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Hi! I’m Cristíona, originally from the west of Ireland. My journey has taken me across the world, from studying and working in law, to spending years in modelling, dabbling in acting, and now to where I feel most aligned: mentoring and coaching high-performing individuals to optimise their health, energy, and longevity. I’m a personal trainer, with certifications in nutrition from Cornell University and Health Coaching from the London College of Naturopathic Medicine. I’m also a certified meditation teacher from Alchemy, Bali. My approach blends science-backed strategies with a holistic, personalised method that supports both physical and mental well-being and nervous system health. But the lessons that shaped me didn’t come from textbooks or careers. They came from experience, resilience, and deep personal growth. I’ve loved deeply, navigated challenges, and evolved with every season of life. Divorce, reinvention, and redefining my purpose have taught me that true well-being goes far beyond just training and nutrition. It’s about mindset, self-trust, and long-term vitality. Through it all, I’ve learned this: The most important investment you will ever make is in yourself. This reel is a glimpse into the first half of 2024 - highs, lessons, and the people and places that have shaped me. I’m endlessly grateful, and I know this is only the beginning. If you are ready to step into your strongest, most energised, most confident self - with a coach who understands the nuances of high-performance health, personal training, longevity, and self-mastery - let’s talk. You don’t need another quick-fix program. You need a bespoke strategy that fits your life. 📩 DM me or book a call to find out how we can work together. The best investment you’ll ever make is in your future self.

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Sundays are my exhale. I make zero plans (here in Bali at least - no family). Walks, a stretch if my body asks for it, sun on skin, fruit or whatever I’m craving, sea air. A glass of wine… maybe two. Just enough to feel warm, not foggy. I don’t crash into rest anymore. I choose it, so the week ahead feels clean, grounded, and strong. Slow living isn’t laziness. It’s strategy. Rest isn’t my escape – it’s part of my discipline. Long game energy only.

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When you go to the gym during Easter holidays + you realise you’re the only person above 21 😂 And everyone your age is at home married with kids 😅

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Week 2 of my six week glute growth programme and I want to share exactly what I am doing so you can follow along or take inspiration for your own training. A little context first. I took four months completely off weight training and just walked. So I am starting from a place of rebuilding and I am documenting every week of this six week programme with progressive overload added each week. Here is exactly what week two looked like. I always do a warm up set on every exercise to get used to the movement pattern before going heavy, so across the board you are looking at four sets with the first being a warm up and three working sets after that. Abduction machine to start, beginning with thighs closed and driving outward against the resistance. I placed yoga blocks on the outside of each thigh because the machine runs a little wide for me and I want to maximise my range of motion. Four sets including warm up. Hip thrusts on the Smith machine, four sets of ten including warm up. Smith machine RDLs with a plate underneath my feet to increase the range of motion and get a deeper stretch through the hamstrings, four sets of ten including warm up. Cable kickbacks, three sets of fifteen each leg. Weighted glute extensions to finish. I held a 20kg dumbbell for ten reps, then dropped the weight and did ten reps with both legs, and finished with ten single leg reps to really fatigue the muscle completely. Progressive overload is everything here. Same exercises next week, more weight added. Nutrition is running alongside this programme. At 5ft 10 and 68kg I am aiming for 1.2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, which works out at around 180 grams per day. It is not an easy number to hit but it is non negotiable for building muscle at 45. Check back each week for progress and let us see where this takes me. My personal record on hip thrusts was 130kg for 3 reps on a floor setup leaning against a box, and I am now working on the Smith machine which is a different stimulus entirely. It will be interesting to see how the two compare as the weeks progress. I may end up alternating the two to hit the glute fibres from every angle.

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When was the last time you actually woke up without an alarm, lay still for a few minutes and let your body come to life on its own terms? I want to talk about something that has genuinely changed how I feel every single day, and it starts the moment I open my eyes. Cortisol has been getting such a bad reputation lately and I really want to push back on that because the truth is so much more nuanced. Cortisol is not your enemy. In the first 20 to 30 minutes after you wake, your cortisol naturally surges in what is called the cortisol awakening response. This is your body doing exactly what it was designed to do, mobilising energy, sharpening your focus and preparing you to meet the day. It is a feature of your biology, not a flaw. The real problem is that most of us are living completely out of sync with our natural rhythms. We grab our phones before our eyes have even adjusted to the light. We pour coffee into our bodies before they have had a chance to complete this beautiful natural awakening process. We sit under harsh artificial lighting until midnight and then genuinely wonder why we cannot fall asleep or why we wake up exhausted. So here is what I do in the morning and what I would love for you to try. Get outside within the first 30 minutes of waking and let natural light hit your eyes. Wait at least 15 minutes before your first coffee and give your body a chance to do its thing first. Let the cortisol awakening response complete itself naturally before you intervene. And in the evening, support your melatonin rise by dimming your lights after sunset, wearing blue light blocking glasses with red lenses, finishing your last meal at least three hours before bed, keeping your bedroom cool and taking magnesium glycinate before sleep. Where does cortisol genuinely become a problem? Living in a chronic state of stress, with cortisol flooding your body for hours every single day, is seriously damaging over time. It suppresses your immune system, disrupts your sleep, drives inflammation, accelerates ageing and contributes to cardiovascular disease among other things. So throughout the week ahead I invite you to (continued in comments)

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Let your work speak for itself. Booty class 9:30am Saturdays @evan_garvey_fitness . Learn to lift like a pro and build a posterior chain to keep you moving into your 90’s +

