Few people reach a point in life where they don’t feel the need to escape their current situation and be able to speak honestly and fearlessly about all their failings in life. Davina McCall seems to have found that sure-fire spot as she is the most relatable and popular presenter on British television. An avid fitness advocate, she has released eleven highly successful exercise DVDs over the past decade.

Just like most other people, Davina had to earn her long list of accomplishments through the conventional route of tireless hard work. What still sustains her nationwide popularity with the people of Britain is her humility and relentless willingness to return to work with her best foot forward. Over the years she has found that a genuine commitment to fitness is one of the few parameters that guarantee a rich and fulfilling life. The following nuggets of wisdom provide a glimpse into their journey.

The journey to success is always messy in the middle!

Davina has struggled with many years since she was 19 to make it big as a singer, which somehow never came to fruition. Constant professional disappointments prompted her to take up parallel, practical activities to support herself. She worked as a booker in a modeling agency, tried managing a restaurant for two years, followed by a stint as a cabaret dancer in Paris, before returning to London to work as a nightclub presenter. The fight even made her take drugs.

It wasn’t until she decided to get clean and quit smoking and drinking as she had a career breakthrough to do her first TV show with MTV. Her fame as a presenter has reached new heights since 2000 when she hosted the reality show. Big brother And this for ten successful seasons.

Don’t be an escapist, confront and accept disappointments to get over them faster

Davina had a difficult childhood from a broken home. Her parents divorced when she was three years old. Her mother, who had no maternal tendencies and was more of a reckless party, often abandoned Davina and her older sister, who craved their affection, which usually went unrequited.

Davina’s ambitions often rooted in gaining her mother’s attention. However, since she has found the security of a family of her own, her commitment to a balanced, healthy lifestyle has only grown stronger than her mother was unable to manifest for herself.

When McCall turned 46, she lost her older sister to cancer. While battling the disease, doctors recommended cutting out processed sugars as part of her sister’s diet. Davina willingly accepted the same challenge to support her sister. Though the change hasn’t meant that she’s only been able to save her siblings, eliminating sugar from her daily diet is another commitment she hasn’t given up since. In fact, after extensive discussions with nutritionists, she even wrote a book about it, explaining how it typically takes five weeks to wean yourself off sugar.

Sample healthy meal plans as prepared for youher husband and three children are available at this link. Although she frequently treats her family to desserts, only honey and organic maple syrup are used in their preparation.

Discomfort is the only way to grow as a person

Having built a strong foundation in strength and endurance, Davina often takes the initiative to test her limits. In February 2014 she took on an immensely demanding challenge: for seven days she ran, swam and cycled across the UK to raise money for a UK charity, Sports Relief. After five hours she almost wanted to stop. Though cameras showed her breaking down frequently, McCall surprised a few moments with her own athleticism and claimed she felt amazing.

The grueling event could have taken a toll on her both mentally and physically, but she managed to raise nearly £2.3million!

Train with a clear result in mind

People often ask their trainers how to get a body like McCall’s as she continues to get leaner and stronger despite her age. One of her trainers, Greg Whyte, explained that her physique is a direct result of the diverse physical movements and skills she’s mastered over the years, while at the same time her determination increases with each goal achieved. She frequently participates in charitable athletic events and changes her training accordingly from very high intensity to long duration and low intensity.

The video below gives an insight into the workout design of their latest DVD. 7 minutes fit :

When you’re not able to get to the nearest gym, Davina works out in the living room with her DVDs. Most are time-efficient choreographies of upper body, lower body, and core strength exercises with rapid cardio burst movements in between.

Davina’s top tips for those struggling with fitness

• Exercise with full attention

You can start with as little exercise as fifteen minutes a day, but your efforts must be very sincere. Put your phone aside and close your head to outside distractions. Your body deserves so much.

• Get in shape for a little something

Before you start eliminating comfort foods that you use as emotional crutches, make a commitment to some form of physical activity first. Put the thought of going on a crash diet aside. Whenever possible, Davina recommends exercising first thing in the morning as it’s a healthy motivation to eat clean for the rest of the day so as not to spoil the hard work of the early morning.

• heavy lifting

Eventually we all outgrow our beginner weights. When you no longer feel any burns or exertion with the usual exercises, it’s time for a change. Don’t let plateaus bring you back to your old patterns. Increase reps with light weights until your muscles beg for mercy, or change up the exercise order to get less rest time between exercises. When form and technique are in place, it’s time to start lifting for some serious strength gains!