MARIE WOOD PURVIS
On the Buzz today, I have a world class fitness couch, Marie
Wood-purvis. I met her during my workouts at High-octane and got a chance to train with her. Knowing she also trained
Serena Williams made me feel super special. Nike has brought her to the Lankan soil and she is reaching out to the women out there to fall in love with themselves, build their confidence and shape themselves up for a healthy fit life. What you will love about her is that she is always positive, when you say you can't she will push you to achieve what you let go and she is fun! Today you will get to know more about her super power and what she does to bring out the BEST in us!
YOU ARE NEW TO SL, WHY DON’T YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOU? I’m an easygoing person who loves to meet new people, cook, be active & a total beach bum! I don’t take life too seriously & really enjoy having fun. My whole take on life is “work hard, play harder”.
WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST SUPPORT IN YOUR LIFE? I have an awesome support team because I believe that you must surround yourself with the best people in order to live your best life. But if I had to pick one person I would say my mom. She’s has been there through everything never passing judgment & always being my number one fan.
HOW IS IT TO WORK FOR NIKE? Nike is an amazing company to work for where I was able to experience things & activities that I would have never been exposed to with another company. I loved my job very much but I’m so happy that I’m able to venture out on my own & take away so much greatness.
WHAT MADE YOU MOVE INTO FITNESS? I’ve always wanted to help people & be on the preventative side of health & wellness. Being a trainer & fitness consultant allows me to work with hundreds of people at very different capacities as well as different parts of one's life.
TELL ME YOUR STYLE OF WORK? My style is very much a holistic approach to living a healthy lifestyle. I don’t believe that you can do just one aspect of it, you truly need to transition to a way of life that becomes who you are instead of something you do.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MOST DEFINING MOMENTS IN LIFE? There have been so many but I’d say the biggest one was when my father passed away from cancer, when I got a job at Nike, when I got divorced I mean really living life. Hahaha every experience that I had to deal w adversity, I have come out the other side stronger, more optimistic, caring & appreciative of the journey of life. How the universe is a big place & usually will always work in mysterious ways to give you the life you always dream of. You of course have to be open to it but it does speak to you.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR STYLE OF WORKOUT? The training is rooted in functional training, I want to improve my clients' way of life & prepare them to live everyday life the best way possible. I meet my clients where they’re and then take them on a journey to help them reach their goals the fastest.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE BIGGEST FITNESS ISSUE IN SRI LANKA? I think the biggest issue is the lack of resources & exposure to the evolving industry of fitness. Sri Lanka tends to stay stuck in the way & a bit more timid to try new ways of doing things. But it’s changing and the exposure is becoming more available with social media & people studying aboard.
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO DIET? It’s extremely important. You can’t have one without the other & I always tell my clients “You can’t out train your kitchen”. If you eat bad then it doesn’t matter what you do in the gym, you’ll never get results.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PHILOSOPHY ABOUT BEING FIT AND HEALTHY? I’m all about making being fit a part of who you are instead of what you do. You have to find ways to create new healthy habits & ways to incorporate activity in your life, otherwise it becomes a chore or something that hangs over you head & you start to resent it & it becomes unsuccessful.
YOU HAVE TRAINED SOME WORLD CLASS PEOPLE, HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE? It’s an experience for sure but they are people just like you & I. They want to be treated as every other person & the ones I’ve worked with have been hard working people who are doing a job they love. They all have their personalities that are completely different than the ones we seen on TV or in magazines or shows etc. Just people like us.
HOW WAS IT TO WORK WITH SERENA WILLIAMS? She’s amazing, very professional, hard working & humble. She’s pretty funny & loves to have music playing while training. Overall she’s very sincere & cares deeply for her people:)
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR DOG, WHO HAS HIS OWN INSTA PAGE? Well I have my husband who I adore dearly; he’s very supportive, kind, loving and a huge smart-ass. And then there my baby girl Charlie who’s a French Bulldog & the light of my life. I brought her over from the US & now she’s a Sri Lankan dog. She loves the beaches, playing with her ball & being with her mom & dad. Her IG handle is @fitfrenchiecp
YOU DON’T DIET. HOW DO YOU BALANCE IT ALL? I believe in the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time I eat clean food, cook a lot, prep my meals limit my wine drinking & the other 20% of the week I live life. Go out to dinner with my friends, indulge in a night out & allow myself to eat the foods I love like carrot cake & pasta.
HOW DO YOUR WORKOUTS DIFFER FROM OTHER WORKOUTS OUT THERE? I like to make every workout different from the next & I’m all about having fun. If you don’t feel like you’re working out then you’ll be more likely to come back. I’m also all about finding the right formula for each client that will be different from the next.
WHERE CAN EVERYONE KEEP UP WITH YOU TO LEARN MORE? I try to keep my followers informed via IG and Facebook, I do online coaching & always down to have round table chats where people can ask questions & inquire more about health & fitness.
HOW CAN ONE MEET YOU, TRAIN WITH YOU? I’m currently working at High Octane but my schedule is very limited. The best way to work with me would be via my online coaching. You can reach me via email or DM my IG account.
My style is very much a holistic approach to living a healthy lifestyle”