Name: Eliza Flynn
Name of Blog: Healthy Living London

About You:

I’m Eliza and I live in London with my husband and one-eyed cat, Doris. I’ve had to learn the hard way that health isn’t something you can take for granted; in 2013 I was diagnosed with cervical cancer – the same year my mum was diagnosed with dementia. Since then, I thought I was pretty healthy as I was very active. However, health isn’t all about fitness - there is so much more to it and it’s been a journey I’ve been on every since. I particularly enjoy trying new things which helps, whether that’s interesting foods (insects, anyone?), new types of workouts (I love any kind of boxing) and discovering ways to relax (energy healing was rather interesting). I also have a constant battle between loving eating well and macaroni cheese.

What is the aim of your blog?

We have a motto which is EAT, SWEAT, BREATHE and believe that having a balance of good diet, exercise and time for yourself is absolutely necessary for optimal health. We hope to inspire others to explore ways of balancing their lifestyle to incorporate all three of these aspects.

Tell us about your blog?

Healthy Living London is made up of a collaboration of normal, everyday people who are each following their own fitness journey, exploring what London has to offer and seeking out healthy hotspots. We aim to have articles that can help anyone on their health and fitness journey, whether they’re just starting out or are training for an IronMan.

How did you become involved in it?

I set Healthy Living London up as a hobby after realizing that there were loads of people who were interested in finding out more about healthy living in London but didn’t know where to look.

What does an average week consist of for HLL?

It varies a lot. For me, personally, I work on it alongside freelance design and marketing consulting and it involves writing blogposts, replying to PR agencies, reviewing writers’ blogposts, sending writers briefs, updating Instagram, taking Personal Training sessions, working on new collaborations and reviewing our strategy for the year.

How does the CherryActive product range help you?

I love CherryActive and am a big fan of the cherry concentrate! It’s part of my everyday life and often makes it way into my daily smoothie or bowl of porridge. I truly believe it helps me sleep better and I take it religiously especially after a strenuous workout to help prevent DOMs. I enjoy knowing that I’m nourishing and helping strengthen my body from inside and out.

Highlight of career?

Taking part in Total Wipeout – does that count? It was essentially what triggered my love for obstacle course races! Aside from that, Healthy Living London specifically, it was hearing from a reader who wrote in to say that she had suffered from an eating disorder for many years and after reading an article about avocados on the website, realised that she had a lot to learn about nutrition and is now a trainee chef and a writer for us.

Do you have any hero’s or people you look up to?

For me personally, it’s the everyday people who overcome personal battles to do tremendous things – I meet so many each month and for me, they’re the inspirational people. They may not be in the public eye so much but I admire their passion and their journey. My other health and fitness inspiration? My dad – he’s in amazing shape for someone who’s mid-70’s and I’ve learned a lot about about how to eat from him.

What are your future goals?

To make Healthy Living London into the go-to place for fitness bunnies to discover what’s going on in London and inspire people to make small changes to their lifestyle that have a big impact on their health. I am also keen to support all the small passionate brands who have great products but need a push getting out there.

How do you relax away from your fitness/blogging?

Relax? What does that mean?! I find it really hard to ‘be still’ so I have to carve out dedicated time for this – I very much need something slow-paced to balance my hectic lifestyle so I’ve discovered lots of calming yoga which focuses on breathing. I personally used to think it was a waste of time as it wasn’t ‘fitness’ but I’ve come to realize that just stepping back from everything is incredibly important for my resilience and clarity of mind.

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