THE POWER OF POSITIVE ENERGY

SARAH SHORTT: Lisa, you’re renowned for your high energy. How exactly do you keep your energy levels up all the time?

LISA OSBORNE: I love being around positive, smiley people. I always surround myself with great people in places that have energy – and that’s where I get my energy from. I have chosen to live my life in that space and surround myself with positive quotes and things that are motivating to me.

In the morning I make lunches, get the kids ready for school, take the kids to school… and I’m not so high energy then. But as soon as I walk into the gym or the Les Mills Office I switch into energy mode. My energy very much comes from others. I love what I do and I love Les Mills. I look forward to each and every day!

You’re a strong role model for women across the world. Do you find it easy to speak up and use your voice?

I believe that we all have a voice and we are all equal. Speaking out is a brave and strong thing to do, and woman especially have great ideas that come from the heart and also the mind! We have ideas, thoughts and feelings that are all different and when we open these up to those around us – that’s how we get the best results. There is often no one 'right way' – and different things work for different people, so there’s no harm in speaking out. I like to see things in the positive, and make the world a more positive place so if I speak out and that’s the result – then give me the mic!

If you don’t like something, then say something about it and then maybe things will change for the better. It can help other people too because when you share what you’re feeling – somebody else is probably feeling that way too. So they can also benefit from you speaking up.

I think the power of a woman in 2018 is that we help and support each other and listen. We are great at listening to other people’s ideas so we can come to a decision that is best for the majority of people. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG!

This is the attitude I take with BODYATTACK – lots of listening and taking other people’s ideas on board. Seeing what’s around so I can make good decisions.

You’re a well-recognized face of Les Mills. Is there a line between the personal and professional face of Lisa Osborne?

Not too much, no. I am who I am. I’m quite open. Like, if someone wants to talk to me about my family or what I like to do in my free time, I’m very honest. I really love what I do and that isn’t an act. I love what we do together (at Les Mills), it’s nothing that I don’t believe in.

The only thing I probably hide is sickness or sadness. I like to be strong all the time and I believe that a positive strong mind is what gets you through challenging times… I always look to the future – I look forward to this day, and the one after that, it’s exciting! I love change and growth – I believe you can be a better person every day.

I like simple things, it doesn’t need to be flash. I just like to be around people who are nice and genuine – good people who care about others. I love to be around positive, driven people that do their best and see the best in others. I love to love!

So how do you cope when you experience negativity?

I live in a bubble that I choose to be a happy bubble, and I carefully choose the people that surround me. People can say terrible things. Not everyone likes me, not everyone likes my choreography and people say things like I’m too old, or too short, or my eye isn’t straight. I can choose to let those things affect me – or not. As I’ve got older I’ve got very good at not letting the small stuff detract from what I really feel I can do. Sometimes you can end up going down the rabbit hole and I don’t want to go into those holes for a long period of time. I want to get out of them rather than keep digging and getting further into them.

If I don’t like someone or something doesn’t make me feel good, I’ll choose to move away from it and shut it down very quickly. I don’t stay in a bad place for a long time or anything.

It’s not easy. I work on this and I teach it to my kids. Like if someone teases Hunter (Lisa’s seven year old son) I will ask him, “well are you that person? Did you do that?” If he says no, then I say don’t worry about it. It’s their problem, not yours. It’s not who you are.

Be BRAVE, walk away and be with the people who make you feel good!

If someone says something negative I can choose to take it on board – or walk away… I know my purpose is bigger than that so I don’t let it bring me down or make me stop what I’m doing. That’s how I keep my energy high and I stay positive.

So if you are in a challenging situation, how do you get back to your happy place?

When I’m sad, I don’t just think about what’s making me sad, I think about others. I don’t want to bring anyone else down. I don’t want people to be sad with my sadness. Everyone’s got their own sadness so you might as well just get on with it. Be sad for a minute and then move on and make the best of your situation. And then make other people feel better.

I’m not a very deep person. I don’t like going deep because when you go deep you go into sad places. I live in the present and look forward to tomorrow. I want to be happy and just make tomorrow a great day with the people that surround me tomorrow.

