Lucy Honour Ruby Spraggan is an English singer-songwriter. She auditioned for The X Factor in 2012, performing her own composition, “Last Night”. Following the show Spraggan was signed to Columbia Records.
Spraggan was the first contestant in the show’s history to score a Top 40 single and album before the live shows aired, with her independently released album Top Room at the Zoo. Her debut major label album, Join the Club, was released on 7 October 2013, reaching number seven in the UK Albums Chart. She has since released four more studio albums, the latest, Choices, was released on 26 February 2021 and debuted at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was preceded by the singles “Flowers”, “Roots” and “Sober”. Her latest single is ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’.
Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up Lucy Spraggan is an exceptionally talented English singer-songwriter here she talks about her fitness routine, her diet, and her Weight Loss Journey.
Namita Nayyar:
A healthy morning ritual that you follow? Which time of the day draws you towards writing songs?
Lucy Spraggan:
I wake up around 7 am and stick the kettle on. I let the dog out, grab a cafetière of coffee, bring it back to bed and check my socials/respond to my emails. By 7.45am I’m ready for the rest of the day to begin, usually with a carby breakfast! With regards to being creative, that can come at any time! When I’m trying to be proactive with writing I’ll get into my studio at 10 am and try to keep myself from procrastinating until something is written. Sometimes I’ll take a break for a quick run.
Namita Nayyar:
You have had an incredible body transformation. How do you feel about it? How has it boosted your confidence?
Lucy Spraggan:
Honestly, aside from my career, it’s probably the achievement I am most proud of. Throughout my life I’ve lacked self-discipline across the board, whether that’s been with food, exercise, alcohol or one of the many other obstacles we all face. Understanding the capabilities of my body and setting myself goals through fitness has changed that entirely.
The ‘transformation’ of my body has given me just a small part of the confidence that I’ve gained. I like to think of my body as a reflection of how my brain feels; I feel smarter, faster, healthier, kinder… The list goes on!
Namita Nayyar:
What was the most difficult part of your weight loss journey?
Lucy Spraggan:
As I mentioned, discipline plays a huge role in losing weight. It means getting up and getting out when you don’t want to and eating what you NEED to instead of what you WANT to. Finding that and putting it into your routine is probably the most difficult part of it all. I gave up alcohol in July 2019 and that has been the most drastic change to my lifestyle. Again, I just had to change the way I thought about alcohol.
I don’t need it, I never did, and actually, my life is exceptionally better for it. Giving up alcohol kick-started my weight-loss in a big way, though if you’d have told me 18 months ago that I’d be a non-drinker I’d have laughed all the way to the pub. Change is possible if you really want it, I’d have never believed that 18 months ago either.
Namita Nayyar:
What exercises is an integral part of your workout routine? 5 must-do mornings stretches?
Lucy Spraggan:
I run a lot so I often wake up with tight calves and hamstrings.
Wall Calf stretch – Stand facing a wall. Put one foot in front of the other. Place your hands on the wall and push your back heel into the floor while bending your front leg.
Toe Touch – the simple bend at the hip, touch toes. I’ve been told not to ‘bounce’ during this.
Floor Hamstring stretch – Lie on your back. Keep one leg on the floor, bent at the knee. Raise the other leg and touch your toes. Not everyone can touch their toes, if so, get as close as possible.
Calf Step stretch – Place the ball of your foot on a step or curb. Dip the heel of your foot downwards, and then back up. It’s easier to hold onto something steady when you do this.
Ball roll – Use a tennis ball to roll underneath the arch of your foot. This helps me when I’ve been running on hard ground.
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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 express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2022 Women Fitness
Namita Nayyar:
Introduce us to your latest music album? The song that relates closest to your
Lucy Spraggan:
My new album ‘Choices’ is all about my journey over the last year or so. It’s about the choices I needed to make in order to get my life back on track and become the person I wanted to be. All of the songs on this record are deeply personal, I wrote the song ‘Sober’ around a week after deciding to quit drinking. ‘Roots’ is about the breakdown of my marriage, and ‘Run’ is about discovering my love for the open road and a pair of trainers.
I’d say all of the songs represent different parts of my personality – collectively it has an openness and attitude I haven’t expressed before. It’s a very different record to my earlier five albums.
Namita Nayyar:
Your meal before and after a workout? The secret to that killer abs.
