Not everyone uses this time of year to stuff their faces, drink too much and slob out on the sofa. There is the opportunity if you see it that way to use the down time we often get now to focus on your health and fitness, it could be a much better way to go into the new year than five kilos heavier and hungover. It’s a thought.
These women have all been taking better care of themselves with a coach who lives here and trains her clients online. Carys worked professionally as a dancer for 10 years.
Alongside this she studied to be a personal trainer and weight loss management coach. She initially started training crew aboard the cruise ships where she was performing and created online programmes for other crew members across the fleet to stay healthy at sea.
The “Sweat It Programmes” are 6 weeks long with the workouts delivered by an app which you can do at any time to fit your lifestyle. Each client becomes a member of the exclusive ‘Sweat It Squad’ online community, where they do daily check-ins, live videos, group calls and motivate each other. Carys sets custom nutrition goals and each member has access to her nutrition training and recipe resource. The aim is to fuel you full of yummy balanced grub with a few treats sprinkled in, so that you hit your goals but don’t feel like you are on a diet!
Every week Carys checks on each individual, their progress in the app and they have 1:1 coaching via message. Together they set goals, celebrate wins and keep you on track. (If you want to join a free 3-day “Kickstarter Challenge” as a taster starting on December 28th then you are welcome to join visit: https://carysandersson.com/sweat-it-kickstarter).
CARYS ANDERSSON
Majorca Daily Bulletin: What inspired you to start an online training programme?
Carys: “I have always loved coaching clients online, it’s an affordable and accessible way for everyone to have a personal trainer every day. I find that the online coaching programmes gave more to my clients throughout the whole week rather than just the one hour they would have with a PT in a face to face situation. This year I set out to focus on building a supportive community around the programme as there is so much strength in the power of group accountability and motivation. I know women want to look in the mirror and feel they are 100% in love with that gorgeous woman staring back at them. They want to feel proud, accomplished, sexy, strong, energised, healthy and glowing. My aim is to have my clients’ friends asking -“How on earth did you do it? You look incredible!” And it’s not just the number on the scale. When the mindset shifts you glow from the inside out and people can’t help but notice!”
MDB: What challenges have you personally faced to build the business and what are the rewards?
Carys: “The biggest challenge I have faced in running my own online business has definitely been the uncertainty in the early days. I finished my career as a dancer and moved to Majorca with an idea of an online fitness business. There have been times where I questioned if it was the right thing to do. But with time, the business grew, I have amazing clients and am proud of what I have created. The rewards are definitely working with incredible women and watching their mindset change before my eyes! It lights me up when I see women have a ‘lightbulb’ moment and change their lifestyle for good. Another upside of being my own boss and working from home is spending time with my little baby girl.”
MDB: What are the biggest changes you notice in your clients?
Carys: “The biggest change is definitely in the mindset. I often see that women find it hard to stick to a workout programme or a ‘diet’ for more than two weeks. We work together on creating a strong mindset, where nobody is expecting perfection, a pizza and gin on a friday does not mean you have failed. We never ‘fall off the wagon’, we just constantly celebrate every little win, until they build up momentum to huge results.”
MDB: What is the one piece of advice you would give to anyone trying to get fitter?
Carys: “Celebrate every single win. We spend so much time focussing on what we didn’t achieve and not enough on the incredible things that we do each day! ‘Wins’ breed more ‘wins’ and the consistent reminder to yourself of how well you are doing keeps a positive and motivational outlook. Ok you may not have completed every single workout, but did you drink your water?-great! Did you eat balanced whole foods 80% of the time?- great! Let’s focus on that and build momentum!”
CARYS’ CLIENTS
But we shouldn’t just take Carys’ word for it, some of her clients joined in with the conversation and told us what it is like to train online.
MDB: What inspired you to start training with Carys?
Zoe: “My friend recommended it, I watched Carys on Facebook and she seemed different, on the same level, her energy was fantastic and for the first time in a long time I liked the idea of exercising at home.
