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Looking For Muscle Gain Inspiration? We Spoke With Innermost Ambassador Izzy For Her Tips

9th February 2022

9th February 2022

By Beth Shelper

Fitness journeys are entirely personal, individual things that can vary dramatically from person-to-person. To continue our dive into the fitness journeys of the Innermost community, we caught up with Innermost ambassador, Sportsworld marketing co-ordinator and fitness fanatic Izzy to get the lowdown on her fitness journey so far, her biggest lessons, challenges and advice, and more.

Hi Izzy! Welcome to Insight. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your fitness and gains journey?

“I’m Izzy, I’m 21 and I have just finished studying Fashion Marketing and Branding at uni! After months of job applications, I have finally landed the perfect role as a Marketing Coordinator for Sportsworld – a hospitality provider for worldwide sporting events across the world!

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved sports and fitness... I played for all teams at school and even competed nationally for cross country and athletics!”

 How did you begin your fitness journey, and what inspired you?

“I remember throughout my first year at university, I would occasionally go to the gym with my £10 rubber resistance band from Amazon, however it was when the pandemic begun, and we all had to stay at home when I really had time to focus on myself and learn more about my body and how to essentially gain weight to look and feel stronger!

Again, I want to emphasise... I was never upset with how I looked, I just became more and more involved and educated with how to increase muscle mass and essentially look stronger! Some of my favourite and most influential Instagrammers who helped me with this was Meggan Grubb, Sarah’s Day and Grace Beverley.

 Around April 2020, I weighed about 54KG and in February (this year) I hit the 60kg mark, reflecting my muscle gain journey. However, I don’t stress what I see on the scale... I haven’t actually weighed myself in ages!”

What worked for you / what are your top tips for people on their own fitness journey?

There are three main things…

  • Make sure you educate yourself

“I think this was an important one for me and I’m still learning now. But really educate yourself on two things that are important for me: nutrition and exercises. By no means can you just understand either of those two important factors, teach yourself and then you can learn what exercises work best for you.”

  • Maintain a high protein intake

“Exercising do gain muscle will do nothing without an adequate intake of protein. I know some people do track what they eat but personally, I’ve never done this, and I have still seen significant changes, and this is simply by prioritising protein. So, for each meal I try to make sure I work around a source of protein, and there is so many out there!”

Innermost side note

PS... Check out our Insight ariticles around this topic, such as The 5 Best Sources of Vegan Protein and The Best High Protein Foods For Building Muscle.  

“Also, there are so many slight changes you can make to add a little more protein into your diet. For example, rather than buying normal Weetabix, buy Protein Weetabix! Or instead of buying normal yogurt, buy yogurt that is high in protein! There’s a lot of small replacements you can make that, in the long term, will make a huge difference!”

  • Balance and consistency is key

“I can happily say going to the gym is no longer a burden for me, it’s part of my routine and day-to-day life. If you want to make long term changes to your body, you need to be consistent... stick with it, it won’t be easy, but you can’t expect to see changes in a week!

“Despite my passion for the gym, I never cut anything out of my life... I still drink alcohol, I still have fun, I still see my friends and I still eat anything I want. It’s just my priorities that have changed since I was younger.”

What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

“I think my biggest challenge was the fear of using certain equipment in the gym and I still have it now for certain exercises! As you grow and become more educated, you become more confident. Everyone must start somewhere, and everyone has been in the same position. Although you may think they’re judging

you, they’re most likely not... you’re in the gym for yourself!”

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt during your fitness journey so far?

“That you need to be consistent and balanced... I think they’re my two most important factors that I would tell anyone! I really believe in knowing the female body is capable of so much and you shouldn’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Now, I am the strongest version of myself, both physically and mentally: you

become so much more motivated, driven, and happy in general life. Whatever your goal is, whether that be to lose weight, gain muscle or change your mental mindset, it’s so achievable.”

What’s next in the muscle gain and fitness journey for you, Izzy?

“I just want to continue living my life. I’m so happy with where I am at the moment. I have a job within the industry I am most passionate for meanwhile I love to help and educate people on my fitness account.”

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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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