Just As Well, The Women's Health Podcast - Kayla Itsines on How To Get Fit in 30 Minutes per Day

Episode Date: June 4, 2020

Women’s Health’s July cover star Kayla Itsines probably needs little introduction. Founder of a multi-million dollar fitness empire with the hugely-successful Sweat app at its core, the 29-year-old has helped millions of women the world over start, and stick to, a training routine. Her philosophy? Firstly, that getting fit – and staying that way – only requires 30 minutes of exercise each day. And secondly, that showing up for these sessions (be it a swift walk or high-octane HIIT) is one of the most simple and effective form of self-care. Yes, this no-nonsense Aussie PT-turned-global home workout mogul passionately believes that self-kindness does sometimes looks like being tough and gritty. Why? Because showing up for that session, whether you want to or not, is ultimately one step towards unlocking the mind-and-body rewards wrought by having a consistent, sustainable fitness routine. This conversation has tough love, tonnes of insight from Kayla’s journey back to fitness after giving birth to her one-year-old daughter, Arna – and advice for how everyone can embark upon a forever fitness journey, whatever your current level. Follow Kayla Itsines on Instagram: @kayla_itsines Follow Roisín on Instagram: @roisin.dervishokane Follow Women's Health on Instagram: @womenshealthuk Topics: The power of discipline in fitness Why physical fitness fuels mental resilience How to plan your week of workouts What Kayla learned from her postpartum fitness journey Kayla's number-one goal-setting rule Want to get strong at home? Sign up for Kayla's 28-day bodyweight challenge, created exclusively for Women's Health. Things kick off on the 8th June. Let's #GetFitDone Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Yep, it's the most powerful iPhone ever, plus more peace of mind with your bill over five years. This is big. Get the new iPhone 17 Pro at tellus.com slash iPhone 17 Pro on select plans. Conditions and exclusions apply. Hello, everyone. Welcome to Going for Goal, the weekly Women's Health podcast. My name's Rochene. I'm Senior Editor on Women's Health and this is your weekly chance to plug in, be inspired and get advice from top medical fitness and wellness experts on how to achieve the health and happiness goals that matter most to you. Something I've been thinking about and talking to people a lot about recently is discipline, especially when it comes to fitness.

Discipline isn't a very appealing word. For me, it makes me think of Ms. Trunchball in her tweeds. or possibly even more terrifyingly, those images that were everywhere in fitness spaces around 2014, 2015. You know, those pictures of really sad-looking meal prep. So plain chicken, sweet potato and broccoli all lined up, maybe hashtag with lean gains or something. Not particularly appealing, not particularly fun, not particularly joyful. But as anyone who has been riding the lockdown at Motivation Roller Coaster recently, will know, discipline is a skill that we desperately need. Determination, motivation, these things are great and they feel amazing when we're kind of fired up on them. But they're weighing.

So what we need is a bit of grittiness and an understanding that the goals that get smashed are the ones that are realistic in the first place. My guest today champions all of these things when educating women on building their fitness routines. At 29, she is the founder of a multi-million dollar fitness empire. She is, of course, Kayla Idsinus, founder of the Sweat app and Women's Health's July cover star. This conversation has in it tough love, but also some real hearts.

And, of course, sensible advice on how all of you can build a sustainable and effective workout schedule that leaves you feeling fit, strong and confident, no matter your current fitness level. And I hope by the end of it, you not only feel motivated to go for your goals, but strong and gritty and confident that you can push on and show up even on those tougher days. I hope you enjoy it. Kayla at Sinez, Women's Health UK Cover Star, multiple times over. Welcome to going for goals.

Thank you so much for having me. How are you doing today? I'm doing very good. Very well. Healthy. Happy. How are you doing? Perfect. Do you know what? Good. A little sore. because I did your Women's Health Live virtual BBG workout this morning. Oh, did you? Did you? And it was good. So I'm almost to move my coffee because I'm buzzing off the endorphins.

But I think my hamstrings are going, yeah, those chair step-ups would have been a killer. So obviously we got to chat in what would have been like the beginning of lockdown, really, in the UK. It was like early April when we did your comment with you, which people can read in the July issue of women's health. And we chatted so much there about all that you'd been through in the past, what was it, nearly two years since your last women's health cover interview.

