The keys to unlocking your lifelong fitness routine: Lessons from a personal trainer
By Vatika
Bianca Celotti is a personal trainer, kinesiologist and group fitness instructor based in Canada. She creates online fitness classes and curates plans for her personal training clients, helping them develop a healthy and active lifestyle. After 10 years of competitive dancing, Bianca spent years curating a fitness program that worked for her mind, body and soul. She wanted to share her trials, tribulations and the keys she discovered with others. Inspired by her mother who is also a group fitness instructor, Bianca got her personal training certification and built a career. As a personal trainer she specifically works with women, aiming to create a safe space and community for women in fitness and can’t wait to see more women in the gym.
“It is my passion above all else,” said Bianca. “I truly love living a healthy and active life and helping others to achieve that as well because it's something that I struggled with for such a long time. I want to create a safe space for women. There already exists a safe space for men to workout. So women, we're still building that. It definitely is a lot better than what it was, but it needs more and that's what I want to do; it’s my mission.”
“Fitness should be an act of self-love”
SheMade reached out to Bianca to understand what a fitness journey entails, how to keep at it and what obstacles one might face.
Fitness is not the same as a workout
Bianca Celotti. Photo by Aidan Tooth
“Fitness for me, is a way of life. It's not necessarily just working out. I think leading a fit and healthy life is something that has always been a priority; trying to stay away from sedentary behaviors as much as I can. Although, most of what we do nowadays is sedentary. So really trying to find ways to work around that.
“A workout routine is more than just something that you do at the gym and a small component of your overall fitness. My first step in building any workout routine is finding a realistic goal of how many times a week you can do it, how long that would take and then choosing your preferred modes of training. So whether that be more strength training or endurance based and there's so many other areas you could go into.
“For fitness it can be anything as simple as taking 20 to 30 minutes to move your body. So, whether that's dancing around your kitchen or biking somewhere or going on a walk to the grocery store instead of driving. Literally whatever, in any capacity. If you're just looking to change your fitness routine, that would be my first step.
“Fitness is something that needs to be tailored to you. I don't think there's a cookie-cutter solution for any person. It requires a lot of work to find what works for you.”
Health is wealth
“Health is everything. If you don't have your health, I truly believe that you don't have much. It's a way of elevating yourself to be the best person that you can be, in every area of life. I think fitness is something that translates into everything that you do – taking care of yourself and bettering yourself through fitness and healthy eating. I think it's all kind of an umbrella of healthy living. Fitness is like the physical activity aspect of that and it covers a lot more than just a workout.
“It's also mental health. If I had to break fitness up into two things, those are the two things that I’d break it up into. It'd be broken up into the physical component of being healthy but also the mental component of releasing your stress. The mental component is something that has over the past few years started to be a little more prioritized within the fitness industry which I'm so grateful for. But something that I believe still requires a lot more work.
“I think a lot of people just get in their workout because they're trying to look a certain way but once people get over that hump of looking a certain way and do it because it's good for them because it makes them stronger, reduces risk of injuries and much more. I think once people look at what it does for them in those terms, the physical, aesthetic component becomes so secondary, it's not even relevant even more. That’s what I would say fitness is to me, leveling yourself physically and mentally.”
Food is medicine
“Nutrition is everything. If you're not eating right, you're not going to get to your goals. Food and nutrition are 80 to 90% of your physique. Exercise is just the 10 to 20% that is like a little cherry on top. If you don't have your nutrition and food right, it's going to be very hard to achieve any goals that you have. They are key components to any progress that you want to see. In saying that, I think nutrition and diet is something that has to fit into your lifestyle, goals and preference.
“Culture is something that is a little overlooked in the food and nutrition aspect of things. We all come from different backgrounds and places. As a result of that we all have different preferences and likes and dislikes. Personally, I love food, it brings me joy. I love eating food from where my family is from. I also love trying different cultures’ foods.
“So many fitness influencers and people online try to tell you to eat a certain way and eat the same thing. There are some rules that go without saying like eat lots of protein, drink lots of water, have your fruits. But food is meant to be enjoyed. So, eating foods from where your people are from, eating foods from different cultures and enjoying different foods; it's so much more than a diet. It's a way of fueling and loving yourself. It's an act of nourishment and self-love for you.
