Interview with Base Body Babes Felicia Oreb

Last week Base Body Babes Felicia Oreb and her husband Sebastian visited Canberra and I interviewed Felicia as part of our Wellbeing Warriors series. Felicia is so down to earth and real – I loved listening to her fitness and lifestyle philosophies and the way she lives them out.  I’m excited to share with you what she had to say including her top tip for busy women and Mums who want to stay fit.

Felicia and Seb were in town for their Build Your Base Body Masterclass at the Canberra Centre. Cherie and I attend and were both motivated to increase our strength training! For those of you who haven’t yet seen Cherie popping up on Eat Pray Workout, she is a dear friend and valued team member here. So, here’s my interview with Felicia, I hope you’re inspired too.

Welcome Base Body Babes Felicia Oreb! What inspired you to start Base Body Babes?

After I had my baby in 2010, I decided to get back into shape by training with my husband Sebastian (@australianstrengthcoach) who is also a coach. My sister Diana was working at the child care centre where I was taking my daughter and everyday at school drop off, mums would ask what I did to get back into shape. Diana had already completed her Personal Training Certification and was already really into her training, so all the mums asked us if we could train them. This prompted us to start outdoor bootcamp for mums, specialising in training with weights. It was not long after this that other women (not mums) began to notice us and the results we were getting for our clients and soon enough we were approached to help them get into shape also. This is when we expanded our business and created our online training services, we wanted something that would cater for all women (not just mums) and we wanted to reach and help more people than those in our local surroundings, so Base Body Babes was born.

What is a typical day like for you?

I have a child and a husband, so I am always up early, getting them and myself ready for our day. I do school drop off, check in with all of our amazing staff and help them during our very busy mornings in the cafe and gym, then on the computer to do emails and organise all of our businesses. Once we are all in order, I get on the gym floor to train myself and any clients and then back to the computer and phone to do more work. After school pick up, its back to work to tidy up our work for the day and then dinner time, family time and sleep time.

In your eyes, what has made Base Body Babes successful and why do you think you have over 600 thousand followers on Instagram?

When we started our business, we never expected it to be what it is today. What started as an outdoor bootcamp for women, has now developed into us running several businesses. We have worked extremely hard to create our businesses and we are extremely passionate about what we do, so we hope that our success is a result of this. We absolutely love everything about our work and from the beginning we have always had a very specific message to share with our babes and a strong brand which we think our followers like. We have a heavy focus on strength training for women, which is something which is still quite a new concept that women are slowly but surely embracing. We always stay true to our philosophy and we hope that our followers see that and continue to follow us for our guidance both in and out of the gym.

How do you stay motivated to live a healthy life?

Our biggest driving force is our health. Without it we don’t have much at all. We can’t be the best version of ourselves without good health, so we are always thinking about what we can do to be healthier, fitter and stronger. We encourage everyone to prioritise their health and use that as their motivation.

Also, as sisters we really motivate each other. If there is a day when one of us isn’t feeling as motivated, we can count on the other to lift us up. We are also fortunate enough to have my husband Sebastian (@australianstrengthcoach) as our coach. He is one of the worlds best strength coaches and always ensures we get our sessions in and are on track to achieving our goals.

What challenges have you faced in launching an online training program?

The most challenging part of all of our work is keeping on top of it all. We love our work and want to do it all, however there not enough hours in the day to get through our workload, so time management, organisation and having a great team are so important.

Do you follow a particular diet and/or include supplements in your diet?

Nutrition is so important to us. We believe in eating a well balanced diet filled with healthy and nutritious whole foods and we try to eat as organically as possible everyday of our lives. We are both quite particular about the foods we put into our bodies. We personally don’t eat gluten or any refined sugar and keep dairy to a minimum because our tummies generally feel better eating this way and we ensure we have a component of protein with every meal.

A typical breakfast for us consists of two to three boiled or scrambled eggs, with 2 slices of gluten free toast spread with organic butter, a side of fresh baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and sauerkraut. We love brekkie; it’s definitely our favourite meal of the day.

Lunch is always a combination of some kind of protein and fresh veggies. We love organic chicken, fish and red meat. We eat the same way for lunch and dinner.

We often snack throughout the day with either a protein packed smoothie with Bare Blends Whey Protein Isolate or nuts and berries.

In regards to supplementation, we don’t actually take any currently. Supplementation can be beneficial for optimal health, particularly if you have deficiencies. However we do not recommend taking any supplementation until consulting your doctor or health care professional and receiving their recommendations.

How do you balance your career and social/family life?

It’s not always easy to feel balanced when you are running several businesses and have a family. I am fortunate enough to work with my husband, sister and even our mum on a daily basis so we get to spend lots of time with our family and are always really supported. It is finding down time which is the biggest battle, trying to switch off from work and spend quality time out with our family and friends. But we do, we make time, we no longer work on Sundays and only do a few hours on a Saturday, so we can do the things we enjoy on a weekend, like catch up with friends, dine out, organise our homes, read magazines, sleep, chill out on the couch and watch tv.

What does ‘wellbeing’ mean to you and how do you maintain it?

Having a healthy and happy mind, body and soul, feeling comfortable in your skin and having the strength and confidence to be able to do everything in life that you want to. I workout regularly with weights, eat a well balanced diet of healthy and nutritious foods, sleep well, stay hydrated with water and take time out to myself to ensure I do not become overwhelmed by my busy life.

What’s your key tip to the average busy/working person that wants to stay fit?

Get organised! Plan your week in advance. Schedule and organise your training as you would a regular work meeting. Consider going to a gym that’s close to work during your lunch break or packing all your healthy ingredients to prepare breakfast at work if you run out of time at home. It’s all about taking small steps that fit into your existing schedule. No matter how you feel, if you’re low on energy or having a bad day, JUST TURN UP, you will feel so much better once you have a completed a great workout.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I am a mum, I don’t often talk about it on social media. Also, that I have been with my husband Seb for 16 years. People are always surprised to hear that about me. [Editor’s note: Yes, this blew my mind! What an inspiration!]

Canberra Centre’s Eden – Masterclasses bringing a Health and Wellness Experience

Canberra Centre together with presenting partner Rolfe BMW, has created a health and wellness sanctuary where they run masterclasses by leading influencers and experts. I’ve been to two masterclasses now and absolutely loved the focus they have on encouraging self-love, mindfulness and self-empowerment. I particularly enjoyed Saturday’s masterclass by Seb and Felicia who are passionate to help people not only see results from their training, but enjoy the process of building your base body by strength training.  Want to come along to the next masterclass? Canberra’s own the Floral Society (see their gorgeous new store on my instagram here – completely in love!) will host the next class which will focus on fruit and flower arrangements for your home. The full list of Eden events is listed below – see the Canberra Centre website to purchase tickets.

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