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Lemy: Youngest JR Karate World Champion Shares her Success Story

Namita Nayyar (WF Team)
Lemy

A brand in herself, Lemy needs no introduction, she a Karate Champion and social media influencer.

Lemy won junior world karate championship at age 11 ( trained by her father from age 7) the youngest ever junior world champion after dominating 3 caricatures of her age group with 2 silvers & 1 gold setting a world record. She has been one of 3 women representing England against all the other squads that brought over 250 -500 women each from all over the world to represent karate at The JKA squad (changed to SKC (shotokan karate club). At, 16 she was invited to become a trainer.

Due to unavoidable family circumstances she chose to focus more on her education and her business as Social Media influencer. Paved the way for millions of young women to quite literally “follow” in her footsteps. Over the last decade Lemy has been a fundamental figure helping build out some of the largest E-Commerce brands. Her signature look has become a household name with close to 50,000,000 impressions monthly.

Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar did a candid interview with exceptionally talented Lemy, youngest JR Karate World Champion and Instagram Star talk about her workout, diet, hair & skincare, and her success story.

Namita Nayyar

You were born in Sierra Leone, survived the Freetown Massacre, and reached the UK on a refugee status along with your family of 10 siblings. You did overcome all the hardships and adversity and went on to become one of the most widely recognized social media stars in the digital world. At 14 you started your career as an influencer. This later propelled your career to the height where you have been at the top of the world of social media with 50,000,000 impressions per month. Tell us more about your professional journey of exceptional hard work, tenacity, and endurance?

Lemy

 My professional journey started at age 7-8. I would train up to 3 hours 5-7 days a week due to continuous repetition of the same techniques repeatedly until I had mastered the correct form, speed & secret tips to making my movement dangerous & unbeatable. I would never leave the dojo until I had achieved a warrior level of passion, drive & form. I was not trained to Lose but only win. Second or third place was never an option, the gold was my only aim. The devastation I’ve face when coming Second or third place in any competition is beyond describable as to me that was a huge loss when coming so close to being the best and letting it slip right out of my grip.

I would be asked while training ‘What are you’ and I would scream ‘Warrior’ I will be asked again ‘What are you’ and I would scream ‘Samurai’ and repeat my movements hundreds of times over till my body was like jelly & only at that point would my father allow me to stop, rest and continue the day after. I never gave up once in all my years of training, it was not and is not in my DNA to quit at any point no matter what is happening around me.

I’ve been knocked out In 2 fights at the finals of champions and remained standing while blacked out as I refuse to ever fall at the hands of my competitors; even with dizziness and by nose bleeds in the moment. In those moments I’m numb to any physical pain but the thought of losing as the most painful feeling in my chest & due to that thought my legs remained solid while half unconscious for several seconds before winning the fight moments later.

Namita Nayyar

You won the Junior World Karate Championship at the age of 11 years, making you the youngest ever junior world champion. Tell us about this spectacular achievement of yours?

 Lemy

It was an amazing achievement to become junior world champion at age 11. I trained extremely hard for my championship and made the country I was represent proud. I won 2 silver medals and one gold medal making me the youngest junior world champion of my time.

It was a two-day competition in Germany where I competed with my older sister. I was extremely nervous on both days I would have nothing but winning on my mind and the confidence I had to have in myself that I was already champion is what kept me going along with the wise words of my father that ‘if I walk into the ring fearing that I would lose then I had already lost but if I walk in with a champion mentality that I would win I had already won before the tournament had even began.

Being one of only 3 women competing for the United Kingdom against other countries that had brought hundreds of women to complete I knew I had no choice but to bring a medal home even if it was just one win but thankfully I came home with all medals and an amazing championship status that made me recognised all around the U.K for my great achievements.

Namita Nayyar

You are the world-leading social media personality, model, karate champion, and a brand ambassador. How do you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?

Lemy

I manage such an active lifestyle with my drive and motivation to always become better. Balancing work, personal life, and fitness I believe anything that comes my way was meant to be so I can mentally & physically handle it all. I have 24 hours in my day just like everyone else so I make sure I get up to 5-8 hours of sleep before starting my day that leaves me recharged to get as much done as I possibly can. I have a strong coffee when I wake up in the morning to not give myself a chance to be lazy or tired.

I give a certain amount of attention to each aspect starting from the most important tasks first and have my time scheduled out perfectly but sometimes things over lap and over run which is ok as things don’t always go according to plan as that’s one thing in life i’ve learned to accept. Not everything will always go our way and the way we want it to so it’s about understanding and adapting to the situation when that happens.

Namita Nayyar

What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you may wish to share?

Lemy

My main exercise consists of stationary squats, walking squats, jumping squats, side stepping squats, stationary lunges, stepping lunges, on the floor kickbacks & an intense super set workout for my abs.

