Miles Nazaire is a busy person. When he isn’t shooting Made in Chelsea episodes, he is hard at work in the gym, often twice a day, to make sure he not only stays in shape but continuously improves his physique. And whatever he is doing, it’s clearly working: just look at the images on his Instagram account if you need proof. Looking at Miles’ body transformation, it might be hard to imagine that he once was out of shape, both physically and mentally.
“Two, two and a half years ago... I didn't know what training was, and I was going out a lot, partying a lot, and I realised that I needed to change something in my lifestyle”, Miles says, “at first, ...I didn't really want to do a body transformation at all. I just wanted to maybe get in shape and feel good about myself a bit more, because I think at that stage I was feeling a bit down and I didn't really know what I wanted to do.”
This all changed two and a half years ago when Miles was introduced to his now ‘best friend, brother and personal trainer’, Waz. “He basically got me hooked into training”, Miles explains, “It got to a point where on Christmas day two years ago, Waz arrived at my house and said, "I don't care if you had the biggest Christmas dinner and were lazing around all day, we're going to the gym now."”
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"You have to have people who are going to only push you towards the goal you want."
Fitness is mindset
Working out often and looking after yourself in general might make you look fit on the outside, but it can also put you in the right frame of mind too. Miles certainly felt the mental benefits of fitness from quite early on: “I felt so amazing after every session I did that it became more of a lifestyle than 'oh, I want to train because I want to look better'.”
“Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of mental health conditions developing, such as anxiety and depression, as well as giving you an immediate mood-boost through the relief of endorphins”, says says Dr Frankie Jackson Spence, NHS Doctor and Barebells UK ambassador, “The more regular your routine is, the more you will start to notice additional benefits such as sleeping better and having more energy throughout the day.”
It’s not all peaches and cream, though, having to adhere to a strict workout routine: “Don't get me wrong, it's very, very hard sometimes to find motivation”, Miles gets real for a moment, “sometimes you don't have time to workout every single day, when you’re tired and all. Life happens, really, doesn't it?”
What helps Miles in these trying times is similar to what you’d call a gratefulness exercise: he remembers the positive effect fitness had on his life. “ I was a bit of a party boy back in the day. And I think if I was to not have this routine and discipline, I don't think I would actually, career-wise, be where I am today. I don't think I would have the friendship groups I have today. So for me, it's like, 'OK, well, if I don't keep going, then I guess I'll probably lose all of that'. So that's kind of a constant reminder for me.”
Want to get fit? Make fitness top your priority
When asked how he finds time in his busy schedule to workout and stay fit, Miles gives an answer that would only surprise people who aren’t familiar with his body transformation: “I always put it in, no matter what the day is or how busy I am. For me, there are never excuses. If it's 1 AM and you haven't trained, then you go to the 24 hour gym and train.”
That said, even he doesn’t recommend overtraining on a regular basis as that might have the opposite effect on your body and mind: “It happens sometimes. For example, last week, we were just training so much and then one day we were supposed to go to the gym but we were so tired and we said there's no point in going to train. You can't actually get anything out of it. There's no benefit to it.”
If you want to build muscle and get stronger, you must pay attention to your body’s reaction to training and give enough time to rest. “At the end of day, you've got to listen to what your body is telling you. If your body's telling you to relax and take a break, then relax, take a break and recover. Not to mention, the biggest changes happen in your body when you recover, when you have those eight hours of sleep”, Miles says.
Everyone needs a friend
Whenever we write about training and workouts here on T3, we always recommend getting a training buddy; their presence not only makes workouts safer but they can also help you stay on track with your training. Miles is a good example of how a good training buddy can make all the difference, although even he admits it’s not impossible to get in shape without one either: “I was very lucky to have someone who pushed me and sometimes got angry at me when I wasn't really staying on track. But even if you can't pay a trainer, just make sure that you have people [around you] who aren’t bringing you down and say ‘oh, you're being boring with all this training‘. You have to have people who are going to only push you towards the goal you want.”
Miles’ body transformation is an amazing example of how far hard work can get you. You don’t need special supplements – Miles only takes vitamins and uses protein powder seldomly – or a lot of home gym equipment to get you fit: all it takes is determination and putting the work in, as often as possible. You’ll see the benefits soon enough.
