When Lisa Van Nes Tuarae gets home from the first part of her working day, husband Andrew and sons Jackson and William are often still asleep.
It's all part of a very different lifestyle for the 48-year-old personal trainer who specialises in preparing people for bodybuilding competitions.
Most parents who drive their kids to school in the morning have yet to start their working day. But when Van Nes Tuarae drops off her two boys, Jackson and William, she has already completed a big chunk of her daily workload.
She's out of bed by 4.30am Monday to Friday to work with clients who like to get their workouts done and dusted first thing in the morning. That's when, depending on her schedule, she can arrive back home after her first "shift" and find husband and sons still happily slumbering.
She often has a few appointments during 'normal' working hours, then gets busy again later in the day once other clients have clocked off from their jobs. Because she has to fit training sessions in around other people's work commitments, Van Nes Tuarae, 48, accepts early starts are part and parcel of her job.
"When people hear what time I get up, a lot of them say, 'Oh, that's ridiculous - how can you do that?' But to me, it's not awful, it's just a necessary part of my job. I've been doing this for 20 years so I'm used to it. I love what I do, so I don't find it hard to get out of bed in the mornings. Usually!"
She sets two alarms to make sure she's up in time; once the second one gets her out of bed, and she's had her first cuppa of the day, she's ready to go. She sees around half her clients at the Olympic Pools and Fitness Centre in Newmarket; she either trains the others in their homes or meets them in a public place like a park.
"A lot of people are keen to do workouts at home, it makes life easier than having to get to the gym and find parking. Plus they don't have to pay for a gym membership.
"When I train people in their homes, it's mostly free weights - I get them to buy dumbbells, a Swiss ball and a mat."
Clients need to live either 15 minutes' drive from the fitness centre or from Van Nes Tuarae's Kingsland house for her to visit them at home.
"I used to have clients as far away as Kumeu and Howick but I spent all my time driving around; I just don't have time to do that now."
Most of her clients are women in their 40s and 50s, although her oldest has recently turned 70. She has a couple of men on her books and is also helping to train her 17-year-old son Jackson's dance crew, The Bradas of ID Co, who are going to the United States in August to defend the world hip hop championship title they won in San Diego last year.
She has a strong background in bodybuilding and one of her bodybuilding clients likes to start her workout at 4.30am - so Van Nes Tuarae will get up at 4am on those days.
"I also have to find time to do my own training, because it is very important for me to be fit and in shape for my job," points out Van Nes Tuarae who aims to be in bed by 9.30pm, or 10pm at the latest; her friends know socialising during the week is not an option.
"I do get to have sleep-ins at the weekend, but for me, that means 7 or 8am," she says. "During the week, I will nap for about 20 or 30 minutes in the middle of the day when things are quiet. I never used to be able to nap but then I did Bikram yoga and that taught me to relax. I can go to sleep anywhere now."
Eating healthily and regularly, staying hydrated and being organised are crucial when it comes to keeping energy levels up and making sure her days run smoothly.
Working irregular hours can potentially wreak havoc on family life but Van Nes Tuarae makes it a priority to spend as much time as possible with her family, though oldest son Steven, 25, is in Ireland on OE.
"The one thing I always try to do is drive the boys to and from school. It is really important to me to have that time together, because other times I can't always be there.
"Jackson and William think it is normal to have a mother who gets up so early - it is all they have ever known. And I couldn't imagine doing anything else."
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