SCULPT YOUR BUTT

THE NEXT GENERATION OF WOMEN’S FITNESS TRANSFORMATION ISSUE

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YOUR GUIDE TO

BONUS

LEG WORKOUT

POSTER INSIDE!

SHED FAT

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EAT MORE TO LOSE MORE

&

&HER LIFE

TRANSFORMED HER BODY

Discover howRita Catolino

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WHICHCARBS & WHEN

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Plus our past winners talk tips, experiences and opportunities.

YOUR MINDTR

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TAUT & TRIM

Before

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DestinationBY OLIVIA AMOURGIS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES PATRICK

There are days as an adult when we are

more impressionable than we would like to

admit, allowing others – consciously or not – to

influence the way we see ourselves, the life choices

we make and the ultimate paths we choose. But no

matter how vulnerable we are today, we were never

more impressionable than we were as children.

Growing up we observed intently, adopting the

mannerisms and phrases of our loved ones and

familiarising ourselves with the events that caused

positive and negative emotions. Celebrations and

family gatherings were filled with food – we licked

our plates clean because our parents reminded us of the starving kids in Africa and Grandma filled us up with sugary sweets when

we visited. For many of us, food has been instilled

as a symbol of love, good fortune and happiness, and

34-year-old Rita Catolino’s upbringing was no

different.

“Enjoy the journey, don’t wait for the final destination, because after six years, I have realised there is no final destination.”

Growing up in an Italian household, food played a

large role in Rita’s life. Her father’s way of showing love and providing for his family was through food. Each meal consisted of three courses and they remained at the table until their plates were bare. The person who most influenced Rita’s life choices, however, was her mother.

“My mother was large,” Rita says. “I watched her jump from diet to diet and saw her struggles and pain throughout my childhood. A smart, beautiful, successful woman, my mother was imprisoned by the world of dieting. I realised this at an early age and I knew that I didn’t want to follow in her footsteps.”

While Rita is the epitome of health now, there was once a time when the self-confessed foodie and social butterfly had little time or interest in leading a fit and healthy lifestyle. Music, people and food were her priorities, and she spent much of her time watching television, studying, socialising over food and wine, or discovering new recipes to create. There was no single moment that made Rita question her life path but she came to the conclusion that training, healthy eating and respecting her body were the only ways to become a better person.

“There was the realisation that I was literally hiding my emotions in baggy overalls and humour,”

Rita says. “Then there was my year abroad in Spain where I couldn’t fit into the largest size of their clothing stores. There was the newborn in my arms, so helpless and depending on her mother to set a good example for her; all of these moments were pivotal in my decision to start making a positive change.”

Her first positive change came in the form of a BodyPump class – an hour-long weights-based workout. Rita admits she thought she would “die” and her “arms would fall off before half the song was over”, and recalls not being able to sit on the toilet the next day. But with the motivation to create the best version of herself following so many years of self-deprecation, Rita continued to go back to the gym, taking the time to mould herself into the strong, confident and impressive woman she is today. But the renewed mental and emotional energy and the drive and focus Rita injects into every aspect of her life today didn’t come without struggle.

“I think everyone has struggles to overcome before they arrive at success - which is only truly success when you can sustain it forever,” Rita says. “My personal struggles in terms of fitness were finding something that was not extreme in terms of dieting, something that was sustainable and achievable in the long run. I also had to deal with relationships around

me that didn’t accept the changes in my life with ease.

“It was easy to be the friend of a woman who was ready to uncork a bottle of wine or whip up a pot of pasta in a heartbeat but having to go through change, no matter how positive, is not easy for others. It was also difficult for me to mentally see a new woman emerging and evolving. I still to this day - after seeing myself in many pictures and publications - have trouble seeing a fit woman. I still see the flaws, the former ‘fatty’ and the emotions, but I am working on that every day.”

It’s the struggles, though, that Rita is often most grateful for. Without them, she wouldn’t be as passionate and driven as she is today. She never set out to lose ‘x’ amount of kilos; it was about becoming fit and healthy, and to do that, Rita knew sacrifice and dedication were required. So she took her time to learn proper technique, enjoy new recipes, appreciate each workout and meet people within the industry. Rita placed movement and strength above aesthetical appearance and over time the toned muscles, lost centimetres and new-found confidence were just an added bonus to feeling as if there was NOTHING in this world she couldn’t achieve.

From a woman who was daunted by lifting weights to someone who lifts iron

NO FINAL

Before

After

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Covergirl ProfileCovergirl Profile

just how we feel, they are chemical changes in our bodies. Stress sets off a hormonal atomic bomb, particularly cortisol spikes, and it is the enemy of fat loss. Cortisol hinders your body’s ability to lose fat, and it may also make you more likely to have food cravings. This makes it crucial to get your stress levels under control.

Many will roll their eyes at this advice; how are you supposed to stress less when you have a stressful job, right? I would like to challenge that thought and propose that you have a high-pressure job to which you respond by stressing. Stress is an emotional response, so by definition is something that happens within you. This means you are ultimately in control. This may be hard to accept because it often feels like an overwhelming wave crashing over you but through practice you can learn to stop it in its tracks. Next time you feel the build-up of stress, say to yourself, “I’m not under stress, I am under pressure. I have a lot on but I am choosing to not stress”.

Feeling stressed? Try out our yoga routine on page 92.

