By Adam MacDougall, The Sunday Telegraph
SHE recently moved to a mostly vegetarian diet but can you guess the one food fitness guru Pip Edwards simply can’t do without? She tells Adam McDougall.
WITH a booming global fitness empire and an activewear label loved by everyone from Khloe Kardashian to Kayla Itsines, you’d think P.E Nation founder Pip Edwards would never struggle with finding the motivation to hit the gym.
But as it turns out, the impossibly energetic and infectiously enthusiastic 37-year-old entrepreneur faces the exact same challenges as the rest of us when it comes to getting up and getting moving.
Helping people find that motivation is the driving force behind Pip’s P.E Nation activewear line. You need to look good to feel good, she says. And dressing for success doesn’t just mean the office.
“It’s quite a struggle to get out there and do the hard work — I know I struggle a lot,” she says.
“But if you know you’ve got the right clothes that feel good, that have the performance qualities and that actually make you feel fit, then you actually become fit. It’s just how it goes.
“I’m a single mum and I’m pretty time poor and I knew that women really needed clothes that could get them from A-to-Z without changing too much, and I feel like we’ve ticked all those boxes.”
But if finding the motivation to go to the gym can be challenge, there’s no shortage of other activities to keep her moving.
Like most mums, Pip says her workout routine changes as frequently as her son Justice’s hobbies.
“I do a lot of different activities. I have an 11-year-old son, so I play a lot of basketball, touch football and that kind of stuff,” she says. “As a single mum, a lot of the time I’m both mum and dad, so I need to do it all. So he always keeps me fit.
“And I love being fit. It’s happy, it’s motivating, it actually gives you energy. For me, it’s the balance of life.”
AT A STRETCH
Ask Pip her favourite workout regime and she doesn’t hesitate for a second. She doesn’t just love pilates, she “lives for it”. So much so, in fact, that she carries a pilates toning ring with her whenever she travels so she can always find time to train.
“Pilates has been my absolute strength and I live for it every day,” she says. “I think a strong core and your posture also gives you that empowerment to take on each day.
“It’s great for my state of mind, too. You’ve got to find something you love that works for you. Not everything works for everyone. You do need to try all the disciplines and you need to do what works for your body. And pilates works for me.
“I was doing a lot of aggressive training and I probably took it a little too far, and I find that pilates brings back a lot of that feminine grace that I think women need to remember that they have. It’s not about being skinny or overly muscly, it’s about your strength inside and that’s what radiates.”
A GOOD EGG
Pip recently made the move to a mostly vegetarian diet but there’s one healthy food she simply can’t live without: eggs. Every day begins with two boiled eggs piled high with tabasco sauce — a super healthy spice kick that contains zero sugar or fat.
“I’m more on the vegetarian side now, and I love very clean, light food. Everyday at 5.30am I have two boiled eggs with heaps of tabasco,” she says.
“Then I’ll have a protein smoothie and a salad with tofu, or sometimes poached chicken when I was not a vegetarian. And my little treat is dates. I love them frozen — they’re like nature’s caramel, but when they’re frozen they go like toffee.
“But I love eggs. Eggs for life!”
THE FAST FIVE
What’s your favourite healthy food?
Fresh protein smoothies. My favourite is choc peppermint. Some protein with cacao nibs, peppermint oil and super green powder. I’m obsessed. I have like two a day.
What’s your favourite unhealthy food?
Licorice. I figure it’s got good side-effects …
What’s your favourite alcoholic drink?
A Bloody Mary. Really spicy, and with heaps of Worcestershire and lemon and a massive stick of celery.
What’s your motivation to be fit and healthy?
To feel good, to look good, to radiate.
What’s you tip for someone struggling with motivation?
You’ve got to back yourself. It has got to come from you. No one else can do it for you.
Adam MacDougall is exclusively managed by The Fordham Company.