Sweet revenge

 I like it quiet in the morning.... I wake up at 4am or 5am if I'm lucky, and I like having me time before I put my smile on. Not today. Three of my clients woke up earlier than me only to drop a nasty text. Identical really: “Federer lost. Glad I’m not training today”. Thanks, guys. It’s like I don’t know the news already... I had my cry over last night. But I have to admit my clients are right. When the Fed loses a game it’s better to cancel your workouts because I would just push to the point where there is no sarcastic smile left on your faces.  Not so much today because for the first time I realized that he is not that young anymore. Neither am I….but I am still alive and I know what I want to do with the rest of my life. Two years ago I bought myself a motorcycle. Never had one before, never been even close to one before. The whole experience lasted three months.  I realized that it’s just not me. Then I wanted to cross a marathon finish line  one more time. So what if I done it? I don’t dream like that anymore and there are no out of regular wishes on my Bucket list left. I just want normality what ever that means! 

There is only one crazy thing I still do every year. It’s called the "Revenge Session”. My clients know exactly what I am talking about and I bet they can’t wait for me to make it public. This session is their favorite one because for two hours they are my trainers and I am their client. Every year I let myself tortured by them, but to be honest here I think they only do to me what I’ve done to them. But there is a great thing here…I don’t have to pay them for training me. So, guys, put  your boxing gloves on, start making plans, remember exercises, make up others, do what ever you want…and do it hard because who knows if there would be another one next year! I’ll be yours for two hours on the last Sunday morning in October. Bring it on! Then go straight to what ever churches you belong to and pray hard! Not for me, I’ll be fine. For you, because on the  Monday after I’ll be in charge again! :)

Counting the blessings

I never had a hero, I mean a real one, and never wanted to live in a celeb’s shoes. I always felt comfortable with who I am. I know I am intense and silly most of the times, but I am who I am and I am not sure whether I want or can change. Girls want to have what Paris has, or look like some brainwashed socialites. I didn’t and I don’t want that. It’s true that some people inspire me, but I wouldn’t change my life for theirs. You don’t even imagine how well is to be me. 

My 6:00am is a client who always inspired me. Was actually because he forgot to turn up today for his training. I trained this guy for the last four years and he reached every goal he had, but he always comes up with something new. Anyway, he didn’t come today so I decided to ask Well, my laptop, to read my emails…again. There is one from one of my chicks, Corina. She found this cool website, specialised in horoscopes…all sorts of them. Now, I don’t read horoscopes, but I decided to please Corina, just because she is a good friend. So let’s just see what my horoscope for today says. Actually is a day behind because the site is a US one. It says that I would get such great news, best ever! Would that be the one about Hendrix, my puppy, chewing my spa lid or the fact that I popped my patella out again? It has to be about Hendrix because my horoscope also says that I would spend some money on me…..actually on a new spa lid, but that’s close enough. But let’s read more. Good news again. I would meet today, sorry yesterday, the love of my life. Now it gets really specific: around lunchtime. Actually I missed that because at lunchtime I had two classes. Girls only. But it says something about a ring. That’s true. Somebody needed money and sold a ring. I wanted to help, so I bought it. But then I started liking the ring and I decided to get engaged…to myself and I am sure we will be very happy together…me and I. 

Let’s cut this short. I am having a great day today. I checked my blog analytics and I got up to 43,000 readers. Thanks, guys, I appreciate it. So huge thanks to New Zealand, US, UK, Canada, Italy, Spain, France, Phillipines, Russia your coming strong, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Poland, Romania (Transylvania, mon amour!), Hungary and Denmark (I worked there, I miss you, guys!). And a no thanks to that guy in Sunnyvale US. You know who you are. So sorry, not interested, so stop stalking me! 

Have a great day, guys, and don’t read your horoscopes. It’s rubbish! :)

Living as per the stereotype

I used to believe everything and everybody. Not anymore. It wasn’t easy to learn how to hide behind my blondeness, but apparently I got better in time. Now, let’s be honest here. What guy would ever date a girl with an IQ higher than most men? What can you do if yours is way above 180? Pathetic really cause it may break all bridges to that awesome guy. So I learnt to hide and my blonde hair helped a lot. …and my smile! Guys like sweet girls and if they are dumb as well, that’s quite a bonus!  It’s not just me here…they are other blondies  in the same situation (no, not Mike, the situation!). I met a few and they play the game as well… But this time, I’ll make it personal, no examples, no correlations, no similarities…but I am going to give you one clue and one hint. Just because I decided to be nice.

