If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that a while ago when I was “pivoting” my career from barista to producer, presenter, director, content strategist and lifestyle entrepreneur, I realised that habits are the anchor of almost everything if you want to be successful - and a few years back my habits were all over the place and were mainly bad ones. So I have sought to change that since and like many of you I’m sure, lately I felt some of the good habits I had developed start to slip which is why at the end of 2019 I wanted to make some changes.

The last time I felt this way was almost three years ago when I was at my heaviest, I was unmotivated and sluggish, both mentally and physically. It was the first time I had ever asked for help by enlisting a Personal Trainer and all round holistic therapist for help (she did acupuncture and massage). Before that, I had always thought personal trainers were pointless because I believed that people should have the motivation to do it themselves, until I realised at the time, I didn’t! At the end of twelve weeks with a Personal Trainer I lost about 4kg in fat, lost 6 inches off my waist and ate my own words. I became fit enough to do regular short duathlons and join my semi-professional cyclist friends on their recovery rides (which was long and challenging for me, but one I was still able to participate in!) The biggest reward in achieving was the underlying effect it had on my mind, my mental health. I learned to develop confidence in myself and my ability to achieve discipline in my health and body. My work became more diverse and my confidence to tackle ambitious ideas seemed less scary, more doable and that’s when I realised that I never wanted to slip back into a place where it became too daunting again.

I have come to believe in and benefit from a balanced diet and lifestyle which is why I’m not super crazy strict and indulge every now and then, but I do have an awareness of the bigger picture these days, which I never used to have. I usually try to exercise by doing circuit-like classes three times a week or if I don’t make a gym class I’ll replace it with a jog or bike ride. I believe strongly in consistency. As a barista that was always my personal goal when making coffee and managing a team too. I found that when times got tough (like if we had an unexpected rush, or a staff issue) my habits would come in to play and I’d be autonomous in those areas of good habit which enabled me to direct energy and conscious time or effort to problem solve the other unexpected things. Rather than have to worry about everything all at once. I found it helped lessen the overwhelm. So I try to apply that to my personal lifestyle too.

2019 was a year of a lot of travel with fulfilling work, love and adventures but I also found myself deviating slightly from my usually disciplined low-carb diet and regular exercise. I noticed toward the end of 2019 the habits that I had spent two years or so strengthening were starting to slide and my productivity, confidence and general attitude was sliding along with it (I’m sure I’m not the only one who has experienced this). I was making more excuses for not exercising and becoming generally unmotivated in most areas.

I didn’t beat myself up about it, because there’s no point in being annoyed at yourself otherwise you’ll just stay stuck in feeling bad. But I did take action to make some changes because I knew that everything would shift, eventually.

So I started looking for a new PT. I wanted someone close by and someone who was really passionate about what they do beyond the pay-check or possible social media adoration. I had been taking some classes at the local gym in Bethnal Green I belong to and was impressed by a metafit instructor called Miguiel Arroteia. I enjoyed his classes and he always had a great energy, attitude and seemed to truly love what he did (and you know I’m a sucker for that!). Then a new gym friend swore by his Personal Training sessions so that sealed it!.

I know we are all in a very different situation now being in a Pandemic, but bare with me, I will reveal how you can still benefit and perhaps see start to see things differently, even through isolation and limited physical social contact.

We met up for a coffee (thank goodness he loves coffee) to talk about working together and immediately I was struck by his enthusiasm for well-being and exercise and by the possibilities he could help me achieve and a programme he wanted to try with me. I had high expectations for both myself and of him. So we started immediately… January 1, 2020. Incidentally, he also believes coffee can really help with results….

Originally I had wanted to book him for 2 sessions a week for 12 weeks minimum, but had booked flights to visit my family in March, so we decided to do two sessions a week for two months and increase it to three per week towards the end of the two months. He would design me a bodyweight workout (which I’ll share with you below) that I could do while away. Ideally I’d recommend 12 weeks with a trainer, if you can, because it takes that long to go through the process of going through the initial resistance, then getting used to the routine and developing the habit of getting up and going to work out effectively, where you start to see results and then realise if you really dug in and tried, what might you achieve? Possibly something amazing!

