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Fitnesspreneur Zanna van Dijk On How She Stays Lean, Strong And Motivated To Work Out

Fitnesspreneur Zanna van Dijk scaled

With over 280,000 followers on Instagram, Zanna van Dijk (@zannavandijk) has built a career on helping others look and feel great.

The London-based fitness influencer, who hails from Yorkshire, is best known for co-hosting the BBC Podcast Fit & Fearless, is an ambassador for Adidas in the UK and has also released her own book called Strong (Headline, ยฃ16.99), which largely aims to encourage women to lift weights.

26-year-old influencer Zanna van Dijk is passionate about lifting weights (Libratone/PA)

Here, we got the low-down on the 26-year-old bloggerโ€™s fitness, nutrition and favourite workout movesโ€ฆ

Whatโ€™s your workout routine like?
โ€œMy life is pretty varied and no two days are the same, so forming a set routine is sometimes a challenge.

โ€œAt the moment, I just slot in workouts when I can, and I try to ensure that two of my sessions every week are strength focused.

โ€œThe rest of the time, I just go with the flow and do whatever my body is feeling โ€“ whether thatโ€™s Pilates, HIIT training or a long walk.โ€

Whatโ€™s a typical dayโ€™s food like for you?
โ€œI usually have oats, chia pudding or a smoothie for breakfast, and lunch can be anything really โ€“ from avocado toast through to dahl and rice.

โ€œDinner tends to be my largest meal, and I always have hummus and pita as a starter (my boyfriend and I make fresh hummus every week). Then I might have a burrito bowl, a curry or a pasta dish. Iโ€™ll work with whatever is in the fridge.

โ€œOh and Iโ€™ll always have dessert โ€“ either fruit, dates or chocolate, or maybe even vegan ice cream.โ€

Do you have any guilty food pleasures?
โ€œI have no guilt food around! One thing I do eat a lot of is Medjool dates. Iโ€™ll cut them open and stuff them with nut butter โ€“ thatโ€™s my favourite.โ€

Whatโ€™s your favourite workout move?
โ€œBurpees. I know, I am such a clichรฉ.โ€

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Super DUPER exciting news! ๐Ÿฅณ My brand spanking new website has just launched! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ Iโ€™ve been working on a rebrand for months and months and itโ€™s finally here! ๐Ÿ’ƒ Itโ€™s all sparkly, sassy and sleek AF so definitely give it a cheeky look by clicking the link on my profile ๐Ÿ‘€ Hereโ€™s what it includes: โžก๏ธ A blog! Iโ€™ve been sharing articles on my site for years. My most popular ones include my London fitness class guide, London vegan food guide, extensive travel and city guides, sustainability tips and tricks and so much more! ๐ŸŒ โžก๏ธ A comprehensive resources page with links to ALL my favourite books, articles, podcasts and documentaries ๐Ÿ“š โžก๏ธ The ability to sign up for my brand new newsletter! If you sign up you get sent a free mini guide including a weeks worth of workouts & my favourite post workout smoothie recipe ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿผ โžก๏ธ And SO MUCH MORE! ๐Ÿ˜ Plus Iโ€™ve just uploaded three fresh articles for you guys 1๏ธโƒฃ 10 sustainable swaps to fight ocean plastic ๐ŸŒŠ 2๏ธโƒฃ Lessons Iโ€™ve learnt from life saving surgery ๐Ÿ’‰ 3๏ธโƒฃ Londonโ€™s best parks: a green space guide ๐ŸŒณ Go on, give the link a cheeky click and let me know what you think! ๐Ÿฅฐ Wearing @adidaswomen at @weareequilibrium โค๏ธ #girlgains #thesculptguide #gymgirls #stronggirls #fitnessgirls #operationcomeback

A post shared by Zanna ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง (@zannavandijk) on

How do you motivate yourself when youโ€™re not feeling 100%?
โ€œI put on a banging playlist. Music is so important to me when it comes to my fitness routine. I struggle to keep myself motivated in my challenging workouts without some good tunes.โ€

Djik says that music can help to motivate
Music keeps her motivated on โ€˜offโ€™ days (Libratone/PA)

What are your tips for getting the most out of summer workouts?
โ€œGet outdoors. I hate to be predictable but itโ€™s so important that when the days are long and weather is good to get outside. We arenโ€™t so lucky in winter, so take advantage of training in your garden, local park or green space!โ€

What are you gym bag essentials?
โ€œA reusable water bottle, a reusable coffee cup, a resistance band, hair bobble, sweat towel and my Libratone TRACK+ headphones (ยฃ169.99, currys.co.uk).โ€

Who are your favourite people to follow on Instagram for fitness inspiration?
โ€œMy top accounts right now are @LucyDavis_Fit for workouts and @healthychefsteph for vegan food inspiration.โ€

Zanna van Dijk has been working with Libratone to create her perfect workout playlist. Visit libratone.com

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