Q&A with Twice the Health

Q&A with Twice the Health

Hannah and Emily from fitness blog Twice the Health talk marathons, Jagerbombs and being Lorna Jane Activewear ambassadors.

We know the two of you are great friends, but how did you guys meet?

Emily: We met while studying in Cardiff, in among far too many Jagerbombs and an abundance of fancy dress. We were introduced through a mutual friend who studied English with Hannah, while I studied Sports Biomedicine and Nutrition.

Hannah: Perhaps we have more to thank those Powerpuff Girls outfits for than we thought!

Have you both always been into fitness and working out?

Emily: We both competed in cross country and athletic events throughout school, and despite the not-so-great diet and more than occasional drink, we attempted to keep up a certain level throughout university.

Hannah: You more than I! I focused a little more on just trying to keeping my eyes open! But yes, we both have always enjoyed exercise. I’d say it was towards the end of second year that the like became love and we began to really pursue our passion. Emily’s boyfriend Dan (@danielrose_pt) introduced us to strength training and so our former fondness for one type of bar switched dramatically to another.

What was it that made you guys want to start a blog?

Emily: It was something we had thought for a while, but just never really got round to doing. We both ran separate Instagram accounts in line with living a healthy lifestyle and exercising so it was just a matter of time before we combined the two!

Hannah: We got a last minute place in the London marathon, which gave us the kick we needed to join forces. It’s amazing what a little porridge power can do, thanks of course to our Rude Health many miles fuel!

We know you guys are ambassadors for the amazing Lorna Jane Activewear. How did you get involved with that?

Emily: Magic! Or fairies! Or Angels! We’re still not really sure, we just know we got very, very lucky!

Hannah: Agreed! We met Emma and Andra at Body Power Expo and exchanged a few emails after we ran the marathon in our first Lorna Jane purchase. After that, there was no going back. We feel so lucky to be ambassadors for a brand spreading such a positive message to women through active living and nourishing your body.

Emily: Lorna Jane stands for everything we do, and so it was the perfect pairing! We are so excited to continue growing the brand in the UK, working towards the opening of the first UK store at the end of this year.

We love the recipes on your blog like your ‘cleantella muffins’. What is each of your favourite sweet treats to bake?

Hannah: Emily is really the baker/cooker/creative one. As much as I try, my only real talent is creating bowls of yoghurt topped with all things sweet and available in our cupboards. For everything else I rely solely on my trusty Fresh Fitness Food! But it has become my duty to whip up dessert and it’s a huge guilty pleasure creating our ‘pre bed flex bowls’.

Emily: Oh where to begin. It’s like asking a parent which is their favourite child! The ‘cleantella muffins’ are up there, but I would say my ‘peanut butter avocado chocolate mousse’ that I recently made takes the ‘refined sugar-free’ biscuit!

What three health food items are always in your kitchen?

Hannah: Peanut butter, oats and…

Emily: Bananas. And yoghurt. And dark chocolate! Three is difficult.

Hannah. We always have chilli too!

You’ve tried out lots of popular classes and workouts like Barry’s Bootcamp and Lomax Gym’s Fightclub, but what is each of your favourite classes and why?

Hannah: That’s a tough one! I’d say my favourites are Ride Republic in Fulham and Gym Class based in Holland Park. The Ride Republic ‘burn board’ has been known to challenge the Twice the Health friendship, as secretly we’re both a little competitive (even if we do cross every race line hand in hand). As for Gym Class, you’ve no choice but to push yourself when you’ve got Helle Hammonds present!

Emily: We’re also both very partial to a Boom Cycle. Despite being unable to follow any rhythm or ride to any beat we return week in week out to fuel our cardio fix!

Hannah: Yes, I’d say it pretty much rescued my marathon training upon being unable to run!

Emily: As for Barry’s, it’s a love hate relationship. The ‘post Barry’s feeling’ adds the love element, while the treadmill holds the hate side strong!

We know you’ve both run a marathon or two in your time, what advice would you give to people in training at the moment?

Hannah: Enjoy it! And make sure you’re wearing the right trainers.

Emily: Yes, enjoy it. Use it to explore. We had some of our best days since living in London just exploring the city on our own two feet – and getting very lost on occasion!

Hannah: Saying this, don’t be afraid to mix up your training. Swim, run, walk, dance… whatever keeps you moving. Running can be tough on the legs and the last thing you want is an injury! Obviously you need to get in the miles, but use other methods of exercise to help keep up your fitness level and build your stamina.

Who is your biggest fitness inspiration and why?

Hannah: I’m not sure there’s one particular person I’m inspired by. I’d say the fabulous group of fitness bloggers we have met throughout our journey would make up my ‘fitspo’. They are now some of our closest friends and without their support and encouragement Twice the Health may not have grown in quite the way it has.

Emily: When I was younger I thought I was a combination of Paula Radcliff and Kelly Holmes; yes I aimed a tad high! It is easy to take inspiration from the incredible women in at the top of their sporting etiquette, such as Jess Ennis-Hill, Laura Trott, Nicola Adams and Serena Williams. But for me now it is the slightly overweight gym goer smashing out their burpees in the gym corner. They know that no one is watching, and if they don’t give it 110% they are only letting themselves down, that takes determinations and that is my inspiration.

What are your plans for the future?

Hannah: We hope to continue growing the Twice the Health brand and share our passion for health through happiness for as long as anyone will listen. We’ve been given some incredible opportunities and we have so much planned for the future of Twice the Health. Personally, I have been fortunate enough to land some exciting opportunities to work with some top health and fitness brands, developing my passion for the industry in both PR and Marketing. I look forward to developing my experience in both these areas as well as taking on some more PT clients upon recently qualifying with Fitness Industry Education.

Emily: We’re looking forward to continuing working with Lorna Jane, with the hope of growing the brand in the same way it has in Australia, and more recently the USA. We hope to finally plan and complete our dream of running the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim, because hiking it last year was just not enough of a challenge apparently. We are also aiming to maybe get something in print. Watch this space!

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