Rotorua-born Rachel Grunwell has been on a phenomenal wellbeing journey over the past decade, and now she’s inspiring others to follow her path.
I’ts hard not to smile when you spend time with Rachel Grunwell. The fresh-faced wellness coach is not only a walking, talking picture of health, she is also bubbling with an infectious enthusiasm that would prompt even the laziest among us to join her on a jog around the block.
But it hasn’t always been this way.
Rewind 10 years and the mum-of-three was a very different person. “I was a stressed out, sugar-addicted, caffeine-fuelled journalist,” laughs the 45-year-old, who began her career at the Rotorua Daily Post. “I wasn’t fit, I wasn’t strong and I was always really self-conscious.”
It was her media work exploring wellness trends that prompted the award-winning reporter to take stock of her own life, and embark on a new career direction.
What began with a decision to train as a yoga instructor led to a qualification as a personal trainer, and evolved into a mission to transform the lives of Kiwis nationwide, through coaching, motivational talks and the success of her wellness bible Balance – Food, Health and Happiness.
“The unique thing I do is look at all the wellness pieces of the puzzle – I can help clients with how they move, eat, think, sleep and manage stress,” explains Rachel, who hosts Mindful Moments Retreats at Rotorua’s Polynesian Spa. “I can help people to run a marathon or build muscle, lose weight or get more balance.”
THE RIGHT TRACK
By her own admission, the former Lakes High student was the most unlikely person to reinvent herself as a health guru. As a teen Rachel was the kid who avoided exercise, and as a new mum she was the one unable to catch her breath on the school run.
“All my life I thought people were like the Lady Gaga song Born This Way – that to be super fit and healthy you had to have different genes,” she admits.
“What I love about sharing my journey is that if I can, you can. I don’t have any talent for these things, but I’m okay at sucking at stuff. I have the attitude that I want to get better, so I just keep going.”
It was that attitude that saw her building up from puffing her way around the block for 10 minutes, to running 25 marathons. From being unable to even hoist up a bar in the gym, to deadlifting 101kg. From being overwhelmed by myriad health messaging, to having a library of 800 wellness books and writing her own. And from being self- conscious about her figure to rocking a bikini.
“I’m in the best shape of my life,” enthuses Rachel, who now lives in Auckland but refers to the Bay of Plenty as her ‘heart home’. “I have transformed myself, I know the power of it and how it changes your life. To be able to help others with it is a life-long purpose.”
One of the ways Rachel motivates others is by encouraging them to be role models for the next generation. She has certainly seen how her journey has impacted on her kids Zach, 16, Lachie, 14, and nine-year-old Finn. She not only sets the barometer for them health wise, but also educates them through her philanthropic work.
A supporter of The Cambodia Charitable Trust, Rachel is also an ambassador of Achilles, a charity which helps those with disabilities take part in mainstream athletics; and she has run many marathons as the support person for these
runners.
“To give back is really important, and I think it’s a great lesson for my kids to see that,” says Rachel. “A big thing in achieving happiness is taking time to give back.”
And moving forward, giving back and spreading the message is her focus.
“I’d love to do more workplace wellness workshops,” explains Rachel, who is also a sought-after content and recipe developer, creating healthy dishes for the likes of Vitamix. “I love working with teams to elevate their health and happiness levels, and manage stress better. After all, a happier workforce is more productive, so it’s wellness work that can impact a company’s bottom line.”
RACHEL’S EASY WAYS
TO ACHIEVE BALANCE
• Consider where you’re spending your energy. Where energy goes, energy flows, so put every energy into your dream and focus on your own life – rather than caring what anyone else thinks or does.
• Tune into the power of play. People get stressed and anxious, and need to bring back what gives them joy and makes them feel good.
• Eat more protein. This is important for satiety – feeling fuller for longer. It will help you quit snacks and build muscle, which boosts your metabolism.
• Showing up is everything. It doesn’t matter how well you do, if you practice, you will get better.
• Tap into the group effect. Exercise is more fun if you do it with a friend, it becomes less about the run and all about the catch up. It also forces you to show up