Hollie Grant - The Model Method

PIATKUS

First published in Great Britain in 2017 by Piatkus

Copyright Hollie Grant 2017

Nutritional advice provided by Laura Thomas, PhD.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this book

is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-0-3494-1612-0

Designed by Hart Studio

Recipe and cover photography by Nassima Rothacker

Fitness photography by Claire Pepper

Home economist and food styling by Natalie Thomson

Prop styling by Olivia Wardle

Clothing supplied by Sweaty Betty

Illustrations by Rodney Paull

Piatkus

An imprint of

Little, Brown Book Group

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ

An Hachette UK Company

www.hachette.co.uk

www.improvementzone.co.uk

Disclaimer

The dietary information and exercises in this book are not intended to replace or conflict with the advice given to you by your GP or other health professionals. All matters regarding your health should be discussed with your GP. The author and publisher disclaim any liability directly or indirectly from the use of the material in this book by any person.

Fad diets. A Mars bar a day and ten cigarettes. Cabbage soup. Water mixed with maple syrup, cayenne and lemon. Ladies what are we doing to ourselves?! In the six years I have worked in the fitness industry, the 14 years I spent living with girlfriends and the 30 years I have been part of a world that chooses womens looks over their capabilities, I have heard of every diet under the sun. Ive known of women who have eaten only fruit for two weeks. Whove suffered awful stomach cramps from wearing waist trainers to bed. And, potentially the worst of all, women who have literally soiled themselves after taking diet pills. You may have attempted some of these types of diet yourself or know someone else who has, but dont worry you are not alone and should in no way be ashamed! Dieting and fitness have become an increasingly large part of our culture and the media enjoy nothing more than reviewing the newest wellness trend or fad. My heart breaks every time I hear of a new aesthetic trend. Weve had #thighgap, #bikinibridge and #abcrack. Looking through the social media photos from these trends, I see only women, no men.

So why is it that at any one time one in five of us in the UK is on a diet? It therefore seems reasonable to assume that some diets are ineffective and unhealthy, and some are incredibly dangerous. It could also be that these diets are so ridiculous that following them is all but impossible. Either way, something isnt working. Yet the number of diet and clean-eating books being published shows no sign of slowing down. We still follow them, hoping that each new fad will be the diet that finally makes us happy. Spoiler alert: losing weight will not guarantee happiness. Being content with what you have and treating your body with kindness and gratitude will.

So lets take a look at exercise instead. If we were to believe all we saw in magazines and on social media, then we might think the number of women exercising is on the up. Simply search the hashtag for fitness inspiration (#fitspo) on Instagram and youll be inundated with six packs and tight butts galore. However, the power of advertising strikes again. The reality is that only 10 per cent of adults in the UK play sport regularly and that 44 per cent do no moderate physical activity at all. So almost half of us do nothing. We have access to free online fitness videos, more gyms than ever before and numerous government initiatives, yet we still choose to rest rather than sweat (or, even worse, diet instead of exercise).

what an amazing waste of talent. The irony is that regular exercise would improve our ability and potentially make us care less about our appearance. Chances are we are all so worried about our own ability we arent even noticing anyone elses.

So, despite the swathes of avocados, skimpy leggings and head-standing yogis, it appears we are not yet all aboard the wellness wagon. We need to remember that social media, for many, is a business. The photos posted are often chosen to promote the account holders product, services or personality. They are not a true reflection of real life and they are providing little education to us on our bodies, how they move and how most of us should really be eating. I hope this book will give you more insight into your body and health than any scrolling through social media ever could.

Worryingly, its not just adults who are struggling to prioritise exercise in their lives; this problem is rubbing off on our children too. Around 40 per cent of 16-year-old girls take part in no vigorous physical activity at all.

All this data points to the possibility that, despite knowing more than weve ever known about the importance of eating well and exercising, we are simply not managing to do so. This needs to change!

Nine years ago I graduated from my psychology degree, full of excitement and hope, and set off in a completely different direction to start my dream apprenticeship as a chocolatier in London. I had planned on a career in chocolate since I was young and I had secured a degree just in case it didnt work out, meanwhile travelling to London to carry out work experience with my eventual employer. A year after taking on my dream apprenticeship, I was underweight, overworked and suffering with depression. Id spent a whole year forcing myself to stick with the role because it was all Id ever wanted to do and was a great opportunity, but my health and happiness were really suffering and life is just too short. One day I woke up and my exhausted body made the decision for me that I would never step into a commercial kitchen again.

As they say, everything happens for a reason, and I took a role as a receptionist in a Pilates studio while I decided what to do next. I had always been heavily involved in sport growing up: I was a 100 metre sprinter during my years in a military boarding school and had a father who was in the Parachute Regiment (I think I inherited my competitiveness from him). However, though I had decided the military wasnt for me, I had never considered a career in fitness. Thinking back, I had witnessed so many friends suffer with disordered eating over the years my university dissertation was even on eating disorders in first-year students but I had just never made the link to the possibility of helping others to feel at ease with their bodies.

I quickly realised how much my lack of exercise over the past year had affected my mental health. The catering industry works such long hours, plus its a physically demanding job, and I had managed to do no exercise for a year. As soon as I started working in the Pilates studio, I fell in love with the method. Pilates seemed to be all about making your body strong, flexible, functional and comfortable. It was not about being skinny or losing weight. I loved how it made my body feel and it held my interest like no other technique before. I quickly became studio manager before being motivated by my instructors to take the STOTT Pilates training course to become a Pilates instructor myself, and later completed my personal trainer qualifications.