#AtHome With PAUSE: Fitness Q&A with Eyal Booker

Explain how you’re training regime has shifted due to us being in lockdown.

It’s shifted massively. To save time and be as efficient as possible, I would usually work out five days a week between 8 AM and 10 AM switching between F45, Metabolic & Core Collective. Now that I’m unable to train in a class environment I’ve taken everything I’ve learnt over the years and put together my own workouts. I’m also able to take my time and focus on areas and methods of training I didn’t have the time to before such as yoga and stretching to achieve the most from my body.

What are your fitness goals and how do you plan to achieve them?

My fitness goals are to be as healthy as possible both physically and mentally. It’s a mindset I’ve always lived by and hasn’t changed since lockdown. If anything, I’m more motivated to become fitter and healthier because of what’s going on in the world. I plan to achieve these goals by sticking to routine and consistency. I’ve struggled with this at times but I truly believe its key to achieving almost anything in life.

Are there any apps that you use for assistance when doing home workouts?

I like to follow live workouts or those that have been put together by the people or places I usually train at so I still feel connected and motivated. Recently I started using the Peloton app. This has short high-intensity workouts that are both enjoyable and hit the exact areas I want to work on. When I’m lacking motivation, I find the short intense workouts are really effective and make me feel great afterwards.

What is your day to day diet like and how does that impact your fitness goals

During the lockdown, I’ve come to terms with the fact my diet isn’t going to be as healthy as I’d like it to be because the temptation is way too much! I’ve never kept to a super strict diet but usually, the busier I am, the easier I find it to stick to a more balanced diet. Overall I like to be realistic and not be too hard on myself – I love food and know if I restricted myself to an extreme it would make me unhappy. I try not to snack too much if I can help it and stick to eating a little bit of fruit in the morning with a protein shake which I’ve finally mastered to taste delicious! I have quite a big lunch and dinner with a balance of healthy carbs, veg and protein.

Is there any advice that you can give to, to those who are lacking the motivation to train at home?

I read something recently that really resonated with me and that was ‘motivation will always come and go and you can’t continuously rely on it’. You’ll never feel 100% motivated all the time and that’s ok. My advice is to set yourself small achievable fitness goals for the end of every week rather than one big long term goal. Don’t beat yourself up if you skip a workout you’ve planned or didn’t manage to go on that run. Move past it and focus your energy on what you can and will achieve the next day. Try to fall in love with the way exercise makes you feel and all the mental and physical benefits rather than just the aesthetics. Most importantly, realise that exercising does not always have to mean pushing yourself to your absolute limits, sweating buckets and feeling exhausted at the end. It can be a leisurely walk, dancing around to your favourite songs at home, yoga or anything else that gets your heart rate up and body moving.

I’d like to add that fitness and wellness is a lifestyle choice just like anything else and that we are all moving at our own speed and have to find things that we enjoy for ourselves. Being healthy works from the inside out so don’t search for the aesthetics.

What motivates you train?

The internal voice questioning if I want to push past where I currently am and if I want to continue to evolve. I get motivated by looking on social media and seeing others training and working out and telling myself if they can do it so can I. I get motivation from looking in the mirror and seeing areas that I’d like to work on and improve on. If I’m not in the best headspace that day, I get motivation from knowing that it will make me feel better and I will have a better perspective on everything after I’ve trained. I will be real with you and say that I am not always motivated and won’t pretend that I am. If my motivation is not there and the last thing I want to do is a workout, I give myself that day off and go to sleep with the intention of finding my motivation and getting back into the flow the next day.

How many days a week do you train?

I try to train 5/6 times a week. I find if I start my day with exercise everything else flows better. I like to start my morning by walking my dog and then coming home and doing a mixture of different workouts. I switch it up between doing a 20min HIIT workout or 1-hour sessions where I focus on a specific area or put together a circuit. At the weekend if I want to take it easier, I’ll focus on yoga and active stretching.