How I keep fit: Charli Cohen

The fashion designer and personal trainer reveals the ins and outs of her exercise regime, her fitness motivation and her gym bag essentials...

Having successfully bridged the gap between high fashion and high performance activewear, Charli Cohen has fast-become the go-to label to be seen in both in and out of the gym with her collections gracing both runways and magazine spreads alike.

Set to launch her fourth independent collection at London Fashion Week for AW15, we caught up with the fashion designer and personal trainer to find out how she makes time to workout, her fitness mantras and to have a peek into her own gym ‘It’ kit...

Could you talk us through your weekly fitness regime? What are you favourite parts and why?

I aim to train at the gym 4 times a week and my workouts all revolve around strength training. I alternate upper body and lower body workouts, prioritising different planes of motion on different days to ensure I hit every muscle group from every angle over the course of the week! I keep rest times short and use a lot of big compound movements, (such as squats and deadlifts) to keep my heart rate up and add a cardio element.

I love deadlifts and chin-ups – I’m pretty strong on both and they make me feel like a badass…I also really enjoy boxing and will throw in some bag work at the end of most workouts.

Aside from my structured workouts, I try to get as much incidental activity in as possible. Walking is my favourite and I’ll avoid getting the bus or Tube in favour of hitting the streets of London.

What's your overall approach to health, fitness and nutrition?

It’s so integrated into my lifestyle now that I don’t even really think about it! It’s automatic for me to make healthy nutrition choices and to schedule in gym time each week, although nowadays I do make a point of not getting too obsessive about it and have learned to adapt to my circumstances. In fact, I’m probably living proof that you can change an ‘all or nothing’ mentality into ‘everything in moderation.’

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How much is fitness a priority in your life?

My job keeps me extremely busy, so anything I manage to fit in around that definitely counts as a high priority! Training keeps me sane – it’s essential for stress relief, ‘me’ time and my overall balance.

What's in your fitness 'It' kit?

I’m naturally a little biased towards CC! I favour a baggy tee over Charli Cohen Laser Leggings. I also love my GymTote and my Reebok Crossfit Nanos.

What keeps you motivated to stay fit?

I need an abundance of energy to do my job – nutrition and fitness is essential for that. I know that if I don’t look after my health, everything else will suffer. That’s enough of an incentive for me!

How do you squeeze fitness in around your busy schedule?

I make sure that my fitness regime is one I can consistently stick to. I’ve programmed my workouts to only last around 40 minutes and there’s always time to get that in three or four days a week – even if I’m emailing in between sets!

What are your top tips for people looking to get fit?

Don’t try to change everything at once and don’t force yourself to do anything you hate. It’s all about what you’re going to be able to keep up for the long haul – a few small, permanent changes will get you a lot further than a month of crash dieting.

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