Katie Austin, 29, daughter of health icon Denise Austin, is SI's Rookie of the Yr. The difficulty is on newsstands Might 19.
James Macari/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Like mom, like daughter.
Katie Austin, the 29-year-old daughter of legendary ’80s aerobics teacher Denise Austin, 65, is following in her mother’s health footsteps starring as Sports activities Illustrated’s Rookie of the Yr within the 2022 Swimsuit Situation, one yr after successful its coveted Swim Search.
However not like the VHS and DVD heydays of her mother, Katie has leveraged TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat to construct her match fam following of greater than 700,000 on social media. And he or she’s taking a extra unfiltered method to firming and sculpting on her well-liked Katie Austin health app.
“It was surreal. It’s been such a life-long dream,” Katie, who grew up in Virginia, instructed The Submit of being featured within the shiny magazine, recalling the early days of her mother’s health profession and assembly the likes of Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons.
“I used to be an athlete my total life. I performed lacrosse at USC and I by no means actually thought of following in my mother’s footsteps. I traveled together with her for the exercise TV exhibits, the DVDs, I used to be there virtually day by day watching her do choreography for her exhibits and movies. Perhaps subconsciously I had the concept I favored being in entrance of the digital camera instructing exercises, however I by no means actually thought of it.”
Katie recalled encountering dozens of girls who’d cease her mother to share their private tales after watching Denise’s exercises.
“Once we have been touring, folks would come as much as my mother and say, ‘You’ve modified my life.’ These ladies would sob to my mother within the airport, the grocery retailer and actually inform her how a lot confidence that my mother instilled in them and these loopy tales like ‘You helped me go away my husband’ or ‘You’ve helped me lose 100 kilos.’ Now trying again, I used to be like, this is without doubt one of the most important the explanation why I wish to get into the health business since you’re not solely doing what you like, however you’re serving to different ladies and so it’s such a rewarding enterprise.”
The mother-daughter pair teamed up within the early days of the pandemic to livestream exercises to followers from house, a primary for Denise, who pioneered the at-home exercise video development within the Eighties and ’90s pre-social media.
“The most important distinction about what I do with exercises in contrast with mother is I can see the suggestions straight away — I can totally interact with my followers. I’m ensuring they’re totally immersed. I’m speaking by way of the display like they’re your greatest good friend, like they’re your peer. I've 99% of women on my app so ensuring they really feel snug is essential,” she stated, of posting content material to platforms like Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram. “[Outside of that] it’s actually not simply plain outdated exercises anymore — it’s exhibiting one other facet so that they notice I’m an actual particular person. Anybody can train you tips on how to do squats, it's a must to just like the particular person instructing it.”
“She’s [my mom] at all times very in awe of how a lot that I do. She can't consider what number of platforms I’m on,” Katie stated.
And whereas she is probably not doing squats, lunges or mountain climbers in a leotard to ’80s music with neon lights blaring, all the pieces outdated is new once more on the subject of health trend and choreographing workouts.
“My mother has stored actually all of her [old] gear and activewear. She nonetheless to at the present time calls leggings leotards,” she quipped. “Health trend from the ’80s and ’90s is totally again proper now. Everybody’s rocking their leotards and legwarmers and my mother’s like, ‘Oh my god, I've all this nonetheless.’”
When creating content material for the lots, Katie stated Denise has her finger on the heart beat of what is going to be successful and infrequently takes her recommendation on what sequence to launch to her personal followers.
“She’s been there and carried out all the pieces,” Katie stated, recalling a cellphone name together with her mother suggesting she reprise her best-selling Nineteen Nineties exercise sequence “Hit the Spot,” a exercise sequence centered on focusing on “downside areas” like buns, thighs and the stomach.
“She’s like, ‘You have to do a toned thighs exercise, that’s going to be your greatest.’ And he or she’s proper. Health is evergreen, which I like. I create a exercise that may be for any degree or any yr too,” Katie stated.
Rising up within the age of social media, Katie stated, has formed the best way she’s constructed her personal model — and meaning not placing on a full face of make-up to go stay, or having her hair blown out to sweat all of it off throughout one in every of her “lean leg” sequence. Plus, she stated her followers will troll her if she a lot as posts a video of herself in a sports activities bra.
“I by no means wish to make anybody following me really feel dangerous. I don’t need anybody to open up their cellphone and watch me and be like ‘Nicely I didn’t exercise right this moment’ after which really feel dangerous about themselves. It’s ensuring your followers really feel motivated and empowered by your content material. I’ve set boundaries on social media, ensuring that I’m staying true to myself offline, on-line — realizing that it’s my enterprise on the finish of the day, so I've to ensure I can separate social media from actual life which is hard. Folks say, ‘You make health not intimidating,’” she stated of subscribers to her app, who're 99% ladies.
Whereas mother could also be an aerobics icon, typically she doesn’t at all times know greatest, Katie lovingly joked.
“She’s like, ‘Why don’t you put on a leotard and go to the seaside after which movie the booty exercise?'” she stated with amusing. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know if that can do effectively, mother, however thanks.’”
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