Inspire Me: Happily Holli


You all remember the 'Inspire Me' guest post section on my blog! Well, I'm bringing it back and kicking it off with me actually answering the questions. 

I originally created these posts in order to perceive that everyone's idea and ways of healthy and balance are all different. We live our lives in order to suit ourselves which make us the happiest and healthiest we can be. Neither of us were ever meant to be the same, look the same, do the same job, eat the same food, do the same workout, enjoy the same things ect. And I love this post as it shows that it's completely okay to just be you! 

If you prefer to workout in the morning rather than night, eat 3 meals a day rather than 5, run a gym or run a blog, go to the beach or hike a mountain, look a good coffee or indulge in hot chocolate. Whatever you enjoy and whatever you do, it's all okay, and we can only be inspired by others in order to live the best lives we can. 

After having so many wonderful responses from a huge variety of people, I thought I'd answer these questions myself, so you can see how my life has transformed into the happiest, most balanced and healthiest it has been.  

What does 'Healthy' mean to you? 

Being healthy to me is multiple things. It's finding happiness within and outside of yourself. Being in a physically and mentally good place, appreciating what your body and self can do. I truly believe that with a positive mindset you can find happiness and with than comes health. 

What Inspired you to get into fitness? 

After battling with various eating disorders, such as bulima, binge eating, othorexia and anorexia. I'd been starving and destroying my body for so so long and I reached a point where I truly realised what I was doing. I'd created more damage than I had imagined. When I first began to get into fitness I was however still in a very disordered place. I began to get into weight lifting, following a very stereotypical body building regime and diet. Rather than going and doing my own research, gaining knowledge and learning the facts, I became very fixed and obsessed into the fitness world. During this I lost the importance of my self, balance and the most important thing health. 

It wasn't until I took a break from weight lifting and went out to do my own research that I really got into fitness. I tried new things such as pilates, yoga, running, biking, hiking, hoola hooping, you name it! I realised that fitness is so much more than killing yourself in a form of punishment.
 Fitness is a lifestyle, as is health. Being active is something you should cherish, enjoy and should be part of your life every day, not something you dread. 

As soon as a learnt about proper nutrition, training and how to fuel and love myself I once again found my love for weight training. I'm in the best place I've ever been in terms of my fitness and I'm certainly the healthiest I've ever been.

Advice for anyone wanting to get into fitness? 

My two main pieces of advice I ever give is. Firstly... do what you love. Never ever do anything you don't enjoy or don't want to do. Try new things and find what it is that excites you. Whether it be weight lifting, yoga, zumba, swimming, dancing, boxing!

Secondly... bring fitness into your lifestyle. Whether that be walking rather than driving, taking 5 minutes to stretch and move in the morning, a quick 10 minute workout before work or a run with your dog. Whatever it may be, focus on being active rather than whacking out an hour and sitting on your bum the rest of the time.

What keeps you motivated?

 What keeps me the most motivated is because I LOVE what I do. Health and fitness is part of my life and I cannot imagine it to be any different. Training and eating healthy gives me an amazing feeling, fills me up with energy and helps me in living the healthiest and happiest I can be, which only motivates me more. Setting goals and working towards them while seeing progress is something I find so important when giving myself motivation as it reminds me why I love what I do.
There are also certain people in my life who secretly keep me motivated. They give me that extra push when I need it and remind me every reason to keep going each and every day.

Whats your favourite meal of all time? 

I'm now the biggest foodie on the planet, so I actually find this question quite hard, haha. I love Middle Eastern food, so I think by far my favourite meal has to be a big bowl full of things such as falafels, quinoa salads, roasted veggies and lots of hummus!

Who inspires you? 

Day in and day out so many people inspire me. Over social media, athletes, people around me such as family, friends, people within the gym. My mum being one of my biggest inspirations for her strength, beauty and courage over the past 9 years.

 However by far one of my biggest inspirations will always be Ella Woodward aka Deliciously Ella. In my second relapse with Anorexia Ella's books, recipes, blog, thoughts and words changed my entire out look on my self and life. She allowed me to discover a love for myself I've never had and gave me the biggest boost and enthusiasm for food. I learned that the most important thing in life is health within myself and loving what I do. She allowed me to keep going and helped me see what a wonderful thing life actually is. This is something I will eternally be grateful for.

What would you describe as the 'perfect' day? 

Waking up to a delicious and nourishing breakfast such as big smoothie bowl, avocado on toast or protein pancakes with all the toppings... berries, peanut butter, cacao nibs, goji berries, cinnamon you name it. Followed by a killer, sweaty glutes session and some relaxing yoga. An afternoon of shopping in the Nike store (obviously), a fresh lunch and a cheeky coffee trip. Then a cuddling up for a film in my onesie, lots of candles and of course with lots of nibbles, peanut butter and dark choccie.

What 3 foods/ingredients can you not live without?

Probably my easiest question without a doubt... Peanut butter/tahini (we are all aware of my addiction), chickpeas (the key to hummus) and spinach. I know a weird one but I use it in nearly every meal, I go through at least a big bag a day!

What do you like to do to stay active? 

This changes from day to day! I'm pretty much active 24/7 and actually find it incredibly hard to stop, If I stop or sit for too long I'm terrible, haha. I weight train most days or workout in the gym, I do love my heavy lifts however I love to mix it up. I'll never do the same workout. I love anything from circuits, hiit, tabata, I also love cardio believe it or not... I love anything from running, biking, boxing, dancing, hiking you name it! I also love doing pilates and yoga from home these satisfy my mind as well as my body. If I'm ever feeling run down or anxious a good session with my mat is always the answer, it calms me right down while giving me the biggest burst of energy. Yoga is also brilliant for strength especially in your core and upper body and is a lot tougher than people realise.

What makes you happy? 

Myself. Something you're probably not used to hearing. Over the past year I've realised a lot about others, my life and myself and one thing I've found is the only person who can truly make you happy is you. yes, situations and others can influence it however happiness comes from within, how you feel towards yourself and your mindset. Set yourself with a positive mindset and thoughts rather than constantly weighing yourself down with negative ones. Do what you love and what you enjoy and never feel pressured to do something. Most importantly accept yourself and smile. I've found smiling has impacted on my own happiness but others too.

Lastly, your favourite quote? 

"You were wild once, don't let them tame you"

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