What can first time Barry’s Bootcampers expect from your class? We hear you’re pretty ruthless…

Barry’s combines running intervals with weighted and body weight resistance on the floor in a pumping night club environment.  Your body is continually shocked as no class is ever the same and the high intensity intervals make it a huge calorie burner.  It is incredibly fun, can be competitive if you want it to be and is like one big exercise party.! I do have a bit of a reputation for being ruthless and recently got called ‘a devil in lycra’ but I will always make sure everyone is happy, I push people hard but within their limits.

You’re training for the Nike Women’s 10k in June – how do you incorporate running training into your schedule? Do you do Barry’s workouts yourself whilst preparing for a race and does it compliment distance running?

I am very excited about the We Run London race in June.  Nike races are always a lot of fun and the training journey is always meticulously thought out by the Nike team.  I always get involved in their run clubs as I find the communal energy really motivating, especially when you are trying to up your distances.

Barry’s compliments run club and my outdoor runs perfectly as the intervals really help to increase speeds, ALL of my Barry’s clients who ran last years race smashed their personal bests significantly through taking Barry’s Bootcamp classes. Some had never even run outdoors and managed sub 50 minutes.  I am also prone to injury and the treadmills at Barry’s are designed to protect your joints and provide less impact than running outdoors.

What’s your own favourite way to work out?

Barry’s Bootcamp!  I fell in love with Barry’s 9 years ago and nothing has changed.  Before Barry’s existed in London I used to come back from LA and feel immensely frustrated with the fitness scene and that nothing was as challenging.  Fortunately, since we have opened, the London scene has become much more exciting with lots of brilliant spin studios and options for fitness but Barry’s still holds my heart.

How did you transition from actress and model to all-round fitness ambassador and Queen of the Treadmills?

It was a very organic transition that was driven by my love for Barry’s.  I took my first class in LA while I was acting out there and became hooked.  I spent pretty much every day there and one of the managers suggested I get my Personal Training certificate and consider training to be a bootcamp instructor.  I started teaching in LA inbetween auditions and work and then moved back to London to help the owners of Barry’s London start up the London studio. I am now a Master Trainer at Barry’s and help to train all the new talent and trainers.  I still get involved in the odd modeling and acting job, not surprisingly they seem to have become much more fitness orientated and I just played a yoga instructor in a feature.  That was interesting as I am the least bendy person on the planet!

How important do you consider nutrition to be to your everyday life and to contributing to your exercise performance?

Nutrition is incredibly important, especially when you are working out as hard as you do at Barry’s.  It has been a real road of discovery as from my teens I have been in industries that promote being skinny and not necessarily healthy.  My idea of beauty has changed so much.  For me it is the strong, fast, powerful women that I find inspiring and beautiful.  You need to feed yourself, just make sure you are putting the right things in.

Working out makes me crave good food so I am grateful for that.  Protein is the most important of all, I need it after smashing my muscles in class.  I spent my teens on faddy diets trying to lose an inch here or there for jobs but knowing that what I put in my body is fuel has helped me massively and I am no longer in that cycle.  The biggest mistake boot campers, or anyone who exercises a lot, can make is starving themselves or restricting their calories by too much.  Your body becomes a furnace after a Barry’s class that needs feeding.

Personally, I live on salmon, roast vegetables, sweet potatoes, avocados, almonds and Hermosa protein shakes.

Give us your ultimate top 3 tips for a well-rounded healthy lifestyle.

Get a dog! It will keep you moving even when it is raining. Find a community of friends to work out with that will inspire you and keep you motivated and

HAVE FUN…. embrace your cheat days!

What’s your go-to breakfast for fueling up for a busy day?

Rolled oats with either goji berry juice or coconut water, Greek yoghurt and blueberries and a cup of hot water with lemon. On the weekends, eggs and avocado!

After a busy day of making people sweat, how do you like to chill out and unwind?

Walking my dog, Crusoe, on Hampstead Heath, it’s my favourite place in London.

What would be your one piece of advice for women wanting to be the best versions of themselves?

Don’t try to be like anyone else, stay true to yourself and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks of you.  To be honest, I could listen to my own words of wisdom sometimes!

What’re your must-have beauty products for fit ladies? We’re guessing you need some serious sweat-proof make-up!

I always have my Avene face wash for after class.

Any cheeky vices?

YES… loads!  I won’t tell you all them but I often have a glass of red wine to help myself unwind in the evenings.  When I teach late I am often buzzing on endorphins and a glass of wine in the bath always relaxes me.

Do you have a mantra that you live by that keeps you inspired and motivated?

Live in the moment.

Give us a sneaky insight into a day in the life of Anya.

I wake up at 7am and have breakfast, grab my dog and head to Euston to teach my amazing 8.20 class at Barry’s. They are the most incredible group of clients and always leave me motivated and pumped for the rest of my day.  After class I normally have clients to talk to, emails to reply to and Barry’s related work that I have to deal with. I try and get into either the 10.45 or 12.30 class at Barry’s to get my own workout in and then head straight out to the Heath or Regent’s Park to walk Crusoe, that’s usually my cool down!

In the afternoons I sometimes have P/T clients or teacher training where I am training up new instructors at Barry’s.

I am back teaching again at 5.30 and 6.40pm and by then I am wiped out and ready for home. Crusoe and I normally get home for about 9pm.  I have dinner, plan my classes for the next day and catch up on whatever box set I am currently watching, at the moment it is re-runs of Entourage which I love as it reminds me of my time in LA.

To be honest, my days are never the same, sometimes there might be the odd Nike event or a fitness shoot.  That is why I love what I do!

Image: Rory Campbell Photography