A Chat With Grace: How A Motivated Mum and Entrepreneur Balances Motherhood, Fitness and A Successful Business.
Grace Shelmerdine is a mother of two, a wife, and a business owner who's also an inspiring fitness influencer and role model to her audience. Grace's ambition and determination has gained her accolades on an international level from winning 2nd in a world bikini modelling competition to scoring front page on New York based Fitness Magazine. I've had the privilege of speaking to Grace to find out her secrets to juggling motherhood and maintaining fitness and business in her busy life.
Have you always had a fit/healthy lifestyle? If not, what was your motivation to get started.
I began training at a gym facility at the age of 16. I was a hairdresser (began full time work at 15) and wanted to improve my overall strength and fitness to support my job, on my feet all day. At 23, fitness became my career, as I changed my profession and became a qualified Master Trainer. This change came about as a result of an injury, I developed RSI in my forearm, also known as tennis elbow, I was unable to continue hairdressing. The switch to becoming a trainer was driven by my desire to help others. THAT was what I loved about hairdressing, the ability to make others FEEL confident in themselves, and to walk out with a giant smile post service. Personal training, is similar, a little more of a painful road to get there, but, the end result is a happy client, full of endorphins and a newfound spring in their step. 8 years later, and this is still what drives me today. I chase the success stories, and that GLOW that my clients get when they follow a HYPE program, and their expressions of satisfaction when they submit their weekly check-ins. Online coaching is WONDERFUL as it allows me the capacity to support HUNDREDS of women, all at the same time. There aren’t enough hours in the week to meet the needs of 100 face to face clients, but with my amazing experienced team of qualified Dieticians and my PT sidekick, we are able to educate, support, and empower our clients on a daily basis, from anywhere in the world. The beauty of our Online world now!
You’re a busy mother but you’ve also got your entrepreneur hat on. Tell us about what your business is and what it represents.
After my long paragraph above, I feel I have summarised it fairly well! I am driven by the success stories, and of the genuine appreciation that my clients feel for myself and my PowerFit team. I have never been driven by finance, I would still to this day, do what I do for free.
You have quite a large following on social media. How do you deal with the pressures of having so many eyes on what your messaging?
It can be difficult. I have been through several life altering ups and downs in my personal life, as we all do, but how much to actually share, is always a battle. I want my clients to see, and understand that I am a real human, not a robot, but I am also more introverted than extra and prefer to be rather private! Luckily I do not receive too much “hate mail“ at this point, so I hope to continue sharing what I believe in and having faith that those who follow me, and following because they accept who I am, and what it is that I wish to share, and not share!
How do you do it? How do you juggle being a mother, a business owner, and your healthy lifestyle at the same time?
In all honestly I consider my balanced approach to be the most valuable factor of my success today, and the most important message that both myself and my PowerFit team share over and over, several times a day.
As a parent, I am so proud of my determination to switch my business from the face to face service that it was originally, to an online transformation service. The driving factor for this change, was to enable WFH flexibility. I begin working as an online coach when my first child was only a few months old, and never looked back.
My own health? I know just how much HAPPIER I am when I keep active, so my
“why” is that! I love my gym workouts, I make sure I get them done early, 5am early, while the rest of the house snoozes. This sets me up for the whole day. A healthy mumma, is a happy mumma, and if as a parent you feel good in yourself, you will have far more patience than another who isn’t! Fill your own cup they say. 2-4 gym workouts a week, and I am set for success, in all areas of my day.
Nutrition was also without a doubt lifechanging. For myself personally, and also the business professionally. There is absolutely no doubt that nutrition is VITAL to support your efforts and physical achievements in the gym. I studied Nutrition after my first child also, and to this day, the tried and tested flexible dieting principles that I so passionately follow, are the reason for my progress, and the results you see in my clients. No matter how hard you train, you cannot out-train a “bad diet”. So the ability to understand the correct intake, food portions and menu choices to suit you and your goals, is a game changer.
Take us through a typical workout week for you.
M-W I get myself up and early to the gym. I have actually been an active CrossFit mum for just over 18 months now. After a significant life circumstance and some uncertainty in my daughters health, I needed a challenge that would drag me OUT of the house. It is a very challenging sport, and I absolutely love pushing myself. I attend a few times a week. Equally as important to me now, is my home gym setup! (Thanks SW) I purchased a PowerRack 10-12 months ago, and transformed my carport into a gym. I continue adding to it all the time and I love that I can hop in there anytime to get a workout in. The kids accompany me sometimes too! I set up “ninja courses” and they do their own Kids Crossfit. My kids have so much energy it’s ridiculous!
What is your favourite way or style of exercise and why?
Resistance training, aka Weight training. I love good barbell complex, deadlifts, hitting new PBS doing anything really! Also to the disgust of most, I love burpees, box jumps and any kind of strenuous makes-you-want-to-vomit movement.
If you had to isolate for a year but could only have 1 piece of fitness equipment. What would it be and why?
Ohhh that’s a good one. My Power Rack.. With barbell. Because you can do so much with it! Pull-ups, inverted rows, squats, deads, everything with a barbell.
What advice do you have for women or parents who want to keep fit for life?
Parents, fit it in early. Before the day gets away from you. Book it in your diary and commit to yourself, your health is a non-negotiable. Women (and men) in general… Make sure you enjoy it. There are so many ways to keep active. Dance, Run, Swim, Bike ride, Gym class, Home gym, Boxing, Yoga, the list goes on. Whatever you do you must like it, to keep it up. Life’s too short to get up everyday and do something that you despise!