Bella Trost is a former gymnast (and national team member of Hungary in sports aerobics), and multiple time world champion bikini athlete, pro athlete in three fitness federations (WBFF -USA, Pure Elite – UK, Miami Pro – UK).
She became world champion pro bikini model at age of 39 in 2015, and has competed as a pro athlete till last year. Her athletic achievements gave her the opportunity to move to the US and she has been living in Los Angeles, California for four years now. She is founder of Beauty MasterClasses. She is winner of Excellence Performance Award 2021 at Jharkhand International Film Festival & Awards for short film $700+. She has won second position at Miss Pole Dance Hungary and British Pole Superstar.
She does not compete now, as the athlete never dies in her. She watches her diet in a healthy way, and she believes in the magical power of physical exercise which she believes is the key for not only physical but mental health, too. One of her missions is to promote the importance of physical exercise. She has written a plenty of articles about how it helps in learning about time management, prioritization, and concentration.
Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up with Bella Trost an exceptionally talented fitness expert and multiple time world champion bikini athlete here she talks about her fitness routine, her diet, her beauty secrets, and her passion for physical exercise.
Namita Nayyar:
You were born in Hungary. You were a member of the National Team of Hungary, Sports Aerobics for three years. You competed as a bikini model in 12 World and European Championships. You placed 1st five times, 2nd and 3rd several times, and earned Pro Athlete qualification in 3 fitness modeling federations – Miami Pro World Championship (UK), Pure Elite World Championship (UK), and WBFF (USA). Tell us more about your professional journey of exceptional hard work, tenacity, and endurance?
Bella Trost:
As a little girl I dreamed of being a rhythmic gymnast. I spent years training but I was never selected to compete professionally. Later, I wanted to be a prima ballerina. I practiced 4-5 hours a day, 7 days a week. I managed to get a job as an extra at the Opera House, so I had the chance to be on stage with the dancers and learn every part of each ballet, but I had no chance of getting into the ballet institute as I was over the age limit.
I was dancing in various productions when my friend, who worked in TV, invited me to do an interview with an aerobic champion. That is when my life changed. That was my first time in a gym. I watched the girls’ practice – they were doing push-ups, jumps, strength elements and choreographies. I joined in the following day. I had a new dream.
My first training session I could only do one push-up. Six months later I was on the national team. The years of rhythmic gymnastics and ballet training gave me a good base from which to build new skills fast, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.
I got injured a lot, and I changed coaches until I found one who could help me get to the level of winning national championships and get on the team to compete internationally. Life was full on: I trained and traveled a lot for competitions while I studied at university and juggled different jobs. I had a strict schedule every day from 7am till 11pm.
When sports aerobics didn’t get into the Olympic Games, the federations started to fall apart and the well-promoted sport started to disappear from the scene. I got my qualifications as a personal trainer and I worked as a coach for a while but my real determination was lost – to become a world champion.
Around this time, the EU opened its borders to a few Eastern European countries. I moved to the UK with my luggage and big dreams. Settling into England was the hardest two years of my life. In Hungary I was a popular athlete; in England I was just one of the many new immigrants starting from scratch. Then I made friends and these new friends introduced me to pole dancing which is my absolute favorite to this day. I started to compete and I came in second at Miss Pole Dance Hungary and British Pole Superstar, but I could never be the best – world champion polers are on a Cirque De Soleil level and I just never had that kind of ability.
Then one day I was browsing Facebook. One of my pole friends posted some beautiful pictures. She had an amazing body transformation and she was posing on a stunning stage in an amazing bikini. I contacted her and a few weeks later I entered my first bikini contest. I went on a crash diet, started to do some cardio and push-ups, and decorated one of my bikinis. I was not ready for that competition but I knew it was something I could be very good at.
My first professionally prepared competition was the Miami Pro World Championship. I had a meal plan, a coach, I worked with a stage coach, and I bought competition bikinis. The comp prep was the hardest thing I have ever done – I puked, I fainted; the diet and the training really pushed me to my limit. But I didn’t cheat even once when it came to my meals, my workouts and my posing practice.
The only reason I didn’t give up was the body transformation I was seeing in the mirror. The results kept me going and when I got my trophy, my madness was justified. Finally I was a world champion! A week later I won another competition, the Pure Elite World Championship. I was a world champion again!
