Wild & Free catch up with inspiring personal trainer, lifestyle and fitness blogger and author of 'The Get Gorgeous Guide' Carly Rowena. Having worked in marketing for years and needing a change, Carly gives us the lowdown on her journey to find what she was all about and ultimately finding her passion for fitness. Turning to You Tube and her growing audience of over 380,000 followers for help, Carly has created a career focused on her passions. We are super excited to have Carly on board as our fitness coach in Portugal! Read more below.
How long have you been a personal trainer and what inspired you in the first place?
I’ve been a PT for 3 years but online for 4 years. My story is slightly backwards, I was working as a marketing manager for BMW & MINI and although it was an incredible career it just wasn’t where I wanted to be. I turned to YouTube in the hopes of finding out my passions, I had never known what I was good at, or what I wanted to be and when you don’t know it becomes really hard to train for it. I started making youtube videos about various topics, from embarrassing bodies, to food, fashion, travel and fitness. It was the fitness videos that received the most amount of engagement and subsequently it was my followers who made me realise that my talent was fitness! 6 months later and I’d quit my job and become a Personal trainer, best thing I have ever done!
Tell us a little about your Get Gorgeous Guide and how that came about?
I receive over 40 emails a day from followers all around the world looking for a plan to follow. I would love to say I have the time to reply to each person with an individual plan but I would have to be Father Christmas to do that - so I decided to create a plan to install confidence and get people understanding that you don’t have to move into a gym and live on lettuce leaves!
Do you find it hard to balance a yummy diet with staying super fit?
Always, I am such a foody but I’ve realised there is no bad food out there, it’s just the quantity. I enjoy everything in moderation and spend my days trying to show others that we’ve simply overcomplicated everything.
What's your favourite post workout meal?
I'm currently addicted to my homemade tortilla pizzas, 12 minutes from creating to mouth! Find the recipe here.
You have qualifications with Lifetime and Premier Training? What did this involve, what was the most important thing you learned and was it tough going?
I learnt that the real learning starts post course. Both Lifetime and Premier are incredible training advisers however it’s just like a driving test, you learn everything once you head out on your own. We’re all individuals, there is no one size fits all method that works - you have to start from scratch with each person and understand that they might not actually like exercise, they might hate healthy food, that you are only spending 1 hour with them, it's the other 23 are important.
You have a pretty mean set of abs, give us your best tips to ab perfection?
Stop doing ab crunches and instead opt for plank variations, compound movements such as squats, deadlifts and start lifting your legs instead of your neck, leg raises with your back flattened to the floor are fantastic.
How do you keep fitness fun?
The world is my playground. I don't think of fitness as something I have to do, it’s as much a part of my day as eating and sleeping, it's something I will do for as long as I can, once you realise it’s a journey and not a destination it becomes much easier!
Do you have any power tools to feel empowered and confident?
Smile, it’s the best tool you can use and can even trick your brain into thinking you feel confident and happy when you don’t.
Have you ever tried surfing before?
Yes, I went to a surf retreat in costa rica at the beginning of 2017 and fell in love, I didn't want to leave!
Do you practice yoga and if so what do you feel are the main benefits of a consistent yoga routine?
I practice ROMWOD and mediation but I love yoga when I'm around someone who inspires me, I'm incredibly stiff so it might look crap but it feels good.
If you had any advice for anyone starting out on a lifestyle towards fitness, what would it be?
Make one small change every Monday and stick to it for the week, then the following week add on a new one, small changes make big differences. Instead of removing things from your day, add new things in.
In the busy world of blogging and social media, how do you stay true to
yourself?
I'm thankful that I have real friends and an amazing family to keep me grounded, I also think living out of London has helped. I don't want to be a millionaire, I just want to pay my bills and go to bed knowing that I made someone, somewhere feel good.
What is your favourite thing to do when you’re in need of a little inspiration?
Read through my comments or take my dog for a walk, it's the best feeling!
What’s your favourite quote to live by?
Life is not an emergency.
Join us and Carly on our all women's fitness and wellbeing retreat in Portugal! Set to be a week of unforgettable adventure combined with mental wellbeing, we invite you to honour our truest nature, accepting ourselves without condition or comparison to tap into our personal power. It will be a time for us to love and honor ourselves and each other so we can live a life fearlessly and authentically, experiencing life to the full.