One thing we learned about COVID-19 is that we need to treat our bodies with love and respect. Many of us have gained weight due to no access to the gym. And since at-home workouts are the new trend, we love to run to our living room and do a killer workout. That’s what British model Iskra Lawrence does with P.volve.
Iskra has an ongoing partnership with P.volve and, more importantly, has tried out this new Phase & Function series and is a MAJOR fan of it. She's able to speak with me about the program, what it offers, how it’s benefitted her, and how she has struggled in her own journey with her period and body dysmorphia. Iskra loves this program because it provides more of a solution than a band-aid like other programs or products out there geared toward your menstrual cycle. She’s found some relief both physically and mentally by honing into her body and getting to know it better with P.volve.
Iskra, with COVID happening and everything changing the world, where are you quarantining and how are you doing physically, emotionally, and mentally?
Iskra: I love that you ask that because me and my partner have a weekly go-to where we have to check in with each other, and it's just so important. There is no doubt that COVID is affecting us in all aspects of our being. Right now, I'm actually feeling very rejuvenated and energized. I have a launch for my first ever brand coming out. I've been enjoying my P.volve workouts. Since I'm not consistent in going to the gym, having something that I can do at home has been like a godsend to me. It’s been a great relief for me because I can still look after myself from home. I am also really happy that the summer heat is over and things are starting to open up. I'm probably going to go back to ACL this afternoon. So I'm just feeling really re-energized and excited for the future. I am still being cautious and careful about certain things that I'm not comfortable doing, but I feel like I'm in a really good place overall.
P.volve is such a great platform and I would love to know more about it. Can you tell us what inspired you to start people off with workout theories and your involvement with the fitness brand?
Iskra: Yeah, I'm not going to lie, I felt really lost. I’m someone who has always been empowered by my body and going through postpartum during the pandemic and not being able to kind of go back to the gym environment was quite depressing for me. So I had to figure out how to look after myself from home. How do I do that in this new body that I don't understand? And so it was like, hey, where do I feel safe? And I'm actually not really a bicycle-type person. I'm someone who likes to move my body. I like different types of movements, like HIIT, but I also like Pilates or yoga. So I had to find a program that is very holistic and is going to help me with my function, my flexibility, my movement, my balance, my strength, like tick all those boxes and the way that people at P.volve did that is really a magical way to move. It's because they focus on the form and the function and moving your body. So it helps you in real life, in everyday situations. So it helps you when you have to pick up something heavy or when you twist or move quickly. It kind of protects your body from doing certain movements in real life that could cause you damage because you've been moving in this really constructive way. And so I got really in love with it because I've done a million and one different types of workouts. I've worked with different personal trainers, I've done different types of sports. And for the first time again, I felt like I was learning something new about movement and about my body, which is really empowering to me. And I love a challenge. I love trying new things. The amount of light standing up ab workouts that I've learned, I didn't even know were a thing. These are some of the reasons why I was drawn to it, and I felt like the trainers were really supportive. It was not kind of a weight-loss-focused program, so it didn't trigger any of my previous eating disorders or body dysmorphia. So, I learned a lot about my body very quickly and I felt challenged and it was just easy and at home. And when they launched Phase and Function, that took it to a whole new level because I've definitely been struggling with my hormones since having a baby. My periods were way more intense. I just felt different. So, the fact that it comes out with phase and function allowed me to learn about my cycle, learn about why I'm feeling the way I am. If there are things I can do, music-wise or diet-wise, that can help me. I'm all for it. I just want to understand my body, right? It's great to be inspired on Instagram by a girl that can do a thousand burpees, but that often doesn't relate to me, and I just don't feel like I learned anything from that. So I want programs that holistically speak to what's going on and help me educate myself.
A few months ago, you opened up about body dysmorphia and how your perspective shifted from working out for esthetics to working out to feel good. Has that changed or are you still going through the process and how do those P.volve's messages relate to that thought process?
Iskra: Yeah, that's a really good point. What can be really triggering for someone with body dysmorphia is seeing a lot of before and after photos of fitness or weight loss. One thing that I'm very supportive of is “your body, your choice”, no matter what. If you want to go on a weight loss journey, that is up to you. But for me, that is not what I look for, not just because I've done that in the past but because it was damaging for my mental health and I took it too far. I’m a perfectionist and a Virgo and it consumed my whole being and my whole life, and I was someone who tracked to the centimeter changes of my body, tracked every single calorie and my micronutrient inside. So now, I just really want to feel welcome and feel safe in a space where I learn how to move my body because it's going to benefit me in so many other ways. The blood’s going to rush in your body and your endorphins are kicking in and your skin is going to glow and you're going to detoxify, and the sweat is going to kind of help flush you out and you're going to feel more energy. You're going to sleep better tonight. You're going to have the mental clarity to relieve stress. And so it's really wonderful because people celebrate all of those things. It's not just like, “Oh, we're only proud of you or we only want to show the people who have lost a bunch of weight, and that's why you should be signing up.” So, I'm just really glad that that's not what they're about, and I personally try and stay away from that side of the industry because it does feel toxic to me. But I also celebrate and support anyone who is on their own journey at the end of the day, and some people have to figure that out for themselves. And definitely, one thing that has been, in my opinion, wrongly connected with the body acceptance movement is that it means you don't want to look after yourself. My message has always been, if you love your body, you're going to want to look after it. Just like if you're obsessed with your designer handbag, you're going to look after that more than your 10-year-old shitty Forever 21 handbag. You need to value yourself like you're a Bentley, not a Toyota that you have had for 20 years. You need to realize that you are in this amazing vehicle that deserves your investment of nutritious food movement, mindfulness, meditation, or good relationships. I like all those things that contribute to your health journey and not just the kind of fitness platforms that purely focuses on how many inches that person's legs around my waist. That's not what we're trying to do here because health is so holistic. And you know what? I really do think that all of us have used the last year and a half to figure out how we get going to look after ourselves better. So I hope that a lot of people have grown and learned a lot over this year and a half.
