Ilona Eljasz came to Norway to visit her daughter. She did not have a ready plan for a new life or her own training studio at that time. She stayed, found a calmer everyday life and gradually began to build her professional path. Today she is a personal trainer, a group class instructor and runs Body Sculpt Studio in Nesbru.
But to explain who Ilona is, you have to go beyond the training room. In our conversation we return to her father's sporting passions, life with her husband, running two companies and the necessity of finding herself after the loss of a loved one. It is precisely from these experiences that her current approach to work and people grows.
- My dad taught me to love sport, my husband taught me to love people, and life taught me to start over.
She came to Norway to visit her daughter. She also found a place for herself
When she visited her daughter, who lived in Norway with her husband and child, she did not yet know that the family trip would turn into the next chapter of her own life. At the time of our conversation about six and a half years had passed since that decision.
Previously she lived in Warsaw. She knew the pace of a big city, the responsibilities of an entrepreneur and the daily tension connected with running companies. In Norway she was drawn by the nature, the views and the possibility of living in a calmer rhythm.
- Here I look out the window and see a beautiful fjord, a beautiful forest — she says.
Getting to know another culture was also important. In retrospect she judges her choice to be good and necessary at this stage of life.
- I think it was a good step, that this is a stage of my life, a calmer one.
This calm has a very concrete meaning for her: the possibility to stop, to look at her own needs and to devote more attention to her family. After years of juggling work, raising children and sport she began to appreciate time for an ordinary conversation.
She has almost daily contact with her daughter and granddaughter. She talks with her adult son less often, when the need arises. In conversation she accepts this as a natural part of children becoming independent and building their own lives.
Her father showed her what real passion looks like
When we ask about the people who shaped her, Ilona returns to her dad. By profession he was a miliceman, but his great passions were sport and motoring. He lifted weights and, as his daughter recalls, achieved success during his military service.
From the youngest years he introduced her to the world of sporting emotions. He took her to volleyball, basketball and football matches as well as swimming events. Together they watched motorcycle races and Formula 1.
Ilona still remembers how deeply he felt the successes of Polish competitors. It happened that he would be moved and cry. In those memories there is also the smell of an old garage and time spent together.
- My dad didn't have to explain to me what passion is. He showed me all of that in his life.
The interests stayed with her for years. She still follows MotoGP and Formula 1. She herself rode a motorcycle and belonged to a group of motorcyclists. As she says, it gave her joy and the opportunity to meet new people.
She also fulfilled dreams of trips to big events: she watched MotoGP in Barcelona and Formula 1 in Monaco. These trips have a personal dimension for her because they connect today's emotions with memories of her dad.
In the interview recorded before All Saints' Day she was particularly keen to evoke his memory. He instilled in her interests that remain part of her life to this day.
Her husband taught her to see the good in others
Another extremely important person was her late husband. They met through a mutual friend. At first Ilona did not think of him as a future partner. He was ten years older than her, which at the time seemed like a large difference.
Today she recalls her former beliefs with a smile. The relationship developed slowly, and over time feelings emerged. They spent fifteen years together.
- My husband was a person in the truest sense, with a huge, simply enormous heart - she says.
She remembers his love for her and the children, but she equally emphasizes the respect with which he treated other people.
Together they ran two companies importing cosmetics from various countries. That meant a lot of work, responsibility and making difficult decisions. There were also problems related to employees.
In such situations she saw a trait in her husband that she particularly remembered: a willingness to give another chance. Even if someone failed or made a mistake, he could still see the good in them.
Ilona admits that she herself could be more firm at that time. She would have expected greater consistency regarding mistakes. At the same time she admired his approach.
When during the conversation the question is asked whether such faith in people paid off, she answers:
- I think it paid off. It's always worth seeing the good in another person, I believe.
It is one of the most important lessons she took from their life together.
After the loss she had to carry on with life
After her husband's death she was left with two children and two companies. Alongside family and professional duties, sport continued to accompany her. As she admits, she then did not have as much time for loved ones as she would have liked to give them.
That is why today's peace in Norway is so precious to her. It allows her to distribute her attention differently between work, family and her own needs.
Her experiences also taught her caution in judging others. During the conversation she notes how easy it is to say, "I would never do that" or "I wouldn't behave that way." Meanwhile, until a person finds themselves in a specific situation, they do not fully know how they will react.
- We are not perfect. No one is - she emphasizes.
For Ilona it is important to draw conclusions from mistakes and to get to know herself through successive experiences. She admits that her own reactions have also surprised her.
- You just have to try to be a good person. But it doesn't always work out.
In this statement there is room for human imperfection and the awareness that learning does not end at any stage of life.