Trust me, it can be hard. I’ve had times in my life that have been tough. I’ve woken up and thought, why am I bothering? I could just stay in bed… but then when you think about it, what does that achieve? This switch only takes me a few seconds – then I quickly get moving! I don’t do negative very well. I’m not very tolerant with negativity. There are always people that are worse off than you. When my kids say they’re starving – I say, “Kids in Africa are starving – you are just hungry!”

There are always people who need you to make them feel better, and I feel like that’s my job and I achieve this through my work with Les Mills – in all the classes, videos, presentations, big events… It’s my responsibility and it’s one of the things that makes me, me – I can provide experiences that make people smile – love – feel positivity in their life!

What’s been the most challenging experience of your life?

Being a great Mum is challenging… I want to be the best Mum I can be and bring up my boys to be good men – live wonderful lives and have the skills to be the best they can be!

Finding the right balance of being a role model to my kids as an athlete and also having a full time job - and then being 100 percent present when it’s their time – is super hard. You know, it’s made me much more empathetic to how much time people have, what they go through. I have a better understanding of what they can do with exercise.

And – it’s not an experience but the most challenging thing to me in my life is… TIME! I never have enough time, I would love to have two more hours a day. I try to balance my days with being a great mum – work – training and then a wife! I think I manage – but I’m always hoping for more sleep – more time to sit down. But that’s not going to happen and as much as I’d like more sleep… I’d prefer to keep moving! Keep busy! Keep changing the world! Can’t do that sleeping.

What does being a strong person mean to you?

I think it’s about having the confidence to say what you think, believe in who you are and also respect that everyone in life is different. A strong person has a strong mindset to be brave, accept challenges, look ahead, be open to growing and change. A strong person can say no.

Sometimes people want to pop my bubble of energy and positivity and sunshine –like if I got sick or injured. People might say, “is this the end of Lisa?” I’d say, “hell no!” If I get injured, I’ll be back again and stronger than ever. Life is full of blows no matter what age you are, and the challenge is to see past the difficulties, identify how you can get over them, and move on.

For the last few months, I’ve been scared I might have cancer. For real. It’s been really scary. I could have cried for days, but I chose to say, if it happens, then I’ll deal with it. But I found out today that I don’t have cancer – so today is an amazing day!

Take filming Masterclass. If all the presenters are tall, then just because you’re short, you shouldn’t think that you’re out, or there’s no hope for you. Because you’ll have something else. You’ll have another thing that gives you magic, that makes you special. So being strong is believing in yourself and being the best version of yourself! Life is about choices and making the right ones – this is what being strong means to me.

If someone says, “I don’t like BODYATTACK”, I never get upset. I’m like, well, as long as you’re doing some form of exercise, that’s all that matters. Some people need to do three workouts a week, some five, I need fifteen – that’s just how I am. Do what makes you happy… in my class, I really don’t mind if they go left when everyone else if going right, or that they do their own thing at the back of the room, or even if they stop. I really only care that they are in a space that is positive and happy and are exercising in a way that works for them.

I believe I’ve become a stronger person as I’ve got older because of all my experiences and of finally finding out who I am: what I stand for, what I believe in, and accepting what I can and cannot change in my life.

I also think a strong woman today finds time to do what she loves; for me it’s exercise and training. I love to do this every day as it makes me feel strong on the inside and outside and also strengthens my mind! Women should find time to do what they love so they can then be their best for others!

So how does your inner strength affect your mindset?

I know that things don’t always happen straight away. With being a Crossfit athlete, it took me four years to develop those skills. You’ve got to trust the process and spend the time that it takes to get somewhere and make things happen. And life would be boring if things happened really quickly!

You know, I’ve just started doing LES MILLS SPRINT, and in class the other day everyone was going faster than me. They sped up their legs – far out, they go fast! But I can’t do that yet. So I’m going to make sure I get better at it because I can control that. I’m going to be brave and focused, keep pushing on and looking for tomorrow … and make today a great day. I say that at the end of my classes, “happy days everyone!” And I really mean it.