So, let’s just talk relationships. The girl is blonde of course…and sweet, no doubt. And if she is a pink girlie girl, even easier to be read! That’s all guys see there; good catch, easy to handle and mould! They also know that if she is blonde (we already established that!), she has to be that and nothing else.  What they think they see behind the image is a chick whose brain goes no further than typing her secret diary (with glossy emoticons, of course!) in Word, entering her glamorous shopping list in Excel and watching some girlie, super teary soap operas. ..or tele novellas. The blondie has to have her fashion magazines every week…just to keep herself informed with the new colors en vogue. Another myth...  She also has to waste hours on her mobile with her garls, chit chatting about the last rumors in the neighborhood. Legend! But what happens if none of them is true? What if the blondie runs a business, is a computer geek and her brain has more circumvolutions than the guy’s? How do you hide that? Simple as and here is the clue: live as per his expectations. Please do it! It works!  

But, just because I said something about a hint, I’ll keep my promise. The hint is challenge of course, because if the girl is smart, she would want to be challenged. Smart people get bored easily…if they are not challenged. So, I am still looking around and wondering where is that awesome guy who decides to challenge me? And other smart blondies as well…I almost forgot something. He has to know how to play fair: when I throw a ball I expect it returned to me. Fast! Just because I played tennis for too long and that’s the rule I know! Too bad if he, the guy, prefers playing chess. I hate waiting for his next move! :)

Let's have coffee together!

 I always wanted to invent the boomerang that never returns. What a brilliant idea really! Imagine how much money I could make. You would buy one of my boomerangs, throw it as far as possible, it’s gone, so you would have to buy another one. Just for fun! I could even get the Nobel Prize for entertainment, but there is no such a category invented….yet. As I don’t have time to market my boomerang… I invent words…in all sorts of languages I still can speak. My best words are in English though and Tricia, my friend and editor, pulls her hair out when she hears me. But let me tell you the story. 

This morning at 5:00am I was waiting for Mary. She is one of my weight loss clients and I have fun training her. She is always more awake than I am and she talks a lot….I smile more than her. So Mary arrived and a second later John was in my studio…and then Wilson as well. Now, John is into bodybuilding and I do rehab work on Wilson’s elbow. So I looked at all three of them while my blonde head was full of all sorts and I didn’t know what to ask. So I smiled. Big, blonde smile, dumb really. I mean huge smile! Then I looked to my diary stored in Greenhead. I forgot to tell you about him. He is my IPhone. Anyway, I’ve seen Mary booked at 5:00am Tuesday. Nothing about John and Wilson. I then checked the texts I’ve sent out last week and surprise… I booked them all at the same time. Stupid, blonde moment. What would you do? I know what I’ve done. First of all I kept smiling. Then I asked “Coffee anyone?”. I made them coffees and sent them home….not without telling them “the next one is on me, guys. You have a great day and see you next time”…individually I hope! 

Then I walked home. …10 meters at most. Opened the door and my puppy Hendrix just finished reading three of my cooking books…with his teeth. I cleaned the mess and started talking to Well, my laptop. He was in a weird mood and refused to read my emails. He can get really stubborn this one! I fixed him somehow cause I am stubborn too.  Not even 6am and everything goes wrong. So I came up with my new word: unbook. Really easy to get this, guys! My whole day was booked, back to back, client after client, so I though to myself (no, not what a wonderful world!) what if I kind of chill out today and I unbook what I’ve booked. I then started unbooking my clients one by one. Not the classes, no! I still kept a yoga one and a bootcamp…just the One-on-Ones. Naughty, naughty me, but I never done that before so I am quite proud of my wild side!

Now, I am not lazy. I am just intense. Everybody knows that. When I start I don’t stop! And I have reasons for the muck up today. I haven’t slept too much last week. All sorts really, thoughts, worries, but that’s something I cannot tell you a word about. Much too  personal. So, guys, coffee anyone? And see you around tomorrow! :)

La vie en rose

I was chatting last night with a dear buddy of mine I haven’t seen in 15 years. Not chatting-chatting… just Facebook PMs. Let me tell you something about this guy. He was, years back, la crème de la crème in volleyball, the best player Europe has ever had and probably the top libero in the whole world. I’ve seen him playing hundreds of times. Always the best.  And I know what volleyball is about. I haven’t missed a game when I was younger. Anyway, back to the guy. What he had and others didn’t was that this guy was smart, his game was cleaver and tricky. You know how tall volleyball players are. He was a head shorter and he knew that he has to transform this handicap into a quality. So, I was chatting with him last night and what do volleyball fans chat about? You guessed: volleyball. I was absolutely sure that he coaches somewhere in Europe. He deserves that. But no. Others do…others who have degrees in God knows what, no experience and definitely no feel for the court. Anytime he was closer to get a coaching job, a novice just appeared from nowhere and grabbed it. Of course the novice was a friend of a friend of a high rated nobody. Nepotism is everywhere unfortunately. So, this buddy of mine got a job in something he is not passionate about, hoping that one day somebody remembers about him and his smart game. A shame really. I would make a volleyball team, I would fly him, his wife and son over and I would put him in charge if I could…but I don’t know too many tall guys. I mean I know some, but not so well and the ones I know may not want to know me. 

