Amanda Russell is an Exceptionally Talented and Accomplished Fitness
Trainer, Fitness Expert and Fitness Model reveals her Workout, Diet and Beauty
Secrets
Ms. Namita Nayyar: How your experience and background of a running athlete has
helped you in
your present profession of Fitness Trainer, Fitness Expert and
Fitness Model?
Ms. Amanda Russell: My experience as a runner and athlete has given me such a
deeper understanding of not only the body and exercise, but the power of the
mind, the psychology behind it, and how that is what plays the biggest role in
every individual’s fitness.
Fitness modeling showed me another side of the ‘fitness’ world. A world where
your training is focused on aesthetic appearance above athletic performance.
Some people don’t know, but fitness modeling often requires hours of running on
a treadmill or bounding, jumping, leaping and beyond to get ‘just the right
picture’. It’s a full workout on its own.
I learned both sides of the industry, whether its functional training for
performance or training to look a certain way, there are many parallels and you
need to know how to address all angles, as everyone has different goals
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Share your exercise routine that you do to maintain such a
bikini perfect physique?
Ms. Amanda Russell: I work hard and consistent – when it’s time to exercise I
make it count. Some people think you need hours to have a successful workout,
but if you workout strategic and smart, you can maximize any amount of time if
you really use that time to the full extent. The other key point, is that it is
about structuring the right flow of workouts for maximum benefit.
Ex. If I do an interval cardio workout one day, the next day I have an
appropriate complimentary workout. You can get fixated on doing the same thing
which causes your body gets used to it and the workouts become less and less
effective. You’ve got to keep your body guessing.
The
7 Day Body Reset Plan is an exact example of my weekly workout routine and
has all the videos for each workout Seven days of guided workouts, meals,
recipes, tracking progress and more to get you to literally reset your body,
tone up and energize in just one week.
If you want to follow my daily plan long term, that’s exactly what the
subscription to FitStrongandSexy.com includes: a daily workout delivered
directly to you, so you always know the plan and never get bored!
Plus you receive access to my entire full-length workout library, nutrition plan
and recipe database. If you are the busy woman who wants it all, I HEAR you, and
the FSS fitness and nutrition plan is for you.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What is your diet? Do you take a particular fixed regulated
diet comprising of nutrients and vitamins to keep you in perfect health?
Ms. Amanda Russell: I believe in the 80/20 rule, meaning you never deprive
yourself of anything, but you eat healthy most of the time. I don’t call it a
diet, because it’s a way of life and involves no deprivation or ‘rules that are
against the diet’.
I get asked this question frequently, which is why I created Fit Strong and Sexy
nutrition guide – it is my personal routine on what I eat, what to enjoy, what
to portion out, tips, tricks and beyond.
I like my red wine and chocolate and would never preach a life that forbids
those things. However, when I need to energize and feel/look my best for a big
photo shoot or event, I take it up a notch for a limited period. It is 7 days of
incredibly wholesome clean, ‘ab-reavealing’ eating and energizing daily
workouts. I just made it available for the first time online: I call it the
7-Day Body Reset Plan, which is my version of a ‘detox’. No starving or juice
fasting, rather it’s a more daily blueprint to follow!
All super easy with daily meal samples laid out, grocery lists and ‘go-to’
solutions, and much more. I decided to share this because the results are truly
incredible, it’s amazing how good you can feel and look in just 7 days – you can
literally reset your body. I understand there is never a ‘good week’ to diet,
life is full and busy, this is the beauty of the 7 Day Reset, it is simple and
easy to integrate into even the busiest of lives.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What is your motivation to take a multi-faceted personality
of a fitness model, personal trainer, media personality, nutritional expert,
fitness and lifestyle writer, professional keynote speaker, Olympic-trained
athlete, spokeswoman, founder of FitStrongandSexy.com and one of the industry’s
leading experts in fitness?
Ms. Amanda Russell: Thank you for the generous description. I think we are all
multi-faceted, if you think about it, everyone has multiple roles, interests, &
talents. No one is one dimensional, and we are all motivated differently.
My motivation comes from an intense desire for happiness. I know what it takes
to be happy and that it doesn’t mean just floating. It’s a conscious choice and
it’s not always easy. For example, I know that there are many mornings where I’d
rather sleep in than rise to the alarm and sweat it out before a day of work,
but I also know that pushing myself is what makes me happy and strong in the
long run. I am motivated to really live every day to the fullest, so that when I
sit down at night I can reflect and know that I maximized every minute of that
day.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Do you take some
kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to
your hair to make them look so stunning?
Ms. Amanda Russell: Why thank you! I think regular exercise and getting the
right nutrients are the main sources of healthy skin and hair. I am very
committed to working out hard and ensuring I refuel my body with the best fuel.
However, even with the most balanced diet on the planet, can be enhanced. I used
to be opposed to ANY form of supplements or skin care products – no joke, I
thought it was all a bunch of marketing. But I hit a certain birthday, some well
respected girlfriends told me it was time to try what they’ve been doing and
they introduced me to this line of skin care and ‘ageless renewal’ supplements.
I started and within 3 weeks even the ‘check in’ guy at the gym noticed that I
was looking more energized and even ‘glowing’!