You must ride the highs and lows and commit to the process as well as the potential outcome. Come to think of it, it’s pretty much the same process in any project or business, or even when you’re in a relationship!

Getting up for my first session at 8am on January 1st was my first test, but I was determined to shift my weight and my mindset. Miguel started me off gently with just a few exercises to see where I was at, and showed me how too use some of the equipment I would become familiar with. He also set up a google document for a food diary, which we later switched to “myfitt app” which recorded my food intake, calories and accounted for my exercise. I wasn’t calorie counting but I’d recommend doing this to use as a gauge for input and output (of food and exercise) and seeing where my moods or feelings sat in relation to my activities. On the first day we also did a weigh in where he measured my body fat too (at my request).

The first two weeks were mentally slow. He asked me to do at least 1-2 other forms of exercise sessions to make a total of four sessions (including his). Slowly I gained confidence, started too see changes and I felt more motivated because I was enjoying our sessions and the time I was spending loving myself through exercising. In less than two months I lost 2kg of body fat but I wasn’t looking at weight change, I was looking at body and mind transformation, as you can see the start of it here:

I wanted to post this blog a few months ago, but I wasn’t sure how responsible it was to recommend any kind of personal classes while the level of protocol for lockdown was still quite loose in the UK. But now that gyms are re-opening this weekend, you may still be feeling a little anxious about going in and really hitting the ground running. So I wanted to recommend an option you may not have thought of, and get in touch with Miguel as he does personal training sessions at his home and there is an option that he will come to you, so that you can be one on one and not be around others, or sharing equipment. I’m sure he offers online assistance too if you asked him. He’s very accommodating.

He is all about Mindset and very focused on technique which to me is super important, because the last thing you want is an injury. He listens, is always positive. The kind of person you want on your side!

Below I’m also sharing with you some exercises circuits he gave me to do at home which I’ve been doing a mix of while I’ve been stuck over in New Zealand.

Honestly, connecting with someone else with the knowledge to help you through something difficult is such a great opportunity to create for yourself. Whether it’s talking to him online or if you’re committed enough to have proper personal training sessions with him, he can also guide you on nutrition or make you diet and workout plans. Either way, you’ll definitely see benefits, I did!

We are all trying to navigate this weird time in the world and the best thing I can suggest is getting your body and mind healthy so that you are in a preventative position in the fight against covid-19 which is why I wanted to share my experience with you.

Much love.

Miguel Health & Fitness: Contact him HERE

Also! He is currently offering free assessment and PT session this month so get on it!

miguelcarroteia.wixsite.com/miguel

Good luck and I know you can do it!

Please comment or message me with your experiences… I would love to know if this helped you in any way.

I will post more recipes that helped my health and fitness journey on my blog too.

Extra ~EXTRA …

What does “healthy” look like for me?

It is a lightness of energy, an idea of being able to do simple physical and mental tasks with relative ease. Healthy to me is a clearness of mind and an ability to move without stress and stagnant effort.

The thing I wanted most was to have more energy so that my mind was alert and to feel connected with my body. I wanted to reinstate my good habits so that when I came back from my NZ trip, I wouldn’t be back where I started. Little did I know that a three week holiday abroad would turn into 5 months away from my UK home…I’m still currently still here but gearing up to head back to a world with Covid-19.

Getting in the work with Miguel before the world was put into lockdown has been so crucial to my state of mind.

Getting in the habit and routine was really important to ignite the shift. It’s meant that I have placed a much higher importance on my general health while in isolation, and have kept up regular exercise despite not being allowed in a gym. Here in NZ gyms are open again, but I’m about to head to the states for couple of months before I head back to the UK and will be in lockdown again so knowing I can do my exercises online with Miguel or just at home has been the best option. Activities that require movement can be incorporated into your day too and helps me feel more willing and involved. Now I know that it’s possible.

Awareness Exercise:

Ask yourself how you feel, what you think about yourself and try to notice when you say things to yourself. For me it was things like: oh I feel uncomfortable in this outfit and I noticed I was opting for the looser, baggier dresses rather than the skinny jeans and form fitting tops I’d more naturally choose when I was feeling more confident.