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Olga Naumova / Q&A

31st October 2018

31st October 2018

By Shivraj Bassi

Olga aka Umka is an ASICS Frontrunner and professional skydiver based in Dubai. When she's not jumping out of planes, Umka enjoys Canopy Piloting and inspiring women to be curious, courageous and brave enough to get involved in extreme sports through her lifestyle blog. We recently caught up with this adrenaline junkie to see how she is working towards turning her passions into reality.

‘From the moment I made my first jump over 11 years ago, I’ve considered myself a skydiver. The passion that very first jump inspired in me has led me down a path that now has me working as a full time skydiving instructor. Growing up, I played every sport I could get my hands on. I tried everything and eventually discovered CrossFit and got my Level 1 CF Coach certificate. I have now built a life for myself which involves all three of my passions: skydiving, HIIT and running.’- Olga 

What’s your hustle?

Making a full-time living as an extreme sports athlete at prestigious skydiving operation drop zones around the world. I am driven with a philosophy of representing the world of human flying and to draw attention to the incredibly beautiful air discipline of Canopy Piloting. Apart from this, I am currently working on a lifestyle blog for the modern day adventures of women. My aim for this blog is to inspire women to embrace who they are and live their lives to the fullest.

What does #liveinnermost mean to you?

To me Living Innermost means finding balance between my fast-paced lifestyle and my health and wellbeing. It’s so easy to get caught up in the madness that is life. Taking care of our physical and inner selves breeds positivity and happiness, inside and out.  

Favourite Innermost products, and why?

The Lean Protein is amazing because it helps me build lean muscle and stay toned. It tastes so good and I love adding it to my smoothie bowls for some extra antioxidants. The Energy Booster because I just love this extra kick of energy before my workouts.

What do you do to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

Running is my go to work out, but I mix my training up with a variety of different cardio activities, weight lifting and more fun forms of exercise like boxing, aerial silks or pole dancing. Whatever floats my boat and makes me happy really. It’s all about making exercise part of your daily routine so that you don’t have to think twice about it.

What’s on your bucket list?

If I ever find time to have a vacation that doesn’t include skydiving, I’d definitely go to the Soi Ta-iad Fitness Village in Thailand for a week of intense fitness training. That, or snow camping up a mountain on a hardcore expedition.

Favourite inspirational quote/words?

“You’re never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true.”  Richard Bach, Illusions.

Most physically challenging thing you’ve done?

I think it would be my first CrossFit Open Games in 2015. I have never pushed myself as hard and lifted that heavy ever. That’s when I realised that in order for me to win, no one has to loose. It’s my own inner competition against myself. Great experience!

Best travelling tip you’ve picked up?

Be a sponge. Get out there and soak it all in. Be open to everything that life throws at you. Because if you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might as well stay home.

Best advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t take anything for granted. Don’t assume that you have tomorrow. Keep moving forward!

Book currently on your bedside table?

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.  I was sceptical about the book because of the title but once I started to read, I loved it. 

Latest obsession?

It definitely would be Swoop Freestyle! Its a cutting-edge Canopy Piloting discipline that involves competitors flying at high speeds across a body of water in order to score points based on style and execution of highly technical freestyle moves, prior to landing on the floating platform. To master it  – is my biggest challenge nowadays. 

Number one reason for taking care of your body?

Everyone is ageing. I have yet to see anyone win this game. But to have a good and long ride, you’ve got to take proper care of the only vehicle you’ve been given.

To see and hear more from Olga, head to her Instagram page (@sky_umka).

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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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