The extreme diet and workout regime destroyed my health in the first couple of years, but regardless I kept competing over the next 6 years. I had severe ups and downs, and the downs were really bad. It takes time to recover after each competition. I needed to learn how to live with dieting, how to work out in the most effective way, and how to stay as healthy as possible mentally, physically and emotionally. One of the hardest things to handle when you compete is the constant weight change. When you are show ready you may look amazing for 2-3 weeks. That’s when you have all your photo-shoots. But that body doesn’t last long. You are below your healthy body weight which comes with many unpleasant side effects like brain fog, mood swings, and constant and extreme fatigue. When the show is over you must get back to your healthy weight to be able to live a normal life again, but that means losing that perfect photo body.
You diet and work so hard for three months for that look and in a couple of weeks it’s all gone. This is something that is really hard to accept and it takes time to learn to accept yourself again. The more you compete the wiser you get, but it never gets easier, it is always difficult in different ways. Competing is a very time consuming and physically and emotionally trying thing to do. Of course, I don’t regret for a minute that I competed, and I am so grateful for all the amazing wins and experiences, but sometimes I wonder – how did I push through it all?
Namita Nayyar:
You became a World Champion Pro Bikini Model at the age of 39 in 2015. Tell us more about this spectacular achievement of yours.
Bella Trost:
I always say that my first win wasn’t just the win following that 3 month comp prep. It was a lifetime achievement. It was the payoff for all the effort that I had put in since childhood to be chosen, to be outstanding, to be the best at something. A deep desire to win kept me going and taught me to sacrifice, to fight for my dreams, and to work fanatically …it took me almost 40 years to get there.
If you want to be the best in something, you have to find something that is physically possible and suitable for you. Then all you need is fanatical hard work, deep desire (because you have to give up and sacrifice a lot) and the unquestionable belief that you can.
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2023 Women Fitness
Namita Nayyar:
You are a leading Bikini Model, Pro Athlete, social media personality, fitness and wellness journalist, and brand ambassador. How do you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?
Bella Trost:
Looking after myself, exercising and being conscious of what I eat is a lifestyle. I have gotten used to living this way and it would be uncomfortable to live differently. If I don’t work out for a long time, I feel uncomfortable. When I competed, I was under pressure to exercise in a certain way and at certain times.
Now I enjoy the freedom of choosing the workout form that I feel like doing that day or having a rest day if I’d like to. I do whatever feels right; weight training, yoga and pole training. I don’t track my food anymore but I am aware of what I put in my body.
I still have that desire to look good and be healthy, so I make an effort to achieve it.
Doing sports professionally teaches you time management and prioritization. To be able to decide what to do with your time, you have to know what kind of person you want to become. If your priority is health, you have to schedule your time for that: exercise, eat good meals and get enough sleep.
If, for example, watching TV makes you happy then do it, put it in your calendar and figure out how to cut time from the things that have to be done in order to be the person you want to be. It is both simple and complicated.
Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your workout routine that you may wish to share?
Bella Trost:
I get bored easily so I always need different kind of workouts. I want to enjoy my workout but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I always choose the exercise I want to do. I like having a toned body with full looking muscles. In order to have that I have to do weight training at least 2-3 times a week, even when I don’t really feel like it.
But even if I don’t always feel like it, there is a beauty in weight lifting. If you lift properly, it requires so much concentration that you really can get in your zone where you are 100% present in your body and in the moment. No other thoughts, just you lifting, pushing, standing up with that weight. It is a euphoric experience.
When I don’t have much time I do HIIT/Plyometric training, a 20-40 minute high intensity workout with jumps, push-ups and sit-ups. It always makes me sweat and gives me that pleasant “I’ve done something” feeling.
My passion is dance. Whenever I have the chance I do a pole practice, I put my music on and I completely disconnect from the world. Pole dance is the best core and upper body workout. It is feminine and beautiful.
When I’m tired, I do yoga. My favorite is Asthanga yoga. I know the whole primary series and modify it depending on how I feel. Sometimes I just build my own yoga sequence from different yoga moves – it feels amazing doing it to music. You just float with the music. I love it.
Namita Nayyar:
How do you train your abs? Give us one secret to your toned body.
Bella Trost:
I hardly ever focus just on the abs. The core is the center of the body and whatever exercise form you do it is active. If I do weight lifting, the core is 100% involved. If I do HIIT – push-ups, jumps, sit-up variations – the core is working hard (sit-ups are of course an ab workout but I always do them weighted and with different variations to get the most muscles involved). Pole dance is one of the best core workouts – doing inverts (lifting your legs over your head) is a hardcore abs workout. Any kind of Vinyasa yoga is very core oriented with lots of flows where the abs is seriously engaged.
Also, calisthenics is amazing. Hanging from bars and lifting your legs up, like L-sit, is a perfect core workout.
