Eva Ottas: a trainer on dance and movement
Eva Ottas is a trainer whose story begins with dance, rather than trends. It spans 22 years of movement, the TV show “kaalust alla”, MyFitness, DanceAct and a refreshingly honest view of what being a trainer really means.
This is more than a series of questions and answers. It is a portrait of someone who believes that a good trainer develops over time, learns in the studio, on stage and while traveling, and must be able to get even a complete beginner moving in class.
Why Eva Ottas matters to fitness.ee readers
Many people remember Eva Ottas from “kaalust alla”. By her own account, the show did not turn her life upside down, but it did give her an interesting experience. She saw behind the scenes of a TV series, developed a thicker skin in response to comments and helped make it easier for some people to start being active.
That last idea is a recurring theme when she speaks. To her, a trainer is more than someone who stands at the front of the studio counting reps. A trainer needs to provide direction, set the mood and show that exercise is not a punishment. Getting someone through the door is already half the battle.
Eva works as a group fitness coordinator at MyFitness. She can teach almost every type of class except spinning. Her repertoire and experience include dance, bosu, coreboard, kick-box, toning, bodybalance and bodypump. That list says a lot: she is not a trainer confined to one narrow specialty, but someone whose life revolves around movement.
Dance was her route into becoming a trainer. Eva has been dancing for 22 years, across jazz, hip-hop, folk dance and ballet. In 2002, when opportunities to pursue hip-hop in Estonia were still limited, she already had experience from the US and Belgium. So she took the initiative herself. Aerobics followed, although as a dancer she initially saw it as little more than pointless jumping around. To be honest, many dancers feel the same way at first.
Kaja Tuisk became an important role model, and Eva attended her classes tirelessly. Covering classes came next, followed by classes of her own at Status Club, PlanetSport and Stiletto. She later continued her work at MyFitness and the DanceAct dance studio, where she teaches show dance and hip-hop. She also has her own dance company, Beyond Dance Co.
Eva Ottas and her path to becoming a trainer
Eva’s education has extended well beyond the gym. She graduated from Rocca al Mare School, spent time in the US as a high school exchange student, studied law at the Institute of Law and in Brussels, and studied dance at ProDance dance school and Broadway Dance Center in New York.
She has also attended many workshops and conventions, both in Estonia and abroad, mainly in the US. For her, the US has been a place where new ideas and fitness trends often emerge. That does not mean blindly copying trends. It is more about curiosity: watching, learning, trying things out and only then adapting them to her own classes.
Does she see being a trainer as work or a hobby? The answer is both. It is work because she is leading a workout for other people, rather than exercising for herself. A class needs preparation, and the trainer needs to be present and ready to help. It is a hobby because movement, dance and aerobics have been part of her life for so long that it is hard to imagine doing anything else.
In her view, nobody is born a fully formed trainer. You grow into the role. But we are born to move, at least in a sense. Eva is blunt about being baffled by people who wake up one morning and think they might train to become an instructor, despite having no previous experience of physical activity. To her, dance, aerobics and sport take years of development. Technique, body awareness and the ability to set an example do not come overnight.
There is one simple truth here: knowledge matters, but practice matters even more. Eva started out in basement studios and worked her way up. That experience gives a trainer a different foundation from a qualification or a course alone.
Her ideal group fitness instructor is someone whose class you want to attend even if you cannot quite explain why. The classes are interesting, and the instructor is fit and sets an example. They are kind but demanding. Most of all, they can help even a complete beginner fall in love with their classes and make progress.
How Eva Ottas stays active and keeps fit
Eva does more than teach. She also enjoys attending classes herself because she likes the feeling of pushing herself. She knows that moment when your body tells you it cannot do any more, but you still want to improve. She takes dance classes and keeps looking for ways to develop, even when an observer might think she already has plenty of skill.
She once came close to becoming a serious skier and competed outside Estonia. She still loves downhill skiing, but her work depends heavily on her legs. That brings a little apprehension: what if she breaks or sprains something on the slopes? As a result, she has not put on skis for a long time.
Her goal for the future is simple yet demanding: to keep training. Although Eva says she is already quite old for a dancer, she wants to keep developing and become a better dancer. That attitude comes through throughout the interview. You are never finished. You keep moving forward.
Eva was pregnant at the time of the interview. She continued teaching classes quite actively until her 6th month, when she was told she had to stop. After that, she enjoyed a little break from training, something she had not had for years. Even so, she still tried to stay active and do push-ups at home so she would not completely wither away. That remark, delivered with a wry smile, sounds exactly like a trainer who finds it hard to stay still.
