Chatting to Nicole Winhoffer, Revenge Body trainer and personal trainer to stars like Kate Hudson, Ellen Pompeo, and Madonna, I learned about so much more than just plain old “working out. ”
I wanted to know more about Nicole’s 360-degree approach to fitness – she focuses on the emotional and spiritual as well as the physical with all her clients. I soon learned the reason Nicole, who will be taking part in the PropelCo:Labs Fitness Festival in May, is so successful and so loved by all her clients. She cares about the whole person inside and out, not just toned body parts.
“My approach to fitness with workout plan NW method is to work from the inside out, and how I do that is by using specific music, rhythm, and beat and allowing a safe environment for my clients and my students to truly express themselves in a safe place,” Nicole told POPSUGAR.
When I asked Nicole what questions she frequently gets, I was assuming it would be about how to get toned abs or sculpted legs, but her answer was surprising.
“The number one question that I get asked is, ‘How can I be better? ’ And really that means how can I be a better artist, a better business owner, a better mother, a better friend, a better lover, a better wife? ” she said.
This makes total sense. As women, we are often full of self-doubt about our worth. It’s hard to imagine Nicole’s star-studded clients having self-doubt, but it goes to show no matter who you are, confidence is a work in progress. I asked Nicole what she tells her clients and students when they ask her things like this.
“The answer is believing that you are enough. That’s really the key to success, and it takes time for my clients and students to understand that concept because a huge part of what motivates people in general is fear and using that fear to be better to do more, to have more, to improve, and how I approach well-being is really understanding and believing that you are enough and you don’t really have to do anything because that belief is the momentum towards dreams, which is really unique to each individual. ”
I also asked Nicole about the biggest mistake people make when working out. We discussed how there is so much false information circulating and how it’s important to do your research before launching into a new workout or diet plan.
“The biggest mistake is that people don’t realize that the body moves in a multiplanar infinite plane. A lot of what we focus on is repetitive linear movement like running and cycling,” she said. I’d heard of this before – the cardio curse. So many women simply go to the gym and run or do the elliptical for 30 minutes. Nicole explained why this isn’t effective and why we need to infuse new movements into our workouts.
“Everything we do is a forward motion in life – we walk forward, we talk on the phone with our voices projecting forward, we type on the computer, it’s always a repetitive motion of the same muscles and same movements, so the approach that I suggest for everyone is to find something that is a rotational, flexible, low-impact workout that counteracts what they do every day. We are focused on results that are only physical, and really where the root of the problem is is in the heart and in the brain first. ”