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You were preparing for Beijing Olympics in the 10,000m, with
your hopes high, your running career soaring, and your training schedule was all
set when all of a sudden it all came to a screeching halt with a career-ending
injury. How you were able to overcome this physical injury/setback and what
advice you can give to fellow sports person in a similar situation?
Ms. Amanda Russell: While the injury was ‘physical’, what I learned from it was
that it is about so much more than the ‘physical’. I was devastated and felt
lost on so many levels. I struggled through it without my usual outlet of being
able to sweat it out, but what I gained from this situation was a life-altering
new passion. I believe it is some of the seemingly’ worst situations’ that you
have the potential to gain the most from (I say ‘potential’ because it is your
individual choice how to react).
I didn’t realize how important fitness was to me until the injury took it away.
During that time, I ended up taking a job, working for a prestigious corporate
consulting firm in New York City. Like many desk jobs, I was stuck sitting at a
computer 12 to 14 hours a day, feeling like a part of me was dead and numb and
bored. It was this depressive state, this feeling of being ‘stuck’ that drove me
to pursue the journey of trying to get back to some sort of level of fitness –
that’s what running taught me, no matter how HARD things get, you are NEVER
stuck.
I knew that it was about so much more than the exercise itself, and I had some
pretty major physical (and mental) limitations to overcome. But, I also knew
what it felt like to be happy and confident, and that life was too short to live
this way. Like anything, I knew that I could find a way back if I set my mind
and heart to it. The journey was not going to be easy or even clear, but it was
one worth taking.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have done bold photo shoots. What advice you wish to give
to the women of today to be body confident in order to do such bold modeling?
Ms. Amanda Russell: The beauty and power of a woman is in her confidence – if
you make the decision (yes it’s a decision), to love your body and be proud and
confident in your own skin, it changes everything. You must do things that
empower you, if you feel uncomfortable or insecure, there is no amount of
make-up that can hide that, it’s in your subconscious. So whatever you decide to
do, you need to be all in and ‘own it’ or don’t do it at all.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Tell us about your endeavour of Fitness Video's Channel on Youtube the "Amanda Russell TV"?
Ms. Amanda Russell: I actually started filming workout videos in my New York
apartment while I was trying to get back into shape without being able to run.
After trying everything out there, and failing to find something that fit all my
criteria:
Time Efficient
No running miles
Produced the results physically and mentally of running
No fancy equipment required
No gym required.
Essentially, the plan that allows the even the busiest of women to have it all,
So, I finally developed my own plan based on the type of training I was taught
as a runner and substituting in a lot of other forms of drills, cardio and
bodyweight exercise in the place of intervals, hills etc.
The results spoke for themselves and people wanted to know what I was doing so I
started making videos to show them…and so it began….
Amanda Russell on WomenFitness: I am extremely impressed by this site, from the range of
topics and quality content, to the lay out and user-friendly navigation – it
really is a top resource for all things fitness. I’m honored to be among the
amazing women you have featured on this site, and completely understand why
Forbes awarded you one of the top 100 websites for women – well deserved.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Elaborate on your personalized concept of "Personal Training"
you offer online?
Ms. Amanda Russell: There is no ‘one size fits all’.
I am beyond excited about this online training, it is more than training, it is
a growing community with all like minded people that want to be fueled with
education in becoming the CEO of your own body. FSS is not a generic,
one-size-fits-all program, I don’t believe in that. Everyone is motivated by
different things and what works for one person isn’t going to work for another,
so there are many different ways people use the site. Once you sign up, we find
out exactly where you are at and what your goals are and then walk you through
how to train your body, and start you on a daily workout plan. By the final
phases, you become an expert on how to structure your week to make your training
and nutrition work best for you. I like to say that my program helps you earn
your Master’s degree in your body.
The program is for everyone from elite athletes to the jet setter, the urban
professional to the stay-at-home mom. The concept is that living FIT doesn’t
require spending a lot of money or time or going somewhere specific to make it
happen. I’m a big fan of hard-core workouts that get the job done in less time
and keep your mind engaged and motivated.
Essentially, in order to achieve results you must not only have a destination,
you must have the right navigation/road map. FSS gives you that road map, and
myself or a member of my internal team is there 24 hours per day/7 days per week
to answer your questions and provide support through your own private email.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and
message for its visitors?
Ms. Amanda Russell: I am extremely impressed by this site, from the range of
topics and quality content, to the lay out and user-friendly navigation – it
really is a top resource for all things fitness. I’m honored to be among the
amazing women you have featured on this site, and completely understand why
Forbes awarded you one of the top 100 websites for women – well deserved.
Women Fitness Team thanks Amanda Russell for giving her valuable time for this
interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made
this interview happen.
All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any
article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission
and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or
preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and
taken by Namita Nayyar President
womenfitness.net and should
not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an
express permission.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: How your experience and background of a running athlete has
helped you in
your present profession of Fitness Trainer, Fitness Expert and
Fitness Model?
Ms. Amanda Russell: While the injury was ‘physical’, what I learned from it was
that it is about so much more than the ‘physical’. I was devastated and felt
lost on so many levels. I struggled through it without my usual outlet of being
able to sweat it out, but what I gained from this situation was a life-altering
new passion. I believe it is some of the seemingly’ worst situations’ that you
have the potential to gain the most from (I say ‘potential’ because it is your
individual choice how to react). 
Ms. Amanda Russell: There is no ‘one size fits all’.
