Sigrid Ilumaa has been a personal trainer on The Biggest Loser for nine years, although she’s only been in front of the camera for the second year. She does everything to support the participants in achieving their goals. In the interview, she gives insights into how to lose weight successfully and what is particularly important in the camp.
She has been working as a personal trainer and nutrition expert for over ten years: so if anyone knows how to live healthy, then it must be Sigrid Ilumaa (42). Born in Estonia, she came to Germany at the age of 19 and made it her mission to help other people achieve a healthy self – “and with great passion,” as she emphasizes. Nine years ago, SAT.1 brought the happy nature into the “The Biggest Loser” family. However, she has only been active in front of the camera for two seasons. Anyone who now thinks that Ilumaa, as a former competitive athlete, relies on iron discipline is wrong. Her motto is: “Even a bit of success is a success”. She attaches great importance to a stable basis of trust with the participants and regards the body and mind as a unit. How she would like to lead the candidates to success as part of the show “Life made easy – The Biggest Loser” (from Sunday, February 5, 4.30 p.m., then weekly, 5.10 p.m.) and which small weight loss secrets can easily be found in the Integrate everyday life, reveals the blonde in an interview.
teleschau: When do you think a person is fit, Ms. Ilumaa?
Sigrid Ilumaa: If he can still tie his own shoes. When he walks up stairs without panting. When he’s happy and content. Fitness doesn’t necessarily have to be measured by body fat percentage or how many weights someone can lift. I can also be fit if I just take my nice walks or a few stretches in the morning and eat healthy. But I can also be fit if I train five days a week because I like it. Everyone is individual there.
teleschau: You’ve been behind the scenes for nine years as part of the “Life Made Easy” family. You have also been in front of the camera since 2022. What insight did you take away from your first season?
Sigrid Ilumaa: Above all, that the candidates don’t just lose weight. You will learn how to live a healthy life and how to enjoy your diet. It’s about sticking with it – even if it gets difficult. I want to make them aware of that.
teleschau: What core competencies do you bring to the camp as a coach?
Sigrid Ilumaa: I am a nutrition expert and consultant and have been a personal trainer for years. In my two studios, I always look after the customers individually.
teleschau: To what extent have you already had experience with overweight people in your previous professional life?
Sigrid Ilumaa: Some of my customers in everyday life have to struggle with weight, cravings or even mental problems just like the candidates of “Leben simply made”. My experience is that it is important to talk about the causes in order to find out why it could have come to this in the first place. I’ve been helping these people for over ten years now – and with great passion.
teleschau: What is the most important thing?
Sigrid Ilumaa: The first step is to consciously perceive the status quo and to ask yourself the following questions: Where do I stand? What do I want in life? How do I want to live? What am I missing in life? When you realize that you feel less joy in life because you can no longer or don’t want to do certain things, then you have to make the decision to change something. Those affected often realize that they have always been there for others, but less and less for themselves.
teleschau: Why do so many nutritional mistakes still happen, even though so many formats and magazines explain them?
Sigrid Ilumaa: We live in a time where we receive an incredible amount of information every day. That can be very confusing. Everyone can read something everywhere, buy great cookbooks and recipes, rummage through programs. But it’s hard to listen to yourself in such a flood of information to find out what suits you best. Here, too, there are a few questions: What does my everyday life look like? What can I even handle? For example, can I make a diet change on my own? Finding the answer is often not easy. Maybe some people just don’t have the opportunity to do so in their everyday lives. If you eat less, of course, successes can be seen on the scales. But whether that is healthy and makes you happy is doubtful.
teleschau: So, in addition to the time in the camp, is there also aftercare?
Sigrid Ilumaa: Yes, we take care of them until the final and sometimes afterwards! After returning to Germany, however, the candidates still have to organize their everyday lives themselves, and that is not easy for some. But we give them the right tools to do this during their time at the camp. And if they have additional questions, Ramin, Christine and I are always available.
teleschau: So what is particularly important to you in the camp?
