Wellness influencers are infamous for promoting unrealistically polished lifestyles filled with glamorous workouts, flawless healthy eating, and impossibly disciplined mental health rituals.
Dubai-based fitness trainer Olivia Jarvis isn’t one of those people promoting unattainable ideals. She’s learned that aiming for total perfection is not the answer to optimum wellness.
The British 25-year old’s down-to-earth and informative content has gained her 171k YouTube subscribers and 264k followers on Instagram. She has launched her own fitness, wellness and mindset app, and a series of digital recipe books filled with ‘cheat code’ meals, snacks and sweet treats.
In a world full of diet fads and revolving workout trends, she believes that consistent workouts, balanced meals and good sleep is the key to feeling fitter, stronger and happier.
“Consistency is so important. You should make your exercise sessions regular and manageable because doing super long workouts just is not maintainable,” she says.
Below, Olivia she shares five of her top tips for living a healthier and more balanced life
1) Don’t overtrain
Throughout her platforms, Olivia is keen to stress that doing too much exercise can hinder your progress. In one Instagram post she notes that she achieved better results when she stopped trying to do 17k steps a day, and went down to a more realistic 9 to 10k.
“When we increase our energy expenditure, our body responds by increasing our appetite. One mistake that held me back was overtraining. It kept me trapped in a negative cycle of over exercising to ‘burn’ what I had eaten, only to then unintentionally overeat as I was so hungry due to doing too much.”
2) Gradually up your weights
If building strength and muscle definition is your priority, Olivia recommends progressive overload training.
“Gradually increase the intensity and difficulty of your workouts: don’t just lift the same weights and do the same reps every session. But make sure you master good form before increasing your weight, and don’t get to the point where you are overtraining. This will help you avoid injury, get more from your sessions and see better results in the long run. Making sure you’re fuelling your workouts with enough protein is also vital as this supports muscle growth and repair.”
3) Count macros not calories
When it comes to nutrition, Olivia isn’t a fan of the classic calorie counting method. Instead, she breaks her meal plans down into macros.
“Macro calculating is more accurate than counting calories. It not only takes into account the calories you should consume, but also the proportion of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. This gives you a better understanding of food and how your body reacts to it, and ultimately leads to better and more sustainable results.”
4) No phones at bedtime
For this fitness enthusiast, being healthy isn’t just about what happens in the gym or in the kitchen.
“One major healthy habit that’s changed my life is not sleeping with my phone next to my bed and leaving it in another room. It stops me from aimlessly scrolling before bed and this means I sleep much earlier and that my sleep is better quality. It also removes any temptation to keep hitting snooze as I have to physically get out of bed to turn it off.”
5) Prioritize mental and physical health
Olivia’s app, Live & Lift, is different from other health and nutrition apps as it focuses on overall wellness, not just how to burn calories or tone up.
“Live & Lift includes meditations and journaling, and it provides people with a supportive community and all the tools and resources they need to improve their physical, mental, and emotional health.
“I want to show other women that fitness and nutrition is just one part of wellness. After all, strength, discipline, and resilience are skills that can translate into every aspect of life. When I was younger, I dreaded doing any kind of sport or fitness. But when I started going to the gym at university, I soon realized that exercise was not only good for my body, but also my mind. I got absolutely hooked.”
For more fitness advice, follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviajarviss and YouTube @OliviaJarvis