As we celebrate Mother's Day this weekend, we'd like to take the rest of this month to highlight and celebrate different stories of all forms, involving mothers and motherhood.
First up - we sat down with Alessia Scauzillo a few weeks ago to chat about the launch of her new at-home workout program, A Body Sculpt. Her workout program is specifically designed for the busy, working woman (sound familiar?). Workouts are low impact, require minimal equipment and effective.
Alessia found fitness in 2011, when she attended a workout class held in honour of her Mom, who passed away from skin cancer a few months prior. She shows us that mothers don't need to be physically present to have a profound impact on our lives.
Tell us a bit about your background.
"I am originally from Toronto, but went to McGill University for business. Since graduating from McGill in 2012, I’ve pursued a career in finance. I joined PwC straight out of school where I obtained my CPA, CA designation. From there, I joined RBC’s mid-market corporate lending group in 2015, where I was originally an Associate and then promoted to Vice President. I’ve been at RBC ever since, though made my way to RBC’s real estate lending group in 2019, where I am currently an Associate Director."
Can you tell us a bit about A Body Sculpt?
"A Sculpt Body is an online fitness platform that features low impact bodyweight sculpting workouts that you can do from anywhere. I created A Sculpt Body because I believe that we can lead busy lives and still make time to take care of ourselves. I work full-time in finance, and I know how difficult it is to fit an in-person workout class or gym session into our busy schedules! Plus, I believe that you don’t have to destroy your body with gruelling high-impact workouts to become a stronger you. I make working out fun, uplifting, and energizing, so you actually WANT to prioritize it in your busy day (and I get tons of feedback that I am successful at this part - so many women tell me how much fun they have doing my workouts!). These are the workouts I do when I want to get movement in - it’s amazing what a few minutes a day does for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being."
What motivated you to start A Sculpt Body?
"A combination of two things: My Mom, and my love of fitness (which only happened in my 20s!). I found fitness in 2011, when I attended a workout class held in honour of my Mom, who passed away from skin cancer a few months prior. She was incredibly fit and an avid class-goer until a few months before she passed. During the class I was out of breath, dizzy, and struggling, but I pushed through. I left feeling equal parts embarrassed and accomplished. That class was my turning point. After a lifetime of dreading physical movement, my perspective on exercise shifted. I realized that working out could be fun, it boosted my mood, and gave me a sense of confidence in myself that I didn’t previously have. Most of all, it helped me feel connected to my Mom.
After years of being in finance and squeezing in workouts in when I could – before work, over lunch, after work – and looking forward to them daily, I realized I wanted to help others feel good too, so I start teaching fitness on the side. I love teaching in-person, but I know first-hand from my finance job that it’s not realistic to always make it to a full workout class or the gym. And what about if you have to travel (work or personal), or you’re so busy at work that all you can do is a few sculpting moves from your desk? Or maybe, you want to get a super quick workout in before you head to dinner and drinks with friends. I get it, I’ve been there SO many times. And that’s why I created A Sculpt Body - so women everywhere have a go-to tool to get their workouts in anywhere, anytime!"
"During the class I was out of breath, dizzy, and struggling, but I pushed through. I left feeling equal parts embarrassed and accomplished. That class was my turning point. After a lifetime of dreading physical movement, my perspective on exercise shifted."
Sounds like you had a really special connection with your Mom!
"She’s the reason why I got into fitness, and ultimately the reason why I created a business out of it. She exercised all the way until a few months before she passed, to keep her mind and body strong for as long as she could. When I’m feeling tired or unmotivated, I often think to myself "if she could do it in those last few difficult months, so can I". If that’s not motivation, I don’t know what is. Despite my Mom not being with me physically any longer, she inspires me daily to be my absolute best self, go after my dreams, and help so many women around me do the same."
I've personally done a few of Alessia's workouts and I can confirm they are indeed challenging AND fun. All of her workouts require minimal equipment and are low-impact (how perfect for the time we're in!).
Alessia is currently offering a 14-day free trial and has generously offered the Threads community 10% off a monthly membership after the trial, with the code "SculptTHREADS10". You can learn more here or at www.asculptbody.com.