CosBeauty Magazine #81

Feature
‘I grew up as an elite gymnast,
having started gymnastics when I
was fi ve. I trained and competed
nationally for most of my life,’ she
explains. ‘Then I was coaching
gymnastics and transitioned that
knowledge into more everyday fi tness
training. Instead of always doing the
usual shuttle run to push-ups, I
would do a run cartwheel and then
do some push-ups!’
‘My life then went pretty randomly
in a completely [different]
direction when I toured with
The Wiggles,’ she continues.
‘With travelling and being on
the road all the time, I needed
to fi gure out how I was going to
keep that element of fi tness and
training for myself, while being
outside of my daily routine and
the gymnastics gym.’
Undeterred by the impractical
nature of touring, Lauren
set about developing a more
convenient approach to fi tness.
The resulting workout would
eventually inspire a move into
fi tness entrepreneurship as the
face and founder of FHIT by
Lauren Hannaford.
FHIT is a functional high intensity
workout program that requires no
equipment and can be performed
anywhere by anyone at any time.
Through an online subscription
platform, FHIT members have the
option to follow a six or 12 week
workout plan or to dip in and out of
the guided training video library as
they please.
The nutrition side of FHIT by
Lauren Hannaford is equally fl exible
in that members can follow a set six
week meal plan that aligns with their
recommended calorie intake or work
more freely with the recipe bank to
build menus of their own.
While Lauren acknowledges the
potential business benefi ts of focusing
on a particular audience, FHIT caters
for everyone. ‘It’s for the time poor
parent who needs to be able to just
grab a moment and do a workout and
the high-end executive who is just
as time poor,’ she says. ‘I encourage
everyone to do it at their own pace.
There are low impact, low intensity
workouts, but there are also really
fast paced high intensity workouts
so there is something that suits
everyone. You do it at the level you’re
up to and the pace that suits you.’
I TELL PEOPLE TO
REMEMBER HOW
THEY FEEL AFTER
EACH WORKOUT
AND TO TURN UP
FOR THAT SAME
FEELING.
BUILDING
CONNECTIONS
Given her experience in both fi tness
and performance, Lauren’s transition
to virtual trainer seems like a natural
progression, but the 32-year-old says
FHIT by Lauren Hannaford was as
much inspired by the women who
reached out to her online as her own
desire to merge her existing skills.
‘I had so many mums writing to
me through Facebook and Instagram
because I was putting videos up on
my social of me training backstage
or in a car park,’ she explains. ‘They
were writing and asking questions
about how I stay motivated and what
I eat and wishing they could do some
form of exercise while their child
was asleep. I saw I needed to create
something for these people that they
could access that’s going to make
them feel good; something
that will help them create a moment
for themselves.’
While the concept of human
connection may seem out of place
in the online fi tness world, it is
Lauren’s ability to connect with
FHIT followers through a variety of
mediums that makes her program
so unique. ‘I base everything on
communication and emotional
connection,’ she says. ‘It’s amazing
how many people send me
an email and write as though
we’ve known each other forever
because of the style of [workout]
I’ve tried to create.’
This sense of connection is
not confi ned to Lauren and her
clients, but has gone on to spark
an international community
of FHIT followers through a
members only Facebook group. It
was through this page that Lauren
recently witnessed two Canadian
women bond as they discovered
they were both from Ontario. ‘To
see these two people connecting
with the same interests and the
same goal is just such a nice
feeling,’ she recalls.
CHANGING
PERSPECTIVES
While FHIT by Lauren Hannaford is
easy to use and integrate into daily
life, it is by no means reductionist
in its approach to health. The
program has been carefully crafted
to address the key elements that
restrict weight loss and limit healthful
living – movement (or lack thereof),
nutrition, lifestyle and mindset.
It is the last of these factors
that has gained much attention
in recent years, yet many people
still struggle to align their actions
with their goals. When asked about
maintaining motivation, Lauren says
she encourages her clients to focus on
the short-term benefi ts of working out
rather than becoming intimidated by
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