Miek Deuninck
Personal Training

Growing up in Wanaka fuelled my interest in health, fitness, and being out side as much as possible. These aspects of my life have enriched it & my family’s life immeasurably. This, and my fascination with the workings of the human being, is why I decided to pursue a career in the health and fitness industry: to share this enjoyment and enthusiasm with as many people as possible.

I went to University of Otago and graduated with a Bachelor of Physical Education in 2002. I am still in the process of completing my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Since then I have had two children, Nevada 5, and Arlo 1, so I fully understand the reality of balancing family, work, and “me time”. Before Arlo was born I worked as a personal trainer at Contours for three years. These three years gave me a thorough appreciation of the health and lifestyle challenges faced by people in today’s world. I believe these challenges require a new direction in the health and fitness industry.

I believe a person is not just a physical body, and my work with clients reflects this idea. If clients want to reach an optimum state of wellbeing, all areas of their lives need to be addressed, not just the physical. Each person is unique and requires different approaches for them to gain maximum benefits from their personal training sessions. I enjoy spending time with clients and gaining an understanding of what makes them “tick”.

I like to take a functional approach when creating programs for clients. Functional exercise mimics the body’s natural movement patterns, and uses all the major muscle groups. I like to get people working on a variety of surfaces, both out doors and inside. Variety keeps the body guessing and adapting. This style of training provides a host of benefits including increased strength and cardiovascular fitness.

I enjoy training a wide variety of people, this is what keeps my job interesting and what keeps me learning. But I do have a few specific areas of interest and experience, such as pre and post-natal health & fitness, working with people new to exercise& sport specific training. Each of these areas presents me with the challenges and rewards that I thrive on.

I thoroughly enjoy working with people! I enjoy encouraging people to extend them-selves beyond what they thought was possible. I love seeing the energy this brings to their lives and relationships.

When I’m not working I like to spend time with my family & friends & get outside. We’re into walking, biking, surfing, kite surfing, skiing, gardening and the occasional bit of running. Sometimes there’s nothing better than lying on the couch, watching a movie or reading a good book! Of course, with two small children we rarely have enough time to enjoy all of these things regularly, but when we do, we appreciate how much being out in our amazing environment enhances our lives!



Marlene Laureys
Therapeutic Massage

I used to live in Wanaka, where I worked as an independent massage therapist, both from a physiotherapy clinic and an osteopath clinic for about 8 years from 1997 till 2005.
I am trained as an aromatherapist, but in working in closely with the osteopath, developed my own style. I work mostly with trigger point release in combination with relaxing moves such as in Swedish massage, plus Petrissage and Friction, such as in sports massage and deep tissue. I use essential oils to enhance the benefits of the massage. I also did a lot of research into the meridians as used in acupressure.

My clients ranged from top athletes, I worked with the USA Olympic B ski team one winter, to people that just needed maintenance both on a physical and emotional level.

I usually have a more holistic approach, but I can work within just the physical aspect as well. I go with what presents itself in the body and on an emotional level if needed, respecting the clients boundaries. I will always interact with a client during treatment, giving them feed back, time and space to release trigger point tension. I will also teach them how to work with their breathing to facilitate this process.
I have high levels of empathy; in my experience this is one of he main contributing factors to get good results with clients. I also combine a sound anatomical and physiological knowledge, or a scientific approach, with a very intuitive approach.

I have always led a very active lifestyle, professionally as well as in my leisure and family time, so I’m no stranger to juggling the various tasks of motherhood, partnership, business management, studying, and spending my time off as much as possible in the great outdoor lifestyle sports New Zealand has to offer.