Food Fitness Flora

Jasmin Peppiatt
environment fitness food health
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24

Jan 19

Make 2019 your healthiest & most successful year.

Meet 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 a 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. “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 from Flora? Join her at FitFest Oxford in June.

The range of speakers at FitFest Oxford will be epic! It’ll also be a great way to meet like-minded individuals and talk about shared passions. Flora told us she can’t wait to meet the Oxford community there!

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