Luke Hines, Nutrition Coach, Motivator and Personal trainer
In my teenage years I always struggled with my weight, earning myself the nickname, buddha! I knew I wasn't taking the best care of myself and one day I woke up and I realised I needed to make some positive changes if I was to live to my true potential and have a happy and healthy life. So I began eating well, moving my body, reading and researching, and most importantly I started thinking more positively about myself and where I was heading, and after 12 months of these positive changes I found myself feeling incredible. I was at my ideal healthy weight, I felt more energised every day, and for the first time I truly started to believe in myself that I could achieve anything if I put my heart into it.
With this incredible new lease on life my passion turned to wanting to help others achieve the same, so I become a personal trainer whilst continuing my research. For several years I trained clients in various gyms and private studios, I then moved into private one on one consulting which brought so many highlights, perhaps the best and most exciting of all included working alongside Angelina Jolie on the set of one of her films managing nutrition and training.
Early on I realised that true health and fitness didn't just revolve around the 'moving' or exercise part and so I developed a huge passion for healthy food, which landed me on Australia's number 1 cooking show, My Kitchen Rules, where I got the chance to show Australia that healthy food can not only be easy but delicious too! Making it to the finals, it truly was an incredible experience and upon the completion of filming I moved into publishing healthy recipes in cookbooks to showcase to the world that heathy food doesn't have to be bland or boring diet food.
Nine best selling cookbooks later and my nutritional therapy qualifications under my belt, I have developed this program to combine my passion, expertise and love for nutrient dense delicious meals, realistic mindset motivation, and the moves that will keep you well for life, because my number one goal is to help you positively change your life to be the best, healthiest and happiest version of you.
• Tell us a little bit about your story, What are your qualifications and how did you get into the food industry business path?
For a long time I had loved looking after myself with exercise and really enjoyed celebrating healthy food to support my training and lifestyle. After a few years of really getting into my food and fitness I realised what a profound positive effect it was having on my physical, psychological and spiritual wellbeing, and knew that I wanted to share that with others. After a few years working in gyms and fitness centres, I went out on my own in 2007 and started Bondi PT, an outdoors personal training business that focused on 1:1 sessions and group fitness. After a few years building that up, I saw an ad on TV calling for auditions for My Kitchen Rules! I thought it would be the perfect prime time platform to showcase my love of healthy living with Australia and hopefully inspire others. After sending a tape in, the rest moved really quickly. 12 months later I had competed successfully on the show making it all the way to the finals and was about to release my first cookbook. 13 books later and some amazing life experiences under my built, here I am, my day to day is a mix bag of hosting the TV show I do for channel 7, writing and testing recipes, creating food content for brands I work for, and of course, lots of cuddles with my two dogs in-between.
• Sustainability, how do incorporate it into your business and personal life? Is it something you have always be conscious of?
Yes, it is something I am conscious of and do my best to work on and contribute positively too, but I do admit its something I want to continue to grow and develop as I learn more ways to reduce food waste, reduce and remove use of plastics, and contribute to a healthier planet. When it comes to my work, on any food shoot we make sure we only buy just enough ingredients, and nothing goes to waste and is eaten or shared amongst the crew so nothing goes in the bin. When it comes to food storage, I make sure the team and I on a book shoot for example only use recycled containers, class jars and reusable food wrap. On most sets I work on we have a no plastic water bottle and no disposable coffee cup rule… so if you want to stay hydrated and have a coffee in your lunch break, you must remember to bring your reusable sustainable keep cup and water jug.
• What makes you, Luke Hines tick and feel empowered in business as a boss/creator? What are some key aspects that got you to where you are today?
What empowers me as a boss/ creator is that each and every day I wake up I am fortunate enough to do something I truly love, and I know that can sound cliche but I think we have all been in jobs that we don’t like, so doing something that allows you to get your creative juices flowing and get paid is a true win win. An aspect that I think drives me each day to work for better and helps me grow as a person and business owner is that no-one else can do it for me. When things get tough, or I am tired, I just have to pull my finger out and get it done. I still feel challenges each and every day, and I think thats healthy, because there is no time to be bored, and challenge equals levelling up and growing as a person. So my goal is to keep challenging myself and pushing my self to grow so I can continue to achieve new and exciting things, that was, it will never get boring.
• Can you talk us through some of your wow pinch-me moments in your cooking/business journey?
I was really fortunate to work with Angelina Jolie when she was in Australia for a huge film production she was directing. I worked directly with her as a food and fitness consultant for the three lead cast members of the film and I got a real buzz of being so hands on in such an important role, and working on a film set was really exciting in itself.
• How do you source your cooking products? What goes into finding these items?
I am a massive fan of earthy, natural styling of food, so when it comes to props for shoots, I look at local markets and small business who do hand made pottery. I love really simple, natural tones so the food can shine, place hand maid one off pieces are usually quite unique and bring the photo some awesome depth.
When it comes to ingredients, I’ll either get it form my home vegetable garden, or support a local producer so I know exactly where it has come from, how it was grown or raised, and what goes exactly goes into it.
• If you could give any advice to our readers, what would you say? ( about health, lifestyle, sustainability, fitness)
Find your happy. Happiness is what matters in life, and even if you aren’t in your dream job, dream house or dream relationship etc, you’ll still be able to find your happy. Ive learnt that even when times are tough, if I can find things that make me genuinely happy, it can pull me out of any darkness. For me it is spending time with animals, time off my devices, time in nature, and time in the ocean. No matter how hard something is or feels, I go find a happy place or activity, and work through it so I can come out the other side feeling happier, healthier and stronger.
• Last question to leave us with, what is your favourite dish to cook and what makes you a SoLmate?
My FAVOURITE dish is really simple, and anyone can do them. My famous crispy sweet potato fires! They only need a few basic ingredients but the taste, OMG, THE TASTE. Next level! I drop them in a chilli lime aioli and it makes my tummy sing. And what makes me a SoLmate? Well I have known Bec and Nath for a long time now through my years in Sydney, and when you meet great people doing great things, it is hard not to be excited for them and support them on their journey.
