Today we have a wonderful guest post given to us by Katherine’s beautiful sister, Natalie.
In this post she shares with us her experience of taking on 30 Days of Clean Eating, Positive Thinking and Inspired Training with the team at Flow Athletic.
Body Component:
In mid-January I signed up to the “30 Days Clean” programme with Flow Athletic – a movement that’s been growing in strength over the last 3 years. The inspirational gym in Paddington was founded by Kate Kendall and Ben Lucas. Brought together through their passion for a balanced approach to fitness, they have crafted their dream exercise space. Kate and Ben met and shared their vision for a new kind of fitness concept when Kate taught Ben yoga in his preparation for an ultra marathon. Together they envisioned a luxe, inviting and communal environment where students could benefit from combining yoga practice with cardio and strength training for an innovative and balanced approach to fitness.
The February programme costs $99 to sign up to and this gets you some crucial tools to keep you on track: seminars, a food diary, emails, a Facebook group to share photos / feelings / tips / recipes / inspiration with other participants, special classes like a Friday night yoga session complete with DJ, running clubs etc.
The foundations of the programme are 4 simple rules:
- No caffeine
- No alcohol
- No processed food
- No sugar
…Easier said than done
Exercise Component:
- One yoga class a week
- One strength class a week (Eg TRX)
- One cardio class a week (Eg spin)
Additional Pillars:
- For 8 conscious hours a week step away from all things electric – the mindset is to essentially encourage you to put your phone down, turn off the TV / computer / iPad and get outdoors, or go for a meal with friends and family
- Read an inspirational book
For most of my Australian girlfriends – this is their standard way of life. They have very healthy attitudes towards diets and fitness and their figures and skin show off the results.
My Weekly Progress:
Week 1 – raring to go attitude and smashed out 5 classes in the gym. Stuck religiously to the diet passing up treats at work and buying and making every meal that I ate. I even went on two nights out sipping my lemon water feeling ever so self-righteous and rejoicing my weekends with no hangovers (first time in my adult life!?)
Week 2 – Definitely the hardest week. Relied more on the community aspect of the Facebook group sharing that we were all struggling a bit more. Then I got asked on a date on a Friday night – can one go on a first date sober? Answer – no. 2 vodka soda’s were consumed and I felt so guilty and like I had let myself down.
Week 3 – On the clean programme I am eating more than ever before – 3 structured healthy whole food meals a day with snacks on nuts in between. No skipping meals like I used to do. The exercise dedication is hard for me to maintain – especially when it is raining outside. But when you jump on the scales and see you are 4 kilos lighter than when you started you definitely have momentum to keep going.
Week 4 – The final push! The skin on my face breaks out – think it’s a punishment of having had crystal clear skin all my adult life – whilst not really taking that good care of it and having a relatively bad diet. I also get pretty sick with a cold which makes the workouts impossible with a fuzzy head space. Diet maintained on track though.
What I learnt:
I will take so many good things from this diet – I have the big 3-0 coming up in 2 months and want to maintain momentum until this point. I have built so many great habits, preparing your own meals so you know exactly you are consuming, portion control, opting for healthy whole organic foods when out and about as well as being prepared with snacks/meals/ingredients. Also, if I have a “cheat” meal once a week – really indulge and savour and enjoy it – without the side of guilt. Regular exercise will never come naturally to me personally but routine is good – and having a workout buddy works wonders for motivation!
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Natalie Johnson is a fashion buyer who has a career spanning 7 years in the industry across both London & Sydney. Since her relocation to Sydney, she has embraced the Australian way of life, especially their approach to fitness, health and a love of the outdoors.
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