1-Please tell us a little bit about you and your background in fitness.
I have been a PT for just under 7 years, 6 months in I knew I wanted to train women only and a year after that I specialised in pre and post natal fitness. I worked for a high end gym, which gave me great corporate experience, however really reiterated wrong messages about health and fitness. Especially towards women; I very much felt that the narrative that women should train for aesthetics only and for the benefit of a man, was really reinforced. I went freelance 3 years ago and have really enjoyed connected with my clients on the basis that health and fitness is a lifestyle, benefiting your mental health above all and aesthetics are a by product!
2-How old are you?
I am 24
3-How did you start?
I was a lifeguard at said gym and saw the PT ‘life’, I found it very appealing and naively thought ‘I could do that’. Unfortunately, because of my age (18 at the time) the gym wasn’t willing to pay for me to do the pt course, so I had to find my own course and managed to sort a deal with a rogue company, who put me on a pt course for free, because I worked for them in their recruitment department! My course was an intense 3 month course, I learn the basics, but really understood how to train people when I was actually working in the gym.
4-Why do you do what you do? For how long have you been doing this?
I hope to reduce the toxic messages aimed at women in the health and fitness sphere, I am also keen to be the representation, for younger women, that didn’t exist when I was 18.
5- What is your daily routine?
Wake up, drink a litre of water, train, get home, have breakfast, train my clients, have lunch, work on my full stack web developer course ( I hope to be a qualified junior full stack developer by the time this interview is released, currently on my final project!), see any of my evening clients. Have dinner, get ready for bed ( I sleep pretty early, im useless without 8 hours!) Read a bit for bed (currently reading barrack obamas latest biography), sleep and repeat!
6-How does your meal plan look like?
I eat a mainly plant based diet. I feel great eating this way, I am of Punjabi and Trinidadian heritage, so pulses, legumes and vegetables are very familiar to me. I cook all the time (especially during this lockdown). I usually have porridge post workout as breakfast, rice and a curry/ dhal dish that I have made for lunch and then a similar meal for dinner, but maybe vary the carb..
7-What do you think that people should do to achieve a healthy lifestyle?
Do whatever they can. I always tell my clients not to beat themselves up if they can’t train/ eat like whoever their favourite influencer is. Their lives are completely different! If your only movement in the day is cleaning your house.. put your workout gear on, turn the music up and make cleaning your workout that day! Something is better than nothing. Regarding food, try to cook as much as you can. Even if you aren’t eating particularly well, food prepared by you is always going to be healthier than ready made meals/ take aways.
8-What are your 5 tips for people to manage their daily meals and exercise?
- drink 2 laters of water MINIMUM
- Cook at least 2 of your meals
- If you’re a snacker, have healthy alternatives at the ready
- Make sure you are getting enough sleep! Most people crave high energy (sugary) foods, because they are tired!
- Move everyday.. doesn’t matter what you do, run/ walk/ vigorously clean, just do SOMETHING!
9-What is the first thing a person should do if he/she wants to lose weight?
Have a none aesthetic goal, I find strength goals work best for me. By being less focused on the aesthetic/ the scales, you will push harder and not become as disheartened if you don’t see changes straight away.
10-Are you for or against counting calories?
AGAINST!!
11-Can you tell us 3 exercises that you recommend for a daily routine?
Squats, push ups, pull ups (regressions if you can’t do them)
12-What is your plan in the fitness industry?
-To be positive representation for minority women, both entering the fitness industry as a consumer and a professional.
- motivate women to invest in their mental and physical health.
13-Do you have any motivational quotes?
‘remember when you wished for what you currently have.’
article made by Manuella Iannella
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