Hollyoaks star Gemma Atkinson is encouraging fans and followers not to wait until the New Year to take care of their health and wellness. Atkinson, 40, shared a video of herself black two-piece workout gear, doing an exercise circuit with weights. “I always like to start up again before the new year. Why delay making changes when it comes to our health. If you can start now, do it. Is it gonna be one day or day 1? The choice is yours. I think as well when it comes to New Year we should try changing the word resolutions to standards. Setting standards for ourselves will be more beneficial. It even sounds more important. My standard is to move daily, even a brisk walk. My standards are to prioritise 8 mins before bed to stretching. My standards are to fuel myself with good nutrition whilst still occasionally enjoying foods I love. My standards are to see the girls once a month for a good catchup and lots of laughs,” she captioned the post. Here’s how the British star stays fit, healthy, and strong year-round.
Personal Trainer Workouts
Atkinson says she is fitter than she’s ever been with a workout program designed by personal trainer Elliott Upton, which consists of a heavy strength training day; a ‘complexes’ day; a hypertrophy day, two days of cardio, and two rest days. “It’s never, ‘I need to fit into a certain size’, it’s ‘How can I remain strong?’” she told Women’s Health. “Especially going into your forties; perimenopause will kick in… I want my body to be functional. I want to play with my kids and carry all the shopping bags of food out of the car.”
Morning Routine
Atkinson gets up before her kids to start the day in calm and quiet. “I always have a Symprove probiotic first thing, which I take on an empty stomach with a glass of anti-inflammatory, immune-supporting Super Greens supplement from Boxed Off and a scoop of collagen,” she told Get the Gloss. “For breakfast I have a combination of protein, fats and fibre and I love eggs with avocado or porridge with seeds.”
Postpartum Fitness
Atkinson took her time bouncing back after her second C-section. “[The scar] was a lot more swollen the second time around,” she told Women’s Health. “I kept telling myself, ‘You’ve been sliced open – through, like, seven layers of tissue, yeah? Let that heal before you do anything.’ So, I focused a lot on nutrition. And then after about 13 or 14 weeks, I started doing light exercise again. I gradually built myself back up to where I am now… I feel the best I’ve felt. So it’s taken more than a year, but I just did it in my own time, at my own pace – and now I feel great.”
Outdoor Activities
Atkinson loves spending time in nature with her friends and family. “I like to relax at the weekend and love to walk with the dog near my house in Manchester, getting the fresh air and spending time with the family,” she told Get the Gloss. “As I’ve got older I realise there’s no need to spend a fortune on fancy weekends and instead I love to go outside in nature and enjoy taking in the fresh air and vitamin D.”
Gym Philosophy
Atkinson believes the gym should be a safe space for everyone. “People have said to me they’re nervous about going into a gym, and I’m like, why? If you go into a gym, everyone’s there to better themselves – whether you’re starting at a size 24 or a size eight… the fact that you’re in there is showing people you want to try to improve yourself,” she told Women’s Health.