Kirsty Nelson is originally from Scotland and comes from a strong background in dance & modelling.  This led her to travel the world & propelled her into the fitness industry in Australia.

Kirsty specialises in weight training & educating people to make long-term, sustainable & healthy lifestyle changes. She’s not here to preach but to pass on her knowledge to allow others to make the right choices for themselves.  Life is all about balance which includes regular challenging but enjoyable exercise, healthy eating, occasional indulgences and taking time out to de-stress & unwind.

She doesn’t ask you to do anything she wouldn’t do herself – she walks the talk. She eats, sleeps & breathes all things health & fitness and wants to pass on her passion & help people as much as she can! Whatever your goal, she can help you reach that!

Kirsty works in gyms in Port Melbourne and Brighton. To get in touch and to receive your complimentary PT session, please email Kirsty at baysidebodyworx@outlook.com

Tell us three things about yourself

•  I’m Scottish

•  I love all things health & wellness

•  I would be lost without coffee – I love living in Melbourne!!

What’s been the biggest health challenge you’ve overcome and what did you learn from this experience?

I’ve always been very physically active and love nothing more than a good session in the gym or getting outdoors for some fresh air. But after an injury, which meant I could no longer teach dance, I decided to pursue my modelling career and so I jetted off to Singapore for a modelling stint, and that’s where it began. There is a heavy emphasis on weight and appearance in both of these industries which initially was like ‘water off a ducks back’, but in Singapore it took its toll – being constantly told to lose weight or do this or don’t do that…eventually it slowly starts to eat away at you and you start to believe it. As a result I’ve done a heap of things to my body, which luckily haven’t caused any long term damage. But I’ve been there: I’ve dieted, I’ve gone low-carb, I’ve gone no-carbs, I’ve done detoxes, I’ve done 800 calorie diets, I’ve taken laxatives, I’ve over exercised (up to three hours a day), I’ve yo-yoed, I’ve been depressed, I’ve had no self-esteem or confidence, I’ve been unhappy, I’ve stopped socialising, and the biggie – I had a full-blown, ‘got far too scarily thin’, eating disorder.

So I’ve been through A LOT! I’ve gone through some almighty lows, through hell and back BUT the point is I came back! There was light at the end of the tunnel! And through all these horrific and despairing years that I struggled I learnt a lot about myself, about life in general, priorities and most important of all, what real ‘health’ is. Through recovery, over several years, and re-igniting my healthy love for exercise I can safely say, that world is far behind me and I am now living a healthy sustainable lifestyle. This includes regular exercise, a nutritious and varied diet consisting mainly of wholefoods, occasional treats and indulgences without the guilt, taking lots of time to relax and unwind and plenty of time with friends and family. To me all these things make you whole. It’s called being kind to yourself, and actually living.

What’s your top tip for getting your day off to a great start?

Get up half and hour – 1 hour earlier than you need to. Take time to get yourself ready, sit and relax with a coffee and ease into your day. Every morning I shower and get ready, make a coffee with my fancy schmancy coffee machine & sit and really enjoy it for about 20 minutes. I always have the Gayatri mantra playing in the background, which is a form of mediation and it helps to keep me grounded and calm as I start my day.

Your brekky usually consists of…

After coffee it is normally a whole grapefruit or a banana with savoury quinoa & eggwhites or gluten free bread with heaps of avo, fresh tomato & sliced ham off the bone. I could eat brekky for every meal of the day!

Which foods do you eat to nourish your body and give you vitality?

I try to eat wholefoods as much as possible. I concentrate on getting plenty of fruit and veg ( 2 pieces of fruit and 7-8 veg serves), lean protein especially fish and eggs and I am addicted to coconut water! I don’t have a sweet tooth so you would normally find me snacking on olives, almonds or rice cakes with avo & cottage cheese.

Why is fitness an important part of your life and do you have an exercise routine?

I love moving my body and getting the endorphins flowing. I love the way exercise makes me feel and I think it’s amazing how we can transform our bodies and seeing how far I can push myself so I am always challenging myself and keeping it interesting. A typical week of exercise would be 4 days of heavy weight training & 2-3 40-45 minute walks by the beach. This is for both the cardiovascular benefits but also to get outside in the fresh air and sun – it makes me feel amazing & there is something about being near the water that I find very calming.

Your ‘perfect day’ in a nutshell would be…

An early start, a coffee at my favourite café, a walk by the beach or the gym, a relaxation massage then spending the day with good friends over a nice lunch or dinner. I am a massive foodie and I love nothing more than the hours passing away over scintillating conversation – so the two combined is heaven!

Describe what motivated you to choose your current business or career path?

My passion for health & fitness knows no bounds. With everything I have overcome and learnt through my own challenges in life, I want to be able to help and educate other people to do the same for their lives. There are so many people out there that are lost or don’t know where to start or are stuck in a rut and I want to help them find their way out. I like to provide a full service so I like my clients to feel that they can talk to me about anything and everything as well as providing them with kick-ass workouts and nutrition programmes & massages!

What business or career challenge have you overcome and what one piece of advice would you like to pass on to others?

To follow your heart. Find your passion & make it your career. For so long I floated along doing jobs that I felt I should have been doing or that would make me the most money but all it did was make me unhappy. Life is for living; work to live not live to work. I’m just exceptionally lucky that I love my job and so it doesn’t feel like work!

Your favourite book or movie of all time is? And why?

Dirty dancing because ‘nobody puts baby in the corner’!!!

And lastly, do you have a recipe you’d like to share with us?

Healthy Banana Souffle:

Serves 1:

½-1 ripe banana (depending on desired sweetness)

¼ quinoa flakes

½ cup water

½ cup eggwhites

Method:

1. Mash banana in bowl until almost liquid

2. Add rest of ingredients & stir to combine

3. Microwave for approx 4 mins – stirring/mashing every 30-60 seconds

And voila!! Delish! I have this almost every night as a dessert!