Getting to know…Sam Wood & Snezana Markoski

www.28bysamwood.com

www.weetbix.com.au

 
If ever you had any question about how genuine, down to earth and lovely Sam and Snez are – I am here to tell you that they are all of those things and more. They are the real deal! Launching the new Sanitarium Weetbix range recently, we were lucky enough to catch up and have a chat with Australia’s favourite The Bachelor couple, Sam Wood and Snezana Markoski. Sam also shares his inspiration his lifestyle and fitness program 28bysamwood.
How did you get involved with Sanitarium Weetbix and why is it a brand that you can affiliate with?
Sam: Quite simply it is something that I have eaten since I can remember and still eat to this day. The other appealing thing was that we could do it together. Snez gets approached about a lot of fashion stuff and I get approached about food and fitness stuff but when there is a brand like Weetbix where we can both relate to it, it makes sense. We know it’s a good healthy product and it has good substance and credibility.
Favourite way of eating Weetbix?
Snez: Sam’s is warm and soggy.
Sam: Yeah, I’m weird – I like it warm and soggy. I’m a minority! I fed them to my puppy like that for years too until I was told he shouldn’t eat breakfast as he’s a Labrador and they can get fat.
Snez: Cold and crunchy for me – we’re complete opposites when it comes to Weetbix.
28bySamWood is a program that could resonate with our members – busy mums, working mums, and trying to fit time in for ourselves can be really difficult. What inspired the program?
Sam: It was inspired because of all of those reasons. There are 3 reasons people don’t get into shape – they don’t eat the right foods, they don’t have enough time, or they do go to the gym but they don’t know what they’re doing.
We created a program that is only 28 minutes a day that you can do in the comfort of your lounge room. It’s a different workout each day and you don’t have to think about it to get good and fast results. It comes with an amazing eating plan with recipes and shopping lists. The X factor of this program compared to other online programs is that you actually work in real time with me. I chat to my 28ers from 2-10 times per day to keep them motivated, to keep them educated, to keep them on track. We have an amazing Facebook community of over 6,000 people that all help each other. Motivation is temporary and as a personal trainer of 15 years that is something that you quickly realise. You can give someone the best program and eating plan in the world but unless you continually support them they often don’t stay on track. Accountability is a massive part of it. We have tried to incorporate all of those things. My program is less than $2 a day and people see that as a no-brainer investment. They get all my eating plans, exercise, and someone there to help keep them on track. It is far better investment than a gym membership as most workouts are 30-60 minutes in length. By the time you get your outfit, get there and get a park and get home 2 hours has passed and people just don’t have the time for that anymore.
The feedback we have received is unbelievable and in the 3.5 months it has been running – hundreds if not thousands of people have already lost weight well over 20kgs and have totally transformed their lives. Our motto is progress not perfection.
Snez: a lot of people take the time to get ready for the gym – it can be a process in itself and with this program you can be completely comfortable in your own home.
Sam: The crazy thing I hear as a PT is “Sam I’m going to get fit and then I’ll come down and see you”. A lot of people’s attitudes is “I’d like to go to the gym but I’m not fit enough yet.” That’s just crazy! We have 5 levels starting with rookie and our 28ers range from 17 to 74 year olds. We have 92% of women and the male contingent is growing, typically partners of women doing the program. It’s great to see the whole family get on board. It is the best work thing I have ever done – it is so rewarding and the engagement is on another level. Snez helps with recipes and does the workouts.
I noticed there are free weights in the program – do you need lots of props?
Sam: You can use bottles of water or cans of beans until you get stronger and a lot of our 28ers have spent $10 on a set of dumbbells to reward themselves for their hard work.
At the moment you pay month to month but the majority will repeat the program as they love the motivation and getting results. It is not designed that after the 28 days you are fixed. People know themselves and know they could probably continue without me but for $2 a day they prefer to stay on the program with all the support.
The program offers structure and you can fit in the 28 minutes after work, after dropping the kids off to school, on a weekend, or when kids are tucked up into bed. Whatever suits your routine. I really talk to the 28ers around making that an appointment that you cannot break because if we think I’ll just get to it when I can or when the time miraculously appears 9 times out of 10 you won’t do it. So make an appointment, put it in your diary, commit to it and you’ll be amazed at the results you can get.
