The Nutritionista prides itself on interviewing and having guest articles from the most inspiring people within the health and fitness industry. So you can imagine how excited I am to share this next interview with you which is with Leah Kim who is a Nike’s Global Yoga Ambassador and Athlete. Not only is Leah Nike’s Global Yoga Ambassador (which is pretty damn cool) this yogi is an all round inspiring woman who fully embraces the health and wellness lifestyle. Leah was kind enough to spare a minute out of her busy schedule to talk to The Nutritionista about her journey, yoga, Nike, her daily routine, favourite healthy eating spots in London and LA and much more. I hope you enjoy what she has to say :)

1. Can you explain how yoga became a part of your life?

I started dabbling in yoga from my early teens, as part of my overall fitness regime. At the time I was also running, doing Pilates, and cardio kickboxing. To be honest I didn’t think yoga was that exciting at first, and it was only a few years after first trying yoga that it clicked for me. I walked into class at a studio I’d not yet been to (that would become my home studio) with a teacher – Ally – that would become my mentor (still is to this day) and I was hooked. I remember that day with so much clarity. ?Ally wasn’t meant to be teaching, so it’s always felt like kismet that she was there. I – and my body – were mesmerised with the way she talked us through the poses and the philosophy of yoga. From that class yoga became the most important thing in my life.

2. How would you say yoga has changed your lifestyle? (healthy eating choices etc)

Ever since I was very young – about 10 years old – I have cared ?about food. It was a combination of being brainwashed by the media that skinny was everything, as well as being horrified upon learning about slaughterhouses. As a result I became very picky, without being properly informed about nutrition. There was a LOT I didn’t eat and therefore a lot of nutrients I was lacking. Through yoga I started to hear and trust my inner voice when it came to lots of different things, food choices included. Rather than being blindly swayed by labels, advertising, or the current fad, I felt for what foods made me feel good, strong, clean, energised. I did a bit of research and tried different styles of eating (I’ve been vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, raw, gluten-free…) and ultimately realized I just needed to eat what made me feel good. Mostly greens and healthy proteins, with a bit of everything else, including treats. Ironically, while many yogis are vegetarian, my yoga practice took me away from vegetarianism because for me personally, it just wasn’t right; I didn’t feel good. Because my practice teaches me to do what’s best for me, it makes me give more thought to all my decisions, and ultimately makes me really own my own decisions.

3. When did you first start working with Nike and can you describe your journey to becoming the Nike global yoga ambassador?

I started with Nike in 2009. It was one of those amazing strokes of luck where they found me and contacted me and within a matter of days I was signing contracts at their headquarters. My first project with them was a global launch of Nike Dynamic Yoga on the Nike Training Club App, which I continue to create programs for and appear in. I’ve also launched the Nike Studio Wrap, a shoe for use in studio practices including yoga. I was recently their featured athlete on Nike.com and in advertising campaigns around the world. It’s been the best opportunity ever, more than I could ever have dreamed of…to have the opportunity to share yoga on such a large scale…I’m forever grateful!

4. Can you describe the different yoga options out there and what the benefits of each variety are?

Nowadays there are seemingly endless types of yoga. The main ones in my opinion are:

• Power: a flow-based, dynamic yoga where poses are held a bit longer. Teachers create the sequence.
• Flow aka Vinyasa aka Vinyasa Flow:? a flow-based, dynamic yoga that is more fluid than Power; poses are not held as long. Teachers create the sequence.

Benefits of both power and vinyasa are the cardio element, higher intensity than many other forms of yoga, sequences are always changing.

Both the above are derived from Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga: series of set poses that flow together?. Teachers teach a predetermined sequence.
Benefits: good for people who like / need more of a regimented routine, the predictability can bring mental calm.? You can also track your physical progress since you always do the same poses.

Iyengar: alignment is the key in this type of static yoga that relies heavily on props. It is more about each individual pose rather than a sequence.
Benefits: iyengar style is the most alignment-specific, so it’s great for people working with postural imbalances?, and for people who enjoy a lot of detail. You’ll really learn your yoga form.

