Fitness – A Styled Life

When I had Little Madame, I went from a complicated pregnancy with diabetes and other wonderful conditions to a pretend maternity leave that saw me spend my days on the blackberry and often on the Eurostar to Paris instead of taking care of my baby and me; I felt totally depleted of energy and totally out of shape. I realised I was the one who had to put a stop to all of this and take charge of my health once and for all. Being me, I would have loved a quick fix solution, the reality is that when you combine a stressful life with health issues, there is no quick and easy way to get better. Thankfully though, I didn’t know that at the time…

Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can tell you one thing: getting back into shape when you are on the wrong side of thirty, have had a couple of c-sections and have a job that doesn’t understand the concept of personal vs working hours, well… it takes some serious commitment and months of hard work, but it is worth it… Five years after fixing my lifestyle, I am a little less fundamentalist about my diet and work-out schedule and I do cut myself quite a bit of slack, but I am still a full size smaller than before my babies, and most importantly I feel fit and strong and don’t flinch at the idea of taking the stairs instead of the lift anywhere.

Let me tell you: if I managed, so can pretty much anyone. So, what are my top five tips to get fit and stay healthy?

Tip One – Find a work-out that challenges you

The first step is to challenge yourself. The odds are, these days, most people do work out a little bit, for instance I used to go to reformer pilates a couple of times a week and rarely missed a barre class. Pregnancy complications meant that doctors forbade anything except pregnancy yoga (having taken many classes I am still unsure how that is any different from sitting on a cushion and pretending to be a plant), and by the time Little Madame arrived I was seriously in need of a work-out regime overhaul. I was lucky to meet the most incredible PT around that time, Nadine, who got me to think about my next lifestyle hack: it’s not enough to push yourself with a couple of grueling sessions a week, exercise must become part of your life, as much as taking the kiddies to their Saturday afternoon birthday parties or attending that morning markets meeting everyday.

A few years later, when I found myself in Johannesburg working out on my own with my reformer, my flywheel bike etc. but also not feeling like I was getting much in terms of results, I reached out to another fabulous PT, and Wardah now comes to me twice a week at stupid o’clock to ensure I am pushing myself and getting through those awful burpees (I still hate them).

I do find it’s helpful to have a PT to help you through those times in life when you are not feeling like pushing yourself… If you are looking for someone to help you kick-start your routine then I recommend Nadine if you’re London or Europe based, or if you want a really good Zoom instructor for your reformer sessions, and if you’re Johannesburg based then Wardah is the one you want.

Tip Two – Diversity is key

When I lived in London, everyday was a different work-out at a different studio, and I loved it: pilates, barre, boxing, studio cycling, and rebounding… Mix it up, but remember, if you want to pump up your heart rate, add cardio work-outs: I don’t run (except in airports to make flights), so I am a big fan of anything that tricks my heart into pretending I do. In Johannesburg, it’s hard to find the type of studio work-outs I got used to, so instead I rely on apps and online training platforms. I’m not going to lie, the Tracy Anderson online work-outs with their dance moves and arm-busting routine totally improved my outlook on lockdown life.

At the moment, being in lockdown, my work-out week includes self-paced HIIT with a Tabata app on my phone, studio cycling using any Soulcycle Spotify playlist that sounds fun and dance-y, a couple of TA work-outs, and a Saturday Zoom session with N. because I need a little boost in my reformer routine but also because I want to support her during the closure of studios everywhere… I struggle to find a good Yoga class I like to follow online, but usually when we are free to roam I go to Bikram yoga every Saturday morning.

Tip Three – Make being healthy a priority

A lot of people comment on my sweaty Insta posts that it’s surprising that I manage to work out on my own, and how motivating themselves is the biggest struggle. My answer? I don’t have a choice: my health is a priority and I will do everything I can to trick myself into working out most mornings (but remember: what I post is a curated selection of my life, noone would be inspired if I posted a picture of my lazy mornings when I’m playing alarm snoozing…) We’re all busy and most of us, especially parents of young children, are permanently tired. If you need to be at your desk responding to emails by 8AM everyday and don’t like to miss your littles’ bedtime, and still want to have some form of social life, well, there is no other way to fit exercise unless you schedule it and commit yourself.

In my case, I know that if I don’t work out before work it will never happen, too many things get in the way, including the amazing ability my mind has to make excuses for itself (that was a horrible meeting just now, why don’t I skip my circuit class and go straight home to snuggle next to my babies and a nice G&T…). Usually, it means I wake up before 5:30AM each day to fit in my sweaty sessions, so yes I don’t sleep much, but the good news is skin cells do most of their renewal work before 2AM so you’re not missing much in the looking fresh and dewy department. Also, lockdown means mornings are slightly later than usual; after all, we’re all skipping commuting and the battle that can be getting kids ready for school… #silverlinings

Tip Four – Don’t skip the diet part

I’ll be brutally honest: I am not a diet fundamentalist and at the moment I’m ingesting far more than my fair share of carbohydrates, in bread and wine form mostly. However, when I want to be in top shape, I know that I need to log every single thing I eat into an app that counts my macros, and make sure that I eat about twice as much protein as anything else… and very little carbs (for the Moroccan in me, this is the hardest). Usually though, my diet is super simple: a common sense approach to food, healthy choices, portion control, and food preferably prepared at home from scratch and absolutely no silly fads (alka-what?!!)…

