Dedicated to Health – Donna Aston

Nutritionist Donna Aston is the author of six successful books in the field, as well as the founder of an acclaimed online diet program – AstonRX, ‘The fat loss plan designed by your biology’. As someone who’s dedicated her working life to rejuvenating people’s health, how did she get to where she is today?

Donna has always been interested in diet’s potential to change lives. ‘Diet has a profound impact on people’s health,’ she explains. ‘This obviously includes weight, but encompasses many other factors, including cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes.’ Donna has a personal connection to the topic. ‘Being 25kg overweight in my late teens, I tried every diet there was,’ she says. ‘It was only when I started training at the gym, and ended up losing that 25kg, that I realised change was possible.’ ‘Through personal experience, I organically discovered the principles of personal training and nutrition,’ she continues. ‘I completed a Nutrition degree at Deakin University after studying personal training, then started practicing as a nutritionist.’ Donna founded a personal training studio in Melbourne, then opened a second. ‘I was going to franchise the business, and had an interested company on board. I eventually decided against it, though, because I couldn’t maintain my standards with a franchise.’

Instead, Donna continued running the business herself. ‘I merged both studios into Aston Fitness in South Yarra, which I ran for 10 years,’ she says. ‘We offered personal training by appointment on large scale, with exemplary customer service.’

Donna’s career as a highly successful author began when she received an unexpected call. ‘While running my training business in 1999, I had a call from Geneva,’ she remembers. ‘It was a girl from Sydney who’d read a profile of me in a health magazine, and wanted me to help her train for the Nice Triathlon. She sent me business class tickets … and off I went! (I also met her husband’s business partner the day I arrived, who took 10 weeks to convince me I was never going home. We were together for eight years!)’ She didn’t waste time getting started. ‘I began writing my first book, Fat or Fiction, that year. It was great to be able to write and launch books while living in Geneva, Monaco, and the Bahamas, to name a few. Married to someone who travelled extensively for work, I realised I could write whenever I had a laptop.’ Her quest to share her knowledge has sent her far and wide. ‘I’ve travelled the world speaking to researchers and scientists in Europe and America about how biology drives behaviour,’ she explains. ‘It’s all about improving gut health and changing our behaviour around food, which is why it’s mistaken to blame weight gain on weakness and low willpower. It’s not people’s fault – it’s the dietary advice they’ve been given.’ Donna’s writing career has inspired many. ‘During a book launch in Borders, Chadstone, in front of 200 people, I saw a man standing up the back in a suit. As he gave me his book to sign, he said: ‘You saved my life. I was sitting on the sofa reading your book while eating a bag of chips … then put down the chips.’ This trim man had lost 100kg – I couldn't believe it!’ After publishing several acclaimed books on diet, Donna realised there was another way to reach people who could benefit from her insights. ‘I saw the potential for a far more interactive approach,’ she remembers. ‘That’s why I built my online platform, AstonRX.com, which gives me a personal connection with clients.’ AstonRX.com is unique for its ability to provide clients with a tailored experience. ‘After registering on the site and entering their details, they’re sent a pathology script to have a blood test to identify key metabolic markers. Once results are received, they’re uploaded to their personal dashboard,’ Donna explains. ‘They receive a detailed explanation of their current situation, along with a comprehensive daily plan to improve each individual marker.’ Each of these is seen in a wider context. ‘We always work on root causes,’ Donna explains. ‘For example, instead of simply identifying clients’ weight gain, we analyse and treat the underlying symptoms.’ In a relatively short time, Donna’s clients can fundamentally improve. ‘It’s a 28-day program, which can make a substantial difference to your health and weight,’ Donna says. ‘This is followed by a maintenance program, which helps people maintain their results long-term.’ Donna sources the failure of many diets to a misunderstanding of the causes of weight gain. ‘Hunger is about hormones, mainly insulin,’ she explains. ‘When your insulin levels are too high, your brain’s telling you you’re hungry when you’re full. ‘If your insulin levels are high and you’re experiencing stress, high alcohol intake, poor diet, low exercise, or other lifestyle factors, your liver’s not functioning optimally,’ Donna expands. ‘As a result, your body’s unable to access your stored fat for fuel. That’s why my program’s about understanding, not calorie-counting.’

AstonRX has now taken over from Donna’s writing work. ‘Rather than putting my insights into my books, they’re going into AstonRX,’ she says. ‘The content includes blogs, webinars, recipes, and live connections with people on my website’s community forum.’

Donna has a personal connection to the Porsche marque. ’I met my husband, Hans Bergmueller, on a plane between Melbourne and Sydney 10 years ago, whose son James is the Chair of PM Group,’ she says. ‘I've always been a bit of a car maniac, so it’s nice to have gorgeous cars in my life.’ She concludes by summing up what she’s proudest of in her current program. ‘Every day we get positive feedback from people who’d lost confidence in themselves. Once you’ve convinced them they can change their situation, that’s all they need!’ It’s an inspiring story from a woman who’s dedicated to creating positive change. Visit www.AstonRX.com more information. • for CLIC K HERE TO LEARN MOR E