Name: Sarah Ralston Gagnon

Age: 30

Occupation: Personal Trainer and Life Coach

Hometown: Waterville, Maine, USA

Current Location:  Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

Website: www.fittobesexy.com

Modeling Portfolio @ Model Mayhem

Blog: Coming soon-stay tuned

Sarah’s Vital Statistics:

• Hair Colour:  Blonde      
• Eye Colour:  Hazel
• Height: 5’7”           
• Weight: 125lbs
• Chest: 38D
• Waist: 25” (24” dry for competition)
• Hips: 36” (35” for competiton)

Sarah’s Achievements:

• Successful entrepreneur and trainer
• I build bodies and transform lives
• Top ranking Competitor in the WNSO

• New face of fitness and upcoming NPC figure competitior

Sarah’s Ambitions:

I would love to be able to use theexposure from competitions and modelling to tell my story and motivate others to become their personal best.

Captainsixpack.com: Tell us a little bit about yourself?

Sarah: I’m an ACE certified trainer in Fort Lauderdale FL.  I am relatively new to the industry, however, I am amazed by the momentum and support I have found in the fitness/bodybuilding communities and I am looking forward to future competitions and transforming more bodies to their personal best.

Captainsixpack.com: How did you get into the health and fitness industry?

Sarah: I was first certified for aerobics in 2002 and I have always found relief in physical activity however, after graduating college I attended Law School but due to financial and time restraints- I lost my scholarship and left within the first year.  My self esteem lower than ever I started thinking about when I was the happiest in the past and regardless of anything else-I always felt great when I was in my best shape so I started training more seriously and differently and the results were phenomenal … In anticipation of my 30^th birthday I wanted to be sexier and look better than ever-and I reached my goal.  Although many people in my personal life did not understand how important this was to me as a person and even questioned my success.  I placed in the top 5 overall in my first competition but I had already won by becoming my personal best.  I am looking forward to competing again but even more exciting, now I am able to use what I have learned  to make other’s personal dreams become reality.

Captainsixpack.com: Apart from training and nutrition, tell us about the lifestyle (habits) required to achieve such a great physique. Obviously you don’t smoke, but would you ever consume alcohol… and what about occasionally consuming some junk food (cheat meals)…. ALSO, how important do you feel quality sleep, stress management and social support is for someone who’s looking to take their physique to the next level?

Sarah: Finding healthy stress relievers is key and is absolutely essential to overall well being.  Getting enough sleep IS MANDATORY FOR YOUR BODY TO REST AND RECOVER FROM EXCERCISE- You will build a strong physique at rest not during activity . . . moreover it has been proven that sleep deprivation also leads to overeating.  . .

Captainsixpack.com: Confidence gained… confidence sustained. It’s clear to see that you’ve developed a fantastic physique and are a perfect representation for your personal training business ‘Fit 2B Sexy’. Obviously you look like a very confident woman. How important do you think being fit and healthy and seeing ‘visual’ results are in developing and maintaining ones confidence?

Sarah: I know personally that people are treated differently and judged based on their outward appearance.  It is naive to think that people do not form ideas about you as a person based on your overall appearance.  People care about people who care about themselves.  Fitness is one of the few things that you can physically see your hard work and are recognized immediately.

Captainsixpack.com: I know myself that potential clients and people in general always want information and tips on ‘what’s the best exercise for _____’ (fill in the blank) or they say ‘how much weight can I lose or what sort of shape can I expect to get into in the next few weeks if I’m really, really good’. Do you experience this yourself and if so… how do you respond?

Sarah: People always ask me about Ab exercises which is fine if they realize that abs will only be visible when your body fat is low enough regardless of the exercise so diet is actually the most important ingredient when working on a 6-pack. Otherwise, as far as losing weight rapidly; it has been proven that there is always a maintenance period required to prevent weight from coming back after the goal is reached! What’s the purpose of killing yourself only to bounce right back in a month.

Captainsixpack.com: When it comes to ‘eating clean to get lean’ a lot of people assume they must eat boring and bland foods. I think a lot of this comes from how bodybuilders and fitness competitors diet down for shows. What’s your take on eating clean and have what do you do to keep your taste buds satisfied?

Sarah: As a competitor, we actually have to think of ways to spice up our diets-my diet before competition is much leaner than the average person so I have to be creative- a couple things I like to use are Mrs Dash (low sodium seasoning) on basically everything other than shakes and oatmeal and I use cinnamon and splenda to sweeten up those

Captainsixpack.com: Counting calories and weighing food… Do you make your clients weigh their food and count calories? Or do you have them use and implement simpler strategies?

Sarah: I believe the average person gets very overwhelmed starting a new lifestyle in general. I try to simplify everything for a new client to prevent excuses or uncertainty.  In general, all my clients are given general guidelines to build a lean body-for instance eating 5 times a day, with the last meal not within 3 hours of bedtime-otherwise, recommendations are based on my clients goal and timeline but I do require them to journal all their meals  …

Captainsixpack.com: Supplements… Personally I think there’s a limited number of ‘EFFECTIVE’ supplements on the market today and find that most people don’t have their training or nutrition in order… or consistent enough to validate their use of supplementation. What’s your take on supplements and do you have certain rules or guidelines people must meet before they start to supplement?

Sarah: Depending on the individual supplements can definitely help individuals who are seriously training.  I do not recommend any supplements in general, I only base any recommendation after meeting my clients and going over their goals-that’s only responsible …

Captainsixpack.com: Training… Tell us a little bit about your training approach to physique development? Share with us how you train yourself, your clients and if you train males and females differently?

Sarah:In order to get extraordinary results you have to apply out of the ordinary programming. All my clients are trained differently because everybody is different!  I believe in personalized personal training. In my own workouts and those for my clients, I implement different types of exercises from session to session to keep challenging the body and thus developing.  To keep from my body from plateau, I implement interval training and variance in every workout of weight reps and tempo for myself as well as my clients.  I believe in working smart not hard and just as there is a right way to eat there is a right way to train as well.

Captainsixpack.com:  Planning and Goal Setting… How much planning do you put into your programming and nutrition? Do you plan out your workouts well in advance and do you pencil in planned days off and would you ever plan a week off? And what about goal setting… is it that important?

Sarah:Setting goals with a time-line is essential for your own accountability … setting a time frame to achieve those goals is the only way a solid program may be developed.  Moreover, each goal you reach builds that much more confidence to reach your next goal. . . short term realistic goals are KEY! 

Captainsixpack.com:  Any closing words of wisdom for our readers? 

Sarah: *********If you truly believe in yourself unbelievable feats are possible-regardless of your goals and starting point there will be people telling you what you can’t do … take that with a grain of salt and realize it is their own fears and insecurities being projected on you …you can achieve if you believe… Period!*********************

Sarah Ralston Gagnon, Fit To Be Sexy
Personal Trainer, Life Coach and Fitness Model

http://www.fittobesexy.com

interview found here: http://athleticbodysystem.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/fitness-body-interrogation-with-sarah-ralston-gagnon/