👋 Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
Hi there! My name is Diana Chaloux – LaCerte and I’m 42 years old. I live in Kansas City, Missouri with my husband Micah! We are co-owners of Hitch Fit Gyms and Hitch Fit Online Personal Training.
We began Hitch Fit in 2009, and since then I get to help clients in Kansas City and globally achieve their fitness goals. It is the BEST job ever to help people become the best version of themselves!
I’m also a 2x Fitness World Champion, Top Magnum Pro, and have been featured in magazines including Oxygen, Muscle & Fitness Hers and Natural Muscle.
I’m an author and entrepreneur, and honoree of the “Kansas City Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business” class of 2015. I’ve also been on the cover of “Thinking Bigger Business” Magazine, and Hitch Fit was named one of the Top 25 under 25 Small businesses in Kansas City 2017.
I competed for my first time in 2005 after losing 50 pounds and undergoing my own personal transformation.
I won my first show, and that changed everything for me! I knew that there was no turning back. I competed for 7 years, won seven shows including two World Champion titles.
I became a personal trainer in 2002. I realized that the gym was the place I loved to be!
I started competing because I always admired the women I saw in Oxygen magazine and wanted to be one of them.
I began my weight loss journey after gaining weight on a cruise ship where I was working as the fitness director!
I completely changed all my habits, lost the weight and found my true passion and purpose in life. Helping others transform.
In addition to fitness, I am a woman of faith and love spending time with the Lord. I love traveling with my husband, writing and I’m a cat lover!!
⏱ Describe a typical day of training
Although we have 2 gym locations, I prefer doing my own training right at home!
A typical training day for me would include cardio in the morning (this can be anywhere from a quick 20 minutes to an hour depending on if I am just maintaining or working towards a fitness goal).
I enjoy doing split training routines. I strength train anywhere from 3-5 days of the week depending on if I’m in a prep or just maintaining.
Although we have 2 gym locations, I prefer doing my own training right at home! We have a well-equipped home gym with lots of “toys” to play with so I never get bored!
Honestly, I like training at home because I don’t have the distractions here. At the gyms, either clients or trainers want to chat, so I just find that at home I can stay focused and get done what I need to.
We also have a set up at home where I can put the garage door up and it’s basically like training outside which I love!!
I do my strength training in the afternoon. Sometimes Micah and I work out at the same time, but I actually prefer training alone and just listening to my favorite music.
Depending on the day and schedule I will strength train anywhere from 30 – 90 minutes. If I’m training heavier and need longer recovery between sets, then training takes longer.
Some days I train heavy with longer recovery and other days I train at a moderate weight and move more quickly through movements keeping my heart rate elevated.
I like to switch back and forth and rarely do the same routine twice. I enjoy varying workouts up and trying new things.
I love traditional lifting, but also incorporate a lot of functional and non-traditional training in order to be strong at all angles.
👊 How do you keep going and push harder?
I set big goals. If I find motivation is lagging, I may set up a photo shoot or strength goals that I want to achieve.
As a woman in my 40’s, training isn’t optional. It is something I MUST do if I want to stay strong and fit for decades to come.
My perspective on training is different than it was when in my 20 and 30’s. I realize just how important it is now not just for what I look like on the outside, but for how well my body is operating internally too!
I want to live an active lifestyle for many, many years. In order to do that, I have to keep my body strong.
When motivation is low, I tell myself I’m just going to do 10 minutes. I just get in there and do it.
Most of the time I do much more than 10 minutes, but needed that little mental trick to get myself going. Once I’m at the gym, and moving, I want to do more.
With motivation, I think it’s important to understand that if you want to be successful at achieving and keeping a high level of fitness, that means that you SHOW UP. And that doesn’t just mean on the days that you feel like it. It means you still show up even when you don’t feel like it.
If you want to be successful at achieving fitness goals (or even in your job, relationships etc.), then you have to understand that you may not always feel like doing something, but if you want the big long term reward and goal, then you still DO it.
Training is a mandatory part of my lifestyle. Making healthy choices is a part of who I am and what I do. I make it a priority regardless of where I am.
It doesn’t mean things go perfectly all the time. It doesn’t mean I train for hours every day. But it means that healthy choices are going to comprise the majority of what I do, because it’s a part of my identity.
🏆 How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
I want to be the strongest I have been in my life in my 40’s.
I recently prepped for a couple of big opportunities. I had the chance to shoot for Magnum Nutraceuticals up in Canada as one of their Top Pro athletes.
My husband Micah and I also had the chance to be in the movie Supps: the Movie a film by Alex Ardenti which is available now on Amazon Prime. We will also be in the fitness docuseries “Access Muscle” which will be on Amazon Prime.
Hitch Fit is doing well as we just celebrated our 10 year anniversary for both our online personal training business and our gyms in Kansas City! We have a wonderful team of transformation trainers at our local gyms who are helping us transform a lot of lives!
My personal goal right now is to gain more strength. I want to be the strongest I have been in my life in my 40’s. I’m working on building muscle and lifting heavier than I ever have!
🤕 How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
As a woman in my 40’s, I can tell you that it is so important to listen to your body!
