Spotlight on Flora Tupufia

In this new series we shine the spotlight on our Group Fitness Instructors who help make your workouts fun while you achieve your goals. Meet Flora, an Instructor at our Wellington fitness clubs.

Kia orana tatou katoatoa, Talofa lava and Kia ora i ngā huānga o Habit Health.
Cook Island greetings, Samoan greeting and Hello members of Habit Health.

Ko Olosega te maunga
Ko Vai o Mataiva te awa
Ko Sau’la te waka
No Hāmoa, No Kuki Airani hoki ōku Tūpuna
No Falem’ao tōku whenua
No Iva, Savai’I tōku pāpā
No Mauke, No Rarotonga tōku māmā
No Te-whananganui-a-tara ahau
Ko Flora tōku ingoa
E ki ana te kōrero “Whiria te tangata”
As they say “Weave the people together”

Why did you become a group fitness instructor?

I started instructing back in 2012 when I was 20, I loved how the instructors that used to teach me would inspire not only me, but everyone inside the room. I mean, it’s quite a skill when the instructor is able to motivate you to do burpees (haha) but they always made it seem like fun, even though my body would disagree. I loved the wairua and the mauri that the instructors would feed into the room, and that’s something I wanted to be able to produce myself. To be able to motivate, grow and inspire people was something that I wanted to pursue and what better way than becoming a gym instructor! I got to pay all those burpees forward onto my classes.

What do you enjoy most about being a fitness instructor?

The members, one hundred per cent! I wouldn’t have a class at all without our members turning up to class and really giving it a good go! They inspire and motivate me and we all have a good yarn. To me, working out can be very challenging at times but if I can get the class to enjoy themselves via laughter and banter, it takes the edge away from the intensive workout. Two birds, one stone – you make it through a tough class but at least you laughed while you did it, thus producing those awesome endorphins I always go on about!

Being able to support our members with their fitness goals, dreams and aspirations is something I love doing. Seeing the growth within our members with their consistency and hard work is inspiring. It’s like being a coach, you get to watch everyone’s fitness journey unfold, you get to walk alongside them and help them push their limits. It’s always reciprocal, the members push me as well! It’s a two-way street.

What is your favourite healthy food?

Smoothies!! Everyone knows I live for my vitamix (hahahaha). It’s the way the nutrients absorb into my body, thus feeding my tinana (body) especially after a workout!

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Connecting with my friends and whanau. To me it’s important to have those connections with loved ones to help recharge my wairua. Having a good wairua and mauri allows me to push that energy into my classes and thus ‘spreading the positivity’ around. It’s like how a smile is contagious, so is your wairua. That energy that you have protrudes off you and onto the people around you. It’s all about balance, taking care of yourself so you can take care of others.

Nō reira, “E raka te mauri, e raka te katau”
A community can use all the skills of its people.

Kia kite kei roto I karaehe
See you in class.

Tēna koutou, tēna koutou katoa

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Flora is a Group Fitness Instructor for a range of Habit Health’s Wellington classes including Spinning®, Boxing Circuit and Power.
To book a class with Flora, check out the Group Fitness timetable.

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