Madeleine Shaw on Attainable Health

Madeleine Shaw on Attainable Health

While the new health craze can often promote a diet that is impossible to maintain, Madeleine strives to create an approach that can work for everyone. Here she shares her top tips for leading a healthy lifestyle.



Madeleine
Shaw wears many hats – she’s an Instagram star, bestselling author, yoga instructor
and health coach, but her main focus is on creating a healthy
lifestyle for her fans and followers that is realistic. While the
new health craze can often promote a diet that is impossible to
maintain, Madeleine strives to create an approach that can work for
everyone – no need to avoid socialising, going to dinners or
drinking.

With everything from her supper clubs to yoga brunches, she’s
reimagining the way we think about health food. We sat down with
Madeleine at Brown’s Hotel, where she’s launched a new menu, to talk about health,
fitness, travel and what’s next on the horizon. Her new book,
Ready Steady Glow, is on sale
now and offers recipes with varying prep and cooking times for
practical meal preparation throughout the week.

Have you always lead such a healthy lifestyle or was there a
point in your life that you made a change?

I moved to Australia when I was 18 and when
I was living out there I had really bad digestive problems. I was
getting bloated all the time, and then I really started to look at
what I was eating. I went to an organic café in Sydney and started eating there
and learning more about nutrition and food. I ended up working
there. I loved it. I was like “this is what I want to do”.

At what point did you realise your passion for nutrition and
food could become a career?

I never really thought I’d write books or do anything like that.
I kind of thought I’d set up my website and just see clients
one-on-one. That was my plan, but then things evolved and I do
loads of different things now, from supper clubs to events and
collaborations.

How do you think the internet and social media have affected
your business?

It wouldn’t exist for me without social media. That’s how I’ve
created a platform and gotten my message out to people and gotten
them interested in what I’m doing. Absolutely, it’s one of those
things where the internet puts you out there, which is amazing. I
don’t think this would work at all without the internet.

What are your top tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle
while travelling?

I think preparation is key. Taking snacks with you so that
you’re not tempted by the airplane food. If you’re staying
for a long time finding a local supermarket so you know you can get
a few fresh fruits and foods like that. If you’re on holiday though
you don’t need to worry. It’s your time to relax and enjoy stuff.
It’s time to chill out, so you don’t have to worry too much about
being perfect.

Where are your favourite healthy restaurants in London?

Obviously Brown’s. Other restaurants in London… I love Boma Green, which is in Parson’s
Green. In the evening, I love Ceviche and I love 10 Greek Street as
well. I love Spring, in Somerset House, Petersham Nurseries – the chef from
there moved to Spring.

Where is the best market to get fresh produce in London?

I really love Venn street market in Clapham Common. It’s about
ease, and I don’t like really busy markets when there’s too much
going on. Parson’s Green has a good market as well. They’ve got
everything you need like fish, meat and vegetables. Those two, or
anywhere that’s close by.

Before moving back to London, where were your favourite spots
in Sydney?

I love Porch & Parlour for breakfast. It’s an amazing café
that overlooks the ocean. The coolest people go there and you just
sort of stare at everyone they’re so cool. I like MissChu, which is
in King’s Cross. King’s Cross is a very weird area, it’s where all
the clubs are. But it’s an Asian fusion restaurant, really
delicious. I mean the food there is spectacular. It really is so
different.

Summer’s just around the corner. What ingredient are you most
excited about coming back into season?

All the berries: strawberries, raspberries. I’m excited for
asparagus, which is kind of coming up now. I love asparagus. It’s
so good. All the stone fruits, like peaches, nectarines. I love the
smell of summer fruit.

What do you do to stay fit?

I’m a big yoga person. That’s more the way I like to exercise. I
don’t like being screamed at at the gym. I do yoga about four times
a week. I like walking as well, walking along the river. I did sign
up for the gym recently though. Just going to do a bit of weights
and resistance as well. I try and move, even if it’s just a walk,
everyday.

Okay, so no one can be perfect all of the time…What’s your
guilty pleasure?

I like croissants and French patisserie. I wouldn’t go for a
burger or things like that.

What else can we expect from you in the future?

My second book is out, Ready Steady Glow, which is basically
divided into fast weeks and slow weekends. So the fast week meals
are 30 minutes and under. It’s a practical guide to healthy living
so when you get home and you just want a dinner in ten minutes it’s
your guide to that. That’s our next big thing, promoting it, doing
a book tour. I’ll be selling it worldwide. Then I’m going over to
Germany to launch menus in Frankfurt and Berlin for Brown’s.

Can you tell us a bit about your collaboration with
Brown’s?

Obviously, I love eating out and I travel quite a lot. I think
it is basically to create some really delicious healthy menus in
Brown’s, and their two hotels in Germany, so that when you’re
travelling you can still eat well. But also so that you have a
place in London where you can come.

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