Kayla Itsines has opened up about her recent personal struggles following the devastating loss of her mother-in-law.
Kayla, 32, shared candid insight into the emotional toll she is experiencing following the tragic death of her husband Jae Woodroffe’s mother, Jenny.
Kayla shared a video on Instagram on Saturday, explaining her absence from social media and decreased motivation while discussing her battle with grief.
The fitness influencer explained that it has been a “really difficult” time for her and Jae, sharing that it is the first time she has lost someone close to her.
She shared, “I went for a walk today, I worked out today, I ate really well and I realized this was the first day in a really long time that I actually did all the things because I had no motivation to do literally everything, because I have been so very sad since I lost my mother-in-law.’
Kayla Itsines has opened up about her recent personal struggles following the devastating loss of her mother-in-law
Kayla pictured with her husband, Jae, left, and mother-in-law, second left after her wedding day
“And I’m sad for myself, I’m sad for Jae. “I’m just sad and it’s been really hard because I’ve never lost anyone and it’s taken a strange toll on my body and the fact that I just don’t want to do anything because I feel like everything is pointless.”
Despite her grief, Kayla went on to explain how exercise helped her cope with her grief during the difficult time.
Looking back on a decision moment, she said: ‘I was sitting on the couch earlier and thinking, ‘get up, do something, if you don’t do anything now you will never do anything because you are so sad and exercising will make you feel better.’
Motivated by this realization, Kayla reopened her fitness app and chose an exercise that reignited her passion for fitness: week five’s intense strength training.
‘Don’t ask me why week five. “I just knew I loved that week because I did that program so many times and it restarted my whole brain,” she added.
Kayla shared a video on Instagram on Saturday, explaining her absence from social media and decreased motivation while discussing her battle with grief
Kayla, 32, shared candid insight into the emotional toll she is experiencing following the tragic death of her husband Jae Woodroffe’s mother, Jenny
In February, Kayla confirmed in an Instagram post that Jae’s mother Jenny had tragically lost her battle with cancer.
At the time, she shared a gallery of precious photos and some touching words as she shared the sad news.
‘Rest in peace my beautiful perfect mother-in-law. I’ve lived my whole life without an idol… Then I met you. I’ve never wanted to learn so much from someone in my life,” she began.
‘We all love you so much. You absolute angel, rock, perfect human being. Forever our angel.’
Jae also broke hearts when he paid tribute to his beloved mother on his Instagram page at the time.
The fitness influencer explained that it has been a “really difficult” time for her and Jae, who she married in December
‘I have always been afraid of two things in life. The loss of my mother and death in general,” he began.
‘The thought of these two things would send me into such a tailspin, I hated it… so what did I do? I ignored it.’
‘After my father passed away when I was younger, from that day on I chose to stay away from death. No funerals, no talking about it…nothing.
“After this past week, I can confidently say that I am no longer afraid. I can say with certainty that I truly witnessed something so magical, if out of this world… you had to be there to believe it.
Elsewhere, Kayla recently moved to the Gold Coast with her husband Jae, with whom she shares son Jax. She also has a daughter Arna with her ex-fiancé Tobi Pearce
“As I lay with my sister, on either side of my mother… we watched her peacefully take her last breaths. I watched as the lights in the room began to flicker, the curtains blew open, and I really felt her being gently taken away by my father, my grandmother, and my grandfather. I have never felt so sad and yet so peaceful and so happy with that perfect moment.
‘My mother was my best friend, my hype woman, my everything and she meant the world to me. Words can’t even describe how empty my heart feels in one respect, and yet somehow it’s filled with something else: a true belief that my mother is somehow beautiful… and that means the world to me.”
“I love you mommy, my angel. I know you are always with me,” he concluded.
