Elena Ivanova, AKA Hellie Flow

Introducing Elena Ivanova, also known as  Hellie Flow. 

The Bio
My life revolves around working on always being the best version of myself I can be. I am extremely fit as a train and compete as an amateur boxer. 

Prior to getting involved with boxing I used to do fitness training, focusing on free weights and cardio. Once I got involved with boxing, the weightlifting had to stop as it was making me too stiff and slow for the fast pace amateur fights.

The Training 

This currently consists of 3-4 running sessions a week. One of them is a long slow controlled recovery run - 4-5 miles. 
The rest are quite intense. I would either do 3 miles as fast as I can or interval running where I run at a steady pace for a few minutes and then sprint for one. I would repeat this until the end of my run (3 miles). It kills! On some days I only do sprints…

The rest of my training is my main boxing training which I do 3-4 times a week. Each session consists of skipping, shadow boxing, pads and bag workout and ends with a hardcore explosive circuit training. 

The Diet
With all the training I obviously have to pay close attention to my diet, but this should be done by everyone in the world, regardless of whether they compete or not. Clean body, clean mind… 

As boxing is a cardio vascular sport which requires a lot of energy, carbohydrates are a big part of my diet. Good carbohydrates obviously and none of the white flour junk people usually eat. Good carbs are brown pasta and rice, wholemeal bread, muesli, oats etc. I also make sure I eat plenty of vegetables, fruits and protein based foods. I give my body every single element of food as the body needs each and every one of them to function at its best. So if for any reason you are thinking about cutting out any of the elements of food from your diet in order to lose wight, know that this is very very wrong. A regulated eating regime, with the right size portions combined with regular exercise will ensure you look amazing. You can eat everything as long as it is natural, unrefined and fresh.

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