“I truly believe food is medicine. I believe you're either eating foods that are going to give you a long healthy life or you're eating foods that are going to be the end of you. That’s a little dramatic but that's my two cents on that.
“And I'm very anti diet culture, speaking as someone who tried every conceivable diet that she was exposed to by the age of 16, which is incredibly sad but was my truth, I will not subscribe to any diet. If I were to choose a diet that is most similar to mine, it would be the Mediterranean diet. Do not follow [diets], unless prescribed by a doctor.”
Your body tells you what it needs
“How you feel will be the best indicator; I can't reiterate that enough. If you're fueling your body properly and you're moving your body properly, you have a much higher chance of sleeping properly, feeling good, being joyful, and not being on edge. When I was not eating properly, I was always on edge. I was always thinking about my next meal. I was having a million different cravings at once and it was terrible. I think that's why it literally consumed every aspect of my life but now it does not consume me at all.
“I had a bit of an undiagnosed eating disorder in the past. I never thought I'd be able to eat normally or not think about food and exercise all day or not feel guilty when I ate cake or I didn't workout. Whereas now when I have cake do I feel guilty about it? Absolutely fucking not. I would be so mad at myself if I did. I didn't think this way of living was possible at the time in all honesty.
“That's again why I'm so passionate. I see so many people being like, ‘You're always going to think about food. No, you're always going to have this problem.’ That's not always the case. There is a way out of it. I'm so grateful that I found it because I wouldn't be here today as I am. I feel like I found the key secret to what I was dealing with in my life and I feel the need to share that with anyone else who was or is going through the same thing.
“Really listen to yourself throughout the process. How you're feeling each and every day is the biggest indicator of if what you're doing is right for you. If you're going into your workouts and you're scared to do them or you feel like shit doing them or you feel not good by the end of them and your body's feeling burnt out or you're feeling overworked and overexerted, this is probably not the plan for you. If you're not feeling pushed and not like you're growing and you're not getting sore ever and you're not making any progress, that's probably too easy for you. So something that shouldn't be overlooked is just knowing that fitness is part of your life and is not something that is going to be the same every day. It's something that will vary like the seasons do.”
This is a marathon, not a sprint
“This is not a sprint, it's a marathon. We're always going to have phases where we're not feeling our best. It’s not a linear journey; it needs to be adjusted over time. A lot of people will have a plan. They stick with it for a week, two weeks, a month, six months, however long it is. But then, life happens, things happen. Those phases might last a week or might last a day. It might last six months to a year.
“Would I ever recommend taking a break for six months to a year? No. Did I do that one year? Yes. I wasn't doing so hot one year in the last 10 years. In that one year, I just went on runs once every couple of weeks because I just didn't have the capacity. And if it happens, it happens. I never recommend taking more than a week, especially if you're still building consistent habits but if you've been consistent for multiple years, or even a year, you have to adapt to what's going on around you.
“As much as it is completely realistic to set the goal of working out two to three times a week, sometimes it doesn't happen. Be hard on yourself when you're on and feeling good. But there are pockets of time where you need to be a little easier on yourself, have a little more compassion for yourself and treat yourself like the friend that you need, you know?
“It's about long-term progress, long-term growth and long-term habits. So taking a week off in the grand scheme of things will not hinder you that much. And rest days are important. I will never work out seven days in a row, even six. It's usually four to five days. You need rest days; that is absolutely necessary.
“So much of what is put out in the health and fitness industry and why you shouldn't compare is because half the things that you see online, probably 80% is bullshit. People are putting things in your face saying this is what worked for me, this is what I did to transform this. When in reality it's a combination of consistency over many years. It's the food that they're eating and the cardio that they're doing. You have to know that people are highlighting their lives.”
Consistency is key, not motivation
“The number one thing for both fitness and working out is just to be consistent. Don't rely on motivation. Motivation will be there one day and then not be there for a month straight. Being consistent and building good habits is something that translates over to both building a good workout routine and a good fitness routine. Then find something that works for your schedule, your fitness level and your preferences. There's no one size fits all for fitness.
“It starts with finding your why. Like why do you want to change this aspect of your life? Why is this important to you? I think that if anyone wants it badly enough and that ‘why’ is profound enough that they’ll find a way to do it.
