How Zanna Van Dijk Took Over Instagram

Meet the social media sensation and trainer who travels the world to teach her followers how to stay healthy on the move.

TRAIN FOR HER: Where did it all begin?

I was a typical university student, surviving on a diet of pizza and booze and being about as active as a sloth. I ended up gaining a few unwanted pounds and decided to lose weight. I turned to Google and tried all the diets out there, I’m talking low carb, high carb, gluten/dairy/fun-free and even the cabbage soup diet – yep, really! I was uneducated to say the least and the mistakes came thick and fast.

I was left tired and uninspired. I had a lightbulb moment and focused on health rather than aesthetics. I started to read about how to best fuel my body with nourishing food and challenge it through exercise. I got hooked on reading research. I soon went from fad diets and extreme exercise regimes to a sustainable balanced lifestyle and I have never looked back.

How would you describe your food habits?

I can describe my nutrition with one word: balance. I focus on single ingredient foods, but I don’t cut out anything. I follow the 80/20 rule where I’ll eat well 80% of the time and take a flexible approach 20% of the time. I don’t track macros but do eat intuitively and listen to my body. I watch my portions and I know my weaknesses. I literally can’t have nut butter in my house as I can eat a jar in a day!

Is it difficult to stay active on the move?

Due to my current schedule and the large amount of travel I do, I don’t have a set routine. That’s not to say I won’t do in the future, but for right now I am enjoying being flexible. I tend to aim to do three or four resistance sessions a week, splitting my workouts into upper and lower body sessions. I focus on the 8-12 rep range and combine compound and isolation movements into my workouts. I also try and squeeze in two cardio sessions a week, which are usually in the form of a workout class with a friend such as F45 HIIT classes or KOBOX boxing classes. I also walk everywhere.

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