An Interview with Louise Hazel - Olympic Athlete + Trainer

Despite leaving her Olympic career behind, Louise Hazel is still very much involved in the fitness industry and has maintained her enviably gorgeous, atheltic physique.

I caught up with her to get an insight into her daily life and how it differs from when she was competing...

I loved watching you compete in the London 2012 Olympics and there are few people who will be unfamiliar with your athletics career, but can you please briefly describe your career to date?

I am a London 2012 Olympian and Commonwealth Gold Medallist in the heptathlon. I've represented TeamGB in the heptathlon since the age of 17 at European, World, Olympic and Commonwealth Level.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Every day is completely different since I retired from athletics. This year has already been crazy, I came second to Joey Essex in Channel 4 show "The Jump" and I've just launched #FitForFree an initiative that is aimed at encouraging the development and funding for Free exercise across the UK.

I'm currently doing free fitness classes every Wednesday in July at Pineapple Dance Studios.

What is your own training regime like? Is it very different from when you were competing or have some aspects stuck with you?

I still train like an elite athlete just not as often, I run every week and I lift weights in the gym, and I still get frustrated when I think I can do more! :)

I wish I had have been able to get into athletics when I was younger, but there wasn’t much opportunity. Do you think it’s possible for adults to venture into any kind of track and field sports (even just for fun and fitness) and how would you suggest they do go about this?

There are plenty of local athletics clubs, and they are a great way of staying fit and healthy. Club training nights tends to be on Tuesdays and Thursdays if not every night of the week and memberships are often much cheaper than the gym. You'll find details of your local training facilities at www.britishathletics.org

How did you educate yourself on fitness and nutrition?

I was fortunate to learn from the best. I've always trained with Elite level coaching, which heavily shapes the way I view fitness. Most personal trainers focus on "beasting" their clients, but it's important that sessions are challenging enough but not injury inducing.

I qualified as a personal trainer and nutritionist in 2012, having fallen ill from a stomach problem. Only then did I really educate myself on nutrition and the benefits of clean eating.

What do you eat in a day?

At the moment, I'm not taking any supplements as I'm not in heavy training. I eat three main meals per day and a couple of snacks. My appetite always decreases in the summer and I naturally eat a lot fewer carbohydrates a maximum of two very small portions per day!

Some recipes can be found on thepodiumeffect.com

How does your diet differ from when you were competing?

It's vastly different, I can't get away with eating as much as I did when I was training twice per day. Although you'd think my diet was better when I was training, it was actually much worse. It was full of sugar, energy drinks and crappy carbs! Terrible - makes me feel dirty just thinking about it! LOL.

One thing that hasn't changed is my love for chips, especially sweet potato fries!

How do you fit in eating a healthy, balanced diet? Do you find that you have to prepare meals in advance?

It's easy when you get into the rhythm of it. I juice every morning. I soak my oats overnight and I always make sure I have a box of eggs to hand. These are my healthy eating essentials.

Your current focus is on The Podium Effect. Can you briefly describe what this is, who it is designed for and what motivated you to create it?

I am the founder of online weight-loss plan The Podium Effect which I launched in 2013. I designed 60 day challenges for those who want to get fit whilst managing a busy lifestyle. There are six stages in total and they get progressively more challenging. I provide nutritional guidelines and video workouts meaning that with just 30 minutes a day you can ensure a long term physical transformation.

It's perfect for home use, but users also travel with it on holidays, work breaks, etc.

What is your ethos?

Love hard, run fast, smile often and drink plenty of water!

Tried The Podium Effect? I'd love to hear your thoughts!