Sandra Abla Personal Trainer
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Sandra is a passionate personal trainer and sometimes trains with her clients to help them through the pain. She talks to Sundried about life in fitness.
Please tell us about sporting events you have taken part in or have coming up.
I did the Leg day UP camp Hypertrophy last year. It was so challenging that I couldn't walk properly for a week but it was good pain. We had 3 training sessions during the day. It was fantastic. I recommend it to everyone who wants to know how to train their legs properly.
Tell us about your journey to fitness, where did it all start?
It all started in high school where I did a paper that was talking about obesity and its link to aspartame. At that time, I was overweight but I was really interested in nutrition. Then when I started university, I signed myself up to a gym and I guess this is where my journey began. When I came to London after settling down I decided to rejoin the gym and few years after I completed my PT level 2 and 3 with Active IQ.
What are your training goals now?
Maintain a healthy lifestyle and healthy weight. Keep training 3 to 4 times a week.
Tell us one unusual fact we wouldn’t know about you:
I have absolutely hated running since a young age, but I force myself to do it.
What advice do you wish you'd been given when you first started out?
Cardio is really important no matter what.
Do you follow a specific nutrition plan? If so, what/when do you eat?
When I'm on a diet, I eat fewer carbs to get in shape quicker. Other than that, I don't drink alcohol anymore, I don't drink coffee or juices, and I limit my refined sugar intake (cake, sweets, sugary drinks etc.)
What do you do to keep your clients motivated? Do you have any top tips to keep motivated?
I take pictures of my clients, before and after to keep them motivated. I measure them every two weeks and I also give them nutrition tips to follow. When the training becomes too hard I train with them to take a bit of the pain away. I hope it works.
Talk us through your training regime.
I workout most of the time 4 times a week. I do love weight training and can't leave the gym without doing some lunges!
Monday: full body weight workout plus cardio
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: Box with my colleague plus cardio
Thursday: full body weight workout plus cardio
Friday: rest
Saturday: full body workout plus cardio
Sunday: full body weight workout
How do you keep your fitness knowledge up to date?
I read books and follow the best of the industry such as Ultimate Performance, Charles Poliquin, Dr Jacob Harden, Backfitpro, and Massy Arias.
What are your top 3 trainer tips?
- Always train your full body rather than just parts or single muscle group.
- Drink at least 2 litres of water per day.
- Training is not enough, nutrition is even more important.
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It would probably be avocado, but I absolutely love food and I'm in a relationship with food!
Why work with Sundried?
I love that Sundried is ethical and is made from 100% recycled materials. It's a pleasure to work with a brand that cares about the environment like I do.
Favourite fitness quote:
"If it's too easy it's not worth it."