This can all be done in the space of 45 mins at home with a heavy resistance band for fast & effective results. When done in the shortest amount of time with 1 min rests in between sets to keep the breathing tame the results are exceptional & fast. 

As I don’t always go to gym because I don’t always have time and sometimes when I do have time I’m very tired and just like to rest I do a quick home workout including all the above to stay satisfied that I did something healthy for my body that will pay off in the long run.

Full Interview is Continued on Next Page

This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.

All Written Content Copyright © 2020 Women Fitness 

Namita Nayyar

How do you train your abs? One secret to your toned body.

Lemy

A huge abs secret of time is super sets with no limits or bounds. I take this inspiration from Muhammad Ali as he said that he only starts to count when it hurts. The only time the sets finish is when my body physically can’t go anymore, and tears are forced out of my eyes due to its intensity. I was never a person that liked limitations on my training.

I do 3 abs workouts in one with an aim for how many of the first 2 I would like to complete before making the last set limitless which is normally 20 of each of the first two workouts & a limitless third. My supersets normally consist of Knee crunches, Russian twist & leg raises.

I personally find these the fastest and most effective in achieving solid results that remain even when not always training.

Namita Nayyar

Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?

Lemy

I wouldn’t say I have a strict diet as I believe in eating whatever you like with training afterwards to make sure the right foods go to the right places of the body once consumed instead of letting it sit and go to places that we might not always be pleased with. I have an amazing chef to look up to as my grandma who makes the best traditional African food which is overall extremely healthy. It gives me all the things the body needs to consume to function as a high rate without being worn out.

My favourite dishes are,

All these foods contain many of the nutrients my body needs to stay solid and which I am very grateful for.

Namita Nayyar

Five foods you absolutely love and five you keep it to a minimum.

Lemy

Five foods I totally love,

These are my favourite and most healthy dishes!

Five foods I keep to a minimum,

I love them so much but must train extra hard after consumption. 

Namita Nayyar

You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us your haircare and skincare routine.

Lemy

I used to have profoundly serious acne growing up from age 11. I was always trying new remedies for skin with natural herbs that I would find on the internet that would only work in the moment but not make a difference long term. Eventually I learnt that it was most to do with growing up and consuming way too much sugar/treats so when I cleaned up my diet and cut out all sugar and junk I saw a huge difference although I have it here and there I don’t consume in large quantities as I used to and my skin started glowing from the inside out. I now only use natural coconut oil for my skin to keep it soft and glowing all around & reduced my make-up.

Wearing make-up almost every day of my life in the past had a huge part to play in my extreme breakouts due to my skin never having the time it needed to breath. All the little changes I learnt to adapt to as I got older helped my skin a lot.

As for my hair I have an afro with very curly hair that I have kept fresh and untouched for years while wearing wigs as a replacement during my hair care recovery. Wearing wigs helped me a lot with my natural hair growth as I could change my look daily without damaging my real hair with constant heat and artificial hair products. I now also use olive oil, Aloe Vera & coconut oil on my hair to maintain its healthy strength & curls.

Namita Nayyar

Five skincare myths.

Lemy

One of my 5 skincare myths is the pure aloe Vera plant. I would buy the aloe Vera plant itself from the market. I’d leave it to cool and stay fresh in my fridge while cutting little pieces off in the morning and night, splitting it into two down the middle of its leaf and massage the pure plant all over my face and neck. This would not only clear my skin and make it glow but also tighten my skin almost feeling like a natural facelift of the earth.

I put pure coconut oil after I have washed it off but most nights I sleep with the aloe Vera on my face and wash it off in the morning which leaves me with the softest, glowing skin. 

Namita Nayyar

Five athletic leisure brands you love to wear.

Lemy

I love to wear

I find these fits to be extremely flattering to my body shape & it motivates me to work harder when I can see my body shape is accentuated and I can see exactly where I would like to enhance with my training.

Namita Nayyar

Five travel destinations on your wish list.

Lemy

5 places that I’ve got on my wish list to travel to is Fiji 🇫🇯 Hawaii 🇺🇸 , Cape Verde 🇨🇻 Jamaica 🇯🇲 and Japan 🇯🇵 these are all such beautiful destinations I hope to see them all soon. 

Namita Nayyar

You are the creator of lemy.uk. Offering luxury collections of women-centric products. Elaborate about this endeavour of yours?

Lemy

I am the founder & owner of Lemy.uk a website which I launched last year and am immensely proud of. As a female there are certain things I almost always need when at home or travelling for example hair bands, travel kits for my makeup that can’t go on the plane, hair pins to keep my hair out of my face, comfortable pillow cases and bedding to wake up ready for the next day. I felt these are all really relatable for my fans as it’s something I actually use myself so I wanted to be able to give back to all my beautiful female followers by having them delivered conveniently to their door.

I have several hair care and beauty products in my shoppable collections that are everyday needs to fulfil the requests which I get all the time from you amazing women that support me makes me feel whole inside. I am always on the lookout for other female founded and black owned businesses looking to collaborate and sell on my platform so stay tuned for that!

