124 Sep/Oct 2017 oxygenmag.com.au
Spotlight
Wo rd s: Sara Richards /Photos by:Dallas Olsen /Hair And Makeup:Teagan Woodford /Location:World Gym MalagaS
ports and fitness played a pivotal
role in Sara’s childhood and she
knew that whatever career path
she chose it would be an active one.
The only missing piece of the puzzle was the
direction that she would take on her fitness
journey; it was only after joining a gym at the
age of 16 and starting her first basic full-body
program that she knew she wanted to make
her passion for health and fitness her career.
Now a qualified personal trainer with a
Certificate 3 and 4 in fitness, her focus has
shifted from pushing herself to pushing others
towards their fitness goals, particularly those
who lack the knowledge and motivation to
make a start. Sara feels that while her personal
health and wellness will always be at the front
of her mind, helping people who struggle with
their personal body image and who don't quite
have the determination to reach where they
want to be on their own, has given her an even
better understanding and appreciation for
training, nutrition and discipline.
Setting small goals, Sara believes, is an
important step in reaching the bigger, long-
term goals and reminds women to appreciate
the little improvements.
“Start with small steps towards your big
goal and work at it every day. When you feel
like giving up work even harder, it all pays
off!” she says.
“But listen to your body’s signals and don’t
be too hard on yourself, women can often get
too critical of themselves.”
However, Sara’s path to success, as many
do, veered off course as a result of her
boredom and she found herself partying andIf she’s not on stage
competing or in the
gym training clients,
WA sports model Sara
Richards is on the beach,
having a BBQ and
playing volleyball or
football with her friends.
drinking rather than focusing on her career.
The constant partying took a toll on her
physical and mental state and it was at the
point that she knew that she needed to find
balance and motivation again.
“If I’m not consistently physically and
mentally pushing myself I just get bored.
“I needed to believe in myself again, build
my self-confidence up and tell myself that I
could reach my goals. A negative mind will
never give you a positive life.
“Motivation isn’t difficult for me, if I feel like
bingeing on junk food I just look at a picture of
myself on stage competing and I snap back
into it. It is important to me to keep my
condition as I enjoy feeling good in my body. It
is a part of who I am!”FAST FACTS
Name: Sara Chelsea Richards
City: Bunbury, WA
Occupation: Personal Trainer
Age: 22
Height: 165cm
Weight: 55kgCONNECT WITH SARA
Instagram: @saracrichards
Facebook: Sara Richards
Fitness Athlete/CoachFinding
balance