It’s been a while since my last blog update, life has been pretty busy. (as usual!) Here’s what I’ve been up to lately…

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I celebrated my birthday !!

This year my birthday fell on a weekday and I hadn’t really given it much thought. Last year was my 30th so I had a family party, a dinner date with Rob and a night out in town with my girlfriends. I somehow managed to make my birthday last for a whole week, but this year I hadn’t planned anything. I did however wake up to one of the best gifts ever from Rob. Drum roll …. He had baked me a banana cake!! (my favourite) Now there are two reasons that this blew my mind. Firstly, we have been together for over ten years and I never knew that he could bake! WTF? Secondly, Rob had bought the ingredients without me knowing and then baked the cake at work during his lunch break to keep it a surprise! A* for effort! And the cake was so damn good, I’d say it was probably the best banana cake I’ve ever had! I’m not sure where he got the recipe from but I’ll find out and share it asap.
In summary, I had a birthday, I felt mega grateful to have my wonderful family and my gang of stellar mates.

Berlin Marathon

Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. I went to Berlin in September to take on my second marathon. After a summer of hard training, I picked up a foot injury two weeks before the race. Prior to this injury I had been feeling fitter, faster and stronger than ever. The timing couldn’t have been worse but I didn’t want to pull out of the race so I went to Berlin determined to give it my best shot.

Fast forward to race day, after two hours of running my injury was too painful and unfortunately I couldn’t finish the race. I was absolutely gutted!
I ended up in hospital getting my foot strapped up and I then spent the night in my hotel room on my own, eating chocolate in bed, instead of celebrating at the adidas runners after party with all of the other runners.
The biggest thing I learnt from that weekend… not to take running for granted. After the race, I had to have six weeks off to rest my foot and have weekly physiotherapy. I’m SO happy to be back running again. Now I’m looking for some new races to run in 2019.

Paris Fashion Week

I went to Paris with L’Oreal & Feel Unique to celebrate the launch of the L’Oreal & Isabel Marant collection. FYI I don’t often go to parties with fashion bloggers and super models on a Thursday night in Paris, but hey, if the shoe fits! 🙂
The trip was SO fun!! Watch the full vlog here … PARIS FW VLOG

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfyESg4Wav0&w=560&h=315]

Hillside Beach Club

I got back from Paris, had a week at home and then repacked my suitcase again. I was invited to teach my signature ‘Sweat and Sculpt’ workout at the Hillside Beach Club in Turkey. I had never been to Turkey before and I didn’t really know what to expect. To be completely honest, I wasn’t really sure where Turkey was! The day before the trip I read my flight info and discovered that the flight from London to Turkey was just over four hours, I was expecting it be about two. Clearly, I need to brush up on my geography! Anyway I made it and the beach club was stunning!! Watch the full vlog here …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1H_0i5SEvQ]

Marie Claire Future Shapers Awards

I was invited to attend the Marie Claire Future Shapers Awards which was held at Principal, London. It was such an inspiring evening, celebrating some incredible women who are leading the way and making change for the next generation!

The Winners …

Catherine Allen – CEO and founder of virtual reality company Limina Immersive
Cristina Gavrilovic – Head of European Programmes for Justice and Care, which fights against modern slavery
Christie Watson – Author of Sunday Times bestseller The Language of Kindness and registered nurse
Daisy Kendrick – Founder of and CEO of anti-climate change non-profit organisation Ocean Generation
Elizabeth Uviebinené and Yomi Adegoke – Authors of the seminal Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible
Eniola Aluko – professional footballer for Juventus FC, sport and entertainment solicitor and football pundit.
Hannah Weiland – founder of faux-fur brand Shrimps
Jodie Comer – BAFTA-winning actress and star of Killing Eve
Sarah Taylor – Director of Cyber and National Security Capabilities at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Anna Whitehouse – Founder of Mother Pukka and Flex Appeal campaign for flexible working

I left the evening feeling mega inspired! Women are leading the way in so many areas of business, fashion, sustainability, charity and sports. Thank you Marie Claire for hosting such a fabulous evening.

Back To School

I recently visited Westminster University to talk to their students about my morning ‘Power Hour’. Getting up early everyday is my most powerful habit. There’s tons of research that shows how getting up early can increase productivity, improve health and boost creativity. Over the last two years it has been a game changer for me! I shared my advice on how to make new habits that stick, as well as my 6 reasons to get up before 6am. Whether you’re studying at Uni, training for a race, running a business, or you just need more time to get through that to do list, try getting up one hour earlier each day, trust me it’s magic!

Adidas LDN

Last week I hosted a workout to celebrate the launch of the latest adidas Statement Collection. After the workout there was a live performance by Dua Lipa! I also shot something cool with Maya Jama, so stay tuned for that over on adidas London Instagram and Youtube. I’ve been working with adidas for almost three years now, it’s such a fun job and I’m so proud to be an ambassador for a brand that celebrates diversity, creativity and women!

Lastly…

My current obsessions ; 

Podcasts – I’ve been listening to The Debrief (which is hilarious!) & She’s Electric, the brand new podcast by Jody Shield 

Food – I’m obsessed with Turmeric lattes made with coconut milk. If you still haven’t tried one, what are you really doing?

Reading – What A Time To Be Alone by Chidera Eggeru #Wisdom

Travel – I have no more travel plans for this year. I was meant to be going to Florida this week with a bunch of my mates on a press trip. Unfortunately, the dates clash with other work commitments so I’ve had to pull out of the trip. I know I’m going to have FOMO when I see all of their Florida pics, but I’m working on a big project right now and I can’ afford the time off. Stay tuned for more info on this project very soooooon 🙂

Races – My next race is in February, so I need to get back into a structured running routine. I’m currently only running twice each week so I need to add in a third run and start to increase the milage too.

Guilty Pleasure – Eating nut butter with a spoon! & searching on sky scanner for flight deals. 

So … that’s life lately.