Rachael Finch: Trust the Unexpected Things in Life

You dance, cook, present, model, you’re active AND you’re a mum. How do you fit everything in?

R: It’s challenging, I must admit. We definitely have mastered the art of time-management, balance and working together as a team and that team effort is key. Misha and I share the load at home fifty-fifty and it’s really important to ensure that you’re working together to get everything done.

We’re not superhuman! We go downstairs into the kitchen, we pop up our laptops and that’s our office. So we’re very lucky in that respect that we can really spend time with the kids, navigate work – we’re always open with communication and what we need to do.

You work closely with your husband and Dancing With the Stars partner Michael Miziner. Was it unexpected, meeting someone through the show?

R: I had never set foot on a dance floor before! I remember walking into the dance studio that we were in and thinking, ‘He’s gotta be gay!’ He was so good looking from top to toe, so polished and such a gentleman – and still is to this day. We went to the cafe downstairs and just chatted away and literally within a few weeks I had my toothbrush at his place. It was really quick. Six months after we met, he proposed.

We just knew it was right, we had the same core values and beliefs and we had to trust whatever was ahead of us. There are always going to be obstacles and questions about the right time to have a baby, or the right time to go for that job – there is really no right time, it’s just trusting what you have in front of you and really embracing that, in order to just make the most of the moment.

In what way has taking risks benefited you?

It’s enabled me to just make the most out of life. More opportunities come to those who aren’t so rigid in a formula that they’re following. If you’re just letting your instinct guide you, you’re more likely to come across unexpected opportunities. I’m a big believer that the energy that you put out is the energy you’re going to get back. If you’re positive about situations, that comes back to you. I really believe the relationships that we have around us, the people and the brands that we work with, are all indicative of the energy that we’ve first invested towards them. That’s been a huge part of our brand.

Do you think it’s important to look the part while you work out?

When you feel good in what you’re wearing, you feel more confident within yourself and you’re more motivated to train harder and get a better result. I really believe there’s a psychological connection with the way we look and how we sit and ultimately how we perform. It’s amazing. That’s why one of the things I’m always saying on social is, ‘You need to feel good about yourself, feel supported, feel connected, feel strong, in order to get a better result.’ When I do, I definitely go for longer and I go harder as well.

What advice would you give people who want to start getting active?

Start slow. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Don’t go hard too fast because you’re going to overwhelm yourself and set yourself up for failure. It’s about getting outside and doing a 15-20 minute walk at the end of the day to wind down – if that’s all you can manage, do that and slowly work your way up to a small circuit or a yoga class, or a stretch session that incorporates a toning component. The reason why we break up my BODY program the way we do is to work all components of the body. You’ve just got to keep moving! Move your body and try new things. Humans are designed to move and it’s really important.

How did you find a workout style that you enjoy?

I mix it up. I do all different types of training – high intensity fitness sessions, cardio, stretch – so I’m trying to train all parts of the body, I don’t just believe in one style. I try and improve flexibility, improve my balance, my coordination. I want to improve my strength, I want good heart health, therefore throughout my week I’ll break up what workouts I do based on what I feel I need to work on from a fitness level.

What’s your tip for getting motivated when you just don’t feel like it?

If I feel like a zombie – Dom’s been up all night teething and I’ve had 2-3 hours sleep in total and I’ve got a big day ahead, I will just give my body time to rest. I’m kinder to myself and I don’t put so much pressure on myself.
If I wake up and I’ve had 8 hours sleep and I’m refreshed but I’m still a bit unmotivated and I need an energy kick, that’s when I’ll put on a really inspiring track, I’ll call someone that helps get me motivated, I’ll remind myself that I got out of bed this morning with two working legs and two working arms and some people don’t even get that privilege in life. So I just draw on as many things as I can to remind myself how bloody grateful I am to be living this life. What’s 30 minutes of my day to do a HIIT session that’s going to give me energy for the rest of my day? I think it’s really important.

Fitness icons are open to a lot of criticism. How do you deal with negativity in the press or from followers?

For me I can read that stuff and ignore it and go about my day. But I think it’s important in this day and age for people to stop commenting negatively on other people’s posts or videos, especially if it’s not something that you would say to someone’s face – that’s the big one – if you’re not going to say something physically to someone, you definitely shouldn’t be typing it in an online forum. But that’s a part of the industry. With every bad comment comes another really good one so I just choose to focus on those.

My advice is, see the positives and support each other. There’s so much hardship in life, say something affirming and positive that’s going to make them feel good because we need more of that.