Everyone, go by the mag. You can catch up on all that Kayla has been up to and there. But I think I really wanted to get you on the show to pick your brains, basically, and get your knowledge for people because you're a trainer. That's what you do. that's how you've built this huge empire. And I think something that people are really looking for at the moment is to really get a handle on routine with fitness and to really make this a habit. So I normally get guests to give a little sum up of how they got where they are, how they started out.

I really don't feel like you need too much introduction. But if you could kind of sum up your fitness philosophy, and how you came to that, that would be brilliant. I just wanted, so I work with women and women only, and I just wanted women to have something that was sustainable, something that was maintainable, something that they could do in the comfort of their own home, at the park, at the gym, wherever, and I wanted them to feel confident and strong.

But I didn't want women to feel like they were weak or feel like they weren't good enough. I wanted women to have this sense of confidence. So I introduced things like weight or box jumps or things that really got women out of their comfort zone. and so my philosophy is like fast workouts but hard workouts that empower women to want to be better, want to do better in life. And that's the same with my philosophy around food.

I don't have one particular way of eating. It's, you know, I eat a healthy Mediterranean diet, but I'm inclusive of all food groups. And I think that food should bring people together and should love food. It should be something that you can have with your family, things, something that you don't have to, you know, look at and see as a burden, something that you enjoy, that you love, that you can have for the rest of your life. And yeah, that's my sort of my sum up of me. Absolutely.

And with the food there, that's like your Greek heritage coming through in a big way. Absolutely. I always said to people like growing up, we were like the more we ate, the more loved that we were by our family. It was like eat, eat, eat more and eat this and eat that and try this and try that. And like if you loved your grandma's food and you loved your mom's food, then they loved you. So food was a good thing in our family and it was celebrated in our family. and it was celebrated in our family, which is rare nowadays. But I'm really happy I grew up like that.

Yeah, absolutely. It's great that you mentioned the point about the comfort zone. I really enjoyed a post that you did the other day all about it and how empowering it is to get out of it. What would you say for people who tend to stay in their lane a little bit and tend to do just enough, but actually who don't really enjoy pushing themselves that much? what is there to be found on the other side once you break through that barrier of your comfort zone? Oh, so much.

I mean, like, it is hard, obviously. We prioritize everything else above, you know, our health and fitness. So it is hard trying to, like, make that time to get out of your comfort zone. But you are more confident. You are stronger. You are more knowledgeable. You are more educated. You are more empowered as a person outside of that comfort zone.

Yes, like we are here to maintain. Yes, absolutely. but like just that once a week or it doesn't have to be every day you don't have to get out your every single workout but it's like just that once a week if you just push yourself a little bit more you add a little bit more weight you do something different that you wouldn't do that makes all the difference because you continue to do that it's an amazing amazing feeling totally and then what you do on your mat kind of transposes and feeds into life decisions off your mat right absolutely like you're faster you're quicker you're more confident

and you take on challenges when people, like, instead of shying away from them being scared because you're so used to that comfort and you're so used to that same job and that same routine, you're like, why not? Why not do something different? It doesn't have to be. It's not even in your workout. It's in your life that it changes your entire life. And it's not until you're in that space and you're in that zone that you realize, like,

it is literally life-changing. And I think that's so important right now when lots of people are going through a bit of a time of change. Things are really uncertain. and I think it can have quite a, it can take quite a toll on people, like mental health is quite a strong word, but even people's moods. So like your emotions, sometimes you don't feel very strong. And I love the way that you say that because it's almost like push yourself with fitness, gain this physical strength and it gives you this extra level of backup.

Absolutely. Like, yeah, absolutely. You said it. You said exactly what I was going to say. So like it's got this reinforcement. be strong and know that you can do it. Yeah, and you can get through anything, especially through challenging times like this, like that little bit of confidence, that little bit of extra effort can just like get you

through days that are super hard. Absolutely. And something else that I know that you are big on and that I think probably every trainer worth of salt is big on is consistency. Why is consistency so important? and what are your tips for people on achieving it? Because I think people can get these, I don't know about you, I recognise this loads of myself,

you get these bursts of motivation. And you're like, I'm going to go, I'm going to go. And there's a sense. And there's a lot of chat at the moment about more intuitive exercise and kind of doing what you, doing what you feel like, and kind of going with your gut and kind of doing what feels good. And in one side, I think that's great because I think it means that people are listening to their bodies more. But on the other hand, I think it almost puts too much emphasis on your motivation.