Jess: I saw Carys doing her Facebook lives during lockdown and decided I needed a kick up the bum.
Aimee: After quarantine I felt like I needed to wake myself up.”
MDB: What were your goals at the beginning?
Zoe: “To up my exercise level, to drop that extra poundage placed around my body during lockdown but the main goal was to really look into my food and learn more about what and how much was putting in! My son is really getting into training and asked for less carb focused food so I wanted to learn about different recipes for my family.
Jess: To lose weight and to deal with my mindset, I was feeling emotionally all over the place and the exercise really helped me to get into more of a routine.
Aimee: My goals were to break habits and to shake myself up, to create a new mental start. I would say after one week of doing the programme I felt really happy.”
MDB: How close to reaching them are you now?
Zoe: “My food has changed out of all proportion. I’m enjoying my exercise at home and am changing shape. I do drop off the wagon with social occasions but then I’ve learnt not to dislike myself for doing that! I’ve learnt to say ‘oh well jump back on tomorrow!’
Jess: I am getting close to a point where I feel happy and strong which is amazing.”
MDB: What part of Cary’s programme has had the biggest impact on your lifestyle?
Zoe: “It’s making me think twice about food and making it scrummy but healthy for my family.
Jess: Carys’ programme has helped to maintain a way of life. I am a single mum and I have been at home this whole time, unable to go out so it has been brilliant to be able to exercise at home.
Aimee: Carys wants you to walk 10,000 steps a day so fitting in all of the walking can be quite challenging, but the workouts themselves are quite short. I’d never tracked my macros before which I found very interesting.”
MDB: Have you done the programme on your own or with help?
Zoe: “On my own but with help from Carys, and the Facebook community is great. I also have a couple of friends doing it too, so we encourage each other. Aimee: I have done it on my own, but knowing that I can talk to Carys whenever I need to, she is available all of the time, is very reassuring. It doesn’t feel like you are just watching a YouTube video, you feel part of a community.”
MDB: Have your friends or family noticed a change? What have they said if they have?
Zoe: My daughter says my body shape has changed, my son is living his protein rich food and different recipes and my husband thinks I’m even hotter! This programme has actually changed my habits and boy did they need changing. Although I train a lot anyway I was just eating man sized portions of the wrong type of food. It doesn’t have to be dull, it’s sustainable and the group is great.
Jess: My friends and family have definitely noticed a change. I’m wearing clothes that I haven’t been able to wear in a year. It has been a real journey for me, up and down and Carys has kept me going.
MDB: What would you tell anyone else who is unhappy with their current fitness levels?
Zoe: “Try this programme, Carys is great and understands that life has ups and downs and that’s ok. Jess: I keep telling people to contact Carys, she is wonderful in the way she works with you at whatever stage you are at.”
If you do a programme like Carys’ it doesn’t matter if you go in with a low fitness level or previous injuries, because you can modify anything. Everyone can improve their fitness levels, there are a lot of different ways to approach it, Carys suggests that you break up the workout into ten minute segments so that you don’t have the pressure to complete the workout for example.
GOOD ADVICE
How to avoid the Christmas diet car crash…
MDB: How will you cope with the festive season and its temptations?
Zoe: “Have the temptations but not the whole box!”
Jess: “I am going to be sensible with what I am going to eat, and just keep it balanced.”
Aimee: “I will do what I have been doing and probably eat a little bit more on Christmas, that’s it.”
Carys: “Enjoy your time with your family and friends as much as you can. Enjoy every bite of delicious food you love, and every drop of your favourite tipple. Be mindful of when you are full, don’t forget to hydrate and don’t feel guilty! (There are times to focus on optimal nutrition and there are times to focus on optimal happiness!)”
If you want to join a free 3-day “Kickstarter Challenge” as a taster starting on December 28th then you are welcome to join visit: https://carysandersson.com/sweat-it-kickstarter