What led you to fitness as a career?
Pilates helped me tremendously with my mind body connection and balance beginning 20 years ago. The ability to combine innovation through the Fittbe Apps, and my love for teaching the beauty of movement is a dream! I think that if you can find a way to do any element of what you love as a career, the work becomes pure joy.
What does health mean to you?
For me, health is all about balance. From the balanced body that Pilates promotes, to balanced nutrition, to a healthy and beautiful mindset. It’s about nourishing your body, mind, and spirit.
How do you stay balanced while running your own company?
I try to take my own advice! I schedule in time to truly unwind, eat the yummy foods, and savor the workouts. It’s so important to stay fueled and inspired. When you feel good, healthy and rested, you are able to put better work out there into the world!
What’s your typical morning routine?
I love a good morning routine! I am actually not a natural early riser, so I try to be consistent with my alarm clock. I start the day with a big glass of lemon water, and then I treat myself to a beautifully brewed coffee. My lists are made the night before, and I try to tackle the most challenging tasks first. We usually have a tech call about the apps. Since they are custom, do a check each day to make sure they are running smoothly. Next, it’s to the mat and the barre to plan upcoming sessions and routines for our Fittbe members!
What inspired you to create the Fittbe Apps?
I was actually finishing graduate school at Pepperdine. I had been leading a group of Pilates students out on the lawn, and the day came to tell them I was moving. Goodness I’d miss them! This was back in 2008, and one of my students asked if I could make them DVD’s of my classes. That inspired me to start interviewing app developers. That way I could create anything they requested and they could have it almost instantly. The initial development took about a year and a half, and then we hit the App Store!
How do you stay motivated to work out?
I really enjoy the process! I don’t like the idea of viewing workouts as a punishment. They should be a treat, and a celebration of what your body can do! When teach yourself to be excited about your next workout, motivation is no problem. Oh, and never punish yourself for missing a workout, just get excited about the next one!
What’s your favorite TUSOL smoothie recipe?
I am a turmeric and ginger girl! It is absolutely delicious, and anything that combats inflammation is a winner in my book. But, I’d have to say it’s a tie between Calm Turmeric and Ginger & Rejuvenate Maqui and Baobob.
What’s next for Fittbe?
We have so much coming for our app members! A major update we’ve been working on is going to add even more custom features! Plus, we have some gorgeous new series for the upcoming season that we think everyone is going to love! Lastly, I’ve personally been immersed in our member requests. They email me, and I create custom routines based on what they want to work on in their Pilates and Barre practices.
Kira Elste is creator of the top 10 ranked Fittbe Pilates and Fittbe Barre apps for iOS. She has been teaching Pilates for 20 years, and absolutely loves sharing the beauty of movement and balance with her members in the Fittbe Apps. She is a graduate of both the University of Washington and Pepperdine University, where she earned her Master of Science degree. When she’s not designing routines on the mat or at the barre, she’s probably armchair coaching any sport that’s on TV, or trying to replace butter with yogurt in some muffin recipe! ;)
You can download your copy of Fittbe Pilates for iOS here:
