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Laura Ruthnum / Q&A

11th October 2016

11th October 2016

By Shivraj Bassi

Laura fell in love with dance before training in ballet and contemporary. Now a personal trainer in London, she sat down with Innermost to explain her outlook on wellness and maybe get some help finding out why she never has any luck with her applications for the London Marathon!

“My mum took me to my first dance lesson when I was three years old and I was hooked! Dance has been a part of my life ever since. I trained in ballet and contemporary, and then studied dance in New York. Growing up, I’ve also played lacrosse, rugby and took part in swimming and athletics. For me, sport and fitness isn’t just about the physical. It’s given me huge amounts of confidence and helped me make some wonderful friends. I really started to understand wellness and nutrition about 3 years ago. Now finding ways to make fitness and nutrition work together has become a passion - self-confessed health geek! My overall advice on health and nutrition is to make it work for you. Just because you might see people on social media doing certain things doesn’t mean you should be doing it. Your health and fitness is about you so find what works for you and remember that it’s a journey, not a destination!”

Favourite Innermost Blend & Booster?

The Lean Protein post-workout to help build some lean muscle while encouraging my body to tone and define. The Energy Booster for the energy rush before and during my workouts.

What's your hustle?

Helping individuals understand the importance of living mindfully as a complete lifestyle, rather than an afterthought. It’s incredible to see the physical, and psychological, differences in people after they commit to living in a more healthy way.

What do you do to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

I'm all about health and wellness as an overall approach to life. This includes keeping stress levels down, maintaining a good sleep routine, eating what makes me feel good and to keep myself moving. At the end of the day, it’s all about doing what makes YOU happy.

What does #liveinnermost mean to you?

You can do anything you want to! Your body may resist but it's your mind that breaks through barriers and shows your body who’s boss. Everyone is capable of achieving more than they think possible - it comes down to motivation, perseverance and consistency.

Usual breakfast?

I always start the day with a pint of ice water and a green tea/bullet coffee. After a fasted workout, I re-fuel with protein pancakes or a bowl of Zoats in winter. If I’m feeling naughty I’ll add a little bit of homemade crunchy peanut and cinnamon butter on top!

Biggest health vice?

Nut butter!! Self-confessed addict. I’m also super into "protein baking", which usually leads to an abundance of protein doughnuts in my apartment!

Your last workout?

HIIT for my upper body. We’re talking plank jacks, press-ups, tricep dips and mountain climbers. Followed by sprint training on an inclined treadmill. I always finish each session with a big stretch - the ex-dancer in me craves it!

What's on your bucket list?

To run the Virgin Money London Marathon! Sadly I’ve just had my 3rd rejection in 3 years. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but if anyone has any ideas, do let me know! Also, to cliff jump at Rick's Cafe in Jamaica.

Favourite inspirational quote/words?

"Always remember to be mindful - even when your mind is full." - James De La Vega. That pretty much sums up my approach to life!

You can find Laura doing her thing on Instagram (@LR_Fitness).

Need Expert Advice?

Other Insights

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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