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  • Taofique Folarin / Q&A

    28th August 2018

    28th August 2018

    By Shivraj Bassi

    Taofique has worked professionally on stage and television for over 15 years. His experience as a dancer and actor led him into the world of fitness. Now working as a personal trainer, coach, founder of Sweat & Smile and trainer at numerous studios including our partners BLOK and Sweat It, we sat down with the man himself to find out more about his journey towards holistic health.

    “My philosophy as a trainer places emphasis on strengthening both the body and mind. Fitness is more than just striving for exterior perfection but should focus on total well-being from the ground up, inside and out. I believe in education through movement, and that fitness should be inclusive and accessible for all, achievable yet challenging. Taking that first step is always the hardest but with good support and a healthy mindset the possibilities are limitless.” – Taofique

    What’s your hustle?

    Sweat and Smile – I want everyone to know that fitness should be a celebration of our minds and bodies. With a focus on community and fun to combat mental health, I plan to take the Sweat and Smile concept to schools to highlight the benefits of exercise for our physical and mental health, with a focus on children who shy away from physical activity.

    What does #liveinnermost mean to you?

    A lot of what we see on our exterior is a direct reflection of what is going on inside. So when we nurture our inner selves through good nutrition and look after our bodies, we shine brightly on the outside.

    Favourite Innermost products, and why?

    The Health Protein. I love this blend. I have a very busy schedule in between classes and it can be hard to get all my meals in when I teach back-to-back. Grabbing a shake ensures I’m hitting my calorie intake for the day and have enough fuel to coach my sessions. On top of this, I get ingredients that help my body repair and a good detox, so it’s a win-win. 

    The Energy Booster. This pre-workout product is everything. Some days I can coach up to as many as eight sessions in one day, on top of private sessions. This product not only tastes so good but gives me that extra kick before I hit a session in the gym. I always feel fully energised when I drink The Fit Plus before a session and I can aways give it that extra bit more on my sprints.

    Favourite inspirational quote/words?

    Either you think you can or you think you can’t. Either way, you’re right

    Favourite healthy meal?

    My favourite meal of the day (and the most important) is breakfast. I love porridge oats with coconut milk , topped with goji berries, bananas and almond butter. It’s a killer way to start the day.

    Most physically challenging thing you’ve done?

    I was a contestant on the BBC Show “Special forces: Ultimate Hell Week”. After a gruelling selection process against some of the UK’s fittest from different backgrounds and disciplines, I was selected and then subjected to an ultimate endurance challenge and pushed beyond my mental and physical limits by battle-hardened veterans from the world’s toughest special forces.

    Based on the special forces’ selection methods, every 48 hours we were put through a set of challenges, each one more difficult than the last. For instance, the first day, on under four hours' sleep, we were awoken with four hours of PT amidst continuous cold water hosing and full body submerging. Then without food, we headed off for a trek across the Brecon Beacons with fully packed burgeons and soaked clothes. Then the real fun began with log carries, everlasting rifle holds, removing a Land Rover from a mud pit and training in the freezing cold sea. You get the gist.

    Best travelling tip you’ve picked up?

    Always trust your intuition and let that guide you. When we are able to hone in and listen to our inner voice, we’re always guided to the right the place.

    Who or what motivates you?

    My mother motivated me when I was growing up. I watched how hard she worked as a single mother and she did a great job raising myself and my sister. I would say she now inspires me, and I am motivated by myself. I see myself as my biggest competition. If I achieve something, I want to surpass it the next time so I’m always striving to be better tomorrow than I am today.

    Best advice you’ve ever received?

    To always be authentic and be yourself, because everyone else is already taken and the world needs a you.

    Best vacation ever?

    My trip to Jamaica with my family last April. I felt instantly relaxed as soon as I landed. We travelled around the island stopping off at beachfront villas along the way. I love that you can just just live off the land with fresh tropical fruit and vegetables at your disposal, and fresh line caught fish ready to be grilled. It’s so easy to eat and live healthily out there, and the Jamaican laid back approach has elements we can all learn from. In London, it’s very easy to get stressed and forget to take those moments out to appreciate the joy of life.

    Latest obsession?

    The brand new Technogym skill run runners that they have at Sweat It London. The training possibilities on these machines are endless, with speeds up to 30kph, gradients from -3% to 25 %, sled and parachute mode. You can perform running sessions and resistance workouts on the one piece of equipment. I have so much fun designing my sessions for clients as well as beasting myself on them.

    Number one reason for taking care of your body?

    It’s our duty to look after our bodies to the best of our abilities, so we can live a long and healthy life. I also have future aspirations to be a father and I want to give myself the best chance to be there for my family for as long as possible and for that I need to be healthy.

    Favourite place to eat?

    I recently discovered, By Chloe in Covent Garden and it has quickly become a favourite. The food is great especially their salads; wholesome, plant-based food that fuels and energises without compromising flavour. They have made vegan food accessible and they are extremely eco friendly. Choosing from their animal-free tasty menu you actively contribute towards lowering the worlds carbon footprint and help to preserve our planets water supply.

    To see and hear more from Toafique, head to his Instagram pages (@taofiquefolarinand @folarinfitness).

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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! 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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