Because we're still going through a pandemic and everyone has gained weight, have your workouts changed after joining P.volve?
Iskra: I would say, weirdly, they've been more gentle. I just learned so much more about the different types of hormones and chemicals you release when you work out. You release Cortisol when you workout. The Phase and Function let you know when to do those more intense workouts and when to do really more gentle movements. So I feel like I'm working with my body, not just pushing it because I feel like I have to do the same thing I don't do when posting my workouts. I guess I used to do that a lot more back in the day. But there's a performative aspect of posting on social media. It looks ridiculous if you're just doing some gentle, cool workout and posting on social media. And I think being a curvier woman, sometimes I felt the pressure to prove I was strong and that I could jump high and lift heavyweights. But now, I don't give a crap; I will move higher if I want to and lift heavier if I want. So I think that in general, I'm just like, I'm not performing for anyone. Previously, when I used to go to the gym, If I saw someone sprinting fast or lifting heavy, I kind of wanted to compete or at least show of like I might be in a bigger body. But I am not like that anymore. I just feel in a really good place and empowered, and I know it works for me. I'm not comparing myself to anyone.
With all of the workouts out there, what part of the body do you have to work on and what is your workout routine? What part of the body do you love to work on? What workouts do you love the most?
Iskra: I do love doing legs and glutes, and I would say that was like my majority pre-pregnancy workout. And one thing that I realized and was really empowered by is having a strong core. It helped me during pregnancy, and that's why I pushed my baby out. And then when I wasn’t pregnant, when I didn't have my baby, the muscles in my stomach area just felt loose. So one thing I actually worked on with Alexa at P.volve was how do I gain that core strength back? Not for the physical ab look, but like the actual core strength because I didn't realize that when you have a baby, you tend to bear the weight on your lower back a lot. So for me, that's been like the most motivating thing to figure out and learn and try new things. I'm really impressed by my body that I can still do planks and still do these things. It's not like a snapback, but it's just like you recovered and you healed and you're still able to do some amazing things. So yeah, that's my favorite thing to do now. And I want to get back to weightlifting, but I'm just really taking my time with it. So P.volve has been great because it's definitely from the core focus and then it works the full body. I feel like it really helps you establish that good base.
How do you put in time for workouts while being a mom?
Iskra: You definitely have to ask for help and then you have to plan ahead. That's like the most important thing. So I've got three days a week where I drop my baby off and I tell everyone, I have two hours, I'm going to work out and shower. In those two hours, I avoid work stuff from my phone because it makes me a little bit more unproductive. Maybe it means I can't create as much social media content as I like for a long time. I have to keep the investment in my health as a priority because eventually, everything else will fall apart if I haven't been taking that time to look after myself. And even when me and my partner have a date night on a Wednesday, I make sure I put my makeup on and I wear something nice and that feels so good. We only started that about two months ago, but consistently every Wednesday, and it's been game-changing.
What has the Phase & Function series taught you about your postpartum body?
Iskra: I know hormones play a big factor in our lives. So, I feel like the main thing is the impact of hormones and understanding which different hormones have what type of impact on my body and not just my body, but also my mental wellbeing and energy. It's really funny because I actually felt like I had enough education from the Phase and Function to actually educate Philip. And so, he even feels like he knows when I'm about to have my period. It’s like an empowered way instead of it just being like a shame or guilt. So, I gave him an explanation about what my body is going through. In a selective phase, I'm going to have energy, I'm going to be creative, I'm going to want to be social. But during my administration phase, I'm not down to be social like, I need space, I need time to just sit and I'm probably going to need to eat more chocolate. And it does also have ingredients and recipes that you can use to help counteract cramps. Those are phenomenal. Certain things like ginger are going to help your whole system. So just the empowerment you get from space and function is the number one thing because we're going through our cycle every month and I just wasn't connected to it. I just didn't even fully kind of grasp what was going on. I was just letting it happen to me. And so now it's like, I'm empowered, I've got the information, I know what's happening to me and how to make the most of the ups and the downs.
How are these fitness moves reflected in your everyday life as a mom and woman?
Iskra: When bending and going down low on my knees joints, it’s really important to understand where to carry the weight. So if you are lifting a heavy child or moving something, understanding where to lift it from is very important. You need to remember to lift from your legs, not your back. I have seen that flexibility is really undervalued and underrated, but it's so important to be able to kind of move and get to things quickly. You're just constantly jerking off doing these kinds of movements as a mom that I didn't really have to do before. And then you're just holding essentially a twenty five-pound weight most of the day, especially my little one, the sweetest human in the world, is obsessed with mom and wants me to hold him all the time, which is why I don't complain because when he doesn't want to, you're going to miss those times. So I'm having to learn how to cook with one hand or tidy things away or clean with one hand whilst holding a twenty-five-pound weight. So there's like different types of people, equipment that actually encourage you to like, hold one weight and move one side of your body. So it really helps with your balance and your core stability. And most kinds of fitness platforms don't focus on that. So it's the functionality of the movement that's really unique to this program.
Contact Info:
If you or someone you know needs help getting through a body dysmorphic disorder, reach out to the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation at 1-800-994-9662.
If you want to join P.volve, you can join here.
*Interview was condensed for clarity and structure.
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