Feature Fit Mum

Focused & Driven to Happiness

Raechelle Chase

 

Kiwi born Raechelle Chase lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her devoted husband and 3 beautiful children Dior-Rose 3yrs, Carlos 4yrs and Annaliese 10yrs. Despite leading a very busy and demanding life she considers her role as mother her most important and rewarding.

“I am an IFBB Pro Figure Competitor, Fitness model and Deputy Editor of The New Zealand Fitness Magazine. I also work as a TV presenter for various shows both in NZ and Australia endorsing and presenting fitness equipment.  My back ground is in modeling, TV and catwalk which I have done since I was a child. These days I prefer to do more fitness modeling and I love the challenge that comes with competing.” Raechelle is also a wonderful spokesmodel for her sponsoring companies- ‘Lonsdale Clothing’ & ‘Body Ripped Sports Nutrition’.

So what would a normal weekly routine be like in your house?

‘When I am training for a competition I have a routine which I try to stay as close as possible to, however those of you with children know that even the best thought out plans don’t always come to pass when you have young children with other ideas in the home.  My morning starts at 6am with 45 mins cardio followed by breakfast with the family. Carlos and Dior are in Daycare 3 x per week, so on those days its pretty chaotic in the mornings.  Trying to get everyone ready and in the car at the same time is tricky. One minute I think everyone is ready, the next I see Dior walking around with no clothes because she says she ‘doesn’t want to wear clothes today’! Or we will all be in the car about to leave when Carlos say’s he ‘has to go to the toilet’. Its  pretty crazy and it often feels like it’s a struggle to fit my needs in around theirs. 3 days a week I can train and do cardio while they are in daycare, the other 4 days I try to fit it in when I can.

What is your current training program and nutrition program?

This year I have signed up with one of the top trainers and nutritionist Kim-oddo from the States. It can be overwhelming close to a competition trying to be super mum at home and in the gym, it’s going to make it allot easier to have someone to do some of the thinking and planning related to competing for me this year.
I break my training up into 1 body-part per day, this just means I don’t have to spend as much time in the gym, during competition prep I also do 45 mins cardio immediately after training.
#1- Quads
#2-Shoulders/ABs
#3-Chest
#4-Hamstrings/Abs
#5-Arms
#6-Back/Abs


What tips you would give mums pre, during and post pregnancy about their fitness and diet?

‘Assuming you are fit and healthy. Don’t stop exercising just because your pregnant!
During my 2nd pregnancy I ate…a lot all the way through my pregnancy, I decided that I wanted to enjoy it and I would eat whatever I felt like eating. That was fine while I was pregnant however, once I had given birth I wasn’t’ pregnant anymore I was just fat! I had put on 18kgs and had an 8lb baby that left a lot of weight still on my body! This was the first time I had experienced what an over weight person felt like. I would get tired walking up the stairs and sometimes I would catch a glimpse of myself in a window and could not believe it was me. It was so depressing and it can be a downward spiral, you feel fat so you eat more so you feel worse so you eat more and it goes on. It took me about 9 months of training and dieting to get my pre- pregnancy body back… just in time to get pregnant again lol. However this time I had learnt and I knew I had to keep things in check. I watched what I ate allot more closely and I did allot of walking right through my pregnancy. After Dior was born (18mths after Carlos) sure I had weight to loose, but it was manageable because I hadn’t gone over the top.
Aside from all the benefits that exercise will give you and your baby, the fact is for 9 months you will be pregnant. After that you will have a beautiful baby and not allot of time on your hands, so enjoy your pregnancy but not necessarily with food.  Post pregnancy exercise is just as important, it doesn’t have to be gut busting work outs in the gym, its just as much for the mind as it is for the body. So any form of exercise will do. I think it’s really important for women especially new Mum’s to do something everyday that will make them feel better about themselves, their bodies in particular.

After all we are women and if we look good we feel good. Exercise helps to keep a sense of who you are, especially in the first few months when you may feel like you have lost your former self and your new world is a world of sleep deprivation, feeding and nappy changing.'

What keeps you motivated and striving everyday?

'I love the way I feel when I am in great shape so I train, I love leading by example to show my children to dream a dream and work to achieve it so I compete & I love the feeling of being on stage when I know how much work and dedication it has taken me to get there and seeing just what my body is capable of.'

Raechelle certainly is an inspiration to both Mums and non-Mums, having received her Pro Figure status in 2009, competing in her debut Pro Show in Sacramento USA  2009, This is a lady to keep an eye on and even take a leaf out of her fitness and lifestyle management book. Where there is a will there most certainly is a way and we wish her and her beautiful family the very biggest and brightest success for the coming year.