The story about my buddy made me think about how unfair life is for some people. Some may have multiple chances to get what they want, others none, Destiny? I don’t know and I am sure you don’t either. How many of you know what an athlete goes through? Probably many. I want to believe that many of you, guys, are in the position I was years back or my buddy was as well. My volleyball buddy could tell you a lot about what training as an athlete means. Eight hours a day, every day, since 5 or if you were lucky 6 years old. Every day, no weekends, no holidays. Then tournaments, one after another. Different cities, where all you remember are the train stations or airports. And after so many years of absolute torture, no job available in your sports? Pathetic really. 

Life is not fair and in most cases the one you take a bullet for is pulling the trigger. You know the feeling…But fair or not, life is more interesting when you are strange…or weird.  Now, I know the feeling cause I may be one of those. I wouldn’t fit in any standards and definitely I couldn’t be boxed and labeled. Just because all I care in this life of mine is mon couer qui bat! :)

My one-sided affair

Last week, Dion, one of my good buddies rang me with an emergency. He said something about his rotator cuff. Dion is not a complainer, I trained him for quite a while, long enough to know that he is a taughy.  I know him so well and I know his wife Barb very well. I train her as well. Barb has the most amazing body. She wasn’t like that six months ago; we worked so hard together on that. But this is another story. So Dion was on my massage table while I checked on his injury. Actually there was a Trapezius problem. So I knew exactly how hard this would be. On him, not on me... I knew that I had to pull his Scapula completely out in order to smoothen his Trap, then put the bone back to its place.  That’s the moment when the noise would make him faint. So I wanted him talking. And Dion talked... all sorts.... I didn’t even listen; I had my job to do. But something grabbed my attention….Dion saying something like “everything in this world is one-sided; relationships, feelings, everything”. And then he started giving me examples. I was sure he was wrong. Not anymore. 

I’ve been in a long affair with Telecom. He was my Internet provider and I thought we walked side by side. No leads here!  Seven days ago I started having problems; noises on my line, no broadband, all sorts really.  So I rang them. Firstly I talked with that cookie, 100% honey. She seemed to be more interested in the weather and how smooth my day was. She made me plug and unplug things, change filters, reset stuff, things I already done before. But I was in the mood to please her. Then she put me through Ben. He definitely sensed that I am blonde, so he felt obligated to explain in details how Internet works; “Imagine that Internet knocks on your door. He hears a noise inside, but you don’t open the door. So he leaves. And then comes back…and leaves again…and so on”. Seriously? How do you know that I am that blonde? But Ben was a good guy I guess because he sent out a technician….who never arrived. He was here in spirit because Ben assured me a few hours later that the guy fixed the problem. No, he didn’t! Then on Saturday morning at 5:00am, I talked to James. Another great guy! I explained how badly I need my connection for my business because I was just about to make an Eftpos transaction and believe me when I'm saying that my client had to pay quite a lot. I mean a lot. And James started laughing. …and then I realized why.  Who on earth charges clients on Saturday morning, when it is still dark? “Wait, James, I am not in that business! I am in an other kind of business. I’m just a trainer”. And we both laughed. James tried hard, but nothing changed. Steve couldn’t sort my problem either. Nor that American guy an hour later. The Indian lady at lunchtime tried as well. So after talking to the whole staff, I asked for a manager. He was nice as well. They all were… He may have helped me if I would have thrown a tantrum. I am sorry I cannot yell. It’s just not me. So, here I am, with the Internet still knocking on my door as per Ben. I loved you Telecom, really did, but I may have to divorce you. Just because, as Dion said, we’ve been in an one-sided relationship.. ..and I hate the fact you don’t love me back!

Now, I am not hopeless, nor useless. I am not out of Internet. I know how to use my phone as a modem for my laptop or IPad. But while I do all that, I still wonder how much business I would have if I would act as my dear affair partner Telecom does. And yes, Dion, I agree. Everything is one-sided in this whole world…if there is no competition. I know that by heart. I have a studio surrounded by 5 gyms. Real ones. And I am more booked that all five together...just because I don't just try to fix problems. :)

LeBron, Federer and my green heart

I am so happy today! I have my reasons.  Miami Heat is on top again and LeBron James at his peak.  Then Wimbledon starts on Monday and the Fed is still on!  Guys don’t keep me waiting too long; put the ladies and gents drawn live! Then my puppy Hendrix chewed only my electric blanket’s cable. Not the whole blanket. After he practically chewed and swallowed my house keys. Not all of them, only two…  What an improvement!  Also, yesterday, for the first time in years, I finished work at 5:45pm, so my weekend really started at a normal hour. On top of everything, Apple released IRadio (yay!)… with an oops…available only in US….hello, I am in New Zealand. Thanks Apple, great work. It seems that I’ll be Pandora’s client long time from now on!

But, wait. I haven’t finished just yet. I went out to buy coffee and I bought myself the most amazing pendant. I couldn’t resist. A green heart, the greenest one. It’s probably nothing for you, but it means the world to me…not because it is so superb. Just because I don’t shop…. in shops.  I hate shopping.  There are those two companies in UK I buy everything from. Great one made girlie things! 

So I am practically in heaven today and I will have a great weekend with only a Pump class on.  Something is missing? Yep, but it may worth the waiting…
 Have a great weekend, guys! :)

No more glory, please!

I like Facebook. Really do. I have a business page I share with you, guys, and a personal one, where I live my life with almost 1000 friends. I know them all, I care about them and I love reading their posts. I laugh and play a lot on my page. At the end of the day, it is mine and it represents me only. Today, I read a post from Nikita, one of my girlie-sweetie-missy clients I started training just a couple of weeks back. She posted to her friends that it is because of me that she gained back her confidence. Nikita is a sweetheart, a fighter and a winner. She’s been through so much even if she is only in her early 20s. I love Nikita and I adore her babies. She will go so far, this girl! Her post made me think about what I would have become without all these wonderful people like Nikita.  Kiita, this is for you, girlie! :)

When I was younger, I had doubts that everything happens for a reason. I didn’t want to stop playing tennis and I didn’t understand for a very long time why I had to injure myself. I thought that I was a good human being and that good people deserve good things. While on court, I had my life planed in details. I knew exactly how long I would play, how many games I would win (every each of them!) and how much money I would have in my account at the end of my career. Ten minutes into a game,  I looked to my left just because something really shinny grabbed my attention. Then I stepped funny and…my planed future became just a memory.  For months I was so angry with God; actually he was my worst enemy back then!  Then I realized that I have to move on because my plan A is gone and that I would have to start focusing on plan B and even make up a plan C if something goes wrong. I knew training by heart, every bits of it, so I started training others….while studying Philosophy and Medical Anthropology. That was the best time of my life and that was the time when I realised that everything really happens for a reason. I am a better trainer than I was a player. I trained myself and I can train others with my eyes closed because I know what my clients go through. I’ve been there. If they feel down, I know the feeling; I had it for so many times. I know what success means; I had it myself. 

I am wiser now and I realise that if I hadn’t injured myself, my life would have been much different. Yes, I would have had more glory and fame, but who cares about that? I am wiser for sure because I know that there is no difference between “forgive” and “forget”.  At least not for me. I met so many people I love and care about just because for one second only I looked to my left. All my friends and clients mean much more to me than all the glory in the world and I cannot be grateful enough that my knee snapped to pieces when something shinny disturbed my game. :)

Just a little pain!

I don’t sleep too much. I found it a waste of time. I could do so many things, I mean important ones, instead of sleeping. And because I get excited easily, I keep people awake. It’s usually Tricia, my dear friend, I try to convince to give up some rest time…only to chat with me. Tricia is my bestest ever and my editor as well. She absolutely hates the fact that my blogs go live full of misspellings. I wouldn’t care less…She already decided that bestest is not a word, so I will keep using it just to bother her a little bit. What about bester, Tricia? Anyway, usually at 11pm, we Voxer or text and, believe me, you wouldn’t want to know what we chat about. An hour later, she gives up. I keep going for another hour. I come alive after midnight. The real reason is that, after so many classes lately, I am sore. Actually I made myself sore. It is a different soreness than the one I used to feel when I played tennis. Back then I had fewer injuries; now I quite battle with a few. Last year, I ruptured two ligaments in my right knee (remenber that this is my good knee!) and dislocated my left shoulder. I still suffer and it’s fair according to what Bryce, my physio said. Nothing much really, except that the heeling process is around 18 months. Give me a break, Bryce, this is not a grieving process! So, I’m sore, but the good news is that my clients are in much more pain than I am. …and they keep coming back for more!

Last Sunday I went crazy. Sculpt Pump class at 9:00am and I was so very tired before the class started. My clients learnt that the classes are super intense when I am tired. Just because I cannot think clearly and I push too much. So, the class started and while my peeps warmed up, I thought I’ll make an announcement. “460 squads today, sweeties. Load the weights”. So, I’m sore…and they are as well. But they all came back for the Body Sculpt class on Wednesday. Deanna and Jas, just wait to see what I planed for next Sunday class! You’ll hate me as much as you’ll love me! 

Why do I keep going like that? Simple as: just because I love it and I got so used to the pain. I couldn’t live without it. :) 

My life with Well

I don’t own a watch. Never had one.  As an athlete, I knew that my training started when it started and finished when I was finished. No watch required. As a trainer, I know that a session finishes when the next client arrives. So I wake up every morning at 4am (yes, I still need an alarm!) and my clients record my time…not a watch. Just because I don’t have one!

