Self-care will forever be our favourite hobby but we appreciate that recharging and putting yourself first looks different for everyone. Each week, we'll ask the celeb lot to share their ideal self-care Sunday routines, the hard-working beauty products they recommend to their friends and which TV show they're currently binging…
This week it's all about Kayla Itsines, the Australian mega trainer and fitness entrepreneur who has built a massive community online thanks to her motivational posts, approachable fitness tips and her invaluable 'big sister' advice. Despite her 15 million plus Instagram followers, Kayla is adored for being refreshingly down-to-earth, funny and passionate about empowering women to boost their overall wellbeing.
Her viral ebooks, the Bikini Body Guides reached cult status in 2014, before Kayla created her own fitness platform, Sweat, which was hailed the highest revenue-generating fitness app in 2016. Now the 33-year-old is a proud mum to Arna and Jax and has launched her very own podcast, Sweat Daily with Kayla Itsines, where she explores a range of topics including gut health, meditation and stress.
Kayla chats exclusively to heat about her self-care routine now she's a mum, dealing with acne and the very wise advice she's channelling right now...
On self-care routines
"Self-care is different when you have a family and kids and my life is just chaotic! So for me, a non-negotiable is that I have to speak to my family. Also, my clean house means I have a clean mind.
"On a Sunday, I'm all about a Sunday reset. I'll strip the bed, I'll want everything clean and fresh. I'll go shopping and stock my fridge, but I also need coffee and to spend time with the kids. Sundays are basically my cleaning day and whatever spare time I have it's with the kids and trying to relax."
On starting a podcast
"Selfishly, it was stuff that I was interested in and I wanted a different platform to do something else. Because there are so many things that I love to talk about and people were like, 'You should do a podcast on that'.
"So it's basically everything that I love in one big podcast with really, really cool guests. For once, the pressure is off me because I'm not the expert and I get to interview the experts in the things that I'm interested in. It's absolutely amazing."
On dealing with acne
"My skin was bad, originally as a kid, my mum had acne and I feel like I inherited the acne gene. I got really bad acne as a kid and then to combat the acne and my endometriosis symptoms I was put on the pill which cleared up my skin. There's a common story that the pill balances out your hormones and your skin clears up.
"Then I got off the pill and I got my 13-year-old skin back and my acne was like, 'Hey remember me!' So after a long time of just washing my face with Cetaphil, I had to work out how to look after my skin.
On skincare routines
"I religiously use a cleansing balm called Envy U Charcoal Cleanser, £15 if I don't use it, my skin breaks out. I couldn't recommend it more.
I use a LaRoche Posay moisturiser and also the Pixi Glow Peel Pads, £24 which have glycolic acid in them. Then I was good - until I had kids!
"I have this post-pregnancy pigmentation that I thought you could get rid of with topical treatments but you cannot, it's so far deep in your skin. I've been getting really light peels and I'm starting to notice a difference."
On make-up bag must-haves
"I know everyone uses this, but I swear by the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, £39, that is just the best. Then, I always use cream products over powders, so I'll use a cream bronzer and then a cream blush. I love a lip liner, even the Sephora ones are totally fine.
"I hate recommending colours and brands because everyone's skin reacts so differently. I think everyone should do the colour analysis and find the perfect shades for them."
On daily wellness habits
"Walking, but on a treadmill. I know that sounds bad and is the opposite of what people recommend and I do walk outside for sure, but I don't go for a walk. If I'm being honest, I don't feel safe walking by myself as a female, whereas walking on the treadmill feels so good. I also love the sauna at night for helping me sleep and I love a cup of herbal tea."
On fitness tips
"If you want to learn to do something like a pull-up or push-up, do it in reverse. Start with the reversed motion and once you have mastered the reverse motion, then try and pull yourself up - that's my pull-up tip.
"Another one is when you're doing a chin up, which is hard to do by the way, is think about breaking the bar. So think about breaking the bar as you come up rather than trying to pull yourself up."
On life-changing podcasts
"Not to shout out my podcast, but my podcast changed my own life as I've learned as much stuff and I always say to people how I love being wrong. The start of my podcast is always me ranting about something and then I get proven wrong and I love that.
"The second one is, when I was spending a lot of time by myself, I would listen to things like the Crime Junkie podcast. It felt like a really good friend of mine was telling me a really juicy story. You know when you love drama, but not your own drama? That vibe, spoken by a woman is so interesting and it really helped me through a lonely time of my life."
On wise advice
"Something I tell myself daily is 'be present, get off your phone'. Is your phone or the task you're doing on your phone more important than what you have around you right now? So I keep repeating that and even the other night, I had a shower, I got to bed, I got on my phone and Jae was on his phone and we were showing each other stuff and I literally put my phone to my chest and I was like, 'Is this more important than our relationship right now? We could be off our phones?' And he was like, 'You are so right' so we both chucked our phones."
Quickfire round:
What show are you currently watching? Mayor of Kingstown, so good.
How do you like your cuppa? Such a UK question! I have a sleepy hot chocolate from my sister's brand, Yes Please, which is literally like a hot chocolate which curbs sugar cravings or I have a berry tea with manuka honey and a square of dark chocolate.
Go-to loungewear brand? My sister had a brand called Soli Sleep and they shut it down and I told her today, 'Bring that frickin brand back!' That's all I wore, they did the best lounge and sleepwear.
Everyday perfume? Le Labo Thé Noir 29, £168 only because it smells like the Edition Hotel.
Go-to takeaway order? Pasta, garlic bread and a tiramisu.
Favourite candle? The Edition Hotel candle, I promise you if they were in the rooms, I'd steal them, they're the best!
Kayla Itsines, renowned personal trainer and host of the brand new podcast: Sweat Daily with Kayla Itsines, available on all podcast platforms
Aimee Jakes is heat’s trending content editor. As well as writing about skincare launches, high-street fashion and gym bag essentials, she’s forever chatting to celebs about their fancy beauty routines. Follow her on Instagram here.