Fitness influencer Kayla Itsines built a successful business with her training and workout programs, but still shares plenty of content for free on her social media (thanks Kayla!). Itsines, 32, posted a video of herself black workout shorts and a sports bra, showing followers how to perfect a hover and shoulder tap. “You are a nonstop inspiration for me, and I just wanted to thank you for your positivity, realness, great attitude, and persistence. You’re a great force in the world! ✨” a fan commented. Here’s what Itsines’ approach to wellness looks like, and her best workout advice.
Itsines combines low and high impact exercises for her personal workout routine. “My BBG program [now called High Impact with Kayla] consists of three resistance workouts per week which I normally schedule on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” she tells Vogue Australia. “With my current schedule, working out at 7:30pm at night has been working best for me as Arna has gone to sleep and my family is around to watch over her so I know I can get 28-minutes in without being interrupted. I’ve also been aiming for four to five LISS (low-intensity steady state cardio) sessions per week which I’ll often do first thing in the morning on my treadmill at home before Arna wakes up.”
Itsines’ breakfast changes depending on whether she’s eating at home, or in a cafe (where eggs are usually her first choice). “If I’m eating breakfast at home, I’ll often have a lot of vegetables with two pieces of toast,” she says on her website. “If they are in season, I eat tomatoes, capsicum (bell pepper) and cucumbers from Yiayia and Papou’s garden, and if I feel like it, I might add some avocado. I drizzle olive oil over the vegetables, along with some fresh basil, dried oregano, and salt and pepper. I eat my toast with olive oil (yes, that’s even more olive oil — what can I say, I’m Greek!) as I prefer it to butter. I’m lactose sensitive (I used to have lactose intolerance as a kid) so I try to limit my dairy intake where I can, and in the case of butter, I actually just don’t like the taste. I’ll also have a Turkish coffee with breakfast at home.”
Itsines’s lunch and dinner vary depending on who she is enjoying her food with. “If I’m at home, I’ll often make a quick tuna salad,” she says on her website. “When we eat [dinner] together as a family, we have a lot of shared dishes on the table, and we each eat a selection of the dishes we like! Usually, there are pasta dishes, salads, roasted vegetables and meat including skewers, baked chicken schnitzel, or gyros (yiros or kebab). My aunt is Thai, so we also have Thai dishes with our family dinners, which I LOVE. She’s originally from northern Thailand and the curries and noodle dishes she makes are spicy and SO good! My basic principle for dinner is to always include protein, carbohydrates, and LOTS of vegetables.”
Itsines isn’t afraid of new challenges. “Fitness is such a big part of my life and I truly love what I do, so I don’t think there is any exercise that I wouldn’t try,” she tells Vogue Australia. “Like anybody, there are some exercises that I don’t love but I understand how they benefit my body and workout, so I’ll push through instead of avoiding them. I think as women, we don’t realize how strong we really are and sometimes trying something new is a great way to build confidence, even if you don’t nail it the first time round.”
Itsines knows fitness is a journey that isn’t completed overnight. “Truth is, there are no quick fixes or tricks that are going to help you tone up ‘quicker’,” she tells Vogue Australia. “It’s important to have a healthy relationship with exercise, and that you are working out to feel good, not just for physical results. I want women to include fitness as part of their lifestyle, and with a healthy balanced diet and consistent exercise, you are going to see both mental and physical results. It’s so important to be realistic in your goals and put in the hard work to achieve them.”