about
mikiko kusuda
BACKGROUND
Mikiko studied Health Promotion and Sports Science at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, and the University of Queensland, Australia, and graduated with a Master's degree in 2017. She was once a Kendo (martial art) nationalist, and a competitive tennis and basketball player. Although she has a strong sports & science background, she is also a natural born artist, and enjoys visual arts and performing arts as her hobbies.
Mikiko started her career as a trainer in 2012 in Japan while she was studying, and has taught people between 5 and 90 years old. Since she moved to New Zealand in 2017, her proven method was recognised quickly and her waitlist filled up soon after. In 2020 & 2021, she was nominated as a Personal Trainer of the Year in NZ. She has also been featured by NZ Embassy, national media in Japan, and international magazines such as Cosmopolitan.
One of her strengths is that she can adjust her coaching for a wide demographic of people from complete beginners to world's leading artists and medical professionals. As soon as you see her, you can her passion of working with her clients as a team. She was born to become a Personal Trainer, and dedicates her life to guide them to achieve their fullest potential.
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UNIQUE COACHING
Mikiko's training style is very unique as she does not make a set programme for a client. Using her anatomy knowledge and observation skills, she analyses her clients' movements and conditions at each session to make the best programme for them on this particular day. Some days, you feel energetic, but other days, your work gets crazy and you don't have enough sleep. If you ignore these changes and keep pushing yourself, you would end up going over your limit and experience injuries and mental fatigue. Mikiko is excellent at finding the right timing to push you hard, and reminding you to pace yourself when needed.
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" 'No pain, no gain' is such a misleading and out-dated concept.
My role is to show my clients that there's better ways to expand your ability. "
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Her outstanding knowledge of anatomy has helped many clients recover from injuries. Some of them have contacted her after seeing a number of physiotherapists and chiropractors, and they found their ways of managing the injuries with her. Each person has different physical characteristics from others and even from text books. You will notice her ability to analyse your body at the first consultation when she checks your movements. She also uses her stretching and sports massage techniques to get you back on track when you have tightness from your daily activities.
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" 'The harder, the better' doesn't always work in fitness.
You need to work 'smart', and most importantly, enjoy the process itself. "
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EATING DISORDER & INJURIES
She is passionate about education. She went through an eating disorder because she pushed a wrong idea of fitness into her unique self as she believed that what works for others would work for herself too. She also had knee and lower back injuries from playing sports for many years without learning about her body. She eventually realised that the internet doesn't give her "the" answer, and managed to overcome both the eating disorder and injuries on her own. Although it taught her an important life lesson, she went around and wasted so much energy and time to find what works for her. She wishes that someone was there for her and guided her to learn about her unique body. Her wish is that no one will have to go through the same pain she had experienced, and that's why she became the person she needed back then.
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"When I didn't get results, I blamed myself for not doing enough. So I tried harder and harder until I broke myself. I needed someone who could guide me."
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Nutrition is a big part of her sessions. Through her experiences of body image issues and irregular periods, she gained more knowledge about scientific research and eastern methodology to figure out what's going on in the body and why she could not control it. At her nutrition session, you will discuss your diet and lifestyle, and she will give you a better idea about YOUR healthy diet. This is an essential part of weight control.
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Her motto is "Find YOUR Fitness." As well as helping you achieve your fitness/body goals, she will guide you to understand better about your body so you can take care of it on your own. She delivers educational sessions and will bring you a sustainable change that will impact you for the rest of your life.