beerwah with Boxing, shadow boxing with sand filled gatorade bottles ( they get a lot heavier than you think !) and a few steeple chase laps (* including hurdles !) Congratulations on making it thru week 3, you guys have made some amazing progress. Go Makeeta for losing 3% Body fat already !

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Tall Poppy Syndrome - you know they're just jealous !

One of the negative things about creating Total Body Transformations and helping people completely reshape their bodies AND their lives - is how much attention it attracts. Now, this isn't always annoying, a lot of the time it is really positive, the double takes from people passing you by in the street, the comments from the sales ladies in the dressing rooms and of course the comments from friends "How's your training going ? Jeez you're looking great! What are you doing ? "and then it does also attract a lot of the well meaning "advice" that ends up confusing you more than helping - ie

"My trainer says you're doing too much interval training"
"Terry White says you should be drinking this !"
"I'm an ex football champion superstar martial artist kungfu master and I know it ALL, yep I'm pretty much GOD's gift to women - so listen to me as your formally qualified and certified trainer with 14 years in the Health and Fitness Industry obviously doesn't know what she's talking about" *

* I know you know atleast one person who's like this don't you ;) he he he

But more destructively it also attracts women ( i'm sorry to say - but it really is mostly is my fellow woman ! ) and snide remarks, bitchy gossip behind your back and petty rumours spread around - pretty much it's the women that have been struck down with a near terminal case of Tall Poppy syndrome!

That's right - they are totally threatened that you have got the guts to follow the goals that they have only ever let themselves dream about. Ask them this - Would it make you feel a little bit better about yourself if I put on some weight ? You know, if I start eating some junk food, stop working out and watch more dvd's? Would that make you happy?

Well sorry ! But it won't ! And as if you'd do it anyway !


I make no apologies for training hard, eating well, looking good and for helping my clients to make some absolutely amazing transformations . And you know what - they do look amazing - check out those before and after photos !

You know, it's possible for anyone to do it - it just takes a little bit of faith. So - for my clients who experience a bit of TPS ( as you will sometime over the next 12 weeks ) from not so well meaning neighbours, family members or "frenemies" have a little compassion. Put yourself in your frenemie's shoes... there you are - going after something you want. You've put your hard earned money on the line, you've gotten up at the crack of dawn, done countless lunges and squats and damn right you look good - after all that preparation you deserve to! So of course they're going to feel a little threatened, a little frumpy and sluggish next to you, and of course, they're probably turning bright green with envy as every kilo of fat just melts off you !

Stick with it girls and guys, cos those frenemies - they don't wanna be " like Mike" they wanna be just like YOU ! They want the success that YOU'VE GOT !

Well - now that I've got that off my chest --- moving on !

Thanks to Mel for reading this blog and giving me a shout out ! Please don't hesitate to leave a comment, i love to know that what I write is making an impact for you. Cos I spose - you just don't know what you don't know .. until you know it ! So why would you ever ask for it ? Hence my blog to help you find it all out :)

Big Thank you out there to Jules Dempster for referring Wayne & Adrienne to our Beerwah Fit Body Factory sessions. First week nearly done, jeez i gave everyone a bit of a smashing last nite ! Well - i just got a bit carried away when I could see how determined everyone was in their faces and their eyes! I think it's really great we've done the S.M.A.R.T. Goal setting before this challenge ( that's Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time frame - thanks to KB & Boris for teaching me that in Under 17's Volleyball ! ) yeah i can really see that everyone's connected to WHY they are doing this training. As Danna said " When I was doing those shoulder arm thingies in my head i was like WEDDING! WEDDING! WEDDING" - meanwhile the rest of us just heard "AAUUUUGGGGHHHH!" ha ha

Welcome Mel & Petra to our morning North Coast (maroochydore - kawana ) Fit Body Factory sessions, stay tuned for our evening sessions and our morning South Coast FBF sessions ( currimundi - caloundra ) coming soon ! Stay Tuned!

The Moral Of The Real Chicken Wraps Story Is..

So I was driving around on the weekend and I didn't have any meals with me ( naughty naughty! ) so I was racking my brain about what I was going to eat that didn't involve compressed grey matter with flame grilled marks stamped on to it trying to pass it off as chicken. Hence we ruled out subway ! There's something funny tasting about subway salad too - i heard from an insider that it's not as fresh as they claim to be. So then I didn't want to stop in to a servo and grab a tin of tuna, there was no nandos or oportos around ( real chicken breast ) and yeah i know macdonalds do "chicken breast" snack wraps, but I've had the seared one and yes it's okay... but I'm not into the white flour wrap. SO! I thought , i'll wait til I can get a kebab , and try my chances. Well yes... the pita bread was real, the tabouli was real,( really soggy ) the pineapple was real ( really canned and a little bit tart probably from sitting there too long ) and the chicken was real.. boy it was a little bit too real ! It could have looked at me and started clucking it was just a little bit too fatty/pink in the middle ugggh threw that one out and drank an emergency protein shake I had in my car.

