Women We Love: Aiesha Dempster

Women We Love: Aiesha Dempster

Originally from Kingston, Jamaica and having spent many years in the USA, 37-year-old Aiesha Dempster moved to Australia just one year ago, bringing her fearless mum and beloved dog along for the adventure. A devoted ChicksLift member, Aiesha constantly inspires the ChicksLift community with her strength, determination and dazzling beauty, both inside and out!

We were lucky enough to catch up with Aiesha in the gym recently after she’d just smashed out a killer ChicksLift session. This is what she told us about life, dieting, fitness and why she thinks women should lift weights…

CL: What does a typical week in the life of Aiesha consist of?
A: I’m the Plant Manager for General Mills, Inc. (they manufacture Latina Fresh products for Australia), so I work M-F in a factory where you never know what type of day lays ahead – and that’s what I like about it. My days start pretty early and I am not much of a morning person so I refuse to even consider morning workouts. I actually love working out in the evening because it helps me to destress from the work day, so that by the time I get home I can relax and enjoy time with my mum and my dog.

CL: What do you eat in a typical day?
A: I am not a fan of diets however I have started to think more about using my calories wisely. Every meal doesn’t have to be indulgent, I can save that for the weekends when I go out. Instead of dieting, I just find ways to interject healthy foods into the meals I already enjoy such as boiled eggs, avocado, grilled chicken, tuna, fruit and vegetables. For me the most important thing is tastes – I’m from the Caribbean so if it doesn’t taste good I can’t eat it! This might mean adding a little teriyaki or hot pepper sauce to chicken, or choosing a flavoured tuna over plain. I do also drink a lot of water.

A typical day would include a boiled egg, avocado and some sliced grilled chicken breast or oatmeal for breakfast. Mid-morning snack items include fruit (apples, orange, or grapes), a slice of toast or yogurt. Lunch is either chicken and veggies, tuna and salad or soup. To keep my energy up in the afternoon I’ll have either a Cob’s snack size popcorn, Weight Watchers coconut delight bar or another piece of fruit. Dinner is usually protein and lots of veggies.

CL: How do you stay in shape?
A: You just have to find something that you enjoy. Working out cannot be a chore for me, it has to be something I look forward to. I love strength training. I love yoga. I tolerate cardio, so I can only do it in ways that makes the time pass quickly (e.g. boxing, tennis, etc.). I hate running, so I just don’t do it. I’m now working out 5-6 days a week because I love what I do. Monday and Thursday is ChicksLift, PT on Saturday, Yoga on Sunday, ChicksFit on Wednesday and I try to make a group session on Tuesday. I particularly love ChicksLift because it gets you into weight lifting without the intimidation factor and I feel good knowing I’m getting stronger. The trainers teach you how to lift with the right form so you don’t injure yourself, and they’re so friendly and fun. Plus, because the class sizes are small you get to know the other ladies and you want to keep coming back to catch up with everyone.

CL: What’s your fitness philosophy?
A: It’s important to have a purpose and know why you’re working out or trying to stay fit. Mine is because I want to make sure I can enjoy my life to the fullest. If my friends say, “let’s go hiking this Saturday” or “I saw a great deal on surfing lessons”, I want to be able to just do it instead of worrying because I’m out of shape. That’s my overarching reason; being toned and looking better in my clothes or swimwear is an added bonus for me.

CL: Why do you think women should lift weights?
A:
1) It makes you feel powerful
It’s a great feeling to go into the gym and know you can work out without feeling intimidated. My goal is to be able to do a chin up without assistance because that’s considered something guys can do but most women can’t. I want to prove to myself that I can do what many people think women can’t.

2) It makes you stronger physically and mentally
Once you overcome the thoughts in your head telling you that you can’t lift a particular weight, it’s incredibly powerful. Those thoughts are the same ones that tell you you can’t get that promotion, you’re too old to do this or too overweight to do that so it’s amazing practice for gaining confidence in all areas of life.

3) To maintain muscle mass
As we age we tend to lose muscle mass but I’ve seen videos of women in their 70’s lifting so I think, ‘why not me?’. I don’t want to just let life happen. I want to be in control of how I look and feel, even at 70!

CL: What makes a strong woman in your eyes?
A: To me a strong woman is someone who knows how to keep putting one foot in front of the other, even when faced with adversity. Life rarely works out exactly the way we planned it but who cares. Just enjoy the journey and keep lifting yourself and others up along the way.

CL: Are there any strong women who inspire you?
A: My mother is simply amazing. No is simply not in her vocabulary so every time I think I can’t do something she says “what’s the D word?” – that’s Determination. She’s started her own businesses, raised four kids, moved her family from Jamaica to the States on her own and can fix anything!

CL: We think she’d be as proud as punch of you Aiesha!

Register your interest in ChicksLift here to get started on your own strength and fitness journey!