Rebel Wilson‘s “year of health” (as she calls it) has been nothing short of inspiring. The Pitch Perfect actress, 40, is currently down nearly 50 pounds since she started working with Australia-based trainer Jono Castano Acero, over a year ago. In a new interview, the fitness guru discusses his relationship with Rebel and explains why laughter aids in their high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
“I love a bit of banter,” Castano told news.com.au in an interview published on November 15. “It makes the session more enjoyable when people bounce off one another. You’ve got to enjoy coming to training. Most people don’t enjoy getting shouted at, that’s not what training is about,” he explained of his sessions with Rebel. The actress works out with Castano five days a week, plus one day of weights and resistance training, and one day of rest. “Rebel and I had a good laugh, so many laughs,” he added.
Castano is the founder of ACERO, an independent-boutique gym in Australia that offers a mix of climb and boxing classes, as well as customized personal training sessions — plus a signature ACERO Impact Class, which fuses low impact with high intensity. Rebel has become a fan of boxing, hiking and HIIT workouts, as seen in various posts on her Instagram page.
When it comes to Castano’s training style, “I’m all about balance,” he said. “When people hear the word ‘diet’ they get turned off and think they have to completely change their lifestyle. It’s not about that.”
Instead, “It’s about enjoying your treats,” Castano said, explaining, “You can still go out for drinks with your mates, as long as you’re back on track the next day. You need to focus on a good balanced approach.”
As part of Castano’s “balanced approach,” the Alternative Meat Co. ambassador sometimes tries to incorporate meat-free meals into his eating plans. “When we think about plant-based diets, most people tend to think it’s either all or nothing,” he admitted. “I think we need to change the way people think. I still eat meat, but I love eating plant-based dishes as well.”
He continued, “When you look at the Alternative Meat Co’s range they’ve got sausages, burger patties and they’ve also got crumbed chicken patties. So, for one meal you could have veggies on the side with Alternative Meat Co’s sausages, maybe add some avocado.” — “From a trainer’s point of view, that’s a perfect meal right there with carbs, protein, fibre and good fats,” Castano said.
Rebel has been documenting her health journey on social media throughout 2020 — including the time she went running up and down the stairs of the Sydney Opera House! Back in January, Castano spoke exclusively with HollywoodLife to share the exact workout Rebel does to achieve such amazing results.
“It’s an intense, five-round circuit routine,” Jono said, noting that it doesn’t have to be as grueling as it may sound. “As with all my clients I try to make the sessions [with Rebel] enjoyable and engaging. Training is about having fun and getting the work done,” he shared.
Rebel first debuted her smaller frame in March 2019 at the premiere of Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical. In May, she revealed her goal weight of 165 pounds, which she hopes to reach by 2021.