Kairit Tuhkanen looks for the training bug
My competition season is over, and from now on I can focus more on other people’s training. My first “project” is to spark an interest in and a love of sport in my friend Kairit – not just in athletes. Kairit Tuhkanen is known to the public as a TV presenter and singer. Few people know that Kairit is also a makeup artist and my friend. Makeup artistry was the secret weapon that got Kairit to accept my invitation to train.
We will be covering everything related to Kairit’s training on my blog egleellernabi.blogspot.com and in the finess.ee forum, in the thread about Kairit.
I have met many women who say that up to a certain age they could eat anything and their figure stayed perfect regardless. From a certain age, though, metabolism slows down and you can feel your muscle tone declining. Kairit has been to a workout only a handful of times in life, even though Kairit always claims to be a passionate athlete.
After Kairit repeatedly ended up backstage with me as a makeup artist, surrounded by 30 fitness competitors who had worked on perfecting their bodies day after day, Kairit became curious to see whether the training bug would catch on here too.
When Kairit first told me at a competition that maybe it was time to come and work out, it went in one ear and out the other. Honestly, I just didn’t believe it was meant seriously – I have been a coach for years and have tried countless times to lure Kairit into training.
To my delight, a little while later we set a workout time and a body measurement session at Sparta. I thought to myself that I wouldn’t put on my own workout clothes until Kairit was actually there. I was overjoyed when Kairit walked briskly through the door of the sports club in brand-new Reebok gear.
To start with, I invited Kairit to my youth show dance session, where this time we were doing muscle training. Even before entering the hall, Kairit warned the front-desk attendant: “I’m going to a workout – be ready to call an ambulance!”
Kairit writes about the first workouts
So far I have managed to get through several sessions meant for young people, as well as the gym program Egle put together, without a single injury.
For a woman my age, Youth Showdance sounds good from the name alone – above all mentally. In the first minutes of this workout for young people, all the movement felt so pleasant, comfortable and easy that a beginner’s fear-stiffened state gave way to huge enthusiasm and the thought – I could do this every day, for hours on end! Obviously, this “on cloud nine” state lasted only a few minutes – until the end of the warm-up.
With the first difficulties came a new promise: NO MORE PROMISES BEFORE THE END OF THE WORKOUT!
I can’t understand how Egle manages to do these “side plank-extension-holdholdhold-armsdown” sequences while smiling and singing along to the background music!?!
About 15 minutes before the end of the workout, the coach’s divine words reached my ears: Lie down! I was so grateful. A few seconds of bliss, followed by terrible torment – PUSH-UPS/ABS! I’ll be honest: at that moment, looking in the mirror, only one thought comforted me – all the other “I-want-to-be-as-beautiful-as-Egle” people in the hall who managed to do anything at all were half my age. I simply don’t look at Egle.
Yes, I survived that workout, because for a couple of days afterwards I literally felt my body. I caught myself thinking: what if I tried a group workout meant for seniors instead? For the time being it stayed just a thought, though, and I showed up again the following Wednesday. This time Egle wasn’t there – probably overdid it a little too. Instead there was a substitute coach, Egle’s student Kristin, who comforted me by saying that if my muscles were ever sore again, I “could just sit into the splits” – it has always worked for Kristin. I don’t think I will ever tell Kristin about my aches again!
In conclusion:
Kairit’s physical stats are very good, so there is actually no need for weight loss. The goal is rather to raise muscle tone a little. My personal goal with Kairit is to bring a healthier lifestyle into Kairit’s life. Training and sport have a positive effect not only on the body but also make your whole life happier. The first workouts are the hardest, but as time goes on it gets easier. The hardest thing is building a training habit in a beginner. I’m trying to keep a finger on the pulse in this respect. So far Kairit has done well, and even when Kairit hasn’t made it to the gym for some reason (on those occasions the excuses are plentiful), Kairit has promised to train at home. I believe we will make a sport lover out of Kairit!
Author: Egle Eller-Nabi
Source: WHO – physical activity.
Come and work out! ArtGym