She is positive about training during pregnancy, provided your doctor has given you the go-ahead and you feel well. You do not have to stay on the sofa just because your bump is growing. You cannot, however, maintain the same training load for everything. Eva recalls how she used to tell people in her classes to choose dumbbells heavier than 1kg, yet at one point even 1kg felt very heavy to her.
She believes gentler activities are suitable during pregnancy, especially if you were already exercising regularly. Pregnancy is not the time to suddenly take up something entirely new and strenuous. Jumping, running and workouts that get your heart rate high can wait. The training load in Bodybalance was substantial for her during pregnancy, as breathing and moving were already more difficult.
Her message to young expectant mothers is brief: enjoy those 9 months, because the time flies.
Eva Ottas on exercising for health and taking your first step as a beginner
When it comes to the average Estonian’s interest in exercising for health, Eva is frank: there is actually very little. Yet every day she sees how many people go to gyms and how many young people attend dance classes. The contradiction emerges when you read online forums and listen to people’s everyday excuses. No time. No habit of exercising. No desire.
She comes from a sporty family herself, so she sometimes finds it hard to understand why people do not exercise. At the same time, she understands that if you have never developed the habit and your body weight is not a concern, you may simply not work out. The problem is that being active is about more than appearance. It helps keep back pain at bay, supports your health and keeps your body younger.
Young people are a particular concern for her. Since she also teaches many classes for young people, she gets a close look at their posture, fitness and eating habits. In her view, physical education lessons in Estonia do not always encourage healthy approaches to exercise and training; instead, they often prepare pupils for tests: you have to run a certain distance. But how can you run it if you do not train for it?
Eva finds motivation in results. She wants to be stronger and better. When she finds she can no longer keep going, she puts in more effort and trains more. That sounds harsh, but it is not about running herself into the ground. It is more a reflection of an athlete’s own internal standards.
She has never taken supplements. She knows the principles of good nutrition, but readily admits that she is human and wants to live a normal life. In other words, she eats everything. At the time of the interview, she was eating less chocolate, but she describes her addiction before pregnancy as strong. There have been times when she has done herself harm by overeating and subsequently paid closer attention to what she puts in her shopping basket.
She also followed a strict diet while preparing for the FitGirl competition. Her diet at the time was very disciplined and difficult to follow. Still, she admits that the shape she achieved and the attention that followed made it worthwhile. It is a useful reminder: a strict physique competition diet and an ordinary healthy lifestyle are not the same thing.
Eva considers worrying and irregular eating her worst habits. Travel is a good way for her to unwind. After a long day of training, the best rest is lying on the sofa with her legs up against the wall. Because she is so active every day, active rest is not part of her world. At that point, her body wants the exact opposite: to do nothing.
As a child, she wanted to become a teacher, which has come true in a way. Later, she wanted to be a lawyer, but life took her in another direction. Her memories of physical education at school in Estonia are of dodgeball, running tests and graded abdominal exercises. From school in America, however, she remembers learning different sports and building endurance.
For her, fitness model and trainer Alicia Marie represents the ideal physique internationally, while in Estonia it is Kaja Tuisk. She likes muscular women. She also names her parents, who have plenty of strength and are still active in sport.
Asked which part of her body she is happiest with, she laughs and says it is a difficult question. Sometimes she is happy with everything, and at other times with nothing. If she has to choose, perhaps her legs. At the time of the interview, she was also happy with her big bump.
Her advice to anyone starting to exercise for health is very simple: do not give up. If it feels hard and you do not know where to start, you need to take the first step. Go for a workout or get outside and move. The first time is hard. Sessions 2 and 3 can be hard too. But then it gets easier.
There is no need to overdo it. Being active and living healthily is not a project lasting a couple of months, with the attitude that “once I lose x kg, that’s it.” It is a lifelong process. It is also worth finding an activity that really suits you, rather than simply doing what a trainer recommends. If you do not like your workouts, you will not enjoy them, and you will stop.
The photo shoot left Eva feeling good. Kaspar may have been taken aback when she arrived with only workout clothes, but her thinking was simple: for fitness, you need to look sporty. Besides, she says, a trainer does not own anything other than sportswear.
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FAQ
Who is Eva Ottas?
Eva Ottas is an Estonian trainer and dancer who has worked at MyFitness, taught group fitness classes and been involved with the DanceAct dance studio and the Beyond Dance Co. troupe.
What types of training does Eva Ottas do?
Her background includes dance, hip-hop, show dance, BOSU, Coreboard, kickboxing, toning, Bodybalance and Bodypump. In this interview, she does not single out spinning as an exception.
What does Eva Ottas recommend for someone new to exercise?
You need to take the first step rather than wait for the perfect moment. Your workouts need to suit you, because that is the only way to make exercise a lasting habit.
Author: Fitness.ee
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