TGt Meets...Corrinne Davis, Owner & Founder of Nutrition with Corrinne

Meet our latest TGT Meets...Corrinne Davis, Owner and Founder of Nutrition with Corrinne. She talked all about her secrets to staying fit and healthy as well as letting us know all about her incredible weight loss and weight management club.

Tell us a little bit about Nutrition with Corrinne…

Nutrition with Corrinne is owned by myself, Corrinne, a qualified Nutritionist (May 2019) and Personal Trainer (Dec 2012). I am an evidence based Nutritionist which means I provide my clients with enough knowledge throughout their journey with me to go on and be able to manage the weight they have lost. I like to give my clients the autonomy and confidence to be able to make decisions about their own nutrition so that they can develop the skills they require for long term sustainable weight management. As well as specialising in weight loss and weight management, I also support those who have specific requirements such as nutrition for sport and clinical conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes, Pre & Post Natal, PCOS, IBS and Cardiovascular disease.

How did you turn your passion for fitness into a career?

I was an avid runner in my 20’s. I even ran 3 marathons in 3 days for The Wiltshire Air Ambulance! I have always loved exercising, whether it be taking part in team sports (playing netball from my primary school days into secondary) or performing for a specific individualised goal (swimming breastroke for Surrey in my early teens). I worked in London for an Office Supplies company for 11 years and thought to myself ‘is this something I want to do for the rest of my life?’ and the answer was a definite no! I thought about what I enjoyed doing, what I loved, and I decided to train to become a Personal Trainer whilst doing my full time job. I never actually thought it would become a reality but was lucky enough to have the support of my partner to quit my sales job in London and to put all of my efforts into building my own business in health and fitness. It was the best decision I have ever made….how many people can actually say they love what they do day in, day out?!

Describe your business in 3 words…

Educational, Supportive, Personalised

What’s your secret to staying fit and healthy?

It isn’t really a secret. There are no magic pills and fad diets definitely don’t work. They don’t teach us about how to form healthy habits and tend to create bad relationships with food.

I lift weights 4 times a week (I think that most people would assume I am training daily!). I don’t overtrain as that can have detrimental effects on the body in terms of bone density and muscular loss especially if you aren’t eating enough protein each day. Recovery days are essential for the body to repair plus it’s also good to have a couple of days off to focus on other area’s of health such as psychological health. On my recovery days I will either go for walks, get some fresh air or do yoga. My routine has obviously changed since Covid-19 in terms of weight training, however, I still workout at home (teaching my online classes) which include high intensity body weight workouts to Pilates. I still have two full days off for recovery and time for me! Time for yourself is very important to staying healthy, even if it’s only 10-15 minutes a day. Read a book, meditate, do some yoga or just sit in a room without any distractions and close your eyes for 15 minutes.

I eat a predominantly healthy balanced diet consisting of adequate protein to help with everything from immune function to recovery to minimising muscle loss. As we get older we lose muscle a lot quicker than when we were younger as we become more resistant to the amino acids (protein) and resistance training so as we get older we actually require more protein. I ensure I eat a diet high in fibre, consisting of veggies, fruits, oats, legumes to aid gut health and to promote satiety (high fibre diets help control blood glucose levels which is beneficial for those who are diabetic) and I also have a mixture of fats in my diet to help aid immune function and to help the absorption of vitamins. My diet is varied and yes, I do eat takeaways, I do have pizza and yes, I do drink prosecco. It is a cliché but it is all about moderation and understanding about energy balance. If you want a pizza, have a pizza. Such foods shouldn’t be deemed as ‘bad’ or ‘syns’. Pizza is just food. Food is there to be enjoyed and this is what I teach my members. It is all about the laws of thermodynamics – energy in V’s energy out.

What makes you motivated to keeping up a fit and healthy lifestyle?

When I am older (I am currently 38) I want to be able to still enjoy going to the gym and to get out and about without any help. I am very determined to not follow in my father's footsteps and lead an inactive life. His quality of life is something that definitely motivates me to stay active, eat a predominantly healthy balanced diet and to enjoy life!

What would you say are the three most important factors someone must do in order to stay fit and healthy?

This is a tough one as it’s so individualised. Get out and about for some daily exercise (for a good 30 minutes) – exercise is not only great for the body but also for the mind, especially during this tough time. Eat 5-7 portions of fruit and vegetables a day – packed full of fibre and said foods are nutrient dense (packed with nutrients and low calorie which are great for those looking to lose body fat). Eat adequate amounts of protein a day aiming for between 1.2-2.2 x body weight (kg) in grams of protein to aid the immune function, recovery, satiety (keeps you fuller for longer) and to help maintain muscle mass.

Tell us a little bit about your weight loss and weight management club? How can this help someone who is struggling to lead a healthier lifestyle?

WLWM Club was set up to help educate my members on all aspects of health, not just nutrition and to provide a community of like-minded people with the support and guidance they require to meet with their goals. There are a lot of weight loss clubs about and I differentiate myself away from the traditional clubs by firstly being a fully qualified Nutritionist and secondly, providing my members with enough information that they can leave me with an exit strategy and one that will ensure they don’t have to return. Obviously, we do have members that have achieved their goals and want to stay in the club for the accountability and for the knowledge I provide them with week on week. The great thing about this club is that we have such an array of members, all with varying levels of knowledge and those who have been with me for a longer period are so important to the club as they are able to give their own personal perspectives and advice to newer members.

I will teach my members how to build habits and how to implement them into their daily lives, how to not solely focus on scale weight (they will learn and understand the many reasons scale weight fluctuates) and to most importantly, how to build a good relationship with food, one where we don’t feel guilty about eating so-called ‘naughty’ or ‘bad’ foods.

What are some mistakes people make when training or working towards a specific fitness goal?

They focus too much on the outcome goal (the end goal). Whether that is a certain weight or a certain dress size. Too much emphasis is placed on what the scales say. My members are taught to focus on the process, the goals and habits that will enable you to reach your end goal. If we focus on building habits throughout the journey to achieving our goal, we are much more likely to be able to manage and maintain the weight we have lost for the long term. When we focus too much on that end goal, that physical goal, we forget and neglect other areas of health such as our social and mental health. The end goal shouldn’t be detrimental to other areas of health and our happiness.

What can Nutrition with Corrinne offer that gyms don’t?

I offer online exercise classes so those who can't get to a gym for a particular reason, whether they feel intimidated by the gym environment or they are unable to find childcare. All classes are recorded and saved within the Weight Loss and Weight Management Club so that members can take part in an exercise class at a convenient time to them. I offer a mix of high intensity classes from pilates to classes specific for pregnancy. So, everyone will find a suitable class for their abilities and preferences.

Are there any exercises you’d advice against?

The ones you don’t enjoy! You need to enjoy the exercise(s) you participate in otherwise you’ll probably give them up. Enjoy exercise, enjoy the foods you eat and enjoy life!

Make sure you visit Nutrition with Corrinne at https://nutritionwithcorrinne.com/