Anyway, at 4am I always turn my laptop on. Things have names in my world. I called my laptop Well, because he (yes, he is a he) and I always start our convos with “well,….”  He (we already decided on that!) talks back to me, so the first thing I heard early in the morning today was “you have 86 emails”. Thanks for that. Easy day! As he always does, Well started reading my emails. Today is my lucky day: I have an email from Gabriella. Do you know her? I don’t either, but apparently she knows me or at least she knows my email address. Gabriella is a kind of fortune-teller. She emails me once a week, from where ever she is, just to remind me that my day started good, but very soon, I mean very, very soon, my life will change forever. Depending on her mood, horrible or just amazing things would happen to me. Very, very soon. She can help, she says. All I have to do is handle in my credit card details and she would then turn my luck around….or upside down. She changes the amount she asks for her services depending on her mood…again. Now, Gabriella, who ever you may be, don’t bother, please. I don’t want to know my future, let it just amaze me! I don’t have a watch; I don’t count hours, or months. 

Next email is from Google. Now, this is the real Google. The fake one rang a few times last week. The fake one has employees. Many of them, apparently all based in Napier. It’s quite weird how all these Napier guys have Indian accents. The good news is that they don’t want my credit card. They just want my website login…to sort me out…forever! I may be blonde, but not so blonde as you may think! 

I am just lucky today that the rest of my emails are from clients. 84 clients asking for advice. That’s what I want for a great day. So, I start dictating my replies. Well got used to my accent. Almost. He types crap sometimes, but that’s just fine. I would do it anyway myself. 

Have a great day, guys! :)

Who am I?

Hendrix is my 5 months old puppy. Ridgeback- Lab cross; great dog. He is mine only. I share Max with my daughter. Max is an 11 years old Lab- Mastiff cross. But, as I've said, Hendrix is just mine. He is absolutely crazy; probably this is why I love him so much.  Hendrix escapes every day and there is no fence to stop him. Actually, he used to until a builder fixed my fence. However, Hendrix wears a name tag with my phone number. Just in case.

So, there is that guy who rang two weeks ago. He said that Hendrix is in Manly village, running like crazy. As he does. It was my turn to run now. I found him playing with an old lady. No guy around. Next day, same story....and then the fence got fixed. Last Saturday, the guy called again to tell me that Hendrix was in the village...again. I looked around. Hendrix was next to me, chewing my book. Sunday he called again. This time he asked for my name. Just in case. Again I looked around and here he was, the crazy Hendrix,  just eating my pink high heels. Seriously? So I just told the guy that he can keep Hendrix next time he sees him in the village. Because there won't be a next. 

So, let's just have a toast for an idiot! I don't want to go so far as Kanye West would, but this is exactly what I'm thinking. Do you want to know who I am? Try harder!

Who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell! :) 

I am here to stay!

I really like rainbows. I haven't seen so many as a child because they weren't many in the country I grew up. As a child, I mostly heard or read about them. I've seen so many though in my new country New Zealand and I started taking lots and lots of photos. Some were double rainbows. Those are my favorites. I haven't seen many toys as a little girl and I thought that dolls are something that are only in movies. At five, my only toy was my racket and I had to make the most of it. The court was my playground. No slides, just clay. A baby girls' palm is pink and beautiful. Mine was full of blisters. And my feet too. At the time when little girls dream about castles and princes, I played. You wouldn't know that clay sticks on your skin and makes you look so much different than a princess? You would definitely wouldn't know that. I had a good childhood thought, except that I was a ping pong ball and my parents were the best table tennis players. So I thought. Kids wouldn't have to feel that. But I made the most out of it. I blanked the whole world out and played the best I could. That's all I knew back then. I am smarter now. I know now that I have choices and that there is nothing I really have to do. I do things because I want to, not because I have to. As a child, I never collected things. I had no stamps or coins collection, nor any kind of stickers one. Now I collect people. I surround myself with good ones and I just hope they feel the same about me. 

I have the best clients ever. My job is that part of my life I never failed. Probably the only one. I put so much effort in it because I want to live at my clients' expectations. Not because I have to; nobody pushed me; I pushed myself. I wanted that.  My clients are my pride and I don't just say that. Every day I learn something from them. They taught me the language, the habits, the culture. They actually were what my parents were not. Like every human, I had some tragedies in my life and, when I was down, I ended up with so much baking these girlies have made for me just to show their love and compassion. In the moments when I wasn't able to cook because life was too taught, my clients came with lunches and dinners. They put their precious time in for me. We celebrated Christmases together. And Easters. We blew the candles on my birthdays cakes together. They caught Hendrix, my puppy, any time he escaped. They love my kids and jump for them in fire if they have to. They took me to their churches and I've been in so many so far. Some installed my gate and helped me with my veggie garden. Others worked for me in the house when I moved in. Others put a new bathroom in for me. All these while I was making money training people. My studio is always full and I may be the only trainer that has bookings up to December. But my house is full as well. Same loving, caring, exceptional people.  

