We chat to Insta sensation Flora Beverley about her wellbeing routine
Flora Beverley is a girl after my own heart, the model and fitness blogger from Bristol is currently taking the Insta-world by storm with her candid posts about fitness, mental health and mindset. Having recently graduated with a degree in biology, she enjoys debunking diet myths and promoting a healthy lifestyle. The Mind Tribe had the pleasure of catching up with Flora at the Asquith London event last week and finding out how she maintains good wellbeing.
1. Describe yourself in three words
Driven, inquisitive, positive.
2. What does good wellbeing mean to you?
Having good mental and physical health. Physical health is nothing without mental health and vice versa. I think it is important to work on both in a sustainable manner.
3. Do you have daily wellbeing routine, if so what is it?
Every day is different for me, but most importantly I aim to drink lots (and lots) of water and find a way to move, whether that's an intense workout class or simply a walk around the park. Movement and getting outside are both key to my happiness.
4. Has wellbeing always been a priority for you or something you’ve become aware of more recently?
Wellbeing has always been a priority to me, but fitness hasn't always been. When I was younger, I simply wanted to live for as long as possible (brought about by ally grandparents dying at a young age). As I got older that moved to wanting to look good too, and unfortunately aesthetics became more important than health for a bit, but after a few years struggling with eating, my thinking shifted to being focussed on health, INCLUDING mental health. My eating became more varied and balanced, and exercise became a joy again.
5. How do you keep on top of your wellbeing when you are travelling or busy with work?
I don't put too much pressure on myself to work out if I'm incredibly busy. Being mentally tired has physical effects and working out too much can cause burnout. Having said that, moving makes me happy and keeps me relaxed, so I like to fit in walks no matter how much I'm doing - even more so when I'm busy!
6. If there’s one thing you recommend people should never fail to do when it comes to looking after themselves what is it?
Spend time outside (and off your phone screen!). I have 2 jobs, both of which are on social media/my phone/laptop. More than ever it's important for us to dedicate time to get outside and switch off a little.
7. What’s the best bit of wellbeing advice you’ve ever been given and who gave it?
My wellbeing advice comes from all over and a lot of trial and error! I would say the best piece of advice I've been given is to make your wellness routine enjoyable - that's the best way to make sure it's sustainable!
8. Are there any areas of your wellbeing you’d like to work on?
I probably need to do more stretching and meditation - I'm not very good at dedicating time to doing nothing!
9. Have you a stress busting tip you can share with us?
Either 1) Boxing! Beat the crap out of a bag or opponent! 2) Spend time in nature (a recurring theme) 3) Hot bath. If you're stressed AND tired, this might be the best option. Sometimes it's the only thing that calms me down.
10. Who is your go to person when you need cheering up?
My boyfriend. He is my rock and biggest supporter.
11. Tell us about your blog and why you set it up?
My blog, www.foodfitnessflora.blog was originally set up because I was tired of being unable to add nuance to my Instagram captions, and also because people kept asking for recipes that I never wrote down! Now it's a mix of advice, recipes, reviews and thoughts. I think long-form blogs are a dying breed, but I love writing so happy to keep mine up.
12. What’s next for FoodFitnessFlora?
I'm currently just really enjoying what I'm doing. I like to push myself in various aspects of my life (I'm currently training for my second white collar boxing match and have just completed my first marathon) but also enjoy cashing in on my hard work (I worked for free for about 4yrs before I was ever paid to do something on Instagram!). I would really like to focus a little more on the business side of what I do (both with my social media consultancy brand and FoodFitnessFlora), but I'm too obsessed with having fun to be able to sit down for long enough to plan things out! I'm excited to see what the next year has in store for me.
You can follow Flora on Instagram @foodfitnessflora and her catch up on her blog at www.foodfitnessflora.blog