Kayla Itsines is one of the healthiest role models for young women.
Not only is she a personal trainer, but she is also an author and entrepreneur, with a following of over 20 million people.
Proud of her Greek heritage, 27-year-old Kayla says her sense of family and willingness to always put others first is a big part of why she is a Personal Trainer. “I’ve always wanted to be able to help others, and now I get to do it through my love of health and fitness.”
The international fitness guru’s ‘fitspiration’ has transformed millions of lives, which Kayla is incredibly grateful for, especially being in a position to help so many women. “It actually makes me emotional when I think about some of the women I have met and the stories they have told me. I am just so proud of each and every one of them.”
After training to become a beauty therapist, as Kayla knew she wanted to help people feel more confident, she soon realised that wasn’t for her. She had always been interested in sport and fitness, so she decided she would pursue her interest and study Personal Training, and she’s never looked back.
Her family wasn’t sure that pursuing personal training was something that she could make a living from, but soon enough Kayla proved them wrong. In a short time after completing her studies, from her backyard, Kayla was running booked out training sessions.
For people to stick to a fitness routine, Kayla tells her clients that it is important they do something that they enjoy and make that a focus. It could be anything from walking their dog, to challenging themselves with weight training.
“Everyone is different, but I think all women can agree that they just want to be the best and most confident version of themselves possible.”
Not only was she given the title of Forbes Top Influencer, but recently she was named 5th in the 2018 Financial Review Young Rich List. Kayla expressed that she is very proud of what she has achieved with her fiancé Tobi Pearce, and with such a huge title and acknowledgment, it doesn’t and won’t change anything in her day to day life. “I am still a Personal Trainer, helping my clients every day reach their goals. I am still a fiancé, daughter, granddaughter, sister, and friend. I am just going to keep trying to be the best version of myself I can be, so I continue to help my family and BBG Community on their journey.”
For the fitness star’s daily schedule, she begins early in the morning, so she can make the most of her day. “If I am training clients, I will wake up around 5am and head straight to my gym to get set up for the training session. Otherwise, I will wake up around 6am. I’ll give my dogs Ace and Junior some breakfast, and then check out what’s been happening online with my BBG Community overnight. Waking up and reading about their transformation stories and progress is the best way to start my day. At around 9am I will visit my Yiayia and Papou for coffee and then head into the office for media interviews, staff meetings, or whatever I have scheduled that day. Later I will head back to my gym and film content for my social media channels, and also complete one of my 28 minute BBG Stronger workouts. After I have finished in the gym I’ll head back home, and have dinner with Tobi and my family.”
Anyone around the world can join Kayla’s community, the world's biggest female fitness community, by downloading her beloved ‘Sweat with Kayla' app. The meal-planning and workout app which features both of Kayla’s BBG and BBG Stronger Programs, was developed by her fiance Tobi. Kayla said that Tobi wanted “the workouts to be more easily accessible and to expand the offering to more consumers by providing the workouts on even more channels. That was when he started to develop the app.”
When a user downloads ‘Sweat with Kayla' from the Apple Store or Google Play, they will have everything they need to help them on their health and fitness journey. “The Sweat app gives users access to 5 programs, including my BBG and BBG Stronger program’s, over 750 exercises, and access to over 400 recipes” Kayla states.
A challenge the international fitness trainer mentions she often faces is maintaining a healthy work/life balance. “As I am often travelling with a back-to-back schedule, I find it hard to find ‘me time’ when I can unwind. I find using mindful apps like Headspace really help me to relax. I also make sure that I set aside time to do things that are really important to me, speaking to my loved ones, and making sure I get enough sleep.”
Kayla also says that her favourite time of the year is summer in Greece, which she enjoys every year. So far she’s visited Crete, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, and Athens. “I love Greece because I have family that lives there, and have grown up speaking Greek, eating delicious Greek food and celebrating Greek culture all my life. It feels like home.”
As for the fitness Queen’s go-to healthy, delicious treat, it is Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit. “The yoghurt is full of probiotics (good bacteria) that help improve gut health, plus it’s also a great source of protein. I look for one that is unflavoured and doesn’t contain any additives, so there’s no added sugar.” She also admits that her biggest Greek food weakness is Melomakarona, which she indulges her stomach with one every day with her Turkish coffee, when she visits her Yiayia and Pappou.
Tips Kayla would like to give GCT followers to help them live a healthy lifestyle, includes walking everywhere they can, “not only do you get your step count up for the day, but you might get to explore somewhere new. Also, when eating lunch or dinner, eat your salad first. That way you fill up on veggies.”
Looking into the future, Kayla mentions that “there are so many countries I haven't visited before, and I love travelling. I would love to visit some new places, meet more of my BBG Community members, and run more of my BBG Bootcamps. Meeting women from around the world and learning about their journeys is one of the highlights of what I do. Personally, I’m also really looking forward to my wedding to Tobi, and celebrating this special moment with our families.”
