Sabrina Ridaura on feeling confident, strong, healthy and happy

You have always been interested in keeping fit but when and why did you decide to turn your passion into a business?

I’ve moved a lot in my life. My husband’s work, our family, and just life has taken us all over the world. Change being a given, every new place bringing with it new friends and new schools and new homes. But one thing that has been a constant in my life (aside from my wonderful kids and amazing husband) has been training. I grew up being active. Biking, running, going to the gym, I was always moving. Always aware of what to eat, interested in the whys and the why nots, devouring this information. It was natural. It was me. But it wasn’t until we moved to a small town in the UK that I discovered that maybe this passion I had could actually be turned into a living. Sometimes we don’t think of our passions that way, or we think we could never make a living out of it, and that was me. But in that small town, everything changed. We had just moved and I discovered a small spinning studio. The people were nice, the classes were fun, and it was close to home. It would be a perfect place for me to spend some of my free time. But after a few weeks of going, one of the trainers approached me to train to get certify and become a spinning instructor. At first I balked at this, but soon, I warmed up to the idea. Why not? So I did. And it was the best decision I ever made. The satisfaction I felt of sharing everything that I loved with other people, of showing people a better way to healthy, of helping them achieve their goals. I couldn’t get enough. Needless to say, I have never turned back.

How important is it to combine being active with good nutrition?

It is very important. I believe in bringing health back into fitness. One thing cannot live without the other. Good nutrition is the key to improving performance, gaining energy, boosting our mood and even helping us get a good night sleep. And being active improves our strength, posture, flexibility and mobility by letting us do our daily chores like carrying groceries, playing with our kids or sitting in front of our computer. A good nutrition program combined with at least 30 minutes a day of exercise will also improve our fat /lean muscle mass ratio and improve our blood works. This will translate into a feeling of happiness, being in control, feeling calmer and will boost our confidence.

Many people know what they are eating is bad for them but can’t stop themselves. How do you encourage healthy eating habits?

Recognising that what you are eating is not healthy for you is a good first step to starting to live a healthier lifestyle. Normally, when people come to me, they have already taken this step and they are open to continuing on their journey to achieving this goal and are seeking guidance. To me, it’s about explaining to them that eating healthy is eating normal. It is not a diet. It is not something to do for a period of time. It is about changing their relationship to food. Stop seeing food either as an enemy or as something we have to work against in our workout regimes. Food can and should be a friend to our bodies, it should be delicious and it should be good for us. Food is our fuel.

How can you make working out to be fun rather than an obligation?

Every personal trainer has their template, their way of training. I like to create a community, a tribe as I like to call it. So, every new member of BodyGlow, even if its private becomes a member of our small community.  We organize runs and meet ups to keep supporting each other. I like to also organize workshops to target any different subjects that my clients are struggling at the time. We’ve covered kids nutrition, perimenopause video chats, fasting and many more subjects in 3 different workshops that we’ve done in the last year. At the same time, sticking to the same workout over and over can become boring. So, I keep workouts different whilst sticking to my client’s goals. Through it all, I attempt to make exercising an integral part of their life. Something that they can do with their loved ones, to destress and to explore.

What do you offer in your personal training packages?

Personal training packages are special for those who have limited time slots and need me to adapt to their times, or new moms or women who don’t like the group concept and prefer to work in a one to one setting or work from their home. With a one-on-one package, you receive personalized attention that I cannot give on a group setting. In these instances, I design an exercise and nutrition program to target your specific needs and goals. We talk about your history about your health. We see where you are and where you want to go. I will work with you to get you to have the life that you deserve – healthy and happy.

What type of group classes do you offer?

At the moment, I offer three types of group classes. I love to work with small groups of a maximum of 10 people in a group.

Glow Sweat is a 60-minute session focusing on fat loss, increasing strength, mobility and flexibility.

Glow Ease, is a slower paced class. A sculpting and stretching class: 30 minutes of sculpting booty, legs and arms and 30 minutes of dynamic stretching and foam rolling with Pilates-inspired moves.

And our last class is Glow Momma, especially for the new moms in town and those who feel they need to reclaim their pre-baby body.

What advice would you give new mums who are thinking about exercising again after giving birth?

Go for it!! Start small and understand that your body has gone through tremendous changes over the past 9 months, so even if you were a triathlete, it’s very important to start any exercise regime very slowly. Being mindful of your own body cues and progress and regress with caution.  Be kind to your body and let the healing process take its time. Challenge yourself and listen to your body’s response.  But go for it! Get moving and try to do a little bit of activity every week until you can increase it to 30 minutes a day and then to more and more until you get back into the routine you feel comfortable and happy. Give yourself 10 minutes of ME TIME daily and enjoy your baby as much as you can!

What do you focus on in your postnatal classes?

Pregnancy puts so much pressure on the belly that sometimes the muscles in the front can’t keep their shape. “Diastasis” means separation. “Recti” refers to your ab muscles called the “rectus abdominis.” I focus on regaining strength, putting a lot of emphasis in closing diastasis recti that might have occurred during pregnancy. But also targeting the whole body.

What do you love about your job?

There are a lot of things I love about what I do. Being able to connect with people, sharing my knowledge, empowering other women to achieve their goals, learning and keeping up to date, being inspired and motivated by other amazing women out there. But one of my favorite things is motivating my tribe.

It’s always important to understand that the process of change takes time. There are moments when clients are feeling low, they’re having a bad day, not feeling it. That’s when I come in to guide and help them through. I help keep them going, keep them motivated and inspired so that they can finally get to seeing those results, feeling better and realize that change is happening. I love this. This change. Seeing them succeed. Seeing that smile on their faces. That’s why I do this.

You’re a Mum with 3 children – how do you manage to find the right balance between work and family life?

I am so thankful to have a fabulous family. A very supportive husband and three amazing kids. But it is all about balance and organization. That’s the key for any busy professional out there. I keep a very strict working schedule Monday through Friday, but leave my weekends for family. Allowing me to pursue all of my professional goals, while being able to enjoy quality time with the people that I love. This balance and structure keeps me happy – and if momma is happy everyone else in the family is happy.

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December 2018