Working out at Virgin Active in Italy

It’s no secret that I have been putting a big focus on my health and fitness for the past few years. My initial motivation for getting fit was to make sure I was healthy enough for my spaceflight – but it’s since become such a huge part of my lifestyle.

I love how exercise makes me feel – it gets me in the right frame of mind for the day. I’m so much more motivated when I’ve been working out.

For that reason, when in Italy recently I couldn’t resist squeezing in a little workout at Virgin Active. I had just come from a wonderful morning celebrating the launch of Virgin Fibra, our newest Virgin company, and then visiting Virgin Radio to do a fun interview with DJ Ringo.

By mid-afternoon, sometimes you can hit the wall and it’s easy to resort to unhealthy choices – but a workout can help get you feeling energised again. I often find even a walk or taking the stairs between meetings can help reset my brain.

The gym in Milan is a delight – it’s got vast open spaces, brilliant classes, a huge range of equipment and superb personal trainers (who will really put you through your paces – as I found out for myself!)

Virgin Active Italy

I did a workout with the team, focusing on building strength and stretching. I’ve been on the Strive Challenge recently, climbing Mount Kenya to fundraise for Big Change, an education charity founded by Holly and Sam. It was good to stretch out my muscles, which are still a little sore from the challenge, with squats, planks and holding stretches.

Virgin Active Italy

I love visiting Virgin Active health clubs around the world; we’re fortunate to have gyms in so many locations from the UK to Italy to South Africa to Singapore to Australia. I love how the teams are focusing on helping people improve their fitness – whether you do a little or a lot, it all adds up. We only have one body and it’s worth looking after – it will pay off as you get older (trust me on that one – it really keeps you feeling young!)

Virgin Active Italy

Thanks to the Virgin Active team in Italy for having me – ciao for now.