I warm up thoroughly prior to training. I challenge myself with weight, but I also don’t train in ways that would be a high likelihood of injuring myself.
I make sure to get a lot of sleep as that is critical for good recovery. If I’m overly sore, then I take an extra rest day. If my body needs rest, I give it rest. Rest is just as important for gaining strength as working hard in the gym!
I take G (Glutamine) from Magnum Nutraceuticals. I’m also a big fan of Epsom salt baths for recovery. I also take time to stretch and use foam rollers whenever I have a lot of soreness.
🍎 How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
My flow each day is pretty similar and I really enjoy it!
When it comes to nutrition, I believe in teaching and practicing myself, a balanced and sustainable eating style.
As someone who lost 50 pounds and has kept it off for over 14 years, I know the importance of eating a style that you can actually stick with over time and enjoy!
I believe in keeping in all food groups. So my daily nutrition consists of healthy carb sources, lean proteins and fats.
Some of my favorite foods are oats, sweet potato, brown rice and rice cakes. I eat a lot of lean ground turkey, white fish, chicken, and whey protein. Some favorite fats are avocado, coconut oil, natural almond butter and almonds.
I drink a lot of water each day and coffee or tea on occasion. I eat tons of vegetables, and also keep fruit in on a regular basis.
At this point, I don’t count calories, I don’t use fitness apps or anything like that. I’ve been eating this way for so long that I just don’t need to any longer.
My flow each day is pretty similar and I really enjoy it!
My day to day life means eating clean about 80 – 90% of the time. This leaves room for eating out with my husband and treats and cheats!
When I’m in prep for something like a photo shoot, then I keep my eating dialed in 100%. Sticking with clean eating 80 – 90% of the time for maintenance allows me to keep my body in a place where I feel strong, fit and healthy, but also get to enjoy life.
When in maintenance, my husband and I go out to eat 1-2 times per week (usually on the weekend). When we are home, we eat clean the majority of the time, so save our treats and cheats for going out for date night!
I use the best supplements in the world. Magnum Nutraceuticals. I LOVE Magnum supplements. They are the only ones I will use. I take a LOT of Magnum!!
These supplements are pharmaceutical grade, and we independently tested them in order to feel confident recommending them to Hitch Fit clients (since there are many supplements that are junk!).
My stack includes: Magnum Quattro Protein Powder, Primer Multi Vitamin, ACID (Magnum’s CLA), Rocket Science (Pre-Workout), Mane Braine (No-Tropic), G-Spring (for great sleep), and for Pre-workout I use Volume, DNA and Hard Muscle Builder. I also use G (Glutamine) and E-Brake and Carne Diem (Carnitine) before bed.
For full details on my Magnum stack and a coupon code for 21% off any Magnum product just send me an email at [email protected]
👍 What has inspired and motivated you?
I was initially inspired by seeing women in Oxygen magazine. I wanted so much to be like them! When I went through my transformation and actually BECAME one of the women in Oxygen, it was truly a dream come true!
My motivation now comes from knowing that God’s path and purpose for my life is largely through fitness and helping others gain strength in body mind and spirit.
Knowing that is what I’m supposed to be doing really helps me to keep myself in a great place too.
I know that I have to be the rock and foundation that people are leaning on as they go through their own journeys. In order to do that, I have to keep myself strong too!
Some of the best advice I ever received was to always move forward when things didn’t go as planned or expected.
I believe that any form of rejection is redirection and that the things that God has for me, are just for me and not anyone else.
When things don’t work out as I had hoped, I know that means it wasn’t the right path for me, and can just start pursuing something new!
✏️ Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
My final tip is, don’t quit! Never quit.
The most important key to success if you want to improve yourself is BE READY for change. It’s one thing to want change to happen, it’s another entirely to be willing to do what it takes to get there!
If you aren’t willing to take action, consistently, day in and day out, to get to your goal, then you probably won’t get there!
When you know you’re ready. Take a look at where you are, and where you want to be. Then you will need a plan of action on HOW to get there in a realistic way.
For example, if you have 50 pounds to lose, make sure that you give yourself about 5-6 months to achieve that goal in a healthy way, by changing eating and exercise habits.
Once you have the plan. Then you must be consistent and disciplined. Know that discipline is a GOOD thing, because it is what will lead you to success!
My final tip is, don’t quit! Never quit. If you fall off track, then just get right back on. If things don’t go as planned, that’s ok, just start fresh the next day.
If you want to be successful, then never ever quit. Keep going until you get there.
🤝 Are you taking on clients right now?
I am! I provide online personal training globally through Hitch Fit.
I work with online clients anywhere from 12 – 36 weeks depending on their goals. Since 2009, Hitch Fit has aided clients globally and in the Kansas City area shed over 350,000 pounds of fat.
We have clients in 74 countries, so regardless of where you live, if you want to get in great shape, I can help.
I also offer one on one personal training at our two gym locations in the Kansas City area.
📝 Where can we learn more about you?
For online personal training options, visit HitchFit.com.
I can be found on:
Facebook: @DianaChaloux
Instagram: @DianaChaloux
Pinterest: @DianaChaloux
Youtube: @DianaChaloux
Linkedin: @DianaChaloux
You can write to me at [email protected]
