body: weight training for wellbeing with chloe madeley
It’s one thing joining a gym but it’s another merging it in to your life and committing to it. Add to that the digital nomadic lifestyle that so many of us lead and the internal guilt that then chips away. Deep down knowing that the late nights, the one of your five a day Prosecco habit and niggling Deliveroo addiction, are also crying out for some kind of balance. Looking after yourself and your body isn’t always easy in a world that’s ‘always on’, but once you master it, it becomes something you can’t do without.
Step forward Chloe Madeley, Personal Trainer, Gym Instructor and Author. A go-to mind in the world of health and fitness and someone that has turned her life around with weight training. Not only is she a respected voice but a source of much needed Instagram motivation. Someone that on the days when the last thing on your mind is doing a work out, posts something that resonates and you find yourself jumping off the sofa and in to the squat rack. With her latest book Transform Your Body With Weights out now, we speak to Chloe about how to stay healthy on the move.
You’re a huge advocate for weight training, why is it important?
There's still so much stigma around women and weight lifting, especially amongst the older generations. A lot of people STILL think of women with muscle and their minds immediately go to the stereotypical body builder who is jacked up on anabolic steroids - but that image is the result of exogenous hormone manipulation, NOT weight lifting.
It's still completely misunderstood, and it's incredibly frustrating because increased muscle mass decreases all cause mortality. We're talking staving off disease, frailty in old age, and increased ability to recover thick and fast from any injury or ailment 50% of us are likely to endure in our lives.
How often a week should we all be staying active & for how long?
It depends on your goal; if we're talking general health and fitness, I recommend that people are active 7 days a week. This can be anything from going to the shops, washing your car, walking your dog, cleaning your house, simply getting up and moving around - really anything and everything that isn't just sitting on your ass!
In terms of exercise, I recommend that people implement a good mix of cardio and resistance training x4 days a week minimum, 5 or 6 maximum.
““Essentially, weight lifting forced me to be present, to be in the moment.””
The benefits of regular exercise have long been linked with creating a positive impact on your mental wellbeing. How have you noticed that it has helped your clients long term and how has exercise helped you personally?
I used to suffer from really bad anxiety and panic attacks. I do still get them sometimes, though far less often now. Essentially, weight lifting forced me to be present, to be in the moment. There's no time whatsoever to overthink, you perform and you rest, period.
Add to that, changing your body requires a self respect, self love, self discipline and self awareness that I never had before, and once you start taking care of yourself, you finally start to appreciate and love yourself a lot more.
My clients often find that by taking control of a spiralling situation, getting up and moving their body, making sure to cook (or order) a big nutritious meal that they know is good for them, they begin to feel like they've taken control back. This has a HUGELY positive effect on their mental health.
You travel a lot with what you do, how do you stay on track?
Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. If I have a real physique goal, as in I'm trying to get in or stay in great shape for a work commitment, I simply do what I have to do. I make sure my diet is filled with protein and veg, carbs around training, fats the rest of the time. I make sure I get up early every morning and train, no excuses.
But there are times when how I look is less important, and I can enjoy desserts and alcohol regardless of the inevitable weight gain. I think that's super important for mental health to know when it's discipline time and to know when it's 'enjoy life' time. You should never be 100% of either, 100% of the time. That's how things spiral out of your control on either side of the spectrum.
Let’s talk airport & service station food, what are the major do’s and don’ts when cheese & ham baguettes seem to be en mass?
Ha! This is definitely a problem! I got excited when Jamie Oliver started working with Shell (at least I think it's Shell!), but it seems to be much of the same, annoyingly!
Nutritious food typically means fruit, veg, grains, nuts, animal protein and legumes. Those are your straight up carb, fat, protein, vitamin, mineral and fibre sources. To put it simply, think clean eating.
In an ideal world, everyone would be eating like this MOST of the time, however, having the odd service station sarnie or treat isn't going to kill you. In fact, the latter is probably going to result in you being able to stick to the former long term, which should be the goal.
The above being said, most fast food joints now do salads with dressing on the side, so there isn't too much of an excuse nowadays! When in doubt, remember that veg and protein is ALWAYS a winner!
When it comes to training while you are away, if there isn’t a gym in easy access, what are some go to exercises you can do in your hotel room or outside locally?
If you're near a beach, sand sprints drills will wreck you inside 20minutes and your legs will be burning.
If you're near a pool, underwater lengths will get your heart rate up FAST, and catching your breath on the other side can be your rest period - aka, perfect HIIT.
If it's just you and some space, do a circuit that consists of x1 upper body exercise (like push ups), x1 lower body exercise (like squats), x1 core exercise (like sit ups) and x1 cardio exercise (like burpees). Perform each for x1minute and then rest for x1minute, brining you to x5 minutes a circuit.
Perform this 4 or 5 times and hey presto, you have a great resistance and cardio workout!
Alcohol & training, give us the real talk. Is it that bad?
Drinking alcohol in moderation isn't bad, no. Drinking alcohol in excess is bad, yes.
Drinking alcohol and then training BEFORE you're fully recovered is a VERY REAL recipe for injury, so it's better to just swerve the gym if you're still drunk / hungover.
Bearing that last point in mind, if you know you want to train the next day, have one or two drinks and call it a night. Self control is not a bad thing. In fact, physically AND mentally, it will make you feel far better about yourself and your life.
connect with chloe & find out more…
follow her: https://www.instagram.com/madeleychloe
buy her book: https://amzn.to/35wTQxI
