PRESS RELEASE
MUM OF TWO BEATS COELIAC DISEASE AND BANISHES GLUTEN TO BECOME A MUSCLE MODEL AND A HEALTH AND WELLBEING COACH
Kate Michalkova says being gluten free ‘saved her life'. Katewas dangerously ill at 5st 5lb, having been diagnosed with Coeliac disease. But Kate has transformed her life through healthy eating and exercise, cut out gluten from her diet, and become a successful muscle model and body transformation coach, and she now intends to show other people how to overcome serious health issues through diet and exercise.
Kate, 41, who is based in Gloucestershire as a qualified ladies' body transformation coach, is now using all her skills and experience to teach people the importance of health and wellness. The mum of two has gained her REPS registered nutrition advice qualification and will be using this to help, amongst others, IBS sufferers with her Gluten free and dairy free diet plans.
Kate, who is thebrand ambassador for Jodie Marsh's sports nutrition brand,says: ‘When you are healthy and well, you can prolong life. It's so important to have this as part of your way of living. I teach nutrition and exercise, and I keep it very real. As a mum of two I know how important it is to spend quality time with your family and I aim to honour the work/life balance for people whom I'm coaching.'
Kate, who is originally from Slovakia but has lived in the UK since 1995, has had a lifelong struggle with Coeliac disease. Shewas two when Coeliac disease was presented as a possible cause of ill health, along with an autoimmune deficiency. Kate now understands how gluten affects her: ‘Gluten acts like poison to the body and Iwas lackingin nutrients that prevent the body from functioning normally. Hence I spent my early days in the hospital on drips. It wasn't pleasant.'
Since Coeliac disease was a relatively uncommon diagnosis, Kate finally was put back on a wheat diet at age six, which she semi-tolerated. Although Kate continued to experience symptoms of Coeliac disease such as bloating and occasional cold sores, she went through the next 20 years leading a relatively normal life.
It was after the birth of her first daughter that Kate's health took a dramatic turn for the worse. Kate lost a large amount of weight, plummeting to a mere 76 pounds (5 stone, 5 pounds), and she was prone to dizziness and fainting. She recalls: ‘I lost lots of weight, was very weak, my guts were badly affected and I just felt terminally ill. Looking after the baby and coping with illness I developed anxiety and I was suffering with panic attacks.'
Kate's doctor finally diagnosed her with Coeliac disease as the cause of the problem and put her on a gluten- and wheat-free diet. At that point, Kate also decided to take matters into her own hands by developing her own intense training routine and focusing on clean eating.
Kate says: ‘I've dealt with depression, divorce, and ill health, but I am very positive about the benefits of making change for the better. I encourage clients to eat healthily, sleep a lot and be happy. Endorphins that are released from experience count for a lot towards a happy you inside and out.'
Kate's gluten free diet is key to her success. She explains: ‘My diet is very controlled and strict and I prep all food at home. I check ingredients on the supplements and any packed food I buy. I am limited with eating outside, but some restaurants do have gluten free menus these days and I always double check. I am very disciplined because of my competing background so any different treats or foods do not tempt me - which makes it easier. Supermarkets have a great selection of "free from" foods which helps.'
Her day is now very disciplined with workouts, eating, working and being a mum. ‘I wake up about 6.30am and have coffee. If I cannot train later due to a busy working day, then I would do 25 minutes High interval training in my lounge. I will eat my breakfast and get the children up and take my son to school. Then I go either to work with my clients, or train on my own. By 10.30 I would have my second meal and would carry on with my work, could be admin or making plans for my clients.
‘Lunch is at 1.30pm and I do shopping or housework before I get my son from school 3pm. We will complete his homework and my daughter comes home so that we can all eat together. Then I start prepping and cooking food for the next day. I also have to do more admin or talk to my clients in person. My last meal is about 8pm and I go to bed around 10pm. I still have to perform ordinary tasks, and that's why I understand the need for work/life balance alongside training and being healthy.'
‘I felt I needed to change my life after I was diagnosed with Coeliac disease,' Kate says. "I trained myself from the scratch and introduced healthy meals into my diet. I started to make new recipes and turned my fitness into my profession and passion. Now it's time to share my knowledge to help other people.'
Kate has a fitness diploma to do personal training and give nutrition advice and has a long list of fitness and bikini model wins under her belt, including, most recently, Miami Pro European Championships in April this year; Elite Pro Status; Muscle Model Pro Division 1st place, Fitness model over 35 yrs old Pro Division 1st place.
Kate has over 14,000 Instagram followers who share in her success and with her body transformation coaching she's keen to now share her success tips with them and others. ‘If I can inspire someone to make a positive change in their life, and help them feel better, then it's working. I'll be showing people who to shop and cook, and how to avoid rubbish, because if you eat rubbish you feel rubbish. My coaching is for people of all ages, and for people with health problems too. I'm experienced in gluten-free diets, and I know how tough it can be to come through those problems, but my methods will show people the light at the end of the tunnel.'
Kate can be found at:
www.instagram.com/kt_guest__mp_elitepro
www.facebook.com/kate.michalkova
www.facebook.com/KATE-TOP-Fitness-TIPS
https://twitter.com/katemichalkova
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For high res image of Kate, interviews, or photoshoots, please contactclaire@garfunkelcommunications.co.uk/ 07734 702653
Kate's full list of achievements and federations she has participated in are:
Miami pro European Championships 17thApril 2016
Received ELITE PRO STATUS
Muscle model pro division - 1st place
Fitness model over 35 yrs old pro division - 1st place
Fit Mums...pro division 2ndplace
UKUP 12thJuly 2015
Bikini over 35 years old - 1stplace
Fitness model under 163 cm - 1stplace
Miami pro European Championships 5thJuly 2015
Received PRO STATUS
Bikini over 35 - 1stplace
Fit Mums - 1stplace
Fitness Model over 35 - 2ndplace
Best butt award
Best bikini award
3x PRO card awarded
Pure Elite November 2015
Fitness Model over 35 - 1stplace
TFE TFE Extravaganza
1st in Diva over 35, 3rd in Fitness model, PRO card received
Pure Elite 2013
2nd place in Fitness Model
Miami Pro World Championship 2013
3rd in Ms Bikini over 35