Monique Rana
My Passions
I have always loved feeling strong and fit - even when I was younger. At school, I loved long-distance running and swimming. When I began modeling at 17, I needed to be in good shape so I maintained a physically active lifestyle.
The fitness and health industry has always been a passion of mine, which is why I took up teaching aerobics as a part-time job to supplement my modeling income. I love guiding others to making positive changes in their lives; to make them realize how without good health, all else may suffer.
My passion for helping young, troubled female teenagers stems from my disordered way of thinking and low self-esteem many years ago. It is equally important to me to help new mothers understand that we are the role models for our daughters; therefore, we need to have a healthy relationship with our food, exercise and our bodies.
My top three guiding values are optimum health and fitness, my family and my spiritual health. I believe it’s important to exercise everyday. Be it, a jog or walk with my dog, weight session, hip-hop class with my daughter or bushwalking in nature. I also prioritise ‘me’ time where I do either 10 minutes of Chi Gong breathing exercises after a walk or spend time in prayer/reflection. This allows me to ‘sharpen my saw’, as Stephen Covey aptly puts it.
I have read many books from leaders in business and life, from Stephen Covey, Kenneth Blanchard and Tony Robbins to the Bible. Both personally and professionally, I use tools from each of them. In 1996 I attended the “Unleash the Power Within” Firewalk Seminar with Tony Robbins. There were over 1,200 people in attendance, and I was fortunate enough to get on stage with him. On stage, Tony performed a NLP technique on me. He linked the ‘pleasure’ I had with my exercise training to the ‘displeasure’ I had studying to become a personal trainer. It worked. Two months later, I became an Exercise Specialist from Coopers Clinic. As a driven person by nature, I have had to learn not all things are black and white. I’ve learned to like the shades of grey in order for me to feel successful. I’ve realized I can’t change the game of life - BUT I can change the rules I choose to live by. I no longer set rules to allow me to fail easily. I set rules that allow me to succeed. As the saying goes, “Every day above ground is a good day.” The only way I could fail is if I give up.
