My wife and I moved across from the UK in February 2007. We have always been very active people, but after 3 years of an unhealthy lifestyle comprising poor nutrition and little exercise, Karina helped get our diet and fitness back on track. During this period my wife was also recovering from the birth of our first child, which Karina helped manage the return to pre-pregnancy weight.
Overall, I would describe Karina as the most professional personal trainer I have had the pleasure of working with. Karina is highly organised and methodical in her approach to building an exercise and weights programme, she provided us with a total diet programme and nutritional analysis and as a qualified physiotherapist she is knowledgeable in all aspects of physiology, injury management and recovery. Damian & Michelle |
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You are inspiring in the way you go about your life, it is easy to see that yours is not a job but as I said a way of life. I really enjoy training with you as you bring so much energy and fun to each session and you know just how to get the very best from me when I work out.Tim
I first met Karina when I was pregnant with my son. Her energy and enthusiasm for exercise and wellbeing was evident from our first phone call. Since that call I have continued to attend the pregnancy and postnatal classes she runs, along side personal training sessions.
In 2007 my husband and I decided that we need to get ourselves back into shape. We had had a rough start to the year, with my husband undergone two major surgeries. We both felt confident that with Karina’s background in physiotherapy and from what I had experienced during her pregnancy and postnatal classes; we knew that we were in the safest of hands. So we embarked on our journey of fitness with Karina as our personal trainer.
Since starting the personal training sessions with Karina I have achieved all the standard goals that you set, such as weight loss and increased fitness. However the single most important thing that Karina has done for me is that she has changed that way I think about exercise. Previously I would and could find every excuse under the sun as to why I couldn’t exercise. I would even loath taking our dog for a walk. I now look forward to my sessions with Karina. And want to get out and about with our son and dog.
Karina has most infectious attitude to everything she does, not only to how she conducts her personal training sessions. She makes you want to be fitter and healthier and you know that she genuinely cares about you. I think this is one of most important attributes of a personal training. Karina is not about body beautiful, she wants to understand you and work with you so that you achieve your goals and can keep achieving them even if you no longer have her as your trainer. She defiantly changes your attitude to exercise and wellbeing so you can continue on your own. Kylie
Karina Balle has been my personal trainer for the last 18 months.
I really enjoy the sessions we have together. At a macro level she keeps me energized and enthused about training. I feel that she really cares about my general health and takes an active interest in my fitness and well being – which is something you don’t get from a lot trainers.
She has a huge amount of knowledge and experience. I feel very safe in her hands. I know that she is not going to get me to do dangerous, complex routines that will cause injury. I like the way she takes a holistic view to training. It’s not just about pumping weights. She prescribes a range of activities that work to keep me in shape.
In the gym Karina always keeps things fresh and enjoyable. What I really like is how she reads my mood and energy level and adjusts the session accordingly. Every session is pre-planned. She comes prepared and knows exactly what we are going to be doing. Right now I am struggling with a knee injury that I incurred playing tennis. Karina adapts each session so that I get the most out of it while taking care not to re-injure the knee.
Karina would have to be one of the happiest, positive people I know. It is always a pleasure to walk into the gym and see her infectious smile, knowing that in 5 minutes she’s going to have me working flat out. The one word that I love to hear her say is “done”.
In 8 weeks time I am relocating to Hong Kong and one of the things I will really miss will be my training sessions with Karina. She is a fantastic Personal Trainer. Andrew
Karina is fantastic, words can not explain how much it has meant for me to have her as a personal trainer over the last year, she really has changed my life!
Karina doesn’t just go through the motions but she invests her time, energy and effort in you and you know that she is interested and really cares about you and your goals. She is always organised and has planned the sessions so they are very specific to me and what my goals are and how I am feeling that day! She will always motivate you with her bubbly charismatic attitude its absolutely infectious and its hard to not get pumped up and excited about exercise when you are around her. Karina is not only helping me lose weight and get fit but she invests the time to help educate me on my body and how it works through nutrition as well as through exercise.
Karina is an extremely important part of my life, helping me get to my goal weight and keep motivated! She helped me successfully lose body fat & tone up for my wedding so that I walked down the aisle feeling fantastic and although I still have weight to lose, Karina helps keep me on track and helps me keep positive! She knows exactly how far to push me and helps me achieve things I know I wouldn’t be able to without her cheering me on.
My husband, mother and sister have all worked with Karina and none of us can sing her praises enough. Jess
I have been especially impressed with the vigour, enthusiasm and vibrancy with which you and all the instructors have lead our classes. I have found you all to be highly professional! Your energy is infectious and you have the ability to extract that extra ounce of effort or extra rep out of me (even at 39 weeks pregnant). As well as your high octane delivery, your choreography and choice of music really adds to the buzz of your classes.
An added bonus for me is your background as a physiotherapist and your ability to apply the physiological needs of pregnancy and post pregnancy and individually in class. I personally never experienced any pain during pregnancy but when I experienced pain post natally, I found you easy to discuss this with and your recommendations for treatment/followup were greatly appreciated. Michelle O
Karina is an extremely well qualified and experienced physiotherapist, as well as a personal trainer. I know that she is very well respected by colleagues and clients alike.
As a former medical practitioner who has experienced breast cancer, has bilateral hip joint replacements and has osteoporosis, I feel that I am able to comment both personally and professionally.
I have found Karina to be an incredibly dedicated, enthusiastic, loyal, and motivating trainer. She is always cheerful, smiles warmly and readily, and is very welcoming to me and to everyone in the gym. Her energy is infectious ,as is her enthusiasm. Each session that we do is well planned and thought out, and no two sessions are ever the same. We train 3 times each week, for an hour, and she is always punctual. She encourages me to achieve appropriately. She demonstrates each exercise very clearly and confirms that I perform them appropriately. She keeps to time admirably. She is also very open to input from me and respects my knowledge.
During my time training with Karina I have increased my power and strength dramatically, and as a woman in her 60th year I am proud to say I can do 20 proper pressups, squat with 40kg on my shoulders and leg press 60kg. I also kayak a racing multisport kayak with enormous confidence as my core stability is superb. I attribute these abilities to Karina's great training and support.
It is very clear to me that Karina has a real passion for exercise and for people, and combined with superb knowledge and instructing skills, she is an inspiring fitness trainer. Anne
