Flora Beverley is a health & fitness blogger, model and social media consultant.
When did you first start health blogging / what was your inspiration? I started my current Instagram early in 2013 - this was my first Instagram dedicated to health and fitness, and although I loved it, I hid it from everyone I knew for years! I started it as a method of recording my meals. At the time I was recovering from an eating disorder, and taking photos of my meals was a way to ensure I was eating enough everyday. People seemed to be interested in what I was posting and steadily my following grew. I started to include fitness and now that makes up most of what I post about. When I first started blogging very few people had big accounts, so I didn't really get inspiration from any one person - I was just lucky Instagram became as popular as it is!
What one self care habit do you swear by? Nothing can replace a good sleep. Good sleep is key for everything. What is the mainstay of your fitness regime?
HIIT - I love weights and enjoy endurance cardio, but my bread and butter is HIIT, usually in the form of boxing. Anything that get the heart rate up! There's been a backlash against any form of cardio in recent years, but cardio is not the devil!
Do you follow a particular nutrition plan?
No, I eat what I like, when I like. I eat a plant-based diet (after studying conservation biology it would be stupid not to) but don't restrict the amount I eat.
How do you balance work / life with fitness and living well?
Fitness is a huge part of my life and a part of my identity, so it's not hard to fit in a few training sessions a week. I have to prioritise fitness ahead of other things sometimes, but I know that if I don't I start to feel strange, so it's not much of a chore for me! When I'm training for something in particular it gets harder, as I have to fit in specific sessions each week. At that point I just go whenever I can - before work, at lunch or in the evening - whatever works! But also rest is so, so important, so I enjoy my rest days and use these times to fit in other things in my life, like seeing friends or cramming in some extra work.