Training at five in the morning and weekends spent on courses
For years sport accompanied Ilona alongside running the companies. To find time for it she could get up at five in the morning and go to training. She devoted weekends to development: coaching courses, trainings in dietetics and anatomy.
About ten years before our conversation she decided to try her hand at physique competitions. Robert Piotrkowicz had an important influence on that decision. Ilona took part in trainings at his academy and it was during one of the gatherings that she was inspired to compete.
His wife, who was her coach, helped her in the preparations. Ilona recalls winning third place in the IFBB federation competition in Poland.
Regular work and study were behind her competitions. Today those experiences are part of her coaching toolkit, although the people coming to classes have different needs and their own goals.
Polish women, Norwegian women and international groups
After arriving in Norway Ilona initially worked primarily with Norwegians and people of other nationalities. She led individual training sessions, and over time also group sessions.
About two years before the interview she also began to develop classes for Poles and fitness groups for Polish women. She also runs Norwegian training groups.
In both environments she notices a positive attitude toward exercising together. As she tells, her commitment and personal activity motivate the participants to act. The atmosphere they create together during meetings is also important.
Ilona works with both women and men. Among her clients are also Polish entrepreneurs.
„We need another person”
One of the most important threads of our conversation is loneliness in emigration. Ilona speaks about this based on her own meetings and work with her clients.
- I have the experience that many people are lonely here - she observes.
Creating fitness groups turned out to be a good idea for her also because of the relationships between the participants. Women come to exercise, but at the same time they get to know each other and talk. Over time friendships are born and smaller groups of acquaintances form.
Ilona gives them space for contact. She sees that for some people the possibility to leave the house and meet others has great significance.
- We need another person, we need groups, we need to talk, to become friends with someone. This is very important.
In her experience, people who find the announcements and decide to come are often also looking for a sense of belonging. The classes give them a regular opportunity to meet.
Trust is also built between exercises
During individual training sessions, clients tell Ilona about daily difficulties: family, financial, or related to mood. Conversations appear during breaks and between exercises.
Ilona treats this openness as an expression of trust and is grateful for it. She shares her own experience, listens, and gets to know the people she works with.
In her coaching work, observing changes that occur over time gives her satisfaction. They concern fitness, physique, but also the approach to training and oneself.
- When I see these changes, it brings me great satisfaction — she says.
In her story regular training is a process. It allows one to get to know their own capabilities, to make further attempts and to notice progress.
Body Sculpt Studio in Nesbru - a dream that took on a concrete address
A personal studio was one of Ilona's dreams. At the time of recording the interview, Body Sculpt Studio in Nesbru had been open for a week.
She wanted to create a professional place with a family atmosphere where she could realize her own vision of training. The studio is an important stage in her professional journey in Norway.
She runs individual training sessions there. She also develops her own concept of classes combining elements of ballet, barre and strengthening exercises.
She invites women and men who want to work on their bodies and their approach to physical activity. During the conversation she emphasizes openness to different people and their needs.
Body Sculpt Studio is located at Nesbruveien 75 in Nesbru, in the vicinity of IKEA Slependen, not far from Oslo.
Her own studio is the next stage, and there are more plans
When we ask about realizing her dreams, Ilona notes that opening the studio does not exhaust her plans. She still wants to develop her activity and work with people.
During the conversation she also accepted an invitation to the community of experts centered around Twoja Norwegia and Radio Wataha. Their shared direction is activating the Polish community and creating opportunities for contact, exchange of experiences and cooperation.
Her work so far shows how such meetings can look in practice. Someone finds an announcement, comes to the first classes, meets other people and returns. From regular training, relationships gradually form.
Our Polonia: Ilona Eljasz
Ilona talks about her life through the people and experiences that have left a mark on her. Her father passed on to her a love of sport and motoring. Her husband showed her how great a value respect for another person has. After his death she had to continue running companies, raise her children and look for her own path.
In Norway she found a calmer rhythm of life. Now she is building here a place where she can combine her sports knowledge with openness to people.
She best describes herself with the words she spoke at the beginning of our conversation:
- My father taught me to love sport, my husband taught me to love people, and life taught me to start over.
Contact for Ilona Eliasz and Body Sculpt Studio
Address: Nesbruveien 75, Nesbru - vicinity of IKEA Slependen.
Phone: +47 486 10 882.
Availability provided by Ilona: from Monday to Sunday, between 6:00–22:00. The appointment or training session should be arranged directly.
Ilona can also be contacted through her profiles on Facebook and Instagram.
The interview was conducted by Steve Joobs, Radio Wataha, for Twoja Norwegia. The text was prepared based on an interview with Ilona Eliasz.
