It is a journey of 'you against you.'

Welcome to the first edition of our special meet & greet guests for this festive season. This week we talked with Louise Agius. Surely, for many of you, she is well known for her contribution in the sports and fitness sector. Louise has been teaching various classes in Malta for many years, she is well known for her innovative ways of keeping others fit. Many remember her famous piloxing classes, knock out classes and now she is back with a new innovative class known as HIIT Step. Louise is known amongst those who love bodybuilding and fitness for being a judge in various contests together with being a personal trainer. Here are a few tips she shared with us to inspire our followers to start or continue their fitness journey. 

When did you start your fitness journey and what made you realize that you need this change in your life?

I have always been into sports, from my scholastic years to adult hood. As I grew older I became more interested in the physical benefits of sports and started to study, in depth, the anatomy of the body and realized how beneficial being fit is. This made me more aware of my personal physical status and realized that I was on the right track. The time came when an opportunity arose for me to start teaching a fitness class, so I decided to take my physical ability to the next level and started to take my training more seriously to be able to be reach my fitness goal and get my licence to teach.  I also started my journey in the gym with weights and HIIT training.

What was the toughest part throughout this journey?

The toughest part is to remain disciplined. No matter what your mood is you must keep on going and keep to your schedule and targets. My motto is not to be better than anyone else but to be better than what you were yesterday. It’s a journey of ‘you against you’. Apart from the physical part you also must be disciplined in your diet, which can be very challenging.  This, obviously, depends on your goal.  Either dieting for a shoot or a contest or keeping your everyday diet is always a change in your eating habits and lifestyle.

What was the happiest part throughout this journey?

The happiest part is when you reach your goals.  Personally, throughout the years I have trained and dieted for fitness photo shoots, which challenged me mentally and physically every time but successfully managed to reach my goals and improve every time .  I was also able to go abroad, several times, to get licensed for various fitness classes, to which was also challenging as I had to be examined on my physical health and strength and fitness knowledge.  I was very happy when I introduced various fitness classes to Malta for the first time and recently I introduced HIITSTEP in Malta too. HIITSTEP is the evolution of fitness. It is the game changing workout that inspires you to go beyond your limits and it is designed to take your mind and body to the next level. It is just a 30 minutes workout which will have you using your body weight exercises and a step..  ]You can burn up to 400 kcal in just those 30 minutes and it has the EPOC effect which means that you remain burning calories even after class for 24hrs. It also increases your lung capacity, improves bone density and obviously weight loss.

Half an hour of high intensity, high energy and it will surely push you out of your comfort zone. It’s a self challenging class ‘you against you ‘ so anyone can do it. When I read that it had won the best class award for the most effective class with the minimum of time last year, I just wanted to bring it home. I also managed study and become a certified Personal Trainer. Other satisfying moments are when I manage to help my clients reach they fitness goals and see the changes and progress they were able to make physically.

What is your opinion about healthy food?

Healthy eating and physical training go hand in hand.  You cannot do one without the other.  The only drawback I see is that eating healthy can be very expensive to maintain.

Can you share with us a favourite snack you take when you are on a hurry? 

Preparing healthy meals is very time consuming but the snack that I take, when I’m in a hurry, is almonds and a banana.

Apart from being your career, is exercise part of your general lifestyle too? If yes, where and when do you train?

Yes, of course, I can’t imagine myself without exercising.  I try to train every day.  I teach HIITSTEP classes during the week. I used to do four classes a week but currently due to the covid-19 situation I am doing just two lessons a week. Apart from my classes I go twice or three times a week to  the gym for some weight training.  

What factors do you consider most important in keeping a healthy lifestyle?

The most important factors for a healthy lifestyle is keeping physically active combined with a healthy diet.

Do you enjoy a cheat meal here and there? What is your favourite treat?

Of course, I do.  My favourite cheat meal is a plate of pasta and an ice-cream.  Something to look forward to and work hard for.

We would like you to send a message to our followers who are thinking about starting a healthy lifestyle.

"The only thing I can say that it’s never too late.  No matter how old or young you are, it is never too late to change your lifestyle.  Start with some small adjustments. Add healthy ingredients to your diet, start a physical activity and gradually increase and challenge yourself. Set targets and goals and for sure you’ll enjoy the transition."

Thank you Louise for supporting Balanced Bites  and for finding the time to join us on meet and greet. On a personal note I would like to thank you for being the person who made me fall in love with fitness. 

If you like to know more about the current classes offered by Louise follow the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/hiitstepmaltawithlouise/