5596

152

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 licensed personal trainer, with certifications in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University and Health Coaching from the London College of Naturopathic Medicine. My approach blends science-backed strategies with a holistic, personalised method that supports both physical and mental well-being. 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.

555

50

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.

28360

984

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 😅

52

9

Some fitness influencers promote eating the same meals on repeat - simple, efficient, predictable. I understand the appeal. But for long-term health, I don’t believe it’s the full picture. One of the core pillars of health and longevity is the gut microbiome. A resilient microbiome needs diversity…different fibres, micronutrients, and phytonutrients - to support immune health, metabolic health, brain health, and hormone balance over time. Having studied plant-based nutrition and working as a holistic health coach, I prioritise whole foods and minimally processed foods, and a wide variety of them across the week. Not for novelty - but to nourish the gut, stabilise hormones, and support energy in a way that’s sustainable. These meals are simple. Nothing fancy and easy to cook if you invest a bit of time into learning culinary basics. High-quality protein, healthy fats, and foods my body responds to well. I do have a clear boundary around refined sugar, and I still enjoy a really good pastry every Sunday, enjoyed without guilt. That and a square or two of dark chocolate every evening with my herbal tea are my go to sweet treats. What’s interesting is that the less processed sugar I eat, the less I crave it. That’s the microbiome adapting. When you stop feeding certain bacteria, their signals quieten. Cravings soften. Appetite stabilises. These days, I also eat more protein and my muscle mass is increasing noticeably, a recent body scan confirmed that. Consistency matters. So does diversity. Both are essential if you’re eating for health, hormones, and longevity. Fall in love with cooking home made meals, it’s one of the best investments you can make for your long term health.

91

6

I train with clear outcomes — longevity, performance, and hormonal stability. Every session has a purpose. No filler cardio. No random workouts. Daily steps prioritised outdoors, in daylight, as often as possible. This isn’t about chasing leanness for a season. It’s about building a body that performs well now — and holds up decades from now. WHOOP age trending down. VO₂ max will climb over the coming months.

32

3

Most people don’t fail to reach their goals because they’re lazy. They fail because they’re exhausted and disconnected from their own signals. None of this is radical. It’s just inconvenient for a culture that profits from you being dysregulated, distracted, and chasing fixes instead of fundamentals.

39

9

I’m not trying to be your “sexy gym girl.” I’m showing you what lifting actually gives me - steadiness, confidence, a body that works with me, not against me. And if that nudges even one woman to pick up a weight today, good. Because here’s the part nobody tells you clearly enough: We start losing muscle at around thirty. That’s not a myth - it’s physiology. Research shows that from about age 30, we naturally lose 3–8% of our muscle mass per decade unless we actively maintain it (PMCID: PMC9235827). Women’s health data confirms the same pattern - the body begins dropping muscle from our thirties onwards, and if it accelerates, it becomes sarcopenia (womenshealth.gov). And clinical research is blunt: peak muscle is in our twenties, and after that it declines every single decade unless we fight for it (MDPI, 2024). So no - endless cardio isn’t the answer. Instead try 2–3 short sprint blocks a week. A sprint is simply you pushing your current limit - aim for roughly 85–90% of your max heart rate, not an arbitrary pace. Try 10 x 30 seconds followed by 1 minute slow walk/rest to start. And always do it after your weight lifting session - that is when you need to be freshest and strongest. Walk at least 8k+ steps a day. Aim for up to 12/15k at least a few days a week. Take calls outside. Walk the last few stops to work. Move like someone who is keeping her future self in mind. And lift. Build the thing your metabolism relies on. Build the tissue that protects your bones, your hormones, your energy, your ageing process. Walking and sleep are still the two greatest longevity tools we have (and we know the best things in life are free) - but muscle is the late-thirties and forties insurance policy most women don’t realise they need until they’re tired, inflamed, or confused by why “doing more” isn’t working anymore. Weights are your friend. Your older self will thank you. If you need help getting started - you know where I am ❤️

498

239

I met him with nothing, little did I know he had everything I ever wanted.