SABOTAGEBY SUSY NATAL

2. STAY POSITIVE

You will not be on track 100 per cent of the time – nobody is perfect. The sooner you can accept that, the sooner you can stop beating yourself up about the occasional moment when you fall off the wagon and focus on staying on track the rest of the time. Avoid taking an all-or-nothing approach to healthy eating. This is not realistic and has the potential to send you into a downward spiral of negativity and bingeing. When the only two possible scenarios in your mind are ‘good’ or ‘bad’, one ‘bad’ meal can easily lead to another because this is where your focus is.

Make the effort to pay more attention to the times when you are on track. We often hyper-focus on the moments when we have been naughty. This can make us feel so guilty and defeated that we lose faith in our ability to achieve our goals. This is a dangerous place to be as you will never try your best when you don’t believe in yourself, especially if you are feeling undeserving of the goal. So you must always remind yourself of your achievements to stay motivated and aware that you can do this. There will be challenges along the way that will catch you unexpectedly, but that’s okay.

3. REWARD YOURSELF

Set regular checkpoints such as at the end of each week or month to assess and reward yourself for your progress. Rewarded behaviours are more likely to continue to occur, but here is the catch – eating junk food is not a reward. You should treat your body with love; by eating junk food as a ‘reward’ you’re doing exactly what you’re trying to undo. “I’ve been good all week so I deserve a treat” or “I’ve had a tough day at work so I’ve earned a tub of ice-cream”.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

C hances are these thoughts have popped into your head at

some point. They’re just some examples of how we often sabotage our health and happiness through giving into emotional eating; thoughts that can be responsible for why so many of us do not achieve our fat loss goals. And they all relate back to our relationships with food and our bodies. Perhaps subconsciously you don’t think you deserve a positive change, you’re worried what others might think of you if you lose fat and build muscle, or maybe it’s just become a habit you can’t seem to flick. While diet and exercise obviously play major roles in achieving our goals, there are also changes you can make in your mind to help start seeing the results you have wanted for so long. But how do we stop self-sabotaging?

1. STRESS LESS

Modern life is massively over-stimulating. Between work

and social and family commitments, many of us

are chronically stressed. Emotions are more than

Susy Natal is the founder of health and wellbeing coaching company Bennu

Ignite Pty. Ltd. and works as a personal trainer at Bondi Platinum Fitness First in Sydney. Susy has a background in psychology, with research experience across several

of its areas. She is a self-confessed nerd and never actually set foot

in a gym until 2008 – but that was all it took. Today she competes as a fitness model, but trains across several modalities of fitness, including power-lifting, gymnastics basics, military-style training and calisthenics, as well as traditional body building. The pursuit of new levels of health and fitness, both in mind and body, are an integral part of her life and she strives to learn more every day and to pass the discoveries on wherever possible. Follow Susy’s blog to stay informed at www.bennuignite.wordpress.com.

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Stop the

“Stress is an emotional response, so by definition is something that happens within you. This means you are ultimately in control.”

“I have had

a terrible day

at work. I need some

comfort food.”

“I’ll

just eat

this pizza and

start my healthy

eating tomorrow.”

“I’ve already stuffed up my healthy eating so it doesn’t matter if I eat this block of chocolate.”

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Health

Health

WhichCARBS

BY AURÉLIEN APPORT

TURN THE PAGE TO LEARN WHICH CARBS TO EAT & WHEN

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Nutrition plays one of the most significant roles in the quest for optimum health, aesthetics and performance. By nutrition I don’t simply mean what you eat but also when. The when aspect of nutrition is often referred to as ‘nutrient timing’ and is a great way to control fat loss and either build or maintain lean muscle. Better food choices, portion control and timing are the most important aspect of a healthy and dynamic lifestyle, and that includes adequate intake of all macronutrients, including proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

All too often carbs are viewed as evil but if you understand when and how much to eat, they can be beneficial to your progress rather than the ‘fat-storing’ nutrients they are perceived to be.

Aurélien Apport is a French elite athlete and international judo competitor with over 25 years of practice. He has a black belt in Judo and Jujitsu and is a certified personal trainer and coach. Aurélien trains both general fitness and

high level athletes, and has been doing so in various countries around the world for 15 years. Now located in Bondi, Aurélien trains clients outside, at their homes or in the gym, specialising in martial arts, kickboxing, judo, ju-jitsu, weight loss, strength and conditioning, Olympic lifting, power lifting and tailored nutritional programs.

and when

oxygenmag.com.au | July/Aug 2014 | 77

Nutrition

There’s one type of bar you can sidle up to without fear of gaining a beer belly – or the dreaded morning-after headache. Even better, this bar will actually help incinerate any pesky poundage hanging off your frame while toning and strengthening all your stub-born trouble spots.

If you want a quick, effective strength workout, look no further than weighted bars. If you’re not

familiar with these tools, they are padded bars that weigh anywhere from 2-15kg. This variety makes them perfect for targeting various parts of your body – heavier bars should be reserved for exercises that recruit large muscle groups, like your lower body and back, while lighter ones should be saved for shoulder, triceps and

REV YOUR METABOLISM WITH THIS EXCLUSIVE FAT-BLASTING ROUTINE DESIGNED BY MINDY MYLREA. BY KAREN ASP | PHOTOGRAPHY JASON BREEZE

>>TURN THE PAGE FOR MORE.

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Keep Your Chin Up

The monkey bars in Francisca Dennis’

backyard aren’t just for playtime. “They

are great for chin- ups, my favourite

exercise,” she says.

AT HOME

BURN OVER 200 CALORIES FAST!

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