“There's definitely ways you can make that easier on yourself. You can find a gym buddy or find someone to hold you accountable. I could go on for days about different ways that you can become more consistent through different habits but at the end of the day, it comes down to the individual and how relentless they are to get to their goals. They don't need to have ambitious goals. It can literally be just moving your body for 30 minutes a day, it can be that simple. Be straight up with yourself and hold yourself accountable.
“On the days I'm really not feeling it, I know I need to rely on my habits. I like to do things in a way that you build one habit, solidify that habit and then build another. I've taken years to develop these habits. It started with just 10 minutes every other day of the week on the treadmill in grade nine. That slowly translated into what I do now which is anywhere from three to six days a week at the gym. It goes back to the habits.
“Act out of self-love always. You owe yourself that, you deserve that.”
“You don't always need to show up 100%. Some days, I'm on my game. I'm going all out in every exercise that I do, but some days I'm there for an hour and I get through a quarter of what I usually do. But getting there, maybe breaking a little bit of a sweat, getting my body warm and just going through the actions of my habits, not necessarily at the same level as I usually do, is good enough.
“A little trick I have on the days where I just really don't want to workout is that I'll say, ‘Okay, you know what I'm really not feeling today. I'm just going in for 20 minutes. I'm going to warm up my body and just do a stretch.’ If I feel like shit after and I want to take my ass home, I go home. But nine times out of ten by the end of those 20 minutes, I've broken a little bit of a sweat. My body is warm and I don't care to go home. I'm okay to put in the 10, 20, 30 minutes, however long it is, worth of work. If there's a day you're really struggling, you get in your 20 minutes and you're done, go home. You need a day to rest, take a bath, eat some good food, do something that makes your soul feel good. But nine times out of ten you will push past that and you'll feel so much better after than you did before.”
It’s you versus you, in an act of self-love
“You can either have it you versus you as a battle or you can have it you versus you as your best friend. You’re your number one person and you’ll be there for you no matter what. You’ll push yourself no matter what and you will do these hard acts, like working out, eating healthy and staying consistent, but you will do it because you love yourself and in doing that, you’ll feel and look better and you will accomplish more. You will truly, I wholeheartedly mean this, be a better person in every single aspect of your life. You're nicer to yourself and those around you. When you come from a place of love the actions that you do within yourself, translates into everything else around you. So above all else love, self-love. It all starts within you and it's you versus you.
“I believe fitness should be an act of self-love. Me working out, pushing myself to my limits to the max and beyond is because I love pushing myself that hard on my good days. The reason I do that is because I love myself and because I want to be as strong as I possibly can. I want to be an example to other women, that you can achieve your goals, you can be strong as fuck, you can have the body of your dreams and you can accomplish it all. Even aside from the body of my dreams, it's about how I want to feel and knowing who I am as a person. I feel confident in myself. It makes me feel alive. I know that I'm doing something good for my body.
“If you don't have that self-love it can be a you versus you battle where you're battling through your workouts, you're battling through your eating, you're battling through your diet. That's what it was for me in my first five years of getting into fitness and figuring out how to eat was a constant act of punishment, which is something that I think is so common, specifically for women. It’s something that is so detrimental to not only your physical state but your mental state and will tear you down. Act out of self-love always. You owe yourself that, you deserve that.
“The reason I direct my training and my posts to women is because as a woman I struggled with body image, confidence, self-love, immensely. But now, those are things that I found and things that I am now confident in and I love myself. Fitness was how I navigated my way through that.”
Bianca Celotti. Photo by Aidan Tooth
Bianca has much to share with the fitness community and the women’s fitness community. She knows the ups and downs of a fitness journey and how being there for clients and each other can be a huge support when going through it all. A personal trainer can be there for you as your trainer, your mentor and a friend but that doesn’t mean everyone needs one at every stage of their journey.
“I always say to my clients that my goal for them is to not have them for life. My goal is to have them for as long as they need me, until I feel that their foundation and form is built properly and they have a plan that works for them. Once they find all those things then they don't need me.”
She hopes that people see others and herself working on their fitness journeys and feel inspired to get out there and do what makes them feel good based on themselves and not because they believe that what one person is doing is what they need to be doing.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and conciseness.
Header photo by Aidan Tooth
