NOURISH | feature
Jenna Smith and Renee Norman met seven years ago; their husbands are best mates and the pair discovered they had a lot more in common than their respective beaus. Jenna was a PE teacher and Renee worked for Sport Waikato. “We just clicked,” admits Jenna. Their common love of health, wellness and fitness has led the duo starting a business together, creating a platform for women to get healthy. Jenna says they would often have friends and family ask them for advice and this inevitably led to many discussions on how they could help more women lead healthier lives. Renee says, “We were discouraged by the diet world and wanted to help women go back to basics; eat real food and move more.” A lot of work and preparation ensued for this enthusiastic pair. With a bunch of qualifications between them including a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science, Bachelor of Teaching, Bachelor of Sport and Leisure Studies and a qualification in Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching they had to add to their set of skills, learning to create and edit videos, designing a website and more. “We spent a lot of time YouTubing ‘how to…’ laughs Jenna. By October 2016 they had over 150 exercise videos and a library of more than 100 healthy recipes and a website ready to go. Real Health NZ went live. Life was about to change dramatically for both Jenna and Renee and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Renee discovered she was pregnant with her first child with Jenna discovering three months later she, too, was expecting. For many, becoming a mum means putting the career on hold, fortuitously for Renee and Jenna, it has given them time to throw themselves fully into Real Health NZ. It has also given them new insight and a better understanding of the struggles many women have staying active and healthy when time is so scarce. “Pre-kids you have so much time for yourself,” admits Jenna. With the firm belief women need to take better care of themselves but with an understanding time is precious, Real Health NZ, Renee says, is designed to work for you. You can work out whenever it suits you, or you can spare 30 minutes, at 10pm or 10 am, using the workout library. Or you can join the growing community three times a week at the live workouts via a closed Facebook group. It is in this forum that you can see just how real Real Health NZ is. Busy mums too, the pair have learnt to let go of the need for perfection in favour of getting things done. They admit you sometimes see a pile of washing in the background or the kids’ toys scattered around. It is this realness that has resonated with members who can relate and don’t feel bad about the state of their house as they take time to work on their wellness. It’s the ability to interact with members in these sessions that Renee and Jenna love too. The wonders of technology have allowed them to create a fantastic platform with a growing number of resources, but the chance for members to feel part of a
Real Tips for Health
• Ditch the all or nothing attitude. When it comes to health and fitness, Renee and Jenna say every little bit counts. • Work out what your why is. When you understand your motivation keep it front of mind to keep you on track. • Go back to basics. If it doesn’t have a label it’s going to be good for you.
community all with a common goal is really powerful. In addition to the focus on moving more, Real Health NZ’s second biggest message is the need for us to eat real food. Renee stresses “we are not chefs”, instead the recipes are a range of everyday dishes, for the whole family, with a healthy twist. The philosophy is based around throwing out packet foods and cooking from fresh ingredients. “We want to create clarity and empower women with knowledge,” says Jenna, who believes there is a lot of confusion out there. Enjoying life is important, which is why Renee says, “We don’t believe in falling off the wagon, there is no wagon to fall off!” The goal is to crowd out the “naughty” foods, explains Renee. “It’s the 80/20 rule,” adds Jenna. So what next for this duo with growing families as well as business? “Continue to grow our community,” says Jenna. “Ladies love our product; now we just need to keep refining it.” With a couple of real life events and boot camps under their belts they are also branching out into the corporate world, bringing their health and wellness message to businesses who care about the health of their staff. Join Real Health NZ at www.realhealthnz.co.nz
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