Being celebrities with interest in you as individuals and then as a couple because of The Bachelor and how you met, how do you stay grounded and centred and not swept away in the demand?
Snez: Being a mum you can’t really get swept away in it – that will always keep you grounded.
Sam: Friends and family. To our closest friends and family were the exact same two people. And they’ll make jokes and someone will ask me for a photo in the street – they keep me grounded don’t worry about that! They’ll say “good on you hero” and that’s who we spend most of our time with. We don’t go to a lot of events. Yes this has afforded us some incredible opportunities in which we don’t take for granted but we just like each other’s company. We would rather watch a DVD on the couch and have people around for dinner than go to these red carpet events to be seen for the sake of being seen. It’s not really our thing, we didn’t do it to start a media career so its not like we need to be going into the public eye to stay relevant. I did fitness before the show and I’m back to doing fitness. Snez has completed her degree and loves fashion and she does bits and pieces through social media. First and foremost she’s a mum and that’s all that matters. I think that’s where people become unstuck. People need to know that you have experience and credibility in what you doing before they take you seriously.
How do you stay connected when you are in different states?
Snez: We obviously make the trips back and forth and we are on the phone constantly.
Sam: Constantly. The travel doesn’t worry us and we see each other every 2 weeks and have done for 8 or 9 months so whenever we can. If it doesn’t interrupt Eve’s schooling we make a trip so we aren’t apart for too long. And it’s great. Of course the ultimate goal is to be living in the same state and the same house and I’m sure we’ll get there eventually but no matter how long that takes we don’t let our relationship suffer. I think we’ve been pretty good under the unusual circumstances.
Snez, for our The Bachelor fans, did you know before the final decision that Sam was yours? You were so classy and held yourself together so well the whole time.
Snez: The time I spent with Sam was really good and I felt that when I was with him it is real but you’ve got to be realistic and know that he may be having the same sort of connection with other girls that you would hear about. So you had to basically be honest with yourself and be prepared for anything. You have to go in open minded. If you went in thinking “I’ve got this and he only has eyes for me” you’re going to be sadly disappointed and really upset when he took another girl onto a date. Whereas I went into it open minded and understanding what the while thing meant.
Sam: Snez is like that and unflappable. I think most girls went in like that but once you’re in a situation it can be harder than you think. Snez was super strong and she is graceful and classy to the very end. In the mayhem that was going on around her she held it all together.
Snez: Being a mum helps you be grounded as you assess it for what is was.
Moving, marriage plans, kids – any updates?
Sam: It’s definitely down the track but we just don’t know when. The hard thing is how crazy it has been the last 12 months you kind of just want to put the brakes on and take a big deep breath.
Snez: Take our time
Sam: Once we work out the days and getting Snez and Eve and I all together
Snez: We can then work out the date and go from there
Sam: We haven’t even had time to look at venues so obviously you have to find one that’s available at the time you’re thinking and so logistics to work out there
Snez: We just haven’t had the time to do that
Sam: I am sure it will happen quite quickly once we work out a date and a time. Until that point everyone is asking and thinks we secretly have a venue – but we don’t!
Snez, what advice can you give single mums who may be looking for love?
Snez: I think they should be comfortable in being by themselves with their children, really connect with their kids and embrace it. Try not to think “OMG I don’t want to be single for the rest of my life.” Yes it’s hard and yes you need to juggle a lot and learn to be happy by yourself before you can throw yourself into a relationship. Find out who you are and enjoy your own company. You don’t normally get time to yourself with children, but you can find it when you don’t have a partner in the mix. Enjoy that time and when you know who you are and what you want let it start slowly.
Sam: The chances of getting what you want increase because you are comfortable with who you are in yourself. I’m not a single mum but I was the same. I went from relationship to relationship in my 20’s and they never worked out because I never spent enough time by myself to know who I was.
Snez: A lot of single mums are so set that they won’t find someone and the next guy that comes along they accept. Don’t sell yourself short and have more pride in who you are and what you are doing. You are a single mum and you are doing so much and hold yourself on that pedestal. You are not less being a single mum, if anything you are showing that you are amazing and you shouldn’t sell yourself short.
 
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Sasha Dumaresq

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