Sigrid Ilumaa: I want my candidates to understand what an opportunity we are offering them. My goal is to hear from them: “I made it. I know what I want back in life!”
teleschau: So what is crucial for the time after the camp?
Sigrid Ilumaa: The mind has to play along. Everyone has to recognize for themselves what they want and what they need. The candidates should get to the point where they can enjoy food, but take the time to eat healthily and shop healthily in everyday life.
teleschau: So strict renunciation or strict diets are not the ultimate solution?
Sigrid Ilumaa: Right. Food should continue to be enjoyed. If you want to lose weight, you shouldn’t forget that your body still needs enough vitamins and liquids. It is also important that if you decide to lose weight, then this must go hand in hand with more exercise. It doesn’t have to be a gym. A walk is also possible. It’s about collecting steps.
teleschau: That’s also easier to integrate into everyday life.
Sigrid Ilumaa: Exactly! That’s the first thing you should include in your everyday life: going out into the fresh air – especially now in the cold season. Heating up the body at low temperatures is a great metabolic workout.
teleschau: After the corona pandemic, many people seem to find it difficult to do sports. Do you have any motivational tips for the readers?
Sigrid Ilumaa: A lot of people put too much pressure on themselves. So before you drive from work to the gym to train indoors again, my advice: go for a walk outside and get some fresh air to clear your head. This trains the body and creates relaxation in a fast-paced everyday life.
teleschau: As a personal trainer, do you feel a particular pressure to match a certain look?
Sigrid Ilumaa: A clear no! Of course, aesthetic looks are important to me, but I don’t overrate it. I don’t put myself under any pressure because I’ve probably been exercising all my life anyway. I’ve been involved in competitive sports since I was six. But sport is not my life. He’s just a part of my life.
teleschau: Which competitive sport did you do?
Sigrid Ilumaa: Tournament dance. Standard and Latin. Unfortunately, I don’t find the time for that anymore. I’m now active in other areas. But what I’ve noticed over the years – I’m already 42: My style is changing. I used to like aerobics and dance. Then there was a time when I worked a lot into the deep muscles. Now I’m interested in mobility, stretching and yoga. And a few strength exercises should not be missing to keep the muscles supple. If I don’t do this regularly, my shoulder reports immediately (laughs).
teleschau: Where do you get this discipline from?
Sigrid Ilumaa: My head also plays a big role for me. And I love rituals – yoga every morning, for example.
teleschau: What do you learn as a coach from working with the candidates?
Sigrid Ilumaa: I always take something with me. I enjoy getting to know people and finding out what drives them. And I love to see how the candidates develop: from the moment they decide to make a change to the first sense of achievement. People who no longer had a goal in mind find themselves again. For me, the participants of “Lebeneasy made” also show what life is like: there are ups and downs. But you can always get out of any low, no matter how difficult it seems at first.
teleschau: So it’s also about psychology for you?
Sigrid Ilumaa: I look at body and mind as a whole. This includes nutrition, exercise, but also feelings and character. Everything has to be round.
telschau: Is taking part in “Living made easy” a guarantee of success for losing weight?
Sigrid Ilumaa: I would love to say yes! But we humans are all different. We have our own will and rituals. It’s like that sometimes on our show. If people are not willing to take themselves by the hand, we cannot achieve so much either. Sometimes illnesses or previous illnesses are also involved. Then it can also happen that the process does not go so quickly. But: Success begins with the mental change. Even a little bit of success is a success.
teleschau: In your experience, why do people slip into an overweight life at all?
Sigrid Ilumaa: There can be many reasons: illnesses such as obesity, trauma or organic problems. The social environment can also play a role. In addition, we simply have the opportunity to consume a lot. Many different factors play a role in overweight. My job as a coach is to build trust with those affected and to work with them to find out the reasons.
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The original of this post “”The Biggest Loser-Coach”: Candidates should “not just lose weight”” comes from Teleschau.