I also have my beauty superfood blend Afterglow Botanicals available on my website; Afterglow Botanicals is a female founded modern wellness brand. I focused on making a product that helps women look and feel their best. My love for natural beauty remedies and passion for organic ingredients has led me to my first product ~ something I drink every day, Afterglow

Namita Nayyar:

Your endeavor of “Afterglow Botanicals” is a female-founded modern wellness brand. Here you are focused on making products that help one look and feel the best. Your love for natural beauty remedies and your passion for organic ingredients is your core philosophy. Tell us more about this venture of yours?

Lemy:

This has been something I have always had a passion for once I realized that all true beauty is from the inside out. Being a female-founded company we decided to come up with a beauty superfood for people that worked from the inside out to give us that afterglow everybody loves to see in their face & skin. We decided to add some of the best organic products to the beauty superfood as I know that is the purest way to healthy skin.

The best thing about afterglow is that It can be added to water, juice, smoothies, and much more. It contains fruits that have some of the highest ORAC scores (a measure of antioxidant capacity) of any fruit. It consists of Organic Amla Powder,  Goji Powder,  Dragon Fruit Powder, Acai Juice Powder, Camu Camu Powder, & Strawberry Powder. It was really fun being able to give something back to women all around the world that was extremely helpful for everyone’s day today as I take my afterglow everywhere with me, I had 2 packs with me while in the Maldives.

I look forward to everyone that hasn’t tried my afterglow as it’s one of the most tropical tasting flavors I’ve probably ever had. I’ll also be doing a huge giveaway for my website Lemy.uk as a thank you to everybody.

Namita Nayyar:

You have done bold photoshoots for a number of fashion brands and on your Instagram handle @lemybeauty. How you are so body confident and advice to your compatriots?

Lemy:

I always stay body confident by making sure I put in the right amount of work after eating my food on most days. Even to just get in a 10-20 minute quick leg/ abs workout daily leaves long, natural lasting results that give me all the extra boost of confidence I need in every one of my shoots.

On my shoot days I make sure to do a solid 1-hour workout the day before and a quick 20 min workout the morning after before getting ready for the shoot almost 30 minutes after having a light breakfast.

I love to have an extra defined pump when I shoot as it makes all the right muscles stand out. The people I work with are always so extremely nice too so that makes all my shoots a million times better because I’m always comfortable in every single way and that’s when the best content gets produced.

Namita Nayyar:

Your idea of a perfect date?

Lemy:

My idea of a perfect date would be something extremely natural and not too planned out at all. I’d rather go for some popcorn chicken and actually get to knew who the human being in front of me is than going to a posh restaurant just for the sake of being fancy with inedible food (in my opinion, as I’m only ever picky in fancy restaurants) That will distract me with the hunger to the point where I’ll be focused on what it is I really want to eat when it’s all over.

I’d rather just be comfortable from the get-go with my date as If we can both just be in our comfort zones and not have to worry about going the extra mile just to impress for a short period of time there’s a higher chance of a long-lasting relationship or even friendship but I always believe the best kind of long-lasting relationships always came from good friendships.

Namita Nayyar:

What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?

Lemy:

I am extremely excited to be a part of womenfitness.net! Among a range of top legends, this is truly the place to expose the best kind of history. I love that it gives strong women a chance to share there amazing stories of hard-working journeys that lead to such amazing success that can inspire other women out there that look up and are motivated to be involved in such a huge female revelation of strength to start their journeys or continue along with the ones they are already on with motivation to keep pushing forward and achieve anything the mind desires with hard work and dedication.

A message I have for all womenfitness.net readers is that this is the place to be for true fitness motivation as it gets to show our personal sides and stories of the struggles it took to get to where we are and the hard work we put in to never give up and keep pushing even when all odds are against us we chose to come out on top of the opposite end of that stick.

Womenfitness.net is an amazing platform for spreading positivity & true awareness of the journeys of strong women today in the 21st century.

Namita Nayyar

Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding social media model girls, who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of social media following?

Lemy

The advice I give to everyone trying out social media is to always stay true to yourself. To be solid in what you want and believe in it is key as not everyone is going to like and understand you and that’s ok.

The best response is no response to most hateful comments as it’s impossible for someone who has never met you a second in your life to judge you. It serves justice to the right cause to pick something you love and prosper for the sake of spreading love to the ones who need it and the ones who not knowingly need your message. You never know whose day you could be brightening or life you could be saving so never give up!

Everything we see influences our next day on earth and it only takes a second, minute… hour. day to change a person’s whole perspective & life so just make sure it’s for the greater good. Everyone could use someone who can teach them something positive they never knew before so to be that person for others is particularly important and necessary especially in our day and age.

This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.

All Written Content Copyright © 2020 Women Fitness 

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