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Finding Yourself And Celebrating Individuality With Sandy Martin

1st October 2021

1st October 2021

By Allison Strang

Fitness instructor and wellness enthusiast, Sandy Martin, radiates confidence when it comes to knowing who she is. In a world where it's easy to lose yourself to whatever is going on in the chaos, she finds a way to stay grounded, to be true to herself and to enjoy the experience. We sat down with her to discuss the significance of individuality, the challenges she's faced and her advice for those who are struggling to find their identity.

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from and what do you do?

Hey, I’m Sandra but everyone calls me Sandy. Born and raised in North west London and I’m a rigorous multitasker. I love keeping busy - fitness instructor by day and superhero at night (joke). Seriously I’m a spin instructor, model, creative and wellness enthusiast.

How did you get into fitness originally?

I always loved being active. I got invited to try out classes through my agency and started training. Because I was at the studio so often, I got offered an opportunity to train and audition to become an instructor. It all kicked off from there really.

There’s a ton of fitness instructors out there - how do you stand out as an individual in your field?

I’ve been called the queen of smooth and complimented on my playlists. To be honest, I think it’s easy to stand out when you’re being yourself. No one can be you, and we all have our own superpowers. There’s so much room for what everyone has to offer. For me, I know I have a purpose and reason to move and be active. I am grateful that I can move because I had days where I couldn’t. For me, that makes me stand out.

How would you describe your identity?

I actually wouldn’t be able to describe it, you know. My purpose is to keep growing towards a better me, so my identity is always changing. I don’t ever want to stay stagnant or to be defined by words. I don’t think I was made to be described but made to be experienced.

What does individuality mean to you?

Freedom in just being and living authentically - feeling as free as water, having the ability to flow and grow and expand where needed. Being myself and growing in myself and choosing myself every day. Individuality should make you happy.

How does your identity define who you are?

I think we define who we are to be honest. We don’t have to fit in a box or have to be labelled. I just enjoying being with no expectations. Just being and growing in the directions that make me happy.

What challenges have you faced, if any, in discovering what makes you, you?

I think the biggest challenge for me was when I got diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. It changed my life. It’s difficult accepting a part of yourself, especially a weakness that is unexplainable. It's been difficult, mentally and physically, but I had to learn to accept this part of me. My physical weakness became my greatest mental and emotional strength. I feel grateful for the things I used to take for granted about myself - a weak part of me is just as important as the strong parts. My challenging moments make me, me. My ability to overcome and persevere.

What advice would you give to anyone who’s struggling with finding their identity?

Stop looking for what you think you want to find. Explore, be open to learning and growing and, most importantly, make mistakes because those are the biggest lessons and biggest life growth spurts. Lastly, stop overthinking. We are tuned to be who we are, take the focus off the external and switch it internally. We have all of the answers we need within us.

To keep up with Sandy, follow her on Instagram

Need Expert Advice?

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Navigating Indulgence with Chloe Thomas
Chloe is a life, nutrition and fitness coach from the South East Of England. She has been a coach for 7 years now, working mainly with women. Her goal is to help women become their healthiest and become the best version of themselves, Innermost helps to achieve this.    View this post on Instagram A post shared by CHLOE THOMAS || ONLINE COACH 🦋 (@_chloeinspires_) Our topic for July is Indulgence. Tell us what indulgence means to you, and what are your favourite ways to indulge. Indulgence for me is having time away from the chaos of life - relaxing in nature, reading a book, going on a hike, seeing a friend or family. I love being outdoors and going on adventures like kayaking or surfing and I love to travel! It brings me back to “me” and allows me to re connect with myself and my values. I do also like to indulge in some yummy unhealthy food every so often too- on my holiday recently I indulged in a delicious pizza and yummy scones! How do you strike a balance between indulging in something you enjoy and overindulging to the point of excess? I think this is important as it can become unhealthy if you over indulge too much as this can lead to an addiction. If you are indulging in something excessively it may be because you are unhappy in your life elsewhere, and are using that thing to avoid the pain or discomfort you are feeling in your life. For example, I see sometimes in my clients over-eating due to emotions (emotional eating), which is where they are over-indulging to try and avoid uncomfortable feelings - which inevitably doesn't work and leaves you feeling uncomfortable and guilty. In what ways can indulging in something be beneficial to our mental health and well-being? I guess it is important to take time out from our “go-go” lives where our brains are constantly being stimulated - especially due to our phones. So taking time to indulge in having time out with your friends or alone is important. I also think it is important to indulge in nice foods from time to time - especially in social situations.   View this post on Instagram A post shared by CHLOE THOMAS || ONLINE COACH 🦋 (@_chloeinspires_) How can indulging in certain activities, such as eating or drinking, have negative impacts on our physical health? Over eating or drinking can leave us feeling low in energy, low in mood and tends to exacerbate anxiety, aka “hangxiety” when it comes to alcohol. It can also cause weight gain and inflammation within the body which can lead to auto-immune diseases and illness. It is important to be conscious of not over-indulging in these two things too much - it's about striking that balance between a healthy amount and an excessive amount. How can we practice self-control and limit indulgences in order to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle? I think it is important to think about our future and what damage over indulging can do to our health long term. I try and remind myself of this. And even thinking of how you will feel the next week or day if you over indulge. For example, when I drink too much alcohol I sleep bad, it effects my training, my mood, my cravings etc - so I don’t drink often or in excess. I remind clients to think of their ‘why’ and also where they want to be in 5 months and 5 years time. Can indulgence ever be considered a form of self-care, or is it always a potentially harmful behaviour? I personally think it’s about that balance I mentioned before. For example, on my recent holiday I had a big pizza to myself which was overindulgent BUT I rarely have pizza - think the last time was February! So it’s fine for me to do it once in a while. I think too much indulging in anything is a sign that you may be not content in your life and are looking for something on the outside to soothe something uncomfortable on the inside (mentally speaking). What Innermost product(s) have you been loving recently? Definitely the The Digest Capsules I love them and so do my clients! They help with my bloating and IBS massively. I also love The Relax Capsules for around my period when i have PMS and trouble relaxing. They are great! Our final question is ... What’s your innermost desire that you’re hoping comes true this year? To reach even more women across the world to join my community of women and reach their healthy and fitness goals, build a better relationship with food and learn how to love their body again! I want to get women off fad diets and know there are easier ways to be healthy and lose weight! I would really like to be at the point where I can hold retreats for them by the end of the year. That's a wrap on this months interview questions. Thank you so much Chloe for your time! it’s been a pleasure chatting with you! To keep up with Chloe be sure the follow them on _chloeinspires_ Read more
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