FITNESS. TRAVEL. YOGA. DUBAI

Abbey is a certified personal trainer who has had incredible success in getting clients the BODY OF THEIR DREAMS. For the past years, she has been working in Moscow, Dubai, Sydney, and London training clients with various backgrounds, cultural traditions, and medical issues.

FROM ECONOMICS TO FITNESS

1. What inspired you towards Fitness?

I first got interested in fitness when I was 12! I noticed a fitness magazine at a supermarket checkout and asked my Mum to buy it for me. Then I got 2kg dumbbells and started “working out” every day. For a long time, I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow I managed to stay dedicated.

2. Did you always want to become a trainer?

No, not really. My dream was always to become an investment banker… After graduating from business school I worked in Consulting (for 6 whole months :D). Starting the day with a Red Bull, often leaving the office after 1 am and having no time to work out, made me question my goals pretty much straight away. Plus, I realized I wanted to do something meaningful in life, and staring at Excel for 14+ hours a day just wasn’t cutting it for me.

Corporate Desk Life.

STAY FIT TRAVELLING

3. How do you stay fit while travelling?

I have an eBook on this topic (it can be downloaded for free from my website; www.abbeysketch.com). But essentially, the idea is to have fun and enjoy yourself, but not to the point when it’s TOO much fun that you start feeling sick. I know if I eat too much or don’t train for a few days in a row I’ll feel sluggish and won’t be able to enjoy my holiday to the fullest.

4. What is the best city (out of the four) to stay fit?

I think all 4 provide some perks for healthy enthusiasts. Sydney is probably the easiest with all-year-around good weather and gyms on every corner.

5. Best city for a trainer like you and why?

Dubai is perfect, since the demand for private coaching is probably the highest.

6. Where did you find the most fitness enthusiasts?

Sydney – no doubt! Have you been to Bondi beach?

7. Your favorite vacation spot and why?

I went to the Maldives last year and it was phenomenal. I’m also a big fan of snowboarding – so I also love anywhere with good mountains and powder.

Chilling in Maldives.

YOGA

8. Why did you get into yoga and what is so special about it?

I didn’t get the true power of yoga till I started meditating a few years ago. That’s when I realized that yoga is not really about stretching.

9. Is yoga enough to stay fit?

For me yoga is an amazing tool to help with mindful living and has little to do with physical fitness. I approach practicing yoga and fitness training very differently, pushing myself to the limit at the gym and “going with the flow”, as yogis put it, on the mat. I don’t think I’ll ever choose yoga over gym and vice versa, because these two things complement each other perfectly.

10. I want you to teach me yoga. Where should I look for you?

Email me at coaching@abbeysketch.com :)

11. What sort of yoga do you teach?

Since I only do private sessions, it really depends on what the client wants to achieve. Everyone has their own reasons to practice yoga (e.g. being more flexible, getting rid of lower back pain or unwinding after a stressful day at work), which will affect the style of yoga we will do. I always customize the sessions to address the client’s concerns and make sure to give them the right tools and knowledge to enhance their practice.

12. What is your favorite yoga pose and why?

Definitely, Savasana (or “Corpse pose”) as it helps you absorb all the benefits of your practice. Those few seconds when you manage to let your body and all your thoughts go are the true magic.

Read about how to stay fit in Dubai for free.

DUBAI

13. What brought you to Dubai? It’s so hot here. Especially, after living in Moscow, London, and Sydney?

There were a number of factors that played in heavily, more opportunities being one of them. Well, at least it’s never gloomy here!

14. Do you want to live in Dubai for the rest of your life? Or for how long you think you will be here?

I’ll definitely be back in Australia at some point. The question is when! :)

15. Name top 3 things about Dubai that you love.

Swimming in the gulf
The fact that there’s heaps of things to do every day of the week
DXB airport that can take you pretty much anywhere in the world :)

Read about the Top 5 Yoga Studios in Dubai.

BRAND YOU

16. What skills you need to be top of your social media game?

I think that you have to be ready to put in the time! Taking 100’s of photos to choose just 1, or spending hours to plan your feed so it’s color-coordinated is quite normal for me. There are probably people who gained social media success by just being awesome, however, if you assume that you are average and are prepared to put in a lot of work, your chances to achieve something will skyrocket.

17. Loved your blog on Staying Fit as a Business Person. How important you think fitness is for any entrepreneur?

Showing up at the gym and pushing through pain strengthens your discipline and makes you result-driven, and these things are critical to be successful. When you eat well and exercise you have more energy and are able to think more clearly. Plus, working out has been proven to have a massive impact on cognitive performance. All of which is to say that I think staying fit should be a top priority for any business person.

18. We stalked you and found out you love reading books. What kind of books do you read and can you name your top 3 books that have made an impact on your life? (Not the finance ones of course :P)

These days I’m very much into biographies of famous business people / athletes; I find some of their stories incredibly inspiring and practical at the same time. Growing up I read tons of classic Russian literature, with “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy probably being the most powerful. I can’t really call it a Top 3, but since we’ve talked about yoga a lot, “The Untethered Soul” by Michael A. Singer is an incredible book on mindfulness.

SQUATWOLF

19. We again stalked you and found out you love active wear. So we sent you some gifts. How did you like the quality and fit?

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality – it’s really good. It fit like a glove too! I pretty much live in active wear, so for me the design and comfort are equally important. SQUAT WOLF gear is great for working out / coaching and running errands / going for a coffee with a friend!

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