Hi Symprove, I’m Chloe Madeley, personal trainer and best-selling author. Let me start by setting the scene, throwing it back to December 2012. That’s when I was first taught how to barbell back squat. It sounds utterly ridiculous, I know, but that moment quite literally changed my life.
I’d always been a physical person, I loved to climb trees all day long as a kid, I rode horses from a very young age, and I taught myself how to surf as a teenager, but I’d never found a sport I could do daily or enjoyed enough to even want to. I didn’t have any activity to help tackle my ever-increasing anxiety, and in all honesty, I wanted to leave my job in TV.
Weightlifting hit me like a ton of bricks – it’s fair to say that overnight it became the love of my life. I quit my job in television, moved back in with my parents, and enrolled in my Level 2 Fitness Instruction and Level 3 Personal Training diploma courses. I also did a few bolt-ons after that to make me a more well-rounded coach, like The Principles of Nutrition course, amongst others.
When it comes to my morning non-negotiables, it’s really very simple…
1. My toddler is my alarm clock
My toddler wakes me up every morning around 7am. After some duvet time with her, I put my watch on to track my steps that day, and we make our way downstairs.
2. I start my mornings with Symprove
I started taking Symprove about 5 or 6 years ago now, when a nutritionist I know and very much look up to recommended it. It’s fair to say it’s become the staple of my morning routine. The fact it’s water-based means it gets right down into my lower gut and does the job.
3. Supplement time
After my shot of Symprove I make my way over to my supplement cupboard to take my creatine, Omega 3, and Vitamin D.
4. I always have fruit or veg with my breakfast
This could be a protein shake and a piece of fruit, or a veggie packed omelette, for example. And I always go for wholegrains over refined carbohydrates for more fibre and a nutrient-packed breakfast.
5. Hit the gym – when I can!
After feeding myself and my daughter her breakfast and within minutes of my nanny arriving, I am showered, dressed for the gym and running out the door.
On the days I have no childcare (which are frequent as my nanny only works part time), I have a few dumbbells at home that allow me to do a quick full body workout while my daughter has her lunch-time nap. When she’s up we go for a long walk. This means I get my Non-Exercise Activity (NEAT) and my resistance training in, without having to sacrifice time with her.
Any mother will tell you that your routines go out the window after you have a child, and it takes forever to get them back in place again. But once the morning routine is nailed, everything else quickly falls into place.
Thanks, Chloe.
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