Welcome to the 4th edition of the Health Series!

This month we are going to hear from MY VERY OWN BOXERCISE INSTRUCTOR Marie! She has quite similar views on health to mine, so I was very excited to read her answers! I hope you will be too.

Here we go:

Name, age, occupation: Marie Zena Barton, 36, Head Coach at HIITme Health & Fitness

What does health mean to you?

It may sound a bit silly but to me personally it’s about feeling alive and functioning physically and mentally with good energy. I want to wake up feeling good in the morning not tired and just getting up and going through the motions. I want to wake up with purpose and feel motivated.

For me if I am feeling like this most of the time then my health is in pretty good form. As a Group fitness coach & PT trainer I want and need to have good health and energy. I think there is nothing worse as a client to turn up to a class or PT session where the instructor has no energy or enthusiasm about them.

How do you achieve this level of healthy?

It’s not always easy we all live increasingly busy stressful lives. For it to work for me I need to plan organise and execute!:o). I find it easier if I make a plan and stick to it, which is easier said than done, but when you do that, it works and it is then my routine. I always work better at everything if I make it part of my daily/weekly routine

Why is it important to be and live healthily?

Wow that’s a big question………. it’s so important for so many different reasons!:o)……. I don’t think a lot of people really know what good health means or how much it affects everything in your life when you are not feeling on good form and in good health.

A lot of people think that if they are not ill then that must mean that they are healthy, well no I don’t think so……. bear with me here I don’t mean to sound patronising, I just think that so many people are running on autopilot trying to get through the day and get all the tasks done that need to be done and never putting themselves and their health at the top of that to do list. It is my personal opinion and experience if you improve your health through exercise and good nutrition it massively impacts your life in so many more good ways than you expected.

Imagine doing everything that you need to get done with a lot more energy, enthusiasm and happiness, wouldn’t it be so much easier and enjoyable? That’s why I think living and being healthy is so important, it makes such a difference to how you feel.

Why are you an expert?

hhhhmm “expert” another big word that can mean many different things to people:o) Can I change that question to What makes you good at your Job?

Well once you get past being qualified of course then it’s about the fact I really like my job and I want people to really feel the benefits of exercise. I like to keep up to date with what is going on in the health and fitness world. I think it is a very interesting time, slowly more and more people are becoming aware of the importance of exercise for more than just the purpose to loose weight which is an important factor. I love to see the change and progress in people and see how much better they feel about themselves.

What is your top health tip?

Exercise of course!:o) There is more to health than just exercise but I think it such an important part as that is often one of the first steps that people take in their aim to improve their health and that first step is the most important…..

…. But don’t just find any exercise, find an exercise that you genuinely like. There is no use taking up running just because you want to improve your health and fitness if you hate running…….we all know how that’s going to end. Don’t be afraid to try some different exercises before you find what you really like….. and find an exercise in a group format, it is more fun and makes you much more likely to stick with it if you are accountable to other people too:o)

So? What do you think?

Do you agree with her definition of “being healthy?”. I certainly do 🙂 I too want to wake up with purpose and feel motivated.

Can you find that exercise routine that you will stick to? Is group fitness classes your thing? Or do you prefer going to the gym or for a run? Maybe a personal trainer is what you need?

Tell us in the comments below!

Get in touch with Marie here and visit her website here. She can also be found on Facebook; JessBoxing, Bootcamp and Kettlercise – all group fitness classes you MUST try!

ACTUALLY, all her classes start THIS WEEK and you can try out a class for FREE! I really urge you to try one of them, they are GREAT!! Just EMAIL Marie now! 😉