In the second edition of Top Tips, Lauren Hemp talks us through her health and fitness routine, her live concerts with Esme Morgan and her TV recommendations!

In our new feature, presented by Gatorade, our women’s team share their advice and recommendations for coping through this uncertain period of the COVID-19 pandemic...

What advice would you give for keeping motivated?

The best thing to do is to plan a routine: get up at the same time every day and have an idea of what you want to do on that day.

Set yourself goals and give yourself something you can achieve, rather than sitting, doing nothing and waiting for the day to pass.

It was hard for me at the start but now I’ve got into a routine of waking up at the same time, going out, doing my training session and then coming back and chilling out for the rest of the day, although we don’t have too much time off!

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How are you keeping fit?

It can be hard when you’re training alone and you haven’t got the whole team to keep you motivated, telling you to keep going and having some laughs.

It took some getting used to – it’s different – but we all have our own plans and we’re keeping in contact.

On our group WhatsApp chat, we also have a core workout challenge every day – someone creates the challenge and then nominates another person for the next day. My core is in bits!

I actually joked with Esme Morgan (who I live with) not to make me laugh the other day because it was so painful!

Any healthy eating suggestions?

We’ve spent more time cooking, trying to find new things to eat. Normally, after training, you have the same foods so we’ve been trying to add some variety – something healthy but new.

Cooking also passes some time. It keeps us busy and you can learn a lot. Each night, we also have players sharing recipes on WhatsApp.

It’s been great to try new things.

 

What’s the best meal you’ve cooked?

We made a chickpea, spinach and sweet potato curry, which was really nice.

Normally, we’d just have a regular curry but this was different and we really enjoyed it.

We’re also going to try homemade pizzas and switch things up.

 

Any advice on how to stay calm and have fun?

Keep busy and connected. Remember: this time will pass and there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Personally, although it’s been difficult, it’s been nice to have some time away from everything – having the chance to switch off.

Using the time to do something you’re not used to doing – something new – can help. I did a paint-by-numbers the other day to pass the time and it really helped me to relax. I hadn’t done one in years.

Try and find a new hobby. You can do anything.

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Do you have any new hobbies?

Esme and I have been singing, doing concerts on Twitter! I’m no good at singing but we found something we enjoy and we can have a laugh about.

We were just sitting at the dinner table one night, thinking of things we could do – silly ideas like YouTube vlogs or live workout sessions. Esme was just like: “Shut up, Lauren! We’re not doing any of those!” but somehow, we ended up asking the question on Twitter to see who would be interested to watch us do a live stream!

I think 97% of people said ‘yes’ so we had to do it then! We had a playlist of five songs that Esme knows and we ended up with about 10k views!

People wanted more so we had to do it again! Esme had to learn new songs and we tried to think of ways to make it more entertaining. We ended with a rap first and then Bohemian Rhapsody!

We really enjoyed it. It was something to do for half an hour to have a laugh and make a fool of ourselves.

I’m not sure Esme wants to learn any more songs – she’s feeling the pressure! – so you’ll have to wait and see if we reappear or if anyone has any requests. Maybe we’ll try something different.

 

What are you watching on Netflix? Any recommendations?

On Netflix, I’ve been watching Safe and The Stranger. They’re really good and I’d recommend them.

They’re mysteries and I like not knowing what’s going to happen. It’s good right at the end when you discover how things pan out and they turn out completely different to the way you expect!

I’ve also downloaded Disney+ so I’ve been watching all of the old TV shows and films.

I watched Zootropolis – I love that film – as well as Ratatouille and the High School Musical films… I’ve watched loads!

 

Do you have a message for the fans, during this difficult period?

Stay positive! We all miss you and we’re looking forward to seeing you again.

We’re eager to get back training – back into the routine and back playing again.

Stay safe everyone!