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    • Mike Chapman + Amy Costello / Q&A

    16th May 2018

    Community

    16th May 2018

    By Shivraj Bassi

    Mike and Amy are joint owners of F45 Tottenham Court Road and huge supporters of Innermost. Always focused on putting in the work and maintaining an attitude of self-belief, they constantly strive to be happier, stronger, faster and fitter. We sat down with the power couple to find out more about their fitness journeys. "Health and fitness have been at the centre of both our lives from a young age. We both played sports competitively at school; Amy in long distance running, and Mike in rowing and alpine ski racing. Aside from the physiological and mental benefits associated with exercise, there’s a load of social benefits too, which holds true for us on so many levels. Our first date was a run on the beach and we’ve worked out together pretty much every day since. We took that passion and used it to open our very own F45 studio on London's Tottenham Court Road in 2017. It's been a wild and crazy ride ever since!" - Mike and Amy.

    What's your hustle?

    Mike: Always be the hardest worker in the room. Do so much, that no matter what they do, you can be confident that they’ll never catch you.

    Amy: Never underestimate the power of a smile.

    What does #liveinnermost mean to you?

    Mike: To live with virtue. Lead a life where your external and internal compasses align.

    Amy: Soul and compassion. Spending your life with the people that matter to you.

    Favourite Innermost products, and why?

    Mike: The Health Protein blend because I love the addition of the Japanese medicinal mushrooms. The Energy Booster pre-workout because I like a good beta analine kick. 

    Amy: The Fit Protein blend in chocolate because it provides my sweet fix, and contains maca powder to give me the extra energy boost I need during my busy schedule. I've recently become obsessed with The Energy Booster pre-workout; it just takes my workouts to the next level.

    What do you do to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

    Mike and Amy: Get our daily F45 fix, eat well (always with a little chocolate), spend time around great people, always tell each other what we are grateful for every night before bed.

    Usual breakfast?

    Mike and Amy: Eggs, always eggs.

    Biggest health vice?

    Mike: Maltesers. Can't. Get. Enough.

    Your last workout?

    Mike and Amy: Ummmm… oh yeah, F45! A very sweaty Athletica session, which is functional cardio with plyo and agility work.

    What’s on your bucket list?

    Mike and Amy: Travelling the world together. Opening a studio somewhere exotic.

    Favourite inspirational quote/words?

    Mike and Amy: Life is what you make it. Always has been, always will be.

    Where do you see yourselves in three years? Be bold!

    Mike: Married to my best friend, living somewhere hot and sunny with waves on our doorstep, owning 5-10 gyms, and investing in clean tech and 3D printing.

    Amy: Owners of multiple studios in London and beyond. Being back by the ocean. Having a puppy. Life MADE.

    What’s your favourite thing about the City you live in?

    Amy: FOOD! London’s food scene is epic. Most weekends you’ll find us at some kind of street food market or brunch spot.

    Mike: Our gym! It’s home to us, and all the people there are like our family now, which makes being so far from my actual home in Sydney, much easier.

    Favourite healthy meal?

    Amy: Back in Australia I was kale obsessed, much to the disgust of my housemates. Now we whip up a great healthy-ish brunch on a Sunday, with eggs, veggies, roasted tomatoes (and maybe possibly the greatest loaf of bread to have ever been baked).

    Mike: Pasta? Steak? Depends what counts as "healthy". Everything in moderation.

    Most physically challenging thing you’ve done?

    Amy: Most F45 cardio sessions?!

    Mike: Hiking Kilimanjaro.

    Where’s your happy place?

    Amy: Manly beach in Sydney holds a special place in my heart. It felt like home as soon as I arrived there. It's where I met Mike and where we spent many days working out, eating Acai bowls overlooking the ocean at sunrise, and planning our future together. Soppy but true.

    Mike: The bedroom. All the best things happen there 

    Current fitness goal?

    It’s always the same… be better than yesterday.

    Favourite decadent meal?

    Amy: Decadence isn’t really my thing... just give me a giant bowl of pasta covered in parmesan to the point where you can no longer see any pasta, and I’m the happiest human around.

    Mike: Ditto.

    What or who motivates you?

    Amy: Mike… he’s superhuman. He has a great mind, he’s very inquisitive and extremely competitive, so whether we’re coming up with business ideas, talking about random stuff or doing a workout together, he always pushes me outside my comfort zone and makes me a better person. Also, my team and F45 members. I sometimes get a little overwhelmed with how much love I have for them, and they make our job not feel like a job one tiny little bit.

    Mike: Amy, Muhammad Ali, Kelly Slater, Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Rock.

    Best advice you’ve ever received?

    Mike: It’s good to be different (and by different, I mean weird).

    Book currently on your bedside table?

    Mike: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.

    Amy: Sadly, reading only ever happens on holiday. But I am flicking through Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Encyclopaedia of Modern Bodybuilding. He's a legend.

    Best vacation ever?

    Amy: Does taking a two-year vacation in Australia count?

    Mike: Hiking in Africa!

    Latest obsession?

    Amy: Sausage dogs.

    Mike: Elon Musk.

    Favourite place to eat?

    Mike and Amy: Cicchetti (epic Italian tapas), Sushi Samba, Patty & Bun.

    What did you want to be when you grew up?

    Mike: A professional athlete.

    Amy: A TV presenter.

    To see more of Mike and Amy, head to their Instagram pages (@amykcostello and @michaelandrewchapman). Also, click here to get your sweat on with them at F45 Tottenham Court Road (@f45_tottenhamcourtroad).
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