116

14

Most of our life breaks into chapters — marriages/relationships ending, selling the home you thought you’d grow old in, starting over financially, careers collapsing, friendships ending, health problems — and it’s easy to feel like you’re the only one piecing yourself back together while everyone else seems settled. But there is nothing weak or broken about rebuilding or starting over; it’s the mark of a woman who refuses to abandon herself. On the hardest days it won’t feel like growth, it will feel like survival, but every time you choose honesty over comfort, boundaries over breadcrumbs, and self-respect over familiarity, you step closer to the woman you’re becoming. And when you lean into her — the woman who knows what she wants, won’t apologise for her standards, who leads with softness but not self-betrayal — you naturally call in the kind of masculine energy that can meet you there. If you’re starting again later in life, not by choice but by necessity, you’re not behind — you’re rebuilding a life that finally matches your worth. I’m writing from experience. And if you’re in this chapter too: don’t shrink, don’t settle. Your life isn’t over — it’s unfolding.

89

61

GIVEAWAY ALERT ‼️ Win a FREE pair of @ra_optics glasses ⬇️💙 details below! Blue light glasses aren’t all the same - and your body needs different support depending on the time of day. 🟦 BlueSync — Daytime lenses For screens, travel, airports, artificial light, productivity and tired eyes. They reduce eye strain, sharpen focus and support your circadian rhythm so you don’t feel wired and depleted by late afternoon. 🟧 Sunset lenses In the evening and at night - blue light tells the brain it’s still daytime. That suppresses melatonin and keeps cortisol high, which makes it harder to drift into deep, restorative sleep. Sunset lenses block the stimulating wavelengths of blue light so your body can wind down naturally. Two different environments — two different solutions. One for clarity + focus, one for calm + deep sleep. ✨ I’m giving away one pair of @ra_optics glasses — the winner can chose a pair of BlueSync (daytime) or Sunset (evening/night time) lenses. How to enter: 1. Follow @ra_optics 2. Follow me @cristionaaston 3. Tag a friend 4. Bonus entry: share this reel to your story and tag @ra_optics and I so we can see it The winner will be announced by the end of November 🎉 Take care of your eyes - they’re doing more than you think ❤️

60

17

I’ve worn polyester and nylon gymwear for years. But slowing down in Bali has made me question things I never used to think about - including what sits on my skin when I train. During a workout you have heat, sweat, friction and open pores… and most activewear is plastic-derived. We already know microplastics and the chemicals attached to them can influence hormones, fertility and inflammation. What we don’t know is what decades of that kind of exposure during exercise means. It’s interesting when you think about it — we go to so much effort to avoid chemicals and microplastics in other parts of life… filtered water, cleaner skincare, better cookware… yet so many of us spend hours every day wrapped in synthetic fibres. Some people quite literally live in their leggings. I’m not telling anyone what to wear. I just wanted to share the thought in case you’ve never had the space to consider it either. Send this to every woman (and man) whose health you care about ✨🤍 #TrainForLongevity #NaturalActivewear #HormoneSafeFitness #WomenWhoLiftSmart #hormonalhealth

177

25

Nobody told me that aging well isn’t about holding onto youth. It’s about finally feeling at home in yourself. You stop punishing your body and start partnering with it. You stop chasing tiny fixes and start building foundations. You stop trying to be “less” and you learn to take up space - in your routine, in your relationships, and in your life. The shift isn’t instant. It’s slow, steady, and earned. One day you wake up and realise: you’re no longer trying to look like your younger self - you’re building the strongest, calmest, most magnetic version of who you are now. Real ageing well looks like this: early nights, heavy lifts, real food, daily walks, nervous system regulation, sunlight, boundaries, self-respect. It’s not loud. It’s not dramatic. It’s a woman choosing herself on repeat — until it shows in her body, her energy, her skin, her relationships, and the way she holds her life. The truth is, ageing isn’t something to fear — it’s something to grow into. 🤍 If this resonates, save it for later — and send it to a woman who deserves to feel powerful in her own timeline.