Nichelle Laus Talks Fitness, Family, and Keeping It All Together!

Born to Be Ambitious

Nichelle Laus is a certified personal trainer, published fitness model, figure competitor, competition coach, kickboxing instructor, motivational speaker, founder of a hugely successful online transformation program, and the owner of Optimum Training Centre – a 6000-square-foot gym facility that focuses on specialized personal training. There’s no question she’s a top expert in her field, appearing in Nike commercials and promotional and advertising campaigns, writing articles and modelling for various fitness magazines. Her 18 years of amateur competition in boxing and kickboxing helped pave the way for a focus on figure and bikini competitions in 2005 – which continues to be her passion today. Laus’ resume alone is enough to invoke both awe and anxiety in the most organized among us—and that’s just her nine to five! Then there’s family life. Add to that skilled repertoire the role of wife and mother to four young boys, and Nichelle becomes nothing short of superhuman.

Mompreneur

Nichelle manages her personal affairs and business life with such sleek finesse that you’d never guess the trials, tribulations, anxieties, sacrifices, and good old-fashioned sweat that went on (and continues to go on!) behind the scenes. She makes it all look easy peasy; in the few surreptitious hours we spent with her, though, we learned that it’s anything but.

“My average day usually starts really early in the morning. I get up at 5:00 am and hit the gym at 5:30 am for my daily workout. I like to get it done early so it doesn’t interrupt family time.”

From there, she heads to her gym, Optimum Training Centre in Etobicoke, to consult with clients and catch up on administrative details. Once 3:00 pm rolls around, she dons the mom hat again and switches gears to take care of “after school activities, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and snuggles” before hitting the computer to work on Business #2: her online programs and interactive website, NichelleLaus.com. Now that’s dedication!

“Sometimes I don’t even know how I fit it all in, but I do because I have to. There is no other choice, and to make things happen, you have to hustle. You can’t sit there and dream about [it] . . . You have to go out and make it happen!”

What makes Nichelle especially inspirational is that she’s living proof of the saying that, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” “Too busy” is not an excuse when you decide that it’s not an option. Anyone with any sort of schedule on the go who wants to prioritize their health and fitness knows that maximizing whatever little time you have is critical to success. In the weight room, the best way to do that, says Laus, is by using compound movements (exercises that target several different muscle groups at once, like dead lifts, barbell squats, and bent-over rows). Circuit training is another excellent way to achieve results when time is of the essence. And for Nichelle, it always is.

It Takes Two

Before their independent interests took shape as solo careers, both Nichelle and her husband Dave were police officers. Dave found his passion niche in fitness photography, making the couple a perfect match, not only in marriage but in professional endeavors, too. Both Dave and Nichelle have always been self-motivated high achievers, juggling shift work and long hours with training, competitions, and photography. Those personal interests trickled over into a steady stream of coaching and a full-fledged online business, and as the years went by, the two became so successful that a critical decision had to be made:

“In order for us to run at our full potential, we decided that we had to make an important, risky decision. After 15 years as police offers, we both resigned to nurture our new baby, OTC. It was very hard to leave my comfort zone,” Nichelle says, “I had a secure job, with great benefits and a pension. But in life, you [have to] take risks to get ahead. You must follow your heart and your passion and realize that other great things are meant for you.”

“Strong women (not just physically) inspire me—those who have been through adversity and hardship and still manage to come out on top. Watching their journey inspires me because I know how hard they are working to make it happen, despite the obstacles they face.”

Fit Family Affair

Taking that kind of risk is daunting for the most independent and tenacious person, let alone a family with four young sons to raise. But the Laus family household runs like a well-oiled machine. And a family who’s on board with the same goals and aspirations can make all the difference in the world. At the Laus House, being fit is so much more than competitions and hours put in at the gym: it’s a family affair. Nichelle credits scheduling and consistency (with the flexibility to go with the flow as needed) as key to maintaining a successful work‑life balance.

“Each family member knows their role and routine in the house. As for me personally, I always keep an open mind as well as a flexible schedule . . . Learning to multitask is extremely important to make all the pieces run smoothly together.”

Keeping house isn’t the only thing that the Laus’ have down pat. The kids have grown up in a fitness environment, so it’s second nature for them to incorporate exercise into their daily lives. True to her entrepreneurial spirit and with the business wheels always turning, Nichelle developed an exercise program geared for busy moms: what better opportunity to include the four boys! Family Fit in a Bit was born: brief workout segments for the whole family, using minimal equipment, simple moves, and a full-body challenge.

Her take-home message is this: where there’s a will, there’s a way and a person to guide you in the right direction.

Here’s a recap of the feature: