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  • Finding Your Energy, Within and Beyond, With Mila Castro Larocca

    5th October 2022

    5th October 2022

    By Innermost

    We sat down with wellness fanatic and Innermost Insider Mila Castro Larocca, who gave us the lowdown on all things energy: how she finds hers within, the help she gets from her daily routine, and the role nutrition plays in staying energised. Read to the end to find out which Innermost products keep her on track!

    Hey Mila! Could you introduce yourself to our readers?

    Hola! My name is Milagros, and I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina but I have been lucky enough to be living, experiencing, and understanding an extensive range of cultures and countries around the world. I have now been based in Denmark for 6.5 years (and yup, still can’t get use to the cold weather) working in the sustainable fashion business, raising the bar for how the industry works and focusing on clothes made responsibly, transparently, and that stand for a greater purpose.

    How did you become an Innermost Insider and what’s your goal as an ambassador for the brand?

    I got introduced to the brand by a colleague and fell in love with it all, the colours, natural (and few) ingredients, simplicity and no bullshit approach.

    My goal as an Ambassador is to always keep it real while promoting a healthy lifestyle where you start with your inner self. In a SoMe era where everyone is constantly needing attention and validation I’m more concerned about making others feel good about themselves rather than making them feel good about me.

    I truly believe that if you get your inside right, the outside will always fall into place and that’s the energy I want to spread.

    Our topic this month is energy. Where do you find your daily energy and motivation? 

    Energy is absolutely everything in my life! Generating, protecting and spreading it.

    My number one energy-charger is my sleep. If I don’t get my 7-8 hours of sleep, I’d not only be very low in energy but also not have the best beginning of the day. Mornings are KEY for me; they're where I build my energy for the rest of the day - starting very early and quietly, not touching my phone for 30 min/1h, short meditation or breath work, breakfast and work out before biking to work. By 9 o’clock I’ve already spent 3 hours by and for myself and that’s what allows me to be the best version of myself. Being the ‘reason’ someone feels welcome, seen, heard, valued, loved & supported is my biggest motivation.

    How do you get energised for your workouts?

    I work out mostly early in the morning since by the afternoon my energy starts dropping. I can’t start an early morning workout with an empty stomach so a banana or vegan yoghurt with some fruit it’s always my best energy booster.

    I’ve always being skeptical about pre-workouts since I already have lots of energy and don’t even like coffee, nor the feeling of it. But since I started with some cardio classes after work, I really needed that energy boost (and a banana was not enough lol) so I gave Innermost's The Energy Booster a try and there’s no going back. I don’t get heart palpitations, or that anxious feeling, but just the perfect push to get that last cardio session done before ending my day.

    How does nutrition play a part in energising your life?

    I know I said energy was everything in my life but… nutrition also is!

    I was raised almost as a vegetarian. My mom cooked only vegetarian but we were free to eat whatever we wanted when we were out of my house (in a country where being a vegetarian was seen as close to a disease!) until I became a full vegetarian over 10 years ago.

    I’m very conscious of what I put inside my body but I moved away from striving for perfection since I also want a life where I can live it! Food is not only nutrition but also joy, memories and much more.

    Eating plant-based, avoiding added sugars, mostly organic and less processed as possible, has a very positive impact not only on my body energy levels but also in my mind.

    Are there certain times of the day/month/year where you struggle with energy?

    This would have been a more difficult one to answer if I didn’t live in a Nordic country but the answer is WINTER.

    Living in Denmark also means very short days and the lack of sunlight can affect your energy more than what you can imagine, trust me. 

    Do you find yourself lacking energy? If so when and how do you overcome this?

    People can be one of my biggest energizers but also my biggest energy drainers.

     It can be very difficult to maintain your energy the way you want it to be when someone is trying to draw you into the storm. You hear them, you feel them but at the same time you let the tension be theirs and you let your peace be yours.

    Protecting my energy is what I’m working on the most and I can already recommend it ;)

    What advice would you give to others struggling to find energy in their everyday lives?

    I would recommend you to start by looking into whether you are struggling finding energy or if you are actually having energy leaks without even noticing.

    Sleep, nutrition and exercise is very important to generate that energy, yes! But if you don’t protect that energy, people or/and situations can (and will) drain it.

    Give it a try:

    • Focus on your actions and not ‘others’
    • Learn to say no and allow yourself to pull back when you need to
    • Set & respect your boundaries
    • Pause before you respond
    • Invest in those who invest in you
    • Trust your instinct

    What Innermost product(s) have you been loving recently? 

    I’m loving The Detox Booster! I take it everyday with hot water and creamy oat milk after lunch. Feels like a natural and effective cleanse while tasting great.

    The Digest Capsules have been a miracle! I’ve only been taking them for a week and can already feel the difference in my bloating after the first capsule.

    I seriously can’t wait to try all the other ranges!

    Mila, it’s been a pleasure chatting to you! Our final question is ... What’s your innermost desire that you’re hoping comes true this year?

    Mhmmm…

    I’m definitely a dreamer and desire lots of things for our Planet, the people in it and also myself but since there are only 3 months left from this year I would just like to be grateful instead; for everything I have learned, changed and achieved but most importantly, for everyone I have by my side and everything I am.

    That's a wrap! To keep up with Mila and her energy, follow her on Instagram, @milacastrolarocca.

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    We sat down with Innermost Insider and mindful wellness advocate Anj Magecha, who shares how she stays on track with new goals and habits whilst remaining true to herself, and what to do when faced with setbacks. Hey Anj! Can you introduce yourself to our readers? Hey everyone, I’m Anj! I’m a 24 year old wellness geek working in consulting. I’m all about navigating life in London, trying to find a balance in my approach to nutrition, exercise and socialising, and improving my mental health and personal development 1% at a time. (And hopefully helping other people do the same!)  How did you become an Innermost Insider and what’s your goal as an ambassador for the brand? I’ve been a Innermost user since I joined F45 TCR in 2018, I was new to the gym, vegan, and in need of some serious protein intake to pack on muscle— at a time where most vegan protein powders were a bit rubbish! I also run on caffeine and hate coffee so got hooked on the pre-workout to fuel going to the gym, uni, working at lululemon and a busy social life!  I joined the Insider program as soon as I was able to, and have seen so much growth for the brand since then! I love all the extra merch, the sweatshirt and duffel are essential - so would love to see more of my go to gym bag essentials become Innermost 👀 Our topic this month is resolution. How would you personally define resolution and has it been a pivotal part of your life?  Resolution means taking control of your own life and making conscious choices that lead you towards the often intangible ‘better’. It's about having the determination and drive to create the future you want for yourself, and accepting the task of navigating the challenges that come your way. To me, resolution is about being true to myself and living with purpose. It's about not letting fear or doubt hold me back, but instead trusting in my own strength and abilities to overcome any obstacle even when it feels like it’s too difficult, or unfair. To be resolute requires a strong sense of self-discipline and self-control, as well as a clear vision of what you want to achieve. It requires a sense of resilience and adaptability, and the understanding that things sometimes get worse when they get better. Resolution has showed up for me in my journey with eating disorder recovery and weight restoration, with difficult conversations with therapists, even with holding boundaries with friends when sometimes it feels easier to let things slide. It’s not just about the big things! Ultimately, resolution is about living a life that is authentic, meaningful, and fulfilling. It's about having the conviction to pursue my passions and make a positive impact on the world around me. How do you go about setting goals in your life? So this is an interesting one. I suck at New Years resolutions. Or so I thought. With a background in disordered eating and a late diagnosis of ADHD I can retrospectively look back at some of my new years resolutions and understand why they felt so insurmountable.  To keep it brief, they were generally unrealistic, overly restrictive or prescriptive, and boring. And to be honest, sometimes goals aren’t going to be exciting.  I’ve read quite extensively around habit forming and achievement and currently quite like the 12 week year format (it’s a book, decent read but for a short version there’s a video on my TikTok!) The 12 week year has really resonated with me - it's all about focusing on what's most important and taking consistent, small steps towards achieving your goals over the course of three months, and then re-evaluating. So a year long goal gets broken into 4 three-month goals, then 12 one-month goals, and so on, until the minutiae of daily habits. It helps you focus on what matters most It keeps you accountable It allows for flexibility It helps you make progress faster Do you ever struggling with sticking to your goals and resolutions? How do you overcome setbacks? Overcoming setbacks in pursuit of your goals can be tough, but it's also an essential part of the journey towards success. Every challenge and obstacle presents an opportunity to learn, grow, and become stronger. I am a very emotionally driven person, when I get sad or anxious or I’m face with a negative life event, my goals are quite easily derailed. So for me it’s important to allow myself time to recuperate after a major setback, as it can be emotionally and physically draining to deal with challenges and obstacles. Taking a break to rest and recharge helps refocus and regain energy and motivation.I practice self-compassion and am not afraid to reach out for support when things feel overwhelming. I’m also a strong believer in setting boundaries for myself to protect my time and energy. Naturally some setbacks are less personal, things like the pandemic or tube strikes. In those cases I try to keep things in perspective: an old manager at lululemon used to say, at the end of the day, it’s just black stretchy pants and I apply that thinking to most areas of my life. Don't let setbacks define who you are or what you're capable of. Instead, use them as an opportunity to learn and grow. Are there certain times where you feel more motivated to set goals or resolutions? Naturally times like birthdays and new years have loads of messaging around goals and time passing, but in my experience I find birthday goals and new years goals are just that. They exist until I feel less festive and then things get difficult. I find the goals that come to me in the other 75% of the year are actually more in line with what makes me feel happy and healthy. The 12 week year method really helps facilitate this for me. Furthermore according to a study published in the journal Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, people are more likely to succeed in their goals when they start working towards them immediately, rather than waiting for a specific time (like the new year) to begin. When we set a goal, we often have a burst of motivation and energy that can drive us to take initial steps towards achieving it. By waiting to start working on our goals, we risk losing that initial motivation and energy, which can make it harder to get started. So why wait for the new year to make changes that will make you happy? What advice would you give to others about setting goals and resolutions for the future? Check in with yourself to make sure your goals are your own and not what you think people expect from you. And don’t be afraid to set goals that people aren’t going to see happen, there have been points in my life where my goal has been to get out of bed every day for a week and they were probably more difficult and transformative than any weight loss or fitness goal I’ve set for myself.  Do you have any important personal resolutions for the next year? I have some goals from my previous 12 week cycle, including the turf games in summer 2023 hopefully, which naturally lends itself to some commitments around training style and frequency.  I think saying no more often is a big one for me. Not to everything by any means but I do a lot of things that I think I ‘should’ do and I usually go in eyes wide open knowing it’ll leave me not feeling great. So hopefully this year I’ll have the resolve to just say no straight off the bat!  That's a wrap! To keep up with Anj, check out her Instagram and TikTok. Read more