After a summer of excess sport.co.uk felt it was time to get in shape, we needed a personal trainer but not any trainer…we needed the best. After an extensive search it became obvious there was only one candidate; meet Catherine Belso our new favourite fitness maestro and former Miss Bikini Britain! As well as inspiring us to tone up she gave us an insight into the world of swimsuit modelling and how not to chat up a hot babe! Enjoy…
Hi Catherine, congratulations, how does it feel to be sport.co.uk ‘hot babe of the week’?
It’s fantastic and I’m very honoured and flattered that you’ve asked me.
The privilege is all ours Catherine. So we understand you are a personal trainer, how did you get into that?
I’ve always been into fitness and been very sports orientated so it’s been a natural progression. It was a bit of a risk making my hobby my living but its really paid off, I really love what I do. I’ve got my own studio set up near Cambridgeshire and a great client base…
What would you say is the key to getting people motivated?
Everyone is so individual, so it’s really just about finding the right buttons to press. You really have to be a good judge of character and see the signs. Generally it helps if people can picture their target weight, muscle tone or whatever they are trying to achieve. That’s a great starting place!
I think a great deal of the problems are psychological in my experience; especially with women. You just need to give them a bit of a push and say if I can do it, you can do it.
Did you have any other sporting ambitions prior to taking on this challenge?
I’m a horse rider actually and focus mostly on show jumping and cross country. I still have horses, I’m breaking in a couple of youngsters at the moment, but it won’t be long before I’m show jumping on them.
London 2012 is on the horizon; do you fancy your chances?
(laughs)…well its about time they had an Arabian horse doing that.
We were doing a bit of research about your past and noticed you finished 1st in the Miss Bikini Britain competition, when and how did that come about?
I won that competition in 2006 and it was run through a body building foundation called Musclemania. It was a wonderful experience, I worked really, really hard to get in shape for it and after my success I was sponsored to go out and compete in Miss Bikini America! It was just amazing competing against the best bikini bodies in the world.
Are there different attitudes to the competition across the pond?
Oh yeah, the Americans take it so seriously. They are so passionate about it, it’s quite inspiring the way they dedicate their life to the competitions. In the UK everybody is so friendly and warm…there is a real community. In the States there were more cliques, but I suppose coming from a different country that was to be expected.
How did you get on in the States?
I was really pleased with the result actually. I came eleventh overall and was actually quite close in points to first place. I was in the running with the best girls some of whom were just unbelievable! I’d love to compete in the States again and this time I’d probably take a different angle. I’ve learnt from my mistakes and I’d probably choose a different swim suit! I’d love to win a title over there.
Would you say your success in this Miss Bikini Britain title was your biggest achievement?
Well in terms of my success in the bikini world then yes. Outside that though I had meningitis when I was 23 and it was touch and go as to whether I’d recover. I think making a comeback from that and going on to greater things was very important. The illness really spurred me on to achieve something that I can tell the grandchildren about.
What opportunities have come your way since the bikini title success?
I was on the front cover of Women’s Fitness magazine and have a sponsorship with Maximuscle which gets me great coverage in the mainstream retail environment. I’ve done features in Men’s Health and Personal Trainer magazine where I give tips on how to keep in good shape and tone your muscles.
There is a great deal of focus in the media on the obesity problem faced by the country; what would you do to change things?
I think it’s simple; kids need to do more sport. When I was at school I did sport everyday. Our school dinners weren’t particularly healthy but none of us were obese or overweight. I think kids need to be active while they are young and schools need to play a major part in creating that environment. Exercise feeds the brain and wakes you up.
Have you ever had any grand ambitions to become the Jamie Oliver of the fitness world…perhaps you could lead the charge against obesity?
That would be brilliant; I’d love to be some kind of ambassador for that certainly!
What are your plans for the near future?
I’ve got a few things which are possibilities at the moment, but I’m keeping a lid on them until I get confirmation! I might be heading down the television route hopefully either giving out fitness advice or even a game show. So watch this space… (Laughs)
Finally, Catherine what’s the worst chat up line you’ve ever heard?
Oh god…I heard a really bad one the other day, it was so bad! I think the guy said, ‘Hey do you know where there’s a vet? Because these swans are sick…’ and then he tensed his biceps.
I hope you ran away?
Oh god yeah…this was from a guy who truly loved himself! (laughs)
Thanks for talking to sport.co.uk Catherine, we wish you all the best for the future!
If you fancy learning more about Catherine you can check out her myspace account at www.myspace.com/kityo. For more information about her sponsors Maximuscle check out www.maximuscle.com.