Namita Nayyar:
Do you follow a special diet or a strict menu to remain healthy and physically fit?
Bella Trost:
The only time I follow a meal plan is when I compete. Tracking your food and following your macro and calorie intake is a time consuming and not-so-fun activity; hardly anyone can lead a normal life like that. If you have a specific goal like losing weight, building muscle or improving performance, it is something you need to do but currently I am steady at my healthy weight, so I just eat as I have gotten used to doing. I eat very simple. Single ingredient foods.
I try to avoid ready-made and processed foods. I don’t eat meat, bread, pasta, sugars or juices – or if I ever do, I do so in moderation. Usually the only processed food I have in my basket is cheese and a Beyond Burger patty. My guilty pleasure is the occasional Diet Coke. It is very important to have good grocery shopping habits – it is one of the keys to staying healthy/fit. (I wrote an article on this: Start with the grocery shopping – Tibloom)
When I’m at a restaurant I eat everything, apart from meat. I just enjoy the experience.
Namita Nayyar:
What are five foods you absolutely love and five you keep to a minimum?
Bella Trost:
I am definitely not a foodie and this is probably why I managed to become a fitness athlete. If you are a foodie, love cooking, and one of your primary pleasures is eating, then becoming a bodybuilding athlete is not your path. You have to give up a lot of foods to get that fitness magazine body.
I think I got lucky with this. I naturally love simple, clean food. I don’t have a sweet tooth and I don’t like junk food. I prepare my food at home but I have no desire to cook difficult things or try different recipes. I go to restaurants a lot but for me that’s more about the occasion; I love dressing up and being out. I like trying different things, and yes sometimes food tastes amazing… but then I easily go back to my simple eating.
What do I try to keep to a minimum? Maybe I shouldn’t mention this in a fitness magazine but I love my tequila soda! Of course I try not to drink too much of it.
Namita Nayyar:
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us your hair care and skincare routine.
Bella Trost:
My basic skin care rules are very simple. No smoking, no sun, enough good quality sleep, and cleanse the skin every day with care. Good cosmetics and regular beauty treatments. Botox, micro needling, plasma therapy, facials.
I wear make-up almost every day so it is very important to cleanse the skin completely. Even when there’s no makeup. I clean my skin with Pond’s cold cream, then alcohol free hazel tonic, then castor oil. It always surprises me how much dirt comes off my skin, even when I had no makeup on. Our air is unfortunately not very clean.
I also believe that sweat is an essential skin cleanser that works from the inside out – there you go another good reason to exercise.
I do style my hair almost every day which weakens it. I take vitamins to nourish my hair and skin. I am currently using Vegamour and I’m on my third month – they say that’s when you start to see real results. I try to use as few chemicals on my hair is possible.
Namita Nayyar:
Five skincare myths?
Bella Trost:
I don’t know about myths but I believe if you eat clean, drink enough water, get enough quality sleep, protect your skin from the sun and don’t smoke, you have a pretty good foundation for healthy looking skin. I mostly use natural cosmetics (the most expensive brands are not necessarily the best) but when I need chemicals I use them.
Namita Nayyar:
Five athletic leisure brands you love to wear?
Bella Trost:
There are so many good brands out there. I think the most difficult part is finding good shoes for working out. Some of my favorites are from Puma and Adidas. Clothes are easier. I am very practical when it comes to clothing. For me it is not about fashion but function; having the right fabric and design for the kind of workout I want to do. The market now is saturated with sports brands so even just going to Marshalls you can find good stuff. Whatever feels right.
Namita Nayyar:
Five travel destinations on your wish list?
Bella Trost:
I have traveled all my life and visited over 40 countries. Traveling is wonderful, it opens your mind and teaches you to be practical and live simply. At least that’s what I learned. Sometimes I travel to countries that have never been on my list but if there’s an event, friend or special invitation I just go.
Namita Nayyar:
Tell us more about your endeavor “Online wellness magazine BellWellGlobe”. (That magazine has been renamed and rebranded as Tibloom – https://tibloom.com
Bella Trost:
I do not update anymore BellWellGlobe. I had problems learning to read and write as a kid. I guess the frustration taught me to love writing and despite having struggled so much with it, I finished university as a journalist. I’ve been working as a part time journalist for decades. When I started to do sports professionally I was asked in the editorial office to write about fitness and wellness, and I published a lot.
Then Covid stopped the world and suddenly I had time to do something I’ve always wanted to do – create my own magazine. I collected and translated all my older articles and wrote new ones about everything I was interested in. I wanted to share my experience and knowledge about dieting and workouts. I wanted to share and discuss others’ studies on the subject. Then I started to interview inspiring people. Having a written platform is a great way to communicate your opinion and spread the word about something that you find important.