And obviously, motivation goes up and then motivation goes down. So if you're doing what you feel, maybe it's not always going to get in time. What are your thoughts on that? Yeah, I was going to politely disagree with you when you start saying that. But yeah, I believe you cannot solely rely on motivation to get you through workout simply because motivation is fleeting. It is, you see something or you see someone or someone does something and you're like, oh, I'm suddenly motivated and I'm going to, or something happens to you and you're suddenly motivated.

And that comes and goes. And so that's why consistency and discipline is so important. But like, how do we get there? I mean, it's so easy for a train to say, be disciplined, book your workouts in. But like, really, at the end of the day, like, we are women. We are busy. We have families. We have jobs.

We have things that we need to do. How do we suddenly go, oh, yeah, I'm going to get discipline. and like it's all good and well for me to say that. But like here's a few tips, guys. If you're listening to this, discipline comes from doing things. Like we were talking about before, getting out of your comfort zone, booking in those workouts and showing up for those workouts day after day, even if you don't want to do them, this is a form of self-care, guys.

So self-care isn't a fancy face mask. It's actually showing up and doing something for yourself every single day until it becomes part of your day, part of your routine, and you cannot live without it. And right now, anyone listening to this who's never worked out before, it's probably laughing thinking, I'm never going to work out and it's going to be part of my day or part of my routine because I just don't want to do it. I don't enjoy it.

I don't enjoy it. If you do something that you like, so you need to find something that you like, something that you enjoy, whether it is a five-minute workout, 10-minute workout, a ride, a walk, a BBG workout, whatever it is. Find that one thing that you like. Book it in and show up for yourself and don't look in hours and hours of working out because you won't be able to sick to it because it's not maintainable. It's not sustainable. You can't do it for the rest of your life. So find something that is five minutes that you can get done and keep booking that five minute workout in and increase it and increase it. Get out of your comfort zone.

And eventually it will just become part of your day and part of your life. That's my tough love, guys. No. I love it. And I think we do want to need to hear it. And I love the way that you say, like, this is self-care sometimes to do, sometimes maybe to love yourself and be kind to yourself. You need to be a little bit tough on yourself. Absolutely.

Like everyone, like we talk a lot about self-care. when people think of self-care, if you've never, like, cared for yourself before, you think of someone like cross-legged with their hands on their knees, meditating, and doing a fancy face mask or doing an Epsom salt bath. Like, that's not self-care for everyone. Like, self-care is getting out of bed every day. It's having a shower. It's brushing your teeth and doing your workout.

Like, it's discipline and self-care at the same time. It's, yeah, like I said, it's getting out of your comfort zone and doing something that your future self will thank you for. So you look back, like in six months time, you look back and laugh. And you'll be like, oh my God, I can't believe, like I couldn't do one push up. Like, now look at me now. Like, that's self-care. That's caring for yourself and bettering yourself.

So all your workouts on sweat are 28 minutes. What's the thinking behind that? So all BBG workouts, 28 minutes. And the thinking behind that is because I, again, work with only women. And I understand that women are time poor. I understand that women have jobs and they have families and they have priorities. And we don't have hours and hours to go to a gym. So any mom listening to me, you know that if you have a kid, it doesn't matter how old,

You cannot organize their food, leave them at home, then get in your car, drive to the gym, for then to warm up, to work out, to then drive back home. And then that's two hours. Easy. That is two hours of time that we do not have. And I knew that, and I understood that from having my clients. I wasn't even a mom. I was 19 at the time.

But I understood that by looking at them. And I was like, look, let's make this short shop and shiny, but not a fad, not something that was ridiculous, something that was hard. and it was fast and it got the results that you needed in that amount of time. And also, I was such a hard trainer that people couldn't last longer than 28 minutes with me anyway. So it just became like a joke in the gym. They were like, don't even bother training the Taylor for more than 28 minutes.

It was 30 minutes actually that they could put in. Don't even bother like training for more than 30 minutes. It's just too hard. And I think that as a compliment. I was like, thank you so much. But women love that. Like I keep saying women and sorry for any of the. like the men that do my program, but I do just work with women.

But women just loved it, that they could do it in the comfort of their own home, it had minimal equipment, and they felt so good after. So that's where the thinking behind that came from. And obviously, I know we've touched on this before, the fitness industry is kind of in the state of flux and reacting at the moment because I'm not sure what the situation is in ours at the moment, but over here, gyms are still closed. So all these workouts are going out online.

knowing people are kind of recalibrating their fitness routines and doing things from home. This is what you've been in the business of doing for your entire, like, your entire career. I think that's why you are such a form of knowledge about the best way that we can organise ourselves and get it done. How should people think about setting like a workout schedule? I think most people like to think of like a week. What should be the balance? When should you book them in? How flexible should you be?

So for me, for my clients, I would do, so I do a workout. every second day. So that's sort of like a nice balance. So let's say it's like Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and you can add additional one on Saturday if you want to do that. But every other day, because the workouts are quite intense. They're quite high intensity workout. So you want to balance them with like a low intensity steady stay training, which can be anything like a nice walk. When I say a nice walk, it's still, and you're still with training. So don't think of it as just exercise. Exercise doesn't really count, like as in if you can walk to the park and whatever when you sit down.

Let's say that doesn't really count. Let's say training-wise, walk means you're not stopping. So you're not stopping with your dog. You're not stopping. You're just continually walking for that 30 minutes. So let's say Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, we do walks. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we do a high-intensity workout. So if you want a way to schedule your week, that's how you do it.

If you want to actually stick to your workouts at home, something like a nice fast yoga flow or a quick cardio workout in sweat, we have a quick, at home 15 minute workouts that you can do so you can put those in between as long as you're not training the muscle group that you trained the day before and then um that's really how i'd schedule my week and then there's then there's actually setting up your workout space at home so if you want to get into that i mean i could talk for hours on this because i literally this was literally my job i went to people's houses and showed them how to train at home with minimal equipment so my top tips for that is make sure you have a dedicated workout space make sure you minimize your distractions

make sure that you announce to your family or whoever is there that this is your workout time so they understand that they can either join in or they can watch or they can go to bed but like there's just like there's just things that you need to set in place and you need to book those workouts in like you would your appointments so if you are to miss an appointment you need to reschedule it back in because there's an important appointment for yourself that you need to show up for and then you just move those sessions around so three high intensity three walks or four walks and then a rest day Simple as that. Got it.

And that's the low intensity, steady state you're talking about, which you will see referred to as lists. Yes, list training. I think that really gives it the sense of, because as you say, if you say like going for a walk, it gives people, it's almost a sense that it's not as important. Like it's not as important as those high intensity sessions. But when you're like, no, this is a list, this is list training. This is a, this is a session just as important as the other ones. I think that really helps get that in people's minds.

and how far and how long should people be walking for? 30 minutes. Just cap it. Cap your workouts. Like if you're doing BVG, they're capped at 28 minutes. So you're 28 minutes, which means you are working out in total high intensity

for an hour and a half a week. That's all, as in if you add them up. So like it's not an hour and a half in one session. It's 28 minutes, 28 minutes, 28 minutes, and then your training walks in between are 30 minutes. But you should be consistent with them. So there should be a fast-paced walk. You're not sprinting.

You're not sprinting. jogging but it is a fast-paced walk and when you get to the end of that walk 30 minutes you should still be sweating you should still be like okay I'm hot like you should be like oh that was lovely like oh god did you hear my accent come through that was lovely so you shouldn't be oh god the Australian trying to do that accent is hilarious but yeah so you want you want to feel like you've done something you want to feel like you've achieved something and that is it is good enough people women need to understand that that is good enough Like it is good that you've done that.

It's not just like, oh, I've only done a walk. It's like you've done your walk. You've trained. That's it. Rest now. Enjoy your day. Yeah. And then on Sunday, that's when you can do your lovely walk.

Yeah, you do a lovely walk. You can do a lovely walk every day if you want to. Take the dog out every day and go to the park every day with your kids. But training time is training time. And that's why it's really important to book it in. Yeah. And that's why I think the rule formula is so useful because it is that thing of right. There is six days a week.

there is 30 minutes of movement. That's almost more helpful than saying, I don't know, do an hour long workout three times a week because I think there's something about that half an hour, pretty much every day of the week that helps people get in that routine and that helps you build that habit and cement it in your brain as the thing that you, the self-care that you do. Absolutely. Absolutely. You don't have to work out.

