’24 minutes is all you need to get fit’
MODEL Laura Henshaw has built a business empire around exercise, but it turns out, she struggles for motivation just like the rest of us.
“People think that 24 minutes a day is so big and that you don’t have time to workout, you don’t have time to eat healthy, but you do have that time,” she said.
If you’re into fitness (or considering it) and have never heard of Laura Henshaw, you’re in the minority.
The cover-girl and Instagram pop star built an online fitness program Keep It Cleaner with her best friend and fellow model, Stephanie Claire Smith. The duo now have a merry band of close to 200,000 followers, who wait with bated breath to follow along with their next workout.
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“For me, if I don’t do my workout in the morning, I’m so grumpy. I feel lethargic, I’m tired, I’m just a better person if I get it done,” Henshaw said.
That’s hard to believe when you stalk her Instagram feed (she has 175,000 on her personal account too) or peruse her YouTube Channel.
“I know social media can sometimes make it seem like exercise is easy,” Henshaw recently posted. “I promise you that is not the case.”
Every day the model turned entrepreneur ticks the box by getting it done, first thing.
“I find that my workout is my time, my ‘me time’,” she said.
Not all of us can relate to that same excitement over exercise, but here’s one to make us feel a little better.
She doesn’t meditate, doesn’t do yoga. She simply can justify the time.
“I know that I should but that’s my workout time so (instead) I get my workout done and know I’ll have energy for the whole day.”
But really, just 24 minutes?
Henshaw’s convinced “If you do a high impact workout, or high intensity interval training you can get your heart up so high, you’ll be covered in sweat.”
“All of our workouts … are actually only 20 minutes and they kill us, so 24 minutes is more than enough,” she said.
Cue resounding chorus of cheers and the beauty boss herself is among them.
It’s impossible for the buzzing 24 year old to sum up a ‘typical day’ when there isn’t one.
“I’ll either be in the office, or I will be going to meetings or photoshoots and things like that. Everyday is different which is really cool,” she said.
In the same way, Henshaw keeps it interesting by keeping her training just as varied.
Her ideal 24 minute workout includes “a combination of something like running or HIIT training, something to get your heart rate up, get the endorphins pumping through your body, making you feel really, really good,” she said.
Henshaw and Smith’s business empire’s only recently expanded to include exercise. The movement started as an e-book with nutrition advice and a collection of ‘clean’ recipes. Her products are now even stocked in Coles.
“We literally googled how to make an e-book, we look back on it now and we laugh at it. It’s been amazing to see how far we’ve come in three years,” she said.
Now, they are all about keeping it simple. Things like ensuring meals include protein and are always packed with vegetables.
Before our one-on-one, Henshaw detailed how her day started with a green smoothie — protein powder, spinach, almond milk, banana, zucchini and matcha — all blended up for the boss lady on the go.
In the past, she has admitted to her loyal band of social media followers, she was controlled by her diet. “I put so much pressure on myself to be good enough to model it consumed me,” Henshaw posted.
Now it’s a relief to hear, no elimination is necessary.
The models refuse to label any foods as bad, but encourage their Keep It Clean community to consume everything in moderation.
There’s only a few simple, cardinal rules. Three clean meals a day, one or two snacks and ensuring your diet is made up of protein, fruit, vegies, good fats (avos and the like) and wholegrains. Skipping meals is the one, big no-no and there’s even room for some red wine and dark chocolate (Phew!).
Brittney Kleyn is a freelance journalist, fitness instructor and founder of the @take24project.
Want more from Laura? This is what a perfect week of excises looks like to her. Plus, the moves you should do for your body shape.
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