Lucy Mountain or, as she is more commonly known, @thefashionfitnessfoodie has recently shot into everyone’s consciousness due to her no-nonsense approach to nutrition. No fads, no broad claims to ‘lose a stone in a week!’, no judgement (unless you promote FitTea.)

Just providing people with facts so that they can make informed decisions about their eating habits. No BS. We are officially fans. We spoke to Lucy about her fitness habits while at uni, the dreaded ‘fresher five’ and the most important things she learned during her studies.

Has your Instagram page always been so centred on fitness and nutrition awareness?

Pretty much. I actually started it with the intention to make it almost a brand, like an online magazine, rather than myself, selfies and photos of porridge. I scrolled all the way back to my first ever uploads the other day and was shocked how ‘on brand' some of it still is. Everything was still very ‘white’ and graphic. In Feb 2014 I literally did an infographic on hidden calories in ‘health foods’. Haha I was so ahead of the times!

That being said, there were still a few rogue posts, including the promotion of ‘detox tea’ - something I’m firmly against now. I would cringe, but it’s all part of my journey.

 

What originally inspired your no b-s approach to eating?

Working amongst the coaches at SIX3NINE on a daily basis has really helped me develop my sensible approach to nutrition. So that, paired with the fact I like to be quite candid has helped me find my voice. You see, I love Instagram but I feel we’ve reached peak avocado on toast (with a side of motivational quote.) I don’t want to recycle arbitrary statements online about eating ‘healthy', and I don’t want to be ‘#goals’. I want to talk specifics, I want my account to be actually useful to people. 

 

What would we find you doing when you’re not working at Six3Nine? (Besides educating the masses about nutrition, obviously)

I’ll probably be:

1. On a bus. Seriously, the tubes in London are like a little slice of hell so I get the bus everywhere (even when it potentially doubles my travel time lol). I just love it - you’re guaranteed a seat and can zone out for half an hour. I feel like I spent 67%* of my time on the bus and I am weirdly at peace with that.

2. Browsing the idles of Lidl. What can I say, I love a bargain. When my peers are shopping at Wholefoods, I’ll be in the ‘Pick of the Week’ section at Lidl. I genuinely get excited to do my food shop.

3. I’d love to tell you I spend my time eating in edgy London brunch spots and doing yoga classes - but this is the reality of my life. *Stat probably not accurate.

You spent three years at university. Were you as in love with fitness then as you are now?

Definitely not. I’ve never been sporty and for the first two years of uni I wasn’t interested in fitness whatsoever. It was probably my third year when I finally started going to the gym, however, my sessions mostly consisted of 20 minutes on the stepper and 50 crunches because that's what I thought girls were meant to do. Everything changed when I entered my final year when I learnt how to lift weights properly. I’ve been doing that ever since. 

What was the most valuable lesson you learned while you were at university?

Aside from how to successfully cook garlic bread (whilst drunk and without burning it), I learnt how to be okay with the fluidity of friendships. Uni tests old friendships, and it’s completely natural to drift apart from your school friends. You grow as people and that means sometimes you may not have the same common ground. It’s easy to feel pressured to stay in touch with everyone, but I believe those who are meant to be in your life long term will stick around. So try not to stress too much.

 

Do you have any tips for university students who are looking to stay healthy while still maintaining an active social life?

Don’t let your fitness goal ruin your social life. And don’t let your social life ruin your fitness goal. There is a middle ground where you can enjoy both but trust me - you’re never going to look back on your uni years and think ‘I am so glad I missed that night out for the gym’. Uni is arguably some of the best years of your life so it’s important to enjoy it. Finding a balance sounds a little general but there’s small things you can do to like:

• Prep your meals before lectures
• Walk everywhere that takes you 45 minutes or less
• Join sport social groups
• And maybe switching to spirits and diet soda - instead of beer/wine/Jagerbombs on nights out…!)

What is the one item you could not have made it through university without?

My dressing gown, hands down. You don’t know the cold until you’ve experienced the chills of shared student housing. That dressing gown got me through three winters and (very British summers.)

If you could give your university-age self some advice, what would it be?

To just be herself, unapologetically. (And to stop wearing Rimmel wash-off fake tan on nights out, when you know full well there will be a Snakebite spilt over you 46 minutes into the evening.)

Check out Lucy over on her blog and check me out over on my blog too!