Reboot with Kayla

Welcome to Reboot with Kayla! I'm Kayla Itsines, co-founder and head trainer at Sweat. And I'd love for you to think of me as your coach too! I’m here to cheer you on over the next four weeks and can’t wait for you to discover workouts that meet you where you are, meals you’ll love and practical tools to help set you up for long-term success.

I’ve been helping women achieve their health and fitness goals since 2009 and have trained my clients everywhere from in gyms and parks to my parents’ backyard and even in packed-out stadiums.

The fitness landscape was so different back when I started out working as a personal trainer and it needed to change. The weights section of most gyms felt masculine, intimidating and, to be honest, pretty unwelcoming to women.

Looking around, all I saw being provided to women was men’s programming, with minor or no adjustments for women’s bodies. That seemed crazy to me. I just felt like there was no consideration for women’s bodies and needs when it came to these gym plans, such as our menstrual cycles, hormones, pregnancy and conditions such as endometriosis. If you’ve ever tried to join your toddler jumping on a trampoline after giving birth, you’ll know that men’s fitness programs just don’t cut it for women.

And yet, for some reason, people still often talk down about certain movements by calling them ‘girly’ exercises. I wanted to create a space where there was no such thing as ‘girly push-ups’ or ‘women’s weights’. A place where the female fitness experience wasn’t just accommodated, but championed.

That’s why Sweat isn’t just another fitness app, program or quick fix. It’s a community. A collective of women from all over the world who are determined to grow stronger together in body and mind. Women who are brand new to fitness, women who are hitting reboot after a break and women who are already smashing their goals.

And no matter what age they are, what life stage they’re in and what fitness level they’re at, they all have each other’s backs. And they have since day one.

If you don’t know me from the Sweat app, chances are you might know me from a PDF. Back when I was training women one-on-one, I started sharing their stories on Instagram. More and more women began reaching out to me, asking for me to share my workouts so they could train just like my clients were, so we decided to sell my 12-week training guide as a PDF. To be honest, when we first released it, I thought no one would buy it. I was wrong. It went crazy. But here’s the thing about those original BBG guides. You could buy one copy and send it to your friend, your sister, your mum, your neighbour’s boyfriend’s cousin’s best friend – whoever. Suddenly, it was everywhere.

Social media helped my programs reach an audience that would have been unimaginable at the start of my career. But even back in those early days, long before the BBG PDF went viral or the Sweat app was launched, I’d realised what women were really looking for was connection, community and empowerment. I truly believe my success has never just been about me. It’s been about the women I train and the relationships they’ve built - with me, with the Sweat Community, and most importantly, with themselves.

Friendships were built across borders and hashtags, group chats became a place to celebrate and vent (turns out not everyone loves burpees as much as I do), and women around the world discovered they were stronger, together. Some of these women even went on to become Sweat trainers themselves or pursue careers in health and fitness.

After launching the guide we had so many requests for the programs to be on an app, and Sweat with Kayla – the original app – was born. Today, the Sweat app is home to over 50 programs and more than 13,000 workouts designed by women, for women, offering the support of a global community and backed by years of science, experience, results and a whole lot of Sweat.

On the Sweat app, you can try everything from a high-intensity session with me, to Pilates or barre, or finish your day with a relaxing yoga flow. You’ll also find plenty of recipes, our incredible forum and the latest health and wellbeing advice. All you have to do is show up and Sweat – we’ve got the rest.

The Sweat Community is my why when it comes to fitness. It’s helped women all over the world get confident and comfortable with fitness and in themselves. Our purpose is to empower women through fitness, because I know firsthand how movement can change your life. And if you’re reading this, you might be ready to make a change yourself.

Perhaps your fitness routine has taken a back seat for too long. Maybe you’re coming back to exercise after an unexpected setback. You might just be looking for a way to reset your goals and reignite your love for movement after an extended holiday. Or maybe you’ve been inspired by a new year, month or week to focus on your health. This book is for any woman who wants to recommit to her goals and put herself first.

Recently, I had to reboot my own fitness journey after welcoming my second child, Jax. But my experience returning to fitness after Jax’s birth was so different from the first time around.

After Arna’s birth in 2019, for the first time in my life, I felt completely lost when it came to moving my body and planning my routine. I felt connected to every woman who had ever felt intimidated walking into a gym and every woman who had been completely overwhelmed at the start of a workout. Despite being a personal trainer, I really struggled in that first session, six weeks after welcoming a beautiful baby girl into the world.

I struggled, because no matter what I did, everything hurt, and I had no idea when it was going to get better. It felt like my body had been taken from me. And yes, there were tears. How I felt during that season of my life was a huge motivator for me to release my post-pregnancy program in 2019, followed by my low-impact program. The feedback from those programs and the requests from our community then led me to release my pregnancy program in 2022. I’m so proud that Sweat now has training options for women at every stage of life.

Returning to fitness after becoming a mum is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. And no matter where you are in your own health and fitness journey today, I want you to know: it’s okay to feel a little overwhelmed.

Focus on what you can do rather than what you can’t do. Make modifications. But make a commitment to yourself and remind yourself that you can do hard things. I’ll be alongside you every step of the way.

Remember, fitness is about so much more than a number on a scale. It’s setting a new goal and hitting it. It’s discovering the endurance to dance for hours with your friends. It’s trying a new training style. It’s about feeling confident in the gym. It’s about progress, not perfection. And it’s about realising you’re capable of SO MUCH MORE than you first thought was possible.

We all have to start somewhere. So let’s hit reboot together.