Meet Kirsty Godso, one of Nike’s Master Trainers from Auckland, New Zealand. Kirsty knows a thing or two about getting up and moving and how best to do it.
Her inspiring belief:
‘If you’re not having fun while exercising you’re not doing it right.’
It makes her the perfect person to get you motivated to start moving which gives you more energy for the fun stuff. I spoke to Kirsty about being a Nike Master Trainer, how she spends her time away from the gym and life in general.
Morning routines can set the mood for the day, what does your morning routine look like?
If I’m not training people first thing in the morning then I’m straight into a healthy breakfast at home of eggs, avocado and black coffee! Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day so I always spring out of bed excited for it.
…what does the rest of your day typically look like?
My days can vary quite a lot but typically it will always involve the following:
- 2-3 workouts
- 2 coffees
- A LOT of food
- A lot of laughing
- 3 sneaker selfies
- 4 wardrobe changes
- Hip Hop music – always, especially when I’m planning workouts
- Too many emails
- Chill time with my boyfriend, flat mate and cat at night
What famous quote do you live by?
This might sound a little corny but it’s definitely got to be ‘JUST DO IT’. I feel like people are permanently talking about things they want to do but making excuses as to why they can’t or aren’t following their dreams or trying new things etc. I think if we all adopted the JUST DO IT attitude a bit more and backed ourselves there’d be less talk, more action and more happiness.
Judging from your Instagram you keep very busy, do you have a certain way to organise your day?
I will always plan my day around my workouts, always! I’ll look at when I am taking others through workouts and then schedule in when I can do my own workout on top of that. Food is the next most important thing. I demand a lot from my body, so it is really important that I make time to eat and eat well. I prefer to make my meals at home, but I have a few favourite spots in Auckland where I can get a good healthy breakfast or lunch that will fuel me for the next part of my day.
Being a Nike Master Trainer trainer looks pretty damn awesome, what do you love most about being a Nike Master Trainer?
It really is a dream If I had to narrow it down to a few things I would say it would be the sportswear, the sweat and the smiles. There’s nothing better than doing what you love with incredible people and wearing clothing that not only makes you feel your best but perform at your best. Being able to wake up every day and be excited about work and feel motivated to be your best is a real blessing.
You live an amazing lifestyle, what’s your favourite part of the life you live?
Definitely the workouts! All the shoes and sportswear is definitely a close second but I live to move and can’t imagine living my life any other way. I am so lucky that my job has me traveling the world working with amazing women everywhere doing what I love the most.
If you could only pick one type of exercise for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Functional training because this is training your body in the way it needs to move in everyday life. I’m personally a big fan of very intense training such as HIIT and strength conditioning workouts but you can only do these workouts 2-3 times a week max and they’re not sustainable forever.
A lot of people are talking about the importance of sleep, tell me your opinion on how much you need/why?
Sleep is definitely incredibly important, especially when you are adding extra training to your weekly schedule. It gives the body an opportunity to rest and recharge so you can take on the next day in full force. Different things can affect how well we sleep such as stress, nutrition and breathing so it helps if you can try to wind down your mind and start to switch off about 40 minutes before bed. I’m not a great sleeper personally – I have a habit of waking up at 2am every day much too excited about my first training session of the day, so I’m always working away at mastering a perfect sleep of 7-8 hours. Be careful of the opposite problem of over sleeping – this can actually make you more sluggish during the day.
When you’re feeling lazy or tired but really need to smash a workout, what’s your go to remedy?
Usually I have no trouble getting myself to a workout, but sometimes when I’m jet lagged or have been really busy training other people I need a little extra motivation. On these days I will try and train with a friend, or I will opt for something like a game of basketball which is fun and works up a great sweat!
Everyone likes to indulge now and then, what’s your go to treat?
Definitely raw cheesecake! There is this amazing raw cafe called The Raw Kitchen near my house that makes the best raw cakes so you can satisfy that craving without all the nasty sugars.
You obviously travel a lot, and have been lucky enough to travel the world as a Nike Master Trainer. Where is your favourite place you have been so far and why do you love it?
That is a really tough question!! This year I have been fortunate enough to go to SO many incredible places. Mexico City at the start of the year was probably my favourite trip because it was so special. I filmed my first workout for the Nike+ Training Club App there and shot my first global campaign for Nike Women. It was also a huge bonding experience for me and the five other Nike Master Trainers who were in the shoot. They have become some of my dearest and most inspirational friends. We’re more than a team, they feel like my sisters.
Keeping motivated for a lot of people is hard, music is a great way to inspire and motivate people what are you three go to songs that get you going overtime without fail?
Kanye can sweet talk me through any workout! I’m a hip hop girl through and through. Whether its old school hip hop or something a little newer, a heavy beat and some slick lyrics will always keep me going. Three of my favourite tracks are:
– Gotta Have It by Kanye West and Jay Z
– Got Your Money by Ol’ Dirty Bastard
– Gossip Folks by Missy Elliott
A lot of people believe they do not have enough time in the day to fit in exercising; do you have any tips into incorporating exercise into their everyday life?
Commitment is a choice. Sometimes we need to look at our busy schedules with more opportunistic eyes and see windows of time where we could fit in some exercise. You don’t need an hour to workout, sometimes you might only have 15 minutes but if you can really focus on your workout for that 15 minutes it’s still better than nothing! The Nike+ Training Club App has over 100 workouts ranging anywhere from 5-45 minutes in duration, so you don’t even need to go to the gym to get a good workout in. You can smash out some yoga, barre, high-intensity training or functional training in your office, home, local park and so on! Sometimes there are days where working out is just not an option at all so my best advice on those days is to not stress yourself out about it and focus on what you can do the next day.
What are your top 3 tips for getting your fun and healthy lifestyle started and keeping it on track?
- Be in it for more than the aesthetics. If you can fall in love with the way you feel rather than how you look when you work out you’re much more likely to stick to it! The looking good part will come as a bonus anyway.
- Workout with friends. This is not only a great way to catch up with people when you’ve all got busy schedules but it will also make you more likely to commit the workouts. Also, there’s nothing like a little friendly competition to make you work a little harder.
- Find workouts that you enjoy doing. Fitness should be fun, if you hate every second of what you’re doing you’re probably not going to commit to it. This doesn’t mean avoid all the hard stuff, but if you can mentally come to terms with the fact that (for example) 60% of your training is a style you really enjoy and 40% of it is really challenging, but you know you’ll be better for it by pushing through then you’ll be on a fast track to establishing a good routine. I always recommend finding a training schedule that incorporates a good mix of training styles. This keeps you from getting bored and keeps your muscles guessing and the results rolling in.
What’s the most valuable thing you have learnt in your career?
Run your own race. Don’t get distracted by jealousy or comparison. We are all incredibly different and that is one of the beautiful things in life. Focus on yourself and your own goals and you will go so much further!
Thanks so much Kirsty for giving us an insight, we can all learn more conversing with women of ambition!
Article by Mon – M.B Harper
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The post 15 Questions with Nike’s Master Trainer: Kirsty Godso appeared first on Zanita Studio.