Yes! My Dad is a professional football coach and I grew up with him constantly training and keeping active, so with me being the youngest of the family, I was always with him running around and training on the side with him. But it was only in 2014 when I joined a fitness group in the park that it really kickstarted the beginning of my fitness journey.
Meet Elaf, Fitness Fanatic and Care Champion. We sat down with Elaf to discover more about her love of fitness and life at Allianz Care
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Have you always been interested in health and fitness?
What’s your favourite type of exercise?
I love anything cardio oriented or high intensity like HIIT, running, cycling, circuits and even trampolining for fun! I’ve also gotten into skill oriented types of training like CrossFit recently.
Do you think it's important to have regular exercise?
Of course! There is nothing better than the feeling after finishing a training session, run or even a walk. You feel strong, relaxed and feel a great sense of achievement.
I think keeping active is key to staying confident, healthy and putting you in the right mind-set. Training is not only a physical activity, it is important for our mental health, it teaches us discipline, self-love, body respect and acceptance. Training tests your limits and pushes you out of your comfort zone. I also find competitive sports, particularly, help relieve stress and are a great way to focus and tame your competitiveness!
What advice would you give to someone new to exercising?
Take it easy and do it knowing it will eventually make you a happier and healthier person. Don’t do it because you want to punish yourself for eating that donut or you want to look in a certain way.
It is OK not to enjoy it at the beginning, it can be challenging, but once you get used to it you will really notice the difference - it takes 21 days to start a habit, so keep going - patience is key! Also, try to set realistic goals to keep you motivated, because if you don’t, you will be throwing in the towel after a week.
During the recent pandemic, many people have been looking for new ways to exercise at home. What have you been doing to keep fit at home?
My favourite Group Circuits programme has been hosting interactive virtual classes online so we get to see the coaches and familiar faces while training. I’m making sure staying at home doesn’t stop me from being active, so I start my day with a virtual workout and sometimes just put my headphones on and dance my heart out!
What is your role in Allianz Care?
I work in Business Development looking after SME New business.
If you had to sum up your experience as part of Allianz Care in one word what would it be?
Progressive. I have learned a lot and am still learning - from claims to sales, every day brings with it a new challenge, a new thing to learn and a new experience which keeps things very interesting and never boring!
Every month we introduce you to a new Allianz Care Champion. People are at the heart of what we do and we think it’s important to showcase the wonderful staff who are here every day to help our thousands of customers across the globe