I tell my kids, “no one has the right to make you sad. And if they do make you sad, don’t let them in your life.” Every one of us deserves a happy day. We all deserve to feel good and nobody has the right to put you down. And that’s how I choose to live my life.

LISA ON TRAINING AND DIET

I like to do short bursts of training rather than spending hours in the gym. I’m better for everybody after I’ve exercised! My brain works better and I’m in a better mood. Since I was able to walk I’ve exercised every day: after school, at weekends … I’ve always trained, it’s how I was brought up. I choose training that will make me function really well for BODYATTACK, so it’s a variety of strength and cardio.

I always include three cardio sessions a week, and this might be running or cycling. Cycling could be 30 minutes straight, or short intervals.

I do one CXWORX class a week for my core strength. I also swim once a week. I do some kind of functional training like gymnastics four times a week.

I don’t like rest days because I need to keep moving! Sunday is my rest day but it’s an active rest day. I might go for a bike ride with my kids or go for a swim … I still do something, but I don’t go hard out.

Being active is how I stay creative. I don’t like sitting down at a desk. I can be more creative when I’m walking, running or cycling with my headphones on. I just like to keep moving.

Lisa’s classes

Tuesday	5:10pm	BODYATTACK (55 mins)
Wednesday	10:10am	BODYATTACK (45 mins)
Thursday	4:10pm	BODYATTACK (45 mins)
Saturday	8:10am	BODYSTEP (55 mins)

My day starts between 6:30am and 7am, and I always have a snuggle with the kids. Then coffee! The first hour of my day is all about them – breakfast, school lunches, finishing homework.

My breakfast is whatever the kids don’t eat – so some porridge from Jackson or cereal from Hunter. And I might have a boiled egg. I don’t usually eat a big breakfast. If I do decide to have a proper breakfast it will be eggs on toast and a spinach shake, or a big bowl of porridge.

Jackson gets the bus to school, and I take Hunter to school. Then my day starts, and every day is different.

Two days a week Hunter goes to early morning daycare and I come into the Les Mills office early – about 730am – so I can get some work done before I train at 9am. I have my morning tea around 9am and it’s usually a protein bar or a shake. Then I train at the gym.

I go back to the office after training and will work right through until 2pm, when I train again.

I pick Hunter up at 3:30pm and then I have lunch, which might consist of tuna and crackers, sushi, eggs, or chicken.

Dinnertime depends on which day it is. Some days it might be 6pm, other days it’s 8pm when I’m teaching. Dinner is usually meat and vegetables. I like lamb chops with broccoli, or peas, or beans. Or omelettes. My kids will say, “what are we having for dinner? Oh, mum’s home. We’re having eggs!” I’m very happy that my husband generally does the cooking. My final block of working comes after the kids go to bed and I can focus on my music and choreography - when it’s nice and quiet.

I’ve got a real sweet tooth and I eat lollies and chocolate every single day. I only eat milk chocolate, never dark – that’s way too healthy! I like Cadbury’s Dairy Milk. I like to play with the lollies. Like those gummy teeth – I put them in my mouth and pretend to have false teeth and I say to my husband and kids, “kiss me with these teeth in!” I love it.

Lisa’s Special Omelette

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 of an onion, chopped
• 3-4 mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 of red bell pepper
• 2 forkfuls of canned tuna
• Spinach
• Coconut oil for frying
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dried herbs (rosemary, oregano, etc.)
• Cherry tomatoes
• Avocado, sliced

Instructions

1. Heat coconut oil in frying pan over medium high heat.
2. Cook onions, bell peppers for 1-2 minutes, until translucent and soft.
3. Add in mushrooms, tuna and spinach, and cook for about 1 more minute.
4. Set cooked vegetables aside.
5. In separate bowl, mix eggs well and add in salt, pepper, and dried herb seasonings.
6. Pour egg into pan, spreading continuously as egg begins to thicken.
7. Add cooked vegetables once edges start to turn golden brown, then fold egg on top.
8. Let cook for a couple more minutes, or until eggs are set.
9. Slide onto plate, top with sliced tomatoes and avocados.
10. Serve immediately.
11. Enjoy!