I am in a business with and for people. A people's business. I've been in for so many years. My whole life really and I intend to stay here for ever. I am in it to the end! :)

Keep your light shinning

There is a consequence for everything in life. I learned that many years ago. Karma? I don’t know about that; what I know is that there were repercussions for every action I made. And if I continue making mistakes , that just proves that I am human. And sometimes too blonde.  My dad used to say that we all have a light that we carry with us the whole life. He said that this light is ours only and it’s not to be given away. He was right. I’ve met so many people who shine.

Kim’s light shined more than others. I met her three years ago. Actually she phoned me because she wanted to hire me for a short period of time. She said something about a month or two, just enough to get fitter and when I asked her if there is any weight loss involved, she said that she doesn’t want to lose any. So I booked her for an assessment on Monday first thing in the morning. Now, here she is in my studio the funny, bubbly Kim. When I first saw her, I thought she may be in denial: short, very short, something like 1.52cm, carrying 157kg. Huge really. So I started talking about losing some weight, but Kim was really sure she doesn’t want to do that. She said that she likes the way she is and her husband doesn’t mind that she is heavy. My client, my master. After a few sessions, I was still wondering if I lost my mind or she doesn’t see herself as she really was. Anyway, one day she told me that her hubby is going to pick her up after the session. By then, I started liking Kim very much and she became one of my favs clients. She was, and still is, so honest, careful, amazing lady, willing to give more than she gets. So, at the end of that particular session I will never forget, her man was by my studio's door waiting for Kim. Boy, oh boy, what a man! Absolutely gorgeous, like 10 years younger than Kim,  lean as, just an awesome guy deeply in love with his wife. For days, I was wondering what has he really found in her and how on heck was she able to get him. But then I realised that Kim’s light shined in the darkest nights. She was, and, as I’ve said, still is, an amazing human being, decided to make him happier than any supermodel would. 

I am stubborn and I wanted more for Kim. She trained with me for almost two years and I made her skinny and gorgeous. Not for her actually. It was my present to her husband. We stayed friends and I still see Kim outside of my work. We go out for coffees and chit chat a lot. I’ve been in her home several times, enough to realise that nothing changed in her man’s attitude. I don’t think he even noticed how beautiful she looks now. For him, she was always the same girl with a shinny light inside. 

Now, there is a thing that Kim made me learn and I will share this with you. Girlies, there is no awesome guy left! Don't search too much! There are all gone! None left!  Kim took the best. :)

Vaya con Dios worries!

Anytime life treats me bad, I cry on my best buddy’s shoulder. Not quite. My bestie lives in Australia and is married to a super great lady, good friend as well. He understands everything and, after some tears, he always says “You'll be fine! Let’s talk philosophy”. So we go, for hours, from Socrates and Plato to Hegel, Kant and Schopenhauer.  We both have one of our degrees in Philosophy, so, we enjoy the talk. And then we ask each other what would these great guys’ answer to my problem be. Childish, naïve, minor? Who knows? None of them is alive anymore. For me though my problems are…problems. Just imagine: just last week I scared a guy and I am sure that he still runs somewhere in the hoods to be as far as possible from me. Not a problem? Not for you, it's not, but for me... Anyway, if my best buddy doesn’t have an answer and none of the great thinkers either, then a girl has to do what a girl has to do! Spa and Motown music. 

I create my own problems, I know that. Normally, after work, I should drop everything I heard that day and start back my personal life, but that’s not me. A few days back, a dear client of mine had a breast cancer scare. I haven’t slept the whole night. All clear now for her, but I so feel my sleepless night's effects. Then five of my clients, who attend my Yoga for pregnancy classes, will have their babies very soon.  I am freaking out for them. On top of that, I have to assess another trainer and I know that I have to fail him. How can I do that? I have his workbook, it’s not good at all, but the guy has three small daughters and his wife just left him. He needs his fitness rego to work and provide for his girlies. I don’t even know how to help him. Then a client of mine, whom I trained for the last three years, lost his wife, another one her son. There are so many tragedies I carry with me in my time off and, to be perfectly honest, none of them are mine. But in a way there are. I am a trainer, I am in this industry for decades and I will always care for my clients. They are my extended family. I spend more time with them than I spend with my own family. I work seven days a week and I love what I do….not just the work, mostly the people!  :)

There is always a first

I don’t break rules or…hearts. Never did. I’m 50% proper and 50% a dreamer. However, yesterday I officially became wild and suddenly all my clients see me in a different light. Because just yesterday, for the first ever time in my life I got a speeding ticket. Apparently I was exceeding the speed with 5km/h at the location AN0051 (figure that out!). Seriously? 5km/h? Me, the most relaxed driver? I drove for so many years in Europe, then here in New Zealand and never got a ticket. I will totally frame it! My disappointment is that there are no demerit points involved, because that would be a first as well! 

