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Nik Naidoo / Q&A

2nd November 2017

2nd November 2017

By Shivraj Bassi

Nik graduated with a degree in Philosophy and went straight into the 9-5 pursuing a career in Sports Marketing. However, it didn’t take him too long to realise his true calling. After a rollercoaster few years, he's now a Trainer at Ministry Does Fitness and coaches at two CrossFit Boxes. While relatively new to the game,  Nik is an example of someone who's come through adversity and turned his biggest hobby into a career. We sat down with him to find out more. Over to you Nik.

“I first got into health and fitness properly after university when I needed direction to keep me going as a young professional. I had a lot of focus and drive from playing competitive sports when I was younger and needed something more than just an hour of going to the gym to keep me aligned. I see health and fitness as a complete lifestyle and it’s benefitted me in that it pretty much shapes everything I do and what kind of person I am today. I believe there is such a big parallel between health, fitness, mind, body, and life. It’s all about the long game, consistency, and finding what works for you on your own personal journey. It's such an empowering tool to shape us into becoming better people." - Nik

Favourite Innermost products, and why?

The Fit Protein is great for the type of training I do. It has a good serving of protein but also quality ingredients to support rehydration and fatigue. The Energy Booster is perfect for when I need that boost before a session. But I also take it throughout the day at times to help with my energy levels and alertness. 

What's your hustle?

I'm currently a Trainer at Ministry Does Fitness and a CrossFit Coach. CrossFit is my bread and butter and is something I'm constantly learning from. But I also love the emotional elements of what boutique fitness offers today – it’s a complete experience, music, lights, and you on the mic. The two allow me to get the best out of my career, allowing me to (hopefully) become an expert in a major discipline of fitness, whilst being able to put on a show…!

What does #liveinnermost mean to you?

It’s not just what you do but why you do it. I think that is so important today. We need to be accountable, which can be achieved by taking the time to understand ourselves, being aware of our surroundings and personal philosophies, to help us grow.

What do you do to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

For me it’s much more than exercise but also a complete lifestyle choice. Good food, sleep and supplementation but also keeping stress down and surrounding myself with the right people. Health is not just for the body, but the mind too!

Usual breakfast?

Three eggs, bacon and avocado, a green shake with a scoop of Innermost protein and then a cup of coffee, of course. I’m following a nutrition plan at the moment so meals are pretty much set in stone.

Biggest health vice?

I have the biggest sweet tooth so anything chocolate and I am sold!

Your last workout?

A big weightlifting session involving snatches and squats. I love anything cardio/engine based but have to keep the balance with strength training, otherwise I’ll be left behind, especially in CrossFit!

What’s on your bucket list?

My mum is a yoga teacher and I would also love to do my teacher training one day. I love practising whenever I can, and watching her grow as a person from it is all the inspiration I need to do it.

Where do you see yourself in three years? Be bold!

Being a major face of the fitness industry. 

Favourite healthy meal?

Depends on what you classify as 'healthy’. Right now I’m loving tuna pasta. It’s so quick to make and has all the nutrition I need from my type of training – a good balance of carbs and protein, which are key post workout. I often make a side of veggies too to fill me up a little more.

Favourite place to eat?

I love Lebanese food having lived in Dubai during my childhood. So you can’t beat Maroush! 

Most physically challenging thing you’ve done?

A 24-hour CrossFit challenge. A workout every hour on the hour for 24 hours. It got dark!

What or who motivates you?

My girlfriend Izy is also a trainer and we have kickstarted our careers at the exact same time. She is my biggest motivation and has been so important for my development

Best advice you’ve ever received?

Say yes until you need to say no (from Izy!)

Message to the world?

You’ve got to own it, believe it and do it. If you can’t back yourself, no one else will!

See Nik kicking it on Instagram (@niknaidoo).

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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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