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Years of building muscle, eating well, moving my body and taking care of my health means I’m not starting from scratch. I’m on day 2 and already feeling that familiar strength coming back. There’s something very satisfying about knowing you’ve built an engine that can sit quietly for a while and still knows exactly what to do when you turn it back on. Whole foods. Consistency. Muscle built over years. Let me teach you how. Day 1 at @evan_garvey_fitness done. Loved training the women who attended Booty class. So lovely to meet those who came, and well done!! Also some fab PT clients. Day 2 training myself after 4 months off weight training. What I’m offering for August in Kilkee: Booty class 9:30 Saturdays Shred class 10:45 Tuesdays and Thursdays Personal Training @evan_garvey_fitness (DM me for details) My usual online health coaching online see www.cristionaastom.com or link in my bio. In person health and nutrition coaching in Kilkee or Carrigaholt. Learn to meditate- DM me. Book classes via Evans @wunderbookapp or DM me for PT, nutrition and health coaching. One last thing - would you be interested in an evening Shred instead? See poll below.

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Dear algorithm, Send me the women who care more about feeling well than looking busy. The women who are choosing strength over burnout, quality over quantity, and peace over people-pleasing. The women who know that ageing well isn’t luck - it’s the result of thousands of small decisions made every single day. If that’s you, welcome. 🤍

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Big news 🤍 Kilkee, this one’s for you. From Saturday 8th August, I’m bringing weekend sessions to Evan Garvey Fitness @evan_garvey_fitness covering movement, food, and mindset in one place. 🍑 Booty Burn Class - Every Saturday, 9:30am Heavy lower body work, upper body sculpting, and core, built to make you stronger week on week. Go heavy on the hip thrusts or stick with the bands, it’s built to meet you where you are. Glutes, hamstrings, and core done properly, with the energy to match. 💪 Personal Training - Sat & Sun, 10am to 2pm One-on-one, built around your goals. Strength, better movement, or simply someone keeping you accountable every week. 🌿 Holistic Health Coaching - 1:1 Your health looked at as a whole picture: nervous system, hormones, sleep, stress, digestion, and lifestyle, working out the root cause instead of chasing symptoms. 🥗 Nutrition Coaching - 1:1 Practical, sustainable changes that fit your actual life. No restriction, no guilt, just food that works for you. Spaces are limited, especially for PT slots. DM me now to lock in your spot for August. 📍 Evan Garvey Fitness, Kilkee, Co. Clare 🗓️ From Saturday 8th August

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5 things I would love to tell my 43 y/o self: 1. Stop chasing happiness like it’s a finish line. I thought if I just got fit enough, found the perfect partner, got successful enough, “healed” enough - happiness would arrive. It doesn’t work like that. It was never a destination I was behind on. 2. The version of happiness sold to you is mostly about you. True happiness is mostly about everyone else. Every big shift in how I actually felt came from connection, not achievement. Not the goal I hit. The person I called. The client I helped. The moment I showed up for someone. 3. Competing with yourself is still competing. I spent years measuring myself against some idealised version of me - leaner, calmer, more disciplined. That’s still a scoreboard, just a lonelier one. 4. Contribution feels better than accomplishment. A single conversation where you actually helped someone will outlast any personal best you hit alone. 5. Belonging isn’t something you earn once you’re “enough.” I used to think I had to arrive somewhere - a body, a business, a version of myself - before I deserved to feel connected to people. You don’t. That was backwards the whole time. If I could tell her one thing, it’s this: happiness was never something to achieve alone. It was something to build with other people.

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Home in Ireland from the end of July ☘️ and open for modelling bookings with @assetsmodels from Monday 3rd August. Alongside that, I'm working with health coaching clients and taking on freelance + online personal training - DM me for details. And @astonpractice my fitness + wellness app, is coming soon 👀 All the details are on my site - link in bio 🔗 www.cristionaaston.com

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My goal at 45 is not to look 35. It is to show you what is actually possible when you take your health seriously. When you lift heavy, eat real food, understand your hormones and prioritise a quality sleep routine. The women I know in their 40s are not declining. They are arriving. They know who they are. They are stronger, clearer and more themselves than they have ever been. We have been sold a story about ageing that simply does not match reality. Muscle is your single biggest longevity tool. Not cardio. Not restriction. Muscle. It protects your bones, your metabolism, your insulin sensitivity and your independence as you age. But I want to be clear. This does not mean you need to live in a gym. Some of the longest lived people in the world do not lift weights at all. They garden. They walk. They move naturally every day as part of a life they love. They eat simply and they are deeply connected to their community. That community piece matters more than most people realise. Yoga classes, Pilates, group training, whatever gets you moving alongside other people. The social connection is part of the medicine. For me personally, lifting heavy is non negotiable. At 5 foot 10 and 68kg I aim for 1.2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. That is not an easy number to hit every day. But I know why I do it and I am consistent. I also don’t forget about fibre, and neither should you. It’s what feeds your microbiome and that is the foundation of our health. Find what works for your body, your life and your community. Then be consistent. When it comes to your health, your strength, your energy and your mindset. It is not too late. But if babies are part of your vision, please do not wait. Get your bloods done. Know your AMH. Track your cycle and your ovulation. Understand where you are. Time does matter and knowledge is everything. Chase your strength. Chase your vitality. And if motherhood is your dream, chase that with the same urgency.