Holistic health and fitness expert, content creator, and worldschooling mum!
If you haven’t already discovered, I’m Elly McGuinness, and I have an absolute love for holistic fitness, health, and well-being.
For me, it’s all about the way a healthy lifestyle makes me FEEL. In turn, it’s about the knock-on positive effects on all other areas of my life and the lives of others.
I will share my background with you to let you get to know me. Here, you’ll learn about Elly McGuinness (me!) and how I got into the holistic fitness industry.
My school years, when I first became interested in fitness
I was always picked last for teams in school sports due to a lack of confidence. This was just down to not having practiced or played those sports enough.
Soon, I began to care less about other people’s thoughts and get involved anyway. From there, I quickly discovered the fantastic FEELING I got from movement-based activities. I realized that the endorphin release wasn’t limited to the sports or activities I was good at.
Since my teenage years, I have wanted to help others to experience the incredible benefits of FEELING better through movement. This started with coaching gymnastics and aerobics at high school alongside and after my competitive days in those sports.
Elly McGuinness, the undergraduate
The love of the FEELING from regular movement led me to study for a Bachelor of Physical Education, majoring in Exercise Prescription at the University of Otago in New Zealand.
At this time, my understanding of health wasn’t very holistic. My physical fitness was good because I was already teaching several weekly group fitness classes. I ate my vegetables, but I was binge drinking every weekend, if not more frequently. I was also eating plenty of crappy food. Antibiotics for various ailments and sleeping off a hangover for an entire day were the norm – a true ‘party girl.’
I took a few weeks off drinking during my first year at Uni to prepare to compete at the South Island competitive aerobics championships. You can even look at my solo routine in the video below. Yes, it’s from way back in 1999!
Don’t worry; I moved beyond those university years!
Somehow, I finished two degrees, and during this time, I spent a couple of years working/traveling/studying abroad. I landed my first full-time role in fitness in the UK in 2004. Here, I got a fitness qualification with ACSM (The American College of Sports Medicine), and it was around then that I started to take more of an interest in nutrition.
I began to understand the value of organic food. I was introduced to Eastern medicine philosophy, and the beginning of my holistic fitness outlook was formed. Having already been a committed vegetarian for three years at this point (for ethical and environmental reasons), I began to really embrace my food choices from a health perspective.
I worked in roles including group fitness instruction, personal training, studio coordination, fitness management, and developmental gymnastics for babies and children between 2004 and 2008. Then, it was time for a short stint as a fitness trainer on board one of the largest cruise ships in the world. Deciding that this role didn’t fit my moral values, I ‘jumped ship’ quickly and traveled more.
The birth of ‘Natural Balance Health and Fitness’
The idea for Natural Balance Health and Fitness was born somewhere along the Amazon River. This was to be a business where I could work on my terms and within my values. Ultimately I wanted to help people make improvements to their, health, fitness and lifestyle.
Things ticked along nicely for the next five years, during which time I offered personal training, group fitness classes, and outdoor sessions. I had stints working as a course tutor at the New Zealand Institute of Health and Fitness and Southern Institute of Technology. I presented at the FITEX conference a couple of times and was a finalist in the New Zealand Fitness Awards for three consecutive years.
Motherhood
At the beginning of 2013, my journey as a mom began. By the way, I put together a comprehensive blog post all about my prenatal fitness journey, in case you want to check it out. I’ve even shared the personal story of our home birth.
I was committed to being a hands-on mom and decided that personal training and group fitness needed to be put on hold while I formulated more of a working-from-home plan. As many moms can probably relate to, I found the adjustment to being a mom and trying to find a new career path very challenging.
Before I knew it, months of majorly interrupted sleep patterns and the stress of trying to figure out this ‘new life’ had led me into a downward spiral of insomnia and post-natal depression.
Somehow, among all that, I managed to write and publish my first book ‘Burning fat for Good’ in 2014. I was also very focused on my exercise regime in an attempt to stop the depression, curb my insanity, and help me find my way in this ‘new life.’
I put myself on the side that my clients are usually on by entering the ‘Catch Fitness 20 Week Challenge’ and subsequently winning the ‘New Moms’ category. Ironically, the time when I probably looked great on the outside and appeared to have a lot going for me I was struggling the most to ‘find my way’ on the inside. I was vaguely aware that this was the ‘wired and tired’ stage of adrenal fatigue, but I knew there was no ‘quick fix’. My ability to do things in day-to-day life was not inhibited, so I kept going.
Hello and goodbye ‘Just Organic’
In 2015, we took on a family business called ‘Just Organic’. We delivered organic fruit, vegetable, and food boxes to customers throughout New Zealand. I loved it because it was purpose-driven and aligned with my beliefs about holistic health.
As most business owners do, we worked our butts off…but 15 months later, we called it a day. Our health, wealth, and relationships were all seriously affected. Ironically, this was for a business we initially anticipated would provide us with a desirable, family-focused lifestyle! We took significant risks and gave up a lot (including our house and, eventually, our rental property).
With a desire to put our family and well-being first, the business closed in October 2016. We packed up our life in Christchurch and drove to Gisborne to spend time with family. We had no idea what would be next.
‘Natural Balance’ becomes ‘Elly McGuinness Holistic Health and Fitness’
In December 2016, my holistic health and fitness business was re-born and ready for re-launch in 2017. I gradually re-branded away from Natural Balance and towards my name as my brand. Although I no longer offer coaching services, I now provide my health and fitness copywriting and ghostwriting services with the same enthusiasm I’ve always had!
Since February 2017, I have lived a location-independent lifestyle with my family. We sold most of what we own and love our minimalist lifestyle where we work online and have no fixed abode. We spent the first three years slow-traveling Southeast Asia, the next three years in Europe, and then a year in Australasia. Recently, we have been moving between Australasia and Southeast Asia.
At the beginning of 2019, I gave birth to our second beautiful daughter. Our family is complete! I’m happy to report that I didn’t experience postnatal depression the second time around. I’m super excited to help mamas find a healthy balance between looking after themselves and the needs of their families.
The ‘Elly McGuinness’ holistic fitness philosophy
These days, I‘m a committed health and wellness content provider. I do this through my wellness copywriting and ghostwriting services and by sharing articles on my blog. I address several health aspects, including movement, healthy eating, stress, sleep, thoughts, and relationships. Ultimately, I aim to help everyday people along their path to optimal health. While I lean towards natural medicine, I recognize that an integrative approach is often the most positive way forward.
Adrenal fatigue, depression, insomnia, stress, IBS, and chronic fatigue are all conditions I can relate to. Throughout 2017, I gradually recovered from severe adrenal fatigue (aka “burnout”), and I’m passionate about helping others to do the same. I also understand the challenges of balancing family, career, and health.
I believe that food is medicine. ‘Prevention’ is very important, and each person requires an individual approach. Holistic health and wellness experts like me also know that your results come from what you do most of the time (not ‘some’ of the time) and that you should do what you love. You can learn more about the ‘Elly McGuinness’ holistic fitness philosophy on my ‘About’ page.