Namita Nayyar:
During the Covid pandemic what was your fitness routine? How did you remain fit in challenging times?
Bella Trost:
I live by the Hollywood Hills so my neighborhood is basically a hiking area full of beautiful steep streets. I power walked 7 days a week. The weather was lovely, the streets were quiet and I started to see everything in detail. I was collecting leaves and flowers, taking pictures of the palms and making routes for 1-1.5 hour medium and high intensity walks. I entertained myself as I could. I was just so grateful every single day to live in an amazing city like Los Angeles.
Walking was beautiful but I missed the gym. I turned to YouTube desperately looking for new motivation. That’s how I discovered challenging calisthenics workouts and found push-up challenges. I thought “Why are only men doing these challenges?” I started my first 30-day, 100 push-ups-a-day challenge. It gave me a new purpose during lockdown. I recorded my training sessions and uploaded them to YouTube. Then I started making push-up tutorials and I started a new challenge: 30-day 200-push-ups-a-day.
During Covid I moved to Miami for a few months where I discovered the open air Muscle Beach. Such a playground with bars, poles, weights and an amazing beach view all around. A very masculine world but in the end the guys helped me record workouts and filmed calisthenics exercises. Soon after that, gyms opened up in Miami and after the long break I was back to weight training. I caught myself preparing for the first WBFF World Championship after lockdown. It was held in Las Vegas in August, 2021. It was a great show.
Namita Nayyar:
You have done bold photo-shoots for Bikini Modeling and on your Instagram @bellaonlybella. How are you so body confident and what is your advice to your peers?
Bella Trost:
My dancing background helped a lot in my modeling career. As a dancer you spend lots of time in front of mirrors and on stage. I believe a big part of my success in fitness competitions was my confident stage presence. I attended stage posing courses to learn the bodybuilding routines but being a dancer just makes you move differently on stage. I know my body, my angles and my poses.
If you are not sure of yourself I strongly suggest spending more time in front of the mirror. Take dance classes, posing classes, anything where you have to watch yourself in the mirror. It may feel weird and clumsy in the beginning but everything is hard in the beginning. Don’t forget everyone starts at zero. Then you may become a hero.
Namita Nayyar:
Your idea of a perfect date?
Bella Trost:
The guy has to be a gentleman who treats me like a queen. Makes me feel loved, appreciated, and chosen.
Namita Nayyar:
What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and its message for visitors?
Bella Trost:
It’s lack that gives us inspiration. It’s not fullness. This is why we need platforms for women where we can have useful, informative and inspiring articles and interviews, where we can talk with no embarrassment to help us find new directions and to build our individual health/happiness – our path to that fullness in whichever area of our lives we feel lacking.
Namita Nayyar:
Any words of advice and motivation to the inspiring and budding Bikini Modeling girls, who as your fans would like to hear from you how to climb the ladder of success in the field of Bikini Modeling?
Bella Trost:
Competing is a hard and bumpy ride. It comes with a LOT of sacrifice. You pretty much have to give up a social life and other activities, because when you compete your life is about meal prep and workouts, and in between saving energy for your workouts. The closer the competition, the leaner you are, which means your energy level is dropping drastically.
I think people who have never really tried to be shredded can’t understand the complete lack of energy you have to live with every day. It is life in slow motion, often times with brain fog. The good thing is it’s only temporary and if you get a trophy, you have that amazing “Wow, I’ve made it” feeling. Not everyone can do that.
Start to compete only if your life is in a state where you can endure a hard mental/physical challenge. Not every period of our lives is suitable for that. In order to achieve a goal like winning a fitness/bodybuilding contest, you may have to sacrifice happiness (time, money, hunger, opportunities to do other things, etc.) in the present to gain happiness in the future.
The present sacrifice ought to come with some amount of satisfaction, and the future happiness ought to make it all worthwhile. In my case things worked out… I won a lot and it helped me to make progress in my life; my results have given me the chance to move to the States. You have to decide if your goal would help you move towards something truly worthwhile in your life.
The entire purpose of setting a goal is to improve your life. Ask yourself along the way: Is pursuing this goal making your life better or worse? If it makes it worse, stop to think whether the trade-off is worth it or not for you.
Namita Nayyar:
Do you have a message for your Instagram followers?
Bella Trost:
Thank you for all your support!
Bella Trost Social Media Presence
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellaonlybella/
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2023 Women Fitness