Fitness Expert Lydia Millen Talks Stretching, Protein, & Eyebrows

Ok so, after reading through this interview there’s two things I’ll be doing differently tomorrow: stretching first thing & doubling my water intake.

And trust me (!!!), after you meet this rockin’ bae, you’ll want to do the same.

Lydia Millen is a blogger at L.E.M. & fitness expert who really gets it when it comes to the whole healthy living thing.

Also, you guys know how I’m a major fan of gorgeous, thick brows? Whelp, so is Lydia. She actually shares an eyebrow diagram below..& I’m kind of obsessed. Because bad brows should seriously be illegal.

Anyway, enjoy Ms. Lydia Millen!

| Tell us about yourself |

Lydia Millen: I’m Lydia, a 26 year old health, fashion, & lifestyle blogger over at Lydia Elise Millen. I started blogging about two & a half years ago whilst at University in Northampton, UK. I started off posting about my love and lusts of fashion, providing a much needed distraction from the final year of my degree. Throughout University I developed the mentality that I had to starve myself in order to be skinny & it wasn’t until I met my partner, that I was shown the light that actually good nutrition, exercise, & a healthy mentality was the key. And from that moment on I embarked on what would be the beginning of my love affair with life.
| Quick skinny tip? |

LM: It’s an oldie but a goodie— water, water, water! I aim to drink two liters of the wet stuff before I finish my working day and then everything after that is just a bonus. Water has been known to help maintain a healthy fluid balance so you know what that means ladies, none of that nasty water retention! But there are also lots of other benefits too such as healthy looking skin & re-energized muscles to aid with those killer workouts. Water has also been said to burn up to five hundred calories a day…however I’m still unsure as to whether that’s down to drinking it or the amount of times you have to get up to head down to the ladies room!!

| Weekly workout schedule? |

LM: I’m a relatively new member to the 6 AM workout club & currently loving it. I head to the gym at 6 AM for an hour Monday to Friday doing a combination of HIIT, fast paced resistance, & power circuits. I find long distance cardio such a drag; you don’t realize how long a minute is until you’re on a treadmill, so when I was introduced to this way of working out I was excited but skeptical. I thought it was going to be a breeze. Needless to say I was wrong and sometimes when I finish I don’t even know who I am anymore!

| Favorite go-to healthy food? |

LM: It’s not particularly extravagant but I have a huge bowl of fruit salad in my fridge at all times because I’ve got one hell of a large sweet tooth. This has been the only line of defense that’s actually worked, even if I just grab a couple of slices of melon or a handful of blueberries it seems to stop me inhaling the contents of ‘the naughty cupboard.’ Sometimes if I’m a woman on the edge I’ll add some 0% fat yogurt to it as well and pretend its full fat cream.

| Cocktail of choice? |

LM: I don’t drink often but when I do cocktails are my jam— the sweeter, fruitier and creamier ( AKA the worst ones for you ) the better so it’s usually a strawberry daiquiri or a piña colada. Over the past few weeks I’ve been trialling some of my own waist friendly alternatives which I hope to bring to the blog soon.

| Rather-die-than-live-without beauty product? |

LM: Currently I’m lost without my Kerastase Elixir Ultime hair care products, I’ve got enough hair for half of England and it’s one of the first things people notice about me ( and touch!!! ) so I like it to always be in the best condition possible which can be tough living in England with all the heat & gym air conditioning. This product is definitely a budget buster but there are some things that deserve a little something special & my hair is definitely one of them.

| Secret model tip? |

LM: One thing I swear by for growing longer hair and keeping it in good condition is not going to the hairdresser & not washing it too often. Since I stopped getting the recommended six weekly trim & started washing my hair a hell of a lot less my hair has sprouted like no tomorrow. If you take good hair of your tresses it won’t actually need a trim.

Also, good brows! I’ve attached a little diagram:

| Natural beauty remedy? |

LM: I love rubbing a little coconut oil into the ends of my hair and on any dry areas of skin. It smells delicious & leaves my skin feeling amazing with a subtle healthy glow. I pick it up from my local health food store so while I’m rubbing it on my dry bits I can also add a spoonful to my morning coffee to sweeten it up a bit!

| When I wake up I… |

LM: Stretch! This is a new practice for me, I used to check my e-mails and drag my sleepy butt to the bathroom, but I’ve set my self a mission of being able to do the splits by Christmas. I’ve never been very flexible but I didn’t know quite how bad I was until a friend talked me in to starting yoga.

As amazing as my body felt after, my pride was a little dented when sixty year old men were putting me to shame.

| WTF’s in your purse? |

LM: WTF’s a purse? Oh, you mean the over priced portable dustbin I drag around with me? Oh that! Well I try my hardest to keep it organized, giving that I  clear it out once a week, but it’s always full of receipts, a couple of hundred pots of cherry carmex lip balm, my iPad/iPhone  (a girl’s gotta be connected ), my Vivienne Westwood purse, & some Chanel bronzer to give my face a bit of a refresh when needed ( …always needed ).

| Style statements you’re loving lately… |

I love workout fashion as much as I do normal fashion so websites like Active in Style have become the destination for all my workout wardrobe needs. They’ve brought some of the best Australian fitness fashion brands to the UK and for that I’m forever grateful. These leggings from VieActive are a staple in my current collection.

We’re gearing up for autumn/winter over here in the UK so I’m currently on an spending spree for outerwear, this snuggly little number arrived yesterday from Missguided & I can’t wait to wear it everywhere.

With the launch of Net-a-Sporter recently I’ve decided I deserve some luxurious new equipment from their current range, A yoga mat for $100 dollars is essential right?

And why not throw in a pair of new Nikes from their recent collaboration with Brazil-based artists Flavio Samelo & Jayelle Hudson while you’re at it?

I’ve also just got this book by Lorna Jane, again from Active In Style which has so many helpful hints, tonic recipes, & meals.

LM:

| Healthy, quick recipe? |

LM: I drink a lot of protein as I struggle to get variations of it in my daily diet so I love knocking up a quick smoothie my favorite is:

1 scoop of PhD Woman Vanilla cream ‘Support & Recovery’ protein powder

2 scoops of low fat frozen yogurt

Handful of granola

5 Strawberries ( or more, whatever you fancy )

Coconut Dream milk

Directions: blend together. Enjoy!

+ To follow Lydia on Instagram, click here.