Like just book in the time and do something active in that time. Like if you don't want to do your workout, okay, I understand, but don't not book it in. Don't be like, oh, can't be bothered tomorrow or, oh, I've got my period. Like we all go through that. We all, like, just book in half an hour. So you know when your timer goes off or your alarm goes off for that half an hour, it starts. You got half an hour, just do something, anything, whether it be a recovery session, a list walk, your actual high intensity session, just do something.

And once you just, once you start doing something, it literally becomes part of your day. Your alarm goes off and you're like, yep, time to work out. But it is, I want to say it is hard though. If you're listening to this again and you've never worked out before, it is really hard listening to me say that because you're like, how, when, why, what's it going to do? I can't be bothered. Like, it's too hard.

I know, I have literally been doing this for 11 years now. Like 11 years. I get it. Like, I get how it feels impossible. But it is totally achievable, totally achievable. We have someone brilliant on the podcast. a couple of weeks ago called Glennon Doyle and she's like a she's a writer she's a memoirist and she does quite a lot about kind of mental health and self-help and Reese Withspoon and

Gwyneth and Oprah are all big fans and she has this saying which is we can do hard things absolutely I just think it's perfect and it was in the way she was talking about it it was more to do with you know finding your purpose and making big choices about your career and your relationships and all this kind of stuff. But I think it's just as applicable with fitness. Oh, absolutely. Women can do the hardest things. Like, we can do everything.

Everything. So how old, so your little girl is one now? One. Yep, she just turned one. So you learned that you could do hard things in that. What's been the most challenging part about the last year? Oh, I mean, the whole thing. Like, I don't want it to come across like a substore or anything,

but like it was literally the first time in my life. that I had a fitness journey because I was always like I was like the fit kid and like I was always an athlete. I was always active and I literally got the biggest reality check where I couldn't even sit myself out of bed. Like I walked in the gym and I knew and I understood the feeling that every woman has ever felt who has never worked out before or who has felt weak or uncoordinated. I got that that's that hit me like a bus.

Honestly like I was like, oh my God. I totally get it now. I never got it before because I was like, what do you mean? You can do it. You can do it. And I was like, oh my God, I can't do it. I can't even sit up.

I can't do one push up. I can't do one squat. I can't even feel my own stomach right now. Like I can't do anything. So that was like a big learning, a big journey. It was just like a jaw drop moment. Like every single day I was like, what is going on? And I just had to learn like real fast.

and I'm so thankful that I was a trainer because I understood but it was just still hard, so hard and then on top of that, your own emotions you're raising a child, which is like dependent on you. So it's just like, it's been a whirlwind. I think I look back now and I like laugh.

I'm like, ah my God, like I survived. But like it's just like in the moment you're just like tears. Like you have no idea what is going on. And you're just, you're just surviving, you're just doing your best. And then now she's one, I just like, she's my best friend. Like, I totally get it.

It's like, everything comes so naturally. I'm like, you'll be fine. You're all right. Like, we got this. But before I was like, my God, is she breathing? What is going on? I need to go to the gym. I can't go to the gym.

I can't walk. I can't do I. Yeah, I literally thought this was going to be. I was like, yeah, like, no worries. Like, caesarean, it's all good. Like, they say six to eight weeks. I'm happy to weigh. And then like, back into the gym.

Like, what was I thinking? Yeah. honestly like I don't even know so yeah just it was just a shop I don't want to scare anyone having a baby is the best thing that's ever happened to me in the entire world it's just like that was my first fitness journey like hilariously like at 28 years old I experienced my first fitness journey of like the stress the anxiety the fear that at 28 years old I experienced it because I just don't even remember not being fit I don't remember not being an athlete I don't yeah first so people were kind of like they were kind of not laughing at

not laughing at me. I don't want to say laughing at me. I want to, you know, they were just like, finally you understand. Finally, you can relate. Like, finally, this is your time to, like, really understand. And I liked that. I felt like I had a bunch of sisters, like, really, like,

helping me through this time. Like, this one moment when your body's not been on your side. Like, yeah. And actually, we had a question from Polly, and she wanted to know, what was your tip for the best time to exercise with, really little ones. I've got a one-year-old. I tried to, or one-a-half-year-old, I try to do it at lunch when, as she refers to her, the mini dictator is asleep. But then I find I don't bother.