Lucy Spraggan:
I like to work out around midday, so I have a mixture of carbs and protein in the morning. Around 8am I’ll have a bowl of cereal (normally Weetabix or Cornflakes with honey) or a bowl of porridge with fruit (either with a protein shake!) and some toast around 9.30 am. For lunch, if I’m at home, I try to have a nice, balanced, colorful salad. My favorite salad is beetroot, courgette, spring onion, rocket, cucumber, feta and tuna with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and chilli flakes. Homemade oil-free dressings are a great way to remove unwanted calories from your meal without really noticing.
When I first started losing weight I wasn’t eating enough, I was consuming about 1200/1300 calories a day and burning 500/600kcal in one workout. I was constantly exhausted and fatigued during training. The secret to abs is eating enough of the right stuff and exercising the right muscle groups, not starving you!
Namita Nayyar:
Favorite meal of the day? What does it contain?
Lucy Spraggan:
My favorite meal of the day is dinner time. It’s my biggest meal of the day and I love feeling full. I just love food! My favorite meal is steak and homemade chips with lots of lovely salad or veggies on the side.
Namita Nayyar:
Top 3 healthy snack options? One diet secret you would like to share now?
Lucy Spraggan:
I love a Fiber One bar. They’re 90kcal but absolutely delicious, they come in a few different flavors and they’re a great sweet treat. Pancakes! I’m lactose intolerant so I make vegan ones with coconut milk, flour, vanilla and baking powder. They’re good for a low calorie meal or a small portioned snack. Sliced apple and cinnamon. Simple but so tasty.
Namita Nayyar:
Define Women Fitness for WF viewers.
Lucy Spraggan:
To me Women’s Fitness means focusing on you. Being beautiful and confident in your skin, or striving to achieve that feeling. The most important aspect of women’s fitness, for me, is mental fitness. It’s the most effective method of keeping positive mental health that I’ve ever used.
Namita Nayyar:
Share your workout in a week now during a lockdown?
Lucy Spraggan:
At the beginning of lockdown I was running 6 times a week but as I’ve extended my distances I’ve relaxed the frequency of my runs. I run 4 days a week and do weight training 3 times a week. I really enjoy body weight interval training, so sometimes swap running or weights for that. Do 15-30 mins of skipping before I work out! I’m a sucker for cardio.
Namita Nayyar:
Social media is instrumental in today’s era. Two things you love and hate about it?
Lucy Spraggan:
I spend a lot of time on social media but often say I wouldn’t have it at all if it wasn’t for my job. It’s incredibly useful, it’s such a great way to gain new fans, to have followers feel more personally connected and to reach a wider audience but it doesn’t come without it’s negative parts. Everybody has an opinion – and that’s a fact of life – but it’s not always nice to hear someone’s opinion on their interpretation of you. By providing that insight into your everyday life some people can make assumptions about you and make some pretty horrible comments based on that. On the flipside, I receive thousands of wonderful messages of support and love. I appreciate those people so much.
Namita Nayyar:
Biggest fitness/weight loss myth that needs to be busted?
Lucy Spraggan:
That there is a secret to it all – there isn’t. There is no meal replacement shake or skinny coffee that will make you fit OR make you happy. I should know, I’ve tried most of them.
Working at a calorie deficit and exercising frequently WILL make you lose weight. Feeding your body the fuel it needs to maintain weight and perform WILL make you feel good. But YOU are the only person who can achieve those things. There is no secret, just pure will-power, and everyone, deep down, has that somewhere.
Namita Nayyar:
Athleisure brands that you love?
Lucy Spraggan:
I love Under Armour. The sizing of their sports bras is spot on and they offer the right amount of support. I have a New Balance running jacket and legging combo that I adore for those colder/windier runs.
Namita Nayyar:
Any advice you would like to give to your younger inner self?
Lucy Spraggan:
I would love to have told myself something constructive and inspirational but my younger self wouldn’t have listened! I never did! I’d tell myself that one day I’ll be comfortable in my own skin and that it will all work out. Also ‘Stop dying your hair’.
Namita Nayyar:
Resolutions or goals for 2022?
Lucy Spraggan:
To keep fit and healthy, productive and creative. To focus on the important things and not feel overwhelmed in stressful situations. I want to train hard and keep on the right track with nutrition. My biggest goal is to stay happy!
Namita Nayyar:
Message for your 174K followers on Instagram?
Lucy Spraggan:
Thank you for the love and support! You are awesome.
Lucy Spraggan Social Media Presence
Official Website: https://lucyspraggan.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lspraggan/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lspraggan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucyspraggan
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 express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2022 Women Fitness