I never broke any rule with my clients. They are my clients and some of them good friends. Nothing else, no matter what. Ten years ago, I was the only woman trainer in New Zealand working only with men. I trained  men only for almost two years. Don’t ask me how hot they were, because I wouldn’t know. I know how much they had to lose or what competitions I trained them for. That’s all I knew back then and all I remember now. I got into training ladies as well because all these guys brought me their wives, girlfriends, sisters, and neighbors.  Otherwise, I would still train men only, because it is so easy to work with them. 

I never broke any fair play rule in my sport. I loved tennis. I still do. I played by the rule and that’s my advise to every athlete.  One can win a game and be happy, but it's worth nothing if it is based on somebody else’s injury. Or unhapiness! Be aware, you, cheaters, the same rule apply to you!

Anyway, there must be a first and, voila, my speeding ticket proves it.  So, I was wild for a second in my life. Never again! :)

Thanks, guys!

 So I love my Apple gadgets. No big deal here. Do you think that just because I am blonde I should be…just blonde? I would spend hours on my IPad, but I don’t have the time. However, last night, in my 10 minutes I allowed myself to be bored, I decided to check my blog’s analytics. Is there anybody out there reading my blog? This is quite a stupid question because I get so many emails from you, guys, asking for help with your training routines. 

So, 40,000 constant readers. Not bad. How on earth do they found out about me? I am average really. Google is the answer. Let’s just see what they searched for. 

“Shorty trainer in Auckland”. Haha. I am not quite short. I am 1,68, thank you very much!

“Cutie blogger”. Wrong again. That’s not me. 

“Fit and toned blondie” Me or not me? I have no clue; there would be so many others.

“Show me some abs”. Come to my abs classes then!

However, no matter what you wanted to find, you stopped on my page and stayed with me for at least the last months. Let’s cut this short! Thanks New Zealand, US, Australia, Canada, UK and Ireland for reading my thoughts. Also France,  Germany, Portugal, Italy, Japan and Spain. Feel free to ask questions as long as you understand that I am not shorty or cutie or just blondie and I won’t be definitely showing you my abs!  I love you, guys! :)

My mistake, really!

I was always amazed by athletes. I was one of them and I know how much work has to be put in for just an hour comp. I worked with many athletes during the years and I hope I made a difference in their training, technique, strategy, and especially that I touched their lives with my way of being. 

Amy was one of them. I trained her 4 years ago and this girl still is my inspiration. Amy hired me for the Senior Full Contact World Championship  and she aimed to be in the first 10. I wanted her on the podium. She was back then a 16 years old junior willing to fight agains much older women.

We started the sessions in August and we had only 5 months of intensive training. Not enough. I broke those 5 months in off season, pre season and on season and then once again in hypertrophy, strength and advanced strength and I realized that this was my first client I had to push harder than I was able to push myself years back in my training. I don’t think it was easy at all for Amy, because this girl had to work before school and sometimes after school. On top of that, she trained with me and had sport specific training sessions with her coach as well. 

Two months before the comp, Amy was covered in bruises. Actually her body became purple everywhere. She had the most horrible bruises even on her chest. I was sorry for her, but I signed the contract, I knew what I am getting into and it was my head in the smasher more than hers. This girl had the mentality of a winner, perfect focus and determination, and I knew that she was able to climb to the top. A month before the comp, she was in her best shape, lost weight and had the muscle strength I wanted for her. She was so ready. 

She went to the World Championship and she came back no. 2 in the world. A 16 years old girl from New Zealand! She may have won the gold, but her opponent noticed her bruises and started kicking her only in the most bruised areas. No pain threshold can be so high…I realized a week after the competition that I made a mistake. I should have told Amy to cover her bruises with foundation. Or maybe spray tan. A simple mistake really that probably costed her so much. Even now, I still wonder whether it was me or her. Was she actually able to bring home the title? She probably was! :)

In memoriam Bill

I was told that I smile even when I sleep. Why shouldn’t I? I have everything I need. One piece is missing though, but, you know me, I will find it and make it fit in my puzzle. So, I smile probably more than others. And I laugh a lot because I am happy. I have all these beautiful people around me, the pure white house I always wanted. And then my job. I love everything I do, my clients, my studio, my classes, my choreography.  

Bill made me smile more than others. He was 85 when I met him, very overweight, obese really, with so many medical issues, barely able to walk a few meters without puffing. I met him 3 years ago and I worked with him for a full year. He knew he had to lose weight and wanted so much to move easier. We developed such an amazing friendship and he taught me so many things. We talked about places we both seen. It is weird how I remembered only the airports, while Bill talked about streets, buildings, cultures. I wished I have met Bill 40 years ago, but then I was just a little girl.  