I feel a bit guilty because I'm not getting my work done. This is a mum who is trying to balance working from home with childcare, which so many people are trying to do at the moment. What would you recommend for Polly? So I don't like doing this because I feel like every parent is different in and every like situation is different and you don't know like is she a good sleeper i don't know like does she wake up after an hour i don't know like does so for me i'm going to one year old um and with arna my time is when she goes to sleep so that's at 7.30 at night and you best believe i do not want to be working out at 7.30 at night like i want to be getting ready for bed at 7.30 at night at night but by the time i finish it's 8.30 um once i've like you know cleaned up dinner stuff

and, you know, finish my workout. It's 8.30. And I, I originally, and I would be honest, I hated it. I was like, I, I, maybe I'll get up early. Maybe you get up at 6am and then work out. Nope. Nope, because I couldn't get it done because sometimes you'd wake up and I couldn't do it and lunch break because I just couldn't be bothered.

I was like, no. Like I'm a human, normal human as well. I was like, not doing it for lunch break. Can't be bothered. So then I was like, right, when you go to sleep, that's my time, my 7.30 at night. And now it is, if I don't do it, I just feel odd. Just feel really weird. So you've just got to book it in.

Like I said, it's so hard. And probably for listening, like, I'm so sorry, but like it's hard to hear. Like, you just have to book it in and you just have to get it done. And then it'll just become part of it. And when there's that sense that she's saying, she feels guilty if she's doing it at lunch because she's not getting work done, then maybe then it would be an idea to put it back like you've had to do later into the evening.

When there is no other, there's no other emails, there's no baby making noise, then that time can be just, for you. Yeah, but also like you have to remember that are you actually doing work in that time though or are you just thinking they're being like, as I say, it's important to book in that time so you know, right, this is my, and this is why my program's great. I mean, I'm not trying to show you my program. You can do any workout program you want, but 28 minutes is like, you can eat lunch and you can work out in that hour time and you're straight back into work. There was really no excuses. But in saying that if you're a new mom, like a brand new mom,

you just rest, huh? Because I just remember being like, no one tell me anything right now. I just need to just a second to myself. So book in that 30 minutes to just have a second to yourself. Now, Kay, you said something great in the cover interview, which was, again, it was about your journey of getting back to fitness. And you were saying you would never be able to get to the point where you are now with Anna.

And I think you gave the example of commando crawling on the floor. And as you said earlier, like, you're feeling strong. And you wouldn't have been able to do any of that if you haven't put yourself first for a moment. Yeah. Does that mean the self-care? What would you say to someone who struggles anyone? And it might not be, this applies to non-mothers as well as moms. Like, what would you say to someone who struggles to put their own needs and what they want

and what the things that they can do to make themselves feel confident that they put those way down the bottom of their list? what would your advice be? I think like it's a re-evaluation on goals and what you want to achieve in your life and really think about you and yourself and what you want because as a mum, we always think about what our child wants, what's best for our child, when they're going to eat and when they're going to do, what it's too much. Like we need to be like, all right, what can I do for my child, X, Y and Z, and what can I do for me?

And what are my goals and what do I want to achieve? And it's like, like I said, it's just booking in that 28 minutes. it might just be something as small as that every single day just doing something for ourselves, prioritising yourself and putting in that little bit more self-care in to allow us to feel more confident, stronger, more empowered. That's what I would say to anyone. Just really think about your goals and what you want for yourself. The topic of goals is at the heart of what we do on this podcast.

Do you have any tips for people on setting goals right now? Do you think it's helpful for people to have performance performance? base goals. So if it's something like just showing up or do you think it's helpful to have something that's a bit more big picture and a bit grander? What's your take? So my take is always set realistic goals. But the thing that I dislike is when people say things like, well, it's a dislike.

That's a strong word. I just don't understand when people are like, my goal is to lose weight. Okay. How are you going to do that? Well, like, okay. So when we set goals. no matter what our goal is, lose weight, get fitter, get stronger, get more confident. We need to not only set that goal, but we need to set out in like a graph form, how we're

actually going to get there. So say gym's open back up, your goal is to go to the gym every day. Okay, well, here's how I break that goal down. Firstly, how much does a gym membership cost? How much do you need for a gym membership? How long does it take you to go to the gym? As in, how long does it take you to drive to the gym? How long is it going to take you to warm up?

