Celebrity trainers: Fast Fives
•Fitness
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SHANNAN Ponton has helped thousands of Aussies change their lives in his 25-year career as a personal trainer, but this time the transformation is happening much closer to home.
“I’m 43 years old, I’m married and I have two kids, so I’ve thrown the mirrors away and there are no more beach curls for the girls in summer,” Ponton said.
“For me it is about staying functionally healthy and being active with my kids. I want to be able to surf, skate, climb, run, jump, box and do everything that life has to offer. I never want to be that dad on the sideline who can’t do something.”
Ponton includes plenty of body weight training in his new workout regimen.
“Body weight work is great for all the functional movements you do in day-to-day life, like bending down to pick up the kids, or reaching up into cupboards,” he said.
“I love it because you can do it anywhere and mix it up. I’m down at the park at least four or five times a week putting together a circuit and trying something new. Fitness and health is always evolving and it’s exciting.”
Ponton has a lot to be excited about at work, too, with The Biggest Loser: Transformed airing on Channel 10 soon.
“This is the show I’ve always wanted to make,” he said.
“Up until now winning or losing has been dependent on a series of numbers adding up on a set of scales but this series of The Biggest Loser encompasses all the areas of wellness — it’s about your body composition, how strong you are, how flexible you are, how well you eat and most importantly your state of mind.
“The transformations are jaw-dropping. It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before. And best of all it’s not just about the contestants this time; it’s about empowering people at home to start their own journey.”
K.O. the kilos
PONTON loves all types of training to keep fit but his real passion is boxing and every spare second he gets he loves to jump in the ring.“I just love boxing and get such a kick out of jumping in the ring and testing myself. I know a lot of people close to me would probably prefer it if I did a slightly safer sport,” he said.
If you want to knock off that bulging belly then give Ponton’s exercise a go — the two-punch crunch, a sit-up with two punches at the top. See how many you can do.
Keep it real
PONTON has seen every fad diet imaginable over the course of his career and the false promises being peddled to overweight people really get his blood boiling.“There’s a lot of snake oil and misinformation out there that takes advantage of people’s desire for change,” he said.
“Unfortunately, detoxes and the like often don’t get results, and if they do, they are unsustainable, which leaves people vulnerable to other so-called solutions and the cycle rolls on.
“I’ve been helping people lose weight and improve their fitness and health for over 20 years and I can tell you, it’s much better to decide to eat healthy for the rest of your life with a cheat meal here and there than to go on an all-or-nothing diet.”
His nutritional philosophy is simple: “The closer to nature the better. It doesn’t have to be perfect but the less processed your food is the better.
“Think high protein, lower carb and less refined carbs, low sugar and low fat. If you eat well and train hard your body will respond no matter who you are.”