Bikram: the original hot yoga. Set sequence of 26 poses, each done 2x, within specific temperature and time parameters. Bookended by breath exercises.
Benefits: you sweat, a LOT! Again the predictability of the set sequence and being able to track your progress. For very inflexible people the heat gives you the extra boost in sof?tening the muscles to get a deeper stretch and go further in poses.

Restorative yoga: a slow, relaxing practice using lots of props.
Benefits: relaxing, healing, therapeutic.

Yin yoga: a slow, quiet practice with very long holds. Specifically targets the ligaments as opposed to the muscles.
Benefits: calming, quieting, meditative.

(all the types of yoga will have elements of all these benefits, but some will emphasise certain benefits / aspects more than others)

5. What would you say your favourite yoga position is and why?

Child’s Pose. It’s a lovely stretch for the spine and the hips, it’s quieting for the mind as you bow your head to the earth, it can be done anywhere, anytime, and it just feels good!

6 Whats a typical day in the life of Leah Kim?

This is a funny question to answer right now as I just had a baby 11 weeks ago and life is more different than it has ever been! As i’m getting a better handle on the mommy’ing business, my daily focus is on doing my best to find balance. Obviously my priority is taking care of the little one. I’m on maternity leave so I sort of consider the baby to be my job at the moment! It’s definitely been the biggest biggest lesson and practice in so much that yoga is about- patience, letting go of control, being calm, deep breathing?! It’s also become more important than ever to not waste a minute. Aside from baby-specific tasks, every day I go for a stroll in East London, try to make most of my meals at home, do my yoga practice alongside some physio-rehab exercises my trainer gave me, and tuck into sleeps as much as possible as sleep deprivation makes everything a million times harder! I’m enjoying this down time, but also looking forward to re-starting all my travels next week. On the itinerary are the US, China, Korea, and Singapore. This will take us all the way to the holiday season back in London!

7. Whats your typical exercise and eating regime?

I generally do a 1-2 hour yoga practice 6x a week, but my focus since the end of my pregnancy until now has been rest and taking it easy. I’m slowly building my way back to a stronger practice, without pushing my body as it needs time to heal. Same thing with eating: I have never eaten with such abandon as I did while pregnant! I really took advantage of the hormonal cravings, and it was quite surprising to be put off by foods that were always my favorite, such as fish and steamed greens. Now I’m getting back to my usually clean diet. A typical day’s meals: breakfast is scrambled eggs and some freshly baked 100% spelt bread; lunch is salad with avocado and a Plenish green juice; dinner is roast chicken or grilled salmon with brown rice and steamed kale.

8. What’s your favourite healthy eatery in London and LA?

The Natural Kitchen in Marylebone. Ottolenghi has some good healthy options. In LA i’m obsessed with urth Caffè and rawvolution.

9. Do you have any advice for young working girls who are trying to lead a healthy lifestyle?

It’s all about consistency and effort. I know it can be hard to be healthy all the time. It does take some forethought and planning, and conscious decision-making. And as with all habits, things snowball. The good thing is that they snowball in both directions…you can get on a roll eating poorly, but you can also roll in the other direction eating well! And the more healthy, clean decisions you make, the more you will naturally – almost effortlessly – want to make. I find one of the hardest times to have a healthy meal is when you’re really tired. It’s so easy to just order a pizza, right? (not that there’s anything wrong with having pizza now and again!) instead of getting caught in that kind of situation, have some healthy ingredients always ready at home. I always have wild salmon and organic chicken breast in my freezer, greens in my fridge, and quinoa and brown rice in my cupboard. I have a few recipes that are super clean – though perhaps not the most exciting – that I go to when my brain is too tired to be creative with my meals, and when I’m short on time. As for working out, I build it into my diary like any other plan for the day, and even if I can only do a very short session, I still do it. It programs your body into wanting and needing it, so it becomes easier to fit it into your busy schedule. Healthy habits beget healthy habits!