Kim Beach- Certified Personal Trainer and Owner of Fit Fun and Fabulous

Kim Beach is a Sydney girl born and bred and love living in one of the most incredible cities in the world. After she finished high school, she studied for 2 years to become a qualified personal trainer and started work at a small fitness studio in Sydney’s south. It was there that she met her husband to be John in 2002. At 36 and with two young kids, she is in the best shape of her life. As a working Mum she knew the pressures of family and work and how important it is to remain focused on health and fitness. Today she spent her days helping and communicating with people who want to change their lives and create the very best versions of themselves.

You began your health and fitness journey in 2002. How did everything get started for you and what inspired your decision to follow the fitness path? Have you always been active?

Straight out of high school I actually took a job in an office but after a few months I knew that wasn’t for me, I have always been interested in healthy living, training and helping people, so becoming a PT was a great choice for me as I was able to live my passion through work rather than having to go a job every day that I didn’t enjoy. At school I was always active and was a competitive swimmer as well as a state touch football representative.

Can you tell us more about Fit Fun and Fabulous? More about what does your business stands for as a whole and what kind of services you provide?

I started Fit Fun Fabulous as a way to help busy women learn about health and fitness. I was always getting asked questions by friends or at school pick up about what to eat or how to train so I knew there was a need out there for some simple straightforward advice and knowledge, especially with all the contradictory advice out there when it comes to weight loss. Initially I started with my Facebook page and about 9 months after that I launched my website and blog. My focus remains to find ways to help busy women life healthier lives through better fitness and nutrition. I offer lots of free information on my site and through social media, including healthy recipes and workouts and I also provide my 2 different 8 Week training and nutrition programs, #NOEXCUSES and #NOLIMITS.

How has it been assisting others with their fitness and have any of your clients influenced you in regards to your own health and fitness?

I am constantly inspired by my clients success – there is nothing more satisfying that seeing someones life literally change as a result of them engaging in one of my programs. What I really love to see is that people who previously had all sorts of medical conditions (back problems, thyroid issues etc) suddenly realize that many of the problems they had can be addressed with regular exercise and proper nutrition!

Before you launched your business, you focused on starting a family with your husband. How have you juggled family time, your business, and working out all together?

One of the reasons I wanted to create an online business was so that I could still be there for my kids when they need me. John and I work very hard to create a positive balance between work and family and while this means a few late nights here and there, we really try to stay focused on the fact that we ‘work to live’ not ‘live to work’.

Aside from being a personal trainer, you have also competed in an INBA Body Sculpting Competition. What prompted your decision to compete? How did you prepare for it and how was your overall experience?

I absolutely loved the training and discipline that was required to get my body in shape for the competition (I competed at 8% body fat). I learnt so much during that time about how to successfully reduce my body fat that I was able to practically translate into my #NOLIMITS 8 Week Shred Challenge. I didn’t enjoy the actual competition so much as it was a bit ‘pageant’ for me but it was an experience that I will never forget and I loved it although now I’ve officially retired and hung up my bikini and heels!

With living a healthy and fit lifestyle, we’re curious, what does your daily diet look like? Do you give yourself “cheat days”? Do you have any favorite clean recipes you would like to share?

I eat 5-6 small meals a day consisting of all whole natural foods (organic if possible) and I focus on pairing certain macros at the right times of day to give my body energy when I need it most. I create a lot of easy to cook recipes which can all be found here http://www.kimbeach.com/free-resources/recipes . My favorite everyday recipe would be my San Choy Bow and my favorite healthy treat would have to be Gooey Chocolate Pudding (as a treat occasionally of course  )

What does your training routine consist of? (Please include a few details – training split, sets/reps, exercises, types of cardio, etc.)

I normally train 5-6 days a week. This includes 4 weight sessions and 2 HIIT sessions or occasionally some endurance based cardio. I find this works well for me and my body. In terms of a split it can vary but right now am doing Legs, Shoulders and Arms & Chest and Back. I focus on lifting heavy and putting 100% into everything when I am at the gym. I don’t get a lot of free time every day to train so make sure I make the most of it!

In addition to your diet and training, do you believe in supplements? If so, which kinds do you use and what results have these given you?

I use BCAA’s when training and have a protein shake after my weights workout. I try to use the most ‘natural’ products I can find.

We had the opportunity to work together in creating amazing photographs. How would you describe your overall experience with Natalie Minh Photography?

I absolutely loved it. The first time I worked with Natalie in October last year was only my second shoot so I really appreciated her taking charge and helping me create the look I wanted. The images were amazing so I booked another shoot with Natalie in May this year (it’s a long way to fly from Sydney!) to get some images for my new website. The creative process on the second shoot was completely different with me having much more of an idea of what I wanted. What I loved is that Natalie was totally open to anything and was there when I needed direction but was happy to work with me when I had a firm idea of what I wanted.

Can you please describe the development and production process of your photo shoot, with Natalie and the team? How was your overall experience?

Totally seamless, from the start to the end – everything was ‘easy’ and I know this often isn’t the case when it comes to working with top photographers.

Do you influence and encourage your children and husband to live a healthy and fit lifestyle, as well?

Absolutely, my kids love to eat healthy food, they love treats as well like any kids do, but I make sure I have regular conversations with them about what is healthy food and why they should eat certain food types and not others. My husband travels a lot for work so often struggles with a proper nutritional routine, but he also works out 6 days a week and had embraced a much healthier lifestyle since we started Fit Fun Fabulous.

As a personal trainer, what advice would you give someone who wants to transition their life towards a more healthy and fit lifestyle, but don’t know where to start?

Get some structure into your life, focus initially on a short period of time (say 4-8 weeks) and commit to getting your eating and training right over that period. When you start to see results and wake up feeling amazing you will soon realize that this new way of doing things can be a lifestyle choice rather than just a new diet with a start and an end date. Get your family and friends involved in what you are doing as this is help you succeed and will also have a positive effect on them!

What is next for you in this new year? What are your future plans and goals?

We have some huge goals for 2015. I have two new training and nutrition programs to launch as well as a new cook book, so it’s going to be a busy year!

Any shout outs?

Just a BIG thank you to Natalie – she has been so giving of her time and advice and helped us make some amazing connections that really got us started on the path to success with our new business. She is an amazing lady with an amazing team and I am just so glad we found her 

Lastly, where can we find you on the Internet?

www.kimbeach.com
www.facebook.com/KimBeachFitFunFabulous