Tip Five – Be nice to yourself

We all have the best intentions, however life gets in the way. Being in the office makes it far easier for me to be good about my macros and how well I eat, whereas working from home means I have access to Hubby Dearest’s delicious sourdough bread and I do sometimes engage the help of a pink G&T to get me through the 10th video call of the day on that 300-page report someone decided to write on an obscure topic that very few people have interest in… There are many Sundays when it just feels perfect to snuggle up in bed with my littles, the cats, a lie-in and breakfast in bed, and I don’t beat myself over it. That extra session isn’t what makes the difference between how JLo looks and the rest of us, I believe if you ask any trainer they’ll say the difference lies in a 24/7 personal chef and a very good plastic surgeon.

What I’m trying to say is: do the things that make you happy, eat what tastes fantastic, and don’t begrudge yourself for letting go from time to time, pleasure is a massive component of happiness and being happy is key to being healthy… Remember it’s all about the balance!

Let me finish this post with a little reminder that I am no wellness guru. I am just a busy mama of two who decided to steer her life around from a sluggish mess of stress overload onto a healthier, happier, stronger turn… Most days, I feel strong, healthy and fit, and that is quite an achievement for me considering where I’ve been and I hope some of my lessons might be useful to other women who may be struggling to keep a healthy lifestyle.

With love, S.

In the run-up to our move to South Africa, I had developed quite a little addiction to all the boutique studios London has to offer, from dynamic pilates and barre to studio cycling in various studios around London, either closer to home or to the office, power yoga just around the corner from our house every Sunday evening to unwind before the week, and of course my thrice-weekly rebounder class at the Harbour Club…

It took me very little research to realise that, when it came to fitness, Johannesburg was not really a place where I would thrive. Here, most people go to gym (yes, gym, not the gym), pump iron or do a 1990s style spinning class starting from 4:30AM (not a typo, the peak hours for gyms in South Africa is 5:00AM to 7:00AM); many locals love nothing more than a sunrise bike ride of 80-100km on a Saturday, preferrably on roads where there are no cycle markings to ensure maximum adrenaline, I guess. If I was going to continue with my fitness routine, I had to create my own space. The alternative was giving up on years of efforts to be fit and strong, something that I was both proud and thankful for.

On a positive note, houses around here tend to come with a couple of extra rooms, and ours in particular came with a tiny TV room, which I guessed from the realtor’s introduction to it was where you were meant to lock your children’s TV and toys (and possibly the children also) away in, out of sight, out of mind. Seeing as we like our children, their toys and their Disney movies on the out and open, I decided that was going to be my little studio, for pilates, cycling, and even PT sessions.

I ordered an Allegro reformer from L.A., got it shipped to London, then put it on the container that was going to bring our 60-odd boxes of belongings here. It was expensive, hard work getting it here, and even more hard work putting it all together (ask Hubby Dearest), but it means I can do my little Pilates routines every few days, replicating the moves that my favourite London instructors Nadine and Zsofi had taught me over the years it took to get me back into shape after my pregnancies. I was even happier when I tried to go to a Pilates class in the beginning, before the container arrived, and realised the whole “breathe in, feel the marble roll on your stomach” training style was very much still a thing here… thanks, but no thanks?

Over time, we added a flywheel bike for those Soulcycle-like workouts; this one costs a fraction of the Peloton that is the hype everywhere… trust me it almost does the same job only you have to count on your own motivation and imagination, but Spotify is full of the playlists of some of the coolest trainers so it’s not that hard. I also found a rebounder, this isn’t the best out there, I prefer the one with the elastic links instead of the springs, which make an awful lot of noise, but considering I burn an average of 300 calories every time I spend half an hour on it, it does the job just fine. I also have elastic bands and weights, small ones for when I feel like a barre workout, and bigger ones since Hubby Dearest is now forced to work out at home as well since the beginning of the lockdown, a TRX that we hang on the little terrace outside the studio, and plenty of other goodies that basically make this the best boutique gym I can find south of the Med. I’m happy, and, most importantly, I’m working out most days.

We added posters that inspire me and a little seating area because the munchkins love to come watch me sweat, and sometimes they even take part, so I make little timelapse videos of us all looking like spastic hamsters jumping together, much to the enjoyment of my Insta friends. When we are not in lockdown, my wonderful trainer Wardah comes twice weekly to kick my dislike of heavier weights and burpees (I miss her but I’m not unhappy that I haven’t done a single burpee in four weeks, thank you Mr President…) I also recently started doing Tracy Anderson DVDs as well, and the little floor space I left in front of the mirrored wall is perfect for all those dance combos, which I am loving.

All things considered, it is pretty luxurious to have a studio at home, and I know I am very lucky, but carving out a little space for wellness is possible in most homes, even if it’s just a little mat, a couple of weights and some elastic bands; you can decorate it all nice and pretty so you feel happy when you are about to embark on a pretty gruesome 60 min HIIT workout. At least your eyes will be having a good time!

With love, S.

Category: Fitness

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