Bill hired me for a year and I’ve done exactly what I promised. He lost some weight, was able to walk a little bit and he was so proud of himself. I was as well. But something wasn’t quite right and I begged him to have some medical tests. He got admitted in the hospital 2 years ago, on 11th June, and he phoned me right after he arrived there. He said that doctors were talking about some sort of surgery the next day. And he seemed happier than I knew him. But he hasn’t made it. He died later the evening. 

Bill was a dreamer. Like me. He wanted to get fitter and he wanted his body back. He died exactly as he wanted. Two years later, I’m still a mess when I remember him. Rest in peace, friend!

The little people in my life

I love little people. I mean kids. I just adore them. I have them around at bootcamps, classes, and sessions. Sometimes, there are 10 clients in a bootcamp and 30 kids around.  I would have them all in my house as well, but they wouldn’t fit there! The little people around me don't lie. They believe in magic and miracles. So do I. They don't make false promises. Adults do, so I rather surround myself with my little people who are like crystals...clear and shinny. 

I madly adore Sammie. She is 7 and she is the daughter of one of my clients and dear, dear friend. Sammie is special, very special. She comes to every training session, class,  indoor or outdoor bootcamp her mom attends. I know everything about Sammie and she knows everything about me (almost!).  I was sad when she broke up with her boyfriend, a 7 years old boy, and happy when they got back together. Sammie is not like other little girls; she is, as I’ve said, super special…and she wears the funkiest skirts.  She believes that I am related to the Queen, or maybe that I should be. I like that! Sammie makes me the bestest gifts; stickers when I am good, wind chimes, drawings. I kept them all. And one day, when she will have kids, they can see them. Sammie is my cupcake really, sweet and funky and funny.   

Aisnley just turned 8 yesterday. She comes with her mom to indoor and outdoor bootccamps. Now, there is something very special about Aisnley’s mother, Karissa. She is like the sister I never had. Ainsley is a little copy of Karissa's. How could I not love her? She actually does the workouts better than many adults. Really. She is beautifull and very smart and challenges me a lot. Not as much as Jayden. Now, he is personality plus. 5 years old, a charmer really. Jayden loves hand sanitizers, so I make sure I always have one for him. Jayden likes to stay under my massage table, playing games on his mom’s IPhone. I always hide mine. God knows what he can see there! He is my little DJ. He changes the music on my IPod and, weirdly enough, he always picks my fav songs. 

Then there is Jordan. He is 4 and he is autistic and his father says that he has speaking problems. I never noticed that. I understand him well. The funny thing is that his parents write down words Jordan said during the week and I translate them. Doctors think that Jordan is autistic. For me, he is just perfect!. But that’s just me. I don’t see anything wrong in people around me. Jordan hugs me and tells me stories while I train his father.  A sweetheart really!

Have I told you about Milla? She is 8 months old and she likes dynabands. Only the purple ones. My bands come in 50 yards rolls (I still haven't figured out what's that in meters), I cut exercise ones and smaller pieces for Milla only.

As I’ve said, I just love kids . They will be my clients 10 years from now. Therefore, anytime I see a child on the beach, I ask myself “Will this be a client of mine? Now, or just a little bit later.” :)

Think before you wish

I have a very special relationship with my knees. A hate one really, because they put me through so much pain during the years. I call my left knee Arrogance, just because I broke it to pieces the last day I was arrogant. I was just a teenager playing tennis. I was good at it. I could have been better. A night before an important game, my coach, a very, very old and wise guy, started talking about strategy, but my mind was blocked at the documentary I just seen on tele: Michael Jordan, the player, the guy with an intriguing personality. I wanted to be exactly like him, but I haven't realized that arrogance would be part of it. So, I looked at my coach and said "I'll play tomorrow only if I can wear red tennis shoes with my name on them". He made it happen and the next day, just before the game, I got my beautiful shoes and my name was on them. I lost. Badly. Not because I wasn't good enough. Because I broke my knee, made it small pieces. An hour later, still in pain, I was told that the guy who stayed awake the whole night to make my shoes should have been somewhere else. His wife was dying of cancer in the hospital. That was the last day I have ever been arrogant and unfortunately I will always remember that I've been between a poor guy and his dying wife. 

I never wished for success. Nor money. Cause I am not arrogant anymore. I don't want prizes and medals anymore. Just yesterday, I got an email from an oversees magazine. Apparently, some clients of mine nominated me for something like the best of the best, watch her, kind of Personal Trainer. All I had to do is to agree and my nomination would have been in. I don't want it, I don't want my name on a title. With or without Just because I am not arrogant anymore. :)