We recently connected with Gabriel Hihira and have shared our conversation below.
Gabriel, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I came from a small village in rural NZ. Was always active and loved sports. My family and extended family were all actively in sports so I was drawn to the competition aspect of it but more so the acceptance and camaraderie of my team-mates. This lead to some very sporty teenage years, and a few opportunities at high levels. I had always dreamed of playing basketball at a professional level but that was not on the cards outside of representing my city/region. But volleyball was a different story, I enjoyed it but had picked it up quite late so lagged in the detailed skillset my team-mates all had, but the athleticism from my sporting years shined through. A few opportunities came from that inside NZ but the biggest one was to move overseas (Australia) and have the chance to train full-time with some of the best volleyball players in the world at the time. The kicker was I had a team-mate already set up and willing to help me out with accommodation and a part-time job to allow my dream to come to reality. I sold everything I owned which wasn’t a lot, but decided I could start fresh in Australia, so I took the money to pay off as many debts as possible with what I had, and made the big move. I bought a flight, and a bus ticket and left NZ with $40 in my pocket, and flew the shortest flight possible as I wasn’t a big fan of airplanes. Then, took a 24-hour bus to the city I called home for the next 13 years, Adelaide. The job was fun in a distracting way, the training was very top notch and I found it tough to manage all this alone and missing my friends and family. But, this is where I was, so I buckled up and just went with it. I ended up making a team that played in the national league, played well in the state league, and even did Ok in a few years of beach volleyball during the VERY hot Australian summers. The risk payed off! I wasn’t too interested in anything other than sports, and friends for quite some time from then on. Until my personal relationship ended and I had the chance to go to Asia. Another opportunity to reset and restart! But this time, with some experience and knowledge by my side. So, sold everything I owned again, paid off some bills, and took a flight to Thailand. And this changed everything. The serenity. The peaceful nature. The kindness in the locals. The weather all year round was the perfect setting for what I call the Un-Doing! A process I later found out was common for ex-pats living in Thailand and the neighboring area. This move made everything else, whether it felt tough, crazy, dangerous or a waste of time, all worth it. To travel and immerse yourself into another part of the world with the intent to be part of the culture is what it was all about. Taking the risk, even though I had tried sports, jobs, and love, was actually just the key that unlocked how I found myself, who I really was, and started a completely new outlook on life that now has me living with, surrounded by, and attracting like-minded people without effort. With true love surrounding me and allowing me to come back full circle and help others realize this journey with my foundations based in healthy habits and strength training. The impact on my health, the body, and the mind, to go through these life-changing realizations, are second to none. I wouldn’t change anything from my past as it has brought me closer to my journey of self discovery.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As an ex-athlete and coach, both on the court and in the gym, I’ve learned a few things from the best of the best. I’ve also worked with all types of clients from the very sick, the obese, gym rats, and professional competitors to millionaires and household named athletes you’d all recognize. Along with decades of
coaching under my belt and thousands of clients to refer from, I can tell you ONE thing I’ve discovered across the board. The reasons you can’t get where you wanna go on your health journey is not the program, the trainer or the lack of motivation and everything in between. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” (as they say). And I found that this ‘will’ always comes from within, if you have the right reason. Therefore the energy you have, how you use it, and where you concentrate that energy will totally affect your health & fitness goals regardless of the program you’re on and who your trainer is. We relate to particular people/trainers on a human level, we can temporarily, enjoy a specific training program or routine, BUT what we ultimately want, are the RESULTS, that’s it. The recipe is not as important as the final product. So, I train the basic, ‘foundational’ pillsrs of health. The building blocks so to speak. I say the wider the base, the higher the pinnacle. Basically this means that the longer we spend building a strong foundation for a skyscraper as an example, the higher we can safely build that skyscraper. Or, another way to think of it is; the wider the base of the pyramid, the taller that pyramid can be. Our bodies and our health is very much the same. You can try all the plans, trainers, and cool concepts you like. You’ll waste time & money in the end. Rather, you can simply adjust your daily habits, allow targeted small changes, and practice the art of living with simplicity (lack of stress). All the cool exercises are just that, cool. But why don’t they work for everyone? I have sold, tried, and trained clients with these cool fads in the past. And surprise, surprise – Everyone always ends up back where they started. Well, this is what I teach, coach, and live by. The STARTING point! I help people rebuild their ‘foundation’. Losing weight or reducing body-fat are side effects when your habits are inline with YOU. Your body heals itself and stops harming itself further once you understand that what you’re doing on a daily/weekly basis is harmfully. Our bodies are AMAZING, and far more capable of living and awesome healthy life than we’re told or we imagine, as long as we feed it with the right habits. Connecting Health, Head, and Heart!
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Life experience, hands down!
Experiences come into play when I coaching people. If I can relate to the pain points that clients are facing or feeling, and I’ve worked my way through them already, this will always translate better when creating other peoples habits/lifestyle. A close second would be: Your intention! The true intention behind your character, and your work, while adding a spark of personality makes it easier for people to relate, feel comfortable and trust the knowledge that’s being taught. Like most top coaches, I have lived through the issues I teach, and also still walk the walk in my everyday life. I wouldn’t ask a broke person for financial advice so I truly believe that the coach you pick, for anything, must not only live the way they teach but have been through both sides of the problem they solve in order to help other move forward with theirs.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
When coaching health, whether that be physical or mental, the most important aspect I believe will help, is your perspective. My travels, experiences, stories, trials and tribulations allow me to see things from a different angle. I think for myself, and definitely outside the box in that respect, and I also challenge ideologies for sure. I grew believing what we are told to believe. Once I realized I thought differently, I stopped following the so-called ‘norm’, and began to challenge my coaches on their points of view (politely of course). I went on to do my own research, started applying my findings without explaining myself, and I saw results from these alternatives, I started to apply them to others in my personal training business. Seeing results almost right away, I saw that there was an issue with what/how we are taught. Just because it was written by someone (we don’t know), and taught to us by someone (we pay to tell us), who is (usually) just repeating what they were told to teach, doesn’t make it correct, OR right for you!
So, think for yourself, try things out on yourself, be your own study and really try to figure your own body/system out. Because, once you understand yourself, you can understand others and be able to help them pay it forward. THE MEANING OF LIFE IS TO FIND YOUR GIFT. THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO GIVE IT AWAY – Pablo Picasso. I love this quote. We live in the masses, but don’t have to live with the masses! Everything important is available to us all. Both in this physical world, and also the spiritual. Please, just Believe in You, first!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: gabe.says.fit
- Facebook: Gabriel Hihira
- Youtube: gabe_says_fit
Image Credits
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