How long is it going to take you to work out? Where in the gym are you going to work out? who's coming with you to the gym, who's holding you accountable, your gym membership, the cost of that. Like, you need to add up all these things and then are they realistic? Are they something that you can maintain, something that you can stick to? If yes, then yes, that can be a goal. If no, re-evaluate your goals.

Set more realistic goals. Like, I'm going to do a workout at home three times a week. Okay. How much is it equipment going to cost? Where is your gym space that you're going to set up? Like, these are things that we didn't think about. So when you're talking about goals, break your goals. and workout, is that breakdown realistic?

If yes, then you can have that goal. Love that. How tough love am I? How tough love am I? No, I love it. So what comes up time and time again on this show, no matter what kind of goals we're talking about, whether it's to do with nutrition or mental health or fitness,

it's all about kind of removing the barriers, kind of the ones that you just spoke about, the driving to the gym or working out how much the thing's going to be. It's kind of removing any of the barriers that get in the way of healthy habits. What pieces of advice or tips or tricks do you have for kind of making it easier to stick to this schedule that you've set for yourself in order to reach your goal? That is a good question. I think like, God, everyone's different. I think making it easier is things like, you know, minimizing your distractions, actually booking in your workout, sorting out your goals.

Like all the things that we just talked about, all the things that you can do, small things that you can implement every single day to help you achieve your goals. you know, if we can sum it all up, like organize your workout space, book in your workouts, set realistic goals for your workouts, make sure that you enjoy the thing that you're doing, make sure you have a dedicated space where you can work out, make sure you have a friend to hold you accountable, make sure you have a great music playlist and minimize all your distractions at home, like there are just do little things to make sure that you can achieve your overall big goal. Totally. Water bottle, headphones, playlist ready to go. to get there and so that 28 minutes actually is 28 minutes.

Yes. And there's time for food. And you can do whatever you like. And that's so much more fun. Not really. Sorry, your workouts are super fun. What's on your, what's your, do you have any like real like bangers that you're enjoying working out to at the moment?

Oh my God. You're going to laugh. So I've suddenly become one of those people that do not have a TikTok account, but I just watch TikTok. accounts and then the songs have got so like ingrained in my head I've now added them all to a play so my playlist now sounds just like you're scrolling through TikTok wow right Kayla we're almost up to time but just before we go if there is one thing that you would like people listening to take away from this conversation what would it be to get out of your comfort

zone and do something that your future self will thank you for that is 100% what I think this whole thing that we've been talking, this whole time we've been talking, this is what we've talking about. Just really, if you're listening to this podcast, if you've made it this far, how my question is always like, how do I get you up? How do I get you doing a workout? What's going to motivate you? So find what motivates you.

Don't find what motivates other people. Find something that motivates you. Get out of your conference zone today and just get a sweat on. It doesn't have to be for, it doesn't even have to be for 28 minutes. Let it be five. Like if you've never worked out today, today's a day. to listen to this today's the day to get up and to work out and to do something for you, prioritize yourself.

And any mum out there that's feeling guilty that's listening to this, do something for you today because you honestly deserve it. You deserve it. Absolutely. All right. What a perfect place to end. Kayla is our cover star for the July 2020 issue of women's health, which is on stand now. Kayla, thank you so much for coming on going to goal.

Thank you. Thank you. Oh, I hope you guys enjoyed listening to that interview as well. much as I love doing it. And right up the end, I'm kind of sad that we'd stopped rolling. Kayla brought her daughter, Anna, up to the screen and can confirm she is the most gorgeous thing. She has a really cute little top knot. Anyway, I digress. If you enjoyed the show, please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And as ever, this is a show that is here to help you achieve the health goals that you want to. So let us know what they are.

All you need to do is message Women's Health UK on Instagram. and stick going for goal in big capital letters at the start so we can't miss your message. And just before I go, Kayla has created an exclusive 28-day body plan for Women's Health UK. It's suitable for all abilities and designed to be done at home. It's brilliant. It's tough. It's going to challenge you in all the brilliant ways that she spoke about in the interview just now. All you need to do is head on over to women's healthmag.com slash UK slash Kayla. Dash challenge, but I'll stick that address in the show notes.

That's all from me for this week, guys. I'll be back soon. Take care.