So I'm thinking in terms of your best "away" option to getting healthy, quality protein, without too much carbs is something like oporto or nandos... or you could get away with a complete salad from woolies ( no not the pasta ones or the drowned-in-mayo- coleslaws from the deli ) and a barbeque chook - watch out for all the fat though.

But i suppose the moral of the story is just pull your finger out, make it at home and bring it with you !

Or - an alternate moral could be like I have just done - pay my gorgeous friend Becky from Ric's Gourmet International to cook my meal 2,3 & 4 meals for the week ! yessssss!!!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Not really cut out for the Unhealthy Life !

Well, Field Days was a blast, I had a lot of fun, there was WAY too many people though. There was almost a riot trying to get on to the buses at the end- it looked like about 10,000 people all trying to cram in through a door. Oh and of course I lost Pete for that critical hour at the end, I only had his phone, and he didn't realise he had my phone in his back pack! So between paying $10 for a drink and braving the port-a-loos ( soooo disgusting ! ) the terrible rainy windy weather, the girl who flashed me her privates whilst showing someone her gum boot and feeling terrible for the next 2 days I'm pretty sure it wasn't worth it !

And yes, I also had that little experiment going - to see how many calories I could burn dancing... well I managed to get to 3600 calories for the day so I suppose that is a lot . However, considering the hang over food I have been eating since then - I think I have definitely OVER Compensated.

So the conclusion to my study - don't go to a dance festival to think you are going to lose fat because you will either eat too much before, drink too much during, or eat too much after for it to work !

For those of you who know me , know that I drink about 4 drinks all year... so now that on the 4th day of the year I have already gone over my quota I am pretty sure this year is going to be a very very healthy one ! It's hard for me to understand people who routinely write themselves off like that, they train hard during the week and then waste it all over the weekend. But perhaps they don't get as sick as I do afterwards, perhaps I need to be more in training to survive a day/night of drinking... I don't know, but I'm pretty certain I'm going to quit while I am already behind !
My New Years this time was my best yet I reckon ! but my New Years Eve this time was my best yet - watching Sex and the City reruns in the air conditioning in between having a good chat to my neighbour Jules and being in bed by 11! I went for a run first thing in the morning New Years - whilst the whole country had a hang over !

Well, I don't need to make any new years resoultions after this experience - I think the healthy life is much easier to sustain anyway !

Thursday, January 1, 2009

2009 - Hitting The Ground Running

Isn't it funny how hard it is to push yourself through the inertia of the Christmas holidays when it comes to eating healthy and exercising. It feels a little sacrilege to even think about exercising hard when every day you wake up and it feels like a sunday morning! Well, i've had about 10 Sunday mornings in a row and I'm over it ! I can feel the past week of well... let's just call it "carb loading" and pretend I "meant" to do it... stored as water retention and excess body fat. It's interesting how quickly your body can respond, fortunately it doesn't actually take you too much to lose it again except 10 days of low carb high protein and exercising just doesn't happen as fluently as 10 days of carb loading can ! Hence our dilemma! But fortunately, as I did try to battle the breaker waves of indulgence I am happy to feel like I have already started the ball rolling, or hit the ground running as it were to start of January 2nd with a 700calorie run through the forestry! Actually, it was more like a run, walk and dance in the middle of the forest as I was listening to " Get Shaky" the Ian Carey Project. If anyone had've driven past me they would have thought I was having an epileptic fit !

Well, it's my first musical festival in 2 years tomorrow Summer Field Days and it's my lil sister's first festival ever so I'm really pumped ! Yes I am even going to take my heart rate monitor ( which measures calories burnt also ) and answer that question once and for all - if you really can "dance" off that christmas pudding... I'm interested in finding out how much you do actually burn in one day of running amuck around a field with various dj's and music tents! But I'm not sure how I'm going to take my protein shakes with me as last time I put my shaker it in Pete's camel back and it got lost soo....

Ah dear the troubles of a bodybuilder he he

So anyway I can't wait to get started with all the programs of 2009, we've got FIT BODY FACTORY sessions in Beerwah 6:30pm - 7:30pm MWT, Alexandra Headlands 5:30 - 6:30 PM MTT and Point Cartwright MWF mornings 6:00am - 7:00am. I've got heaps of cool new drills and games and I've already had some great "After" photos of some of the girls who have been training with me so far so I can't wait to see what kind of results this training is going to bring !