FITVINE MAG - ISSUE 1 - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Food Fitness Flora
Make 2019 your healthiest & most successful year.
MMeet Flora Beverley, aka
Food Fitness Flora, who
has shaped how wellness
and mental health are
discussed online. We spoke to Flora
in an exclusive interview about how
to grow a positive community that
openly discusses mental health and
how to turn a passion for wellbeing
and fitness into a thriving career.
We love Flora’s down-to-earth
approach to wellbeing and mental
health. On her blog and social media
(her Instagram profile is rapidly
approaching 80K followers), Flora
showcases how being fit and healthy
isn't about doing anything extreme.
She openly shares her journey of six
years, which included recovery from
an eating disorder and taking small
but effective steps to improve her
own mental health and wellbeing.
Her philosophy is,
Small changes that you can
stick to are of far more value
than any diet, 8 week plan or
a weight-loss pill.
Flora describes how her Instagram
success started and how she’s
managed to build a supportive
community that focuses on wellness
and mental health.
“I first started my Instagram as a food
Instagram, taking pictures of my
meals daily and posting them. It was
a way to ensure I was eating 3 square
meals a day (plus snacks!) as I was
recovering from an eating disorder. I
then found that the Instagram community
was hugely supportive of my
recovery, and as I got better, I started
sharing my training sessions, too. My
blog started a few years later as a
way to write a little bit more than can
fit in the Instagram caption space
and it was here I first started sharing
recipes, long form blog posts and
'how to' pieces.”
Flora didn’t always love fitness but
managed to find a sport she loved,
which changed everything and even
brought about a successful career in
health and fitness.
“Turns out I loved squash. I competed
in the National Schools Championships
in squash when I was 17. It was
during the training for that that I
realised how amazing working out
felt. I continued going to the gym
after school and fell into a routine
where I used fitness as a way to
keep on top of my mental health.”
Her recommendation to everyone is
to find something you love. “If you
keep going to the gym and hate it
every day, you are doing something
wrong.” Flora managed to turn what
she loved into a career. She has
turned her blog into something that
represents her. As a result, she can
blog about anything that excites and
inspires her.
Does that mean Flora is working all
the time as the lines are blurred
between her hobbies and career?
We asked how she balances it all
and received an honest response.
We asked how she balances it all
and received an honest response.
“When you do what you love as a
full-time career, you can never switch
off.
It's not the same as a desk job; it's a
24/7 commitment. Sometimes that's
great and sometimes it's really not.”
Be the best version of
yourself in 2019
Are you inspired to make small
changes to get healthier and happier
in 2019? Take Flora’s advice and get
outside every day for a walk. Aim for
10,000 steps. Walk outside surrounded
by nature. Find a sport or workout
style that you love. Befriend people
who support your journey and
lifestyle.
Looking to turn your love
for wellness and fitness
into a career with a great
following?
Consider Flora’s words of
wisdom to get you started.
“Gain inspiration from people who
you respect. Like and comment on
their stuff. It's great to have support
from people and it has to be a
two-way thing! Write and post about
things you're interested in and
passionate about. The followers will
come, but it's usually a slow process.
If you're not passionate about it,
you'll give up long before you get to
the point you probably want to get
to! I would just have been more out
there if I started again. I was there at
the very beginning of blogging, and I
wish I'd known how much potential it
had, but hindsight is a wonderful
thing.”
Get out there and don’t delay
starting something great. Don’t wait
for things to be perfect. Start small
and grow over time. This way, you
can spread the message further,
especially if you are passionate
about mental health and living a
balanced lifestyle.
Ready for more inspiration? Join
Flora in June at FitFest Oxford.
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