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Crossfit Inspiration Lisa Brooke

Here at JUNO we care about our community and we are obsessed with anything related to health, an active lifestyle and supercharging sleep. As inspiration, we want to give you exclusive insights into the life of our JUNO Activists – meet our inspiring athletes, fitness professionals and gym owners!

Today we sat down with Lisa Brooke, a long-term industry professional with exceptional experience and knowledge of JUNO’s two favourite passions: sleep and health. Lisa is the director of successful CrossFit studio CrossFit SPS Brookvale and, believe it or not, the owner of Hibernation, an exclusive online bedroom furniture store. The combination of these two life choices makes absolute sense to us and so we caught up with Lisa and talked sleep, health and how JUNO made a difference to her sleep.

To get to know you a little better, tell us what started first: the passion for sleep or fitness?

Fitness was first, I’ve been active all my life but it wasn’t until I got into the fitness industry some 20 years ago that I began to realise how important it was to have balance. It’s great to get into the gym and exercise but to be able to do that day in, day out, you really need to place importance on your sleep to get that recovery. As a matter of fact, when you don’t sleep well, you notice it in your performance straight away.

Have you always been a sports enthusiast? When and how did you get seriously involved within the CrossFit industry?

I have always played team sport and my high school PE teacher introduced me to lifting weights very early on in the piece so I have always maintained that throughout my life. I stumbled over CrossFit on the internet back in 2007 looking for a more fun way to train my clients and myself. I started CrossFit, and combined with the strength training background I already had, it did not only radically improve my own performance but that of my clients.

Operating two companies, you’re probably an extraordinarily busy person with little time. How do you balance your two passions?

Training will always be a priority to me for many reasons, I talked about balance and it's one way that I can apply myself fully in my businesses with a clear head when I make sure I train and have that as an outlet. But I couldn't do it without the amazing support network I have: my extremely supportive partner, my staff and my family all play a huge roll in allowing me to thrive in what I do.

What inspires and motivates you to stay fit and healthy on a daily basis?

Exercise is my escape; it’s my weekly staple and my coping mechanism to stay on track in achieving my goals. I love the feeling you get after training, the sense of achievement and being able to enjoy and celebrate that with the members that come to the gym is what makes it all worth it. Having the balance of exercise, nutrition and sleep is the key.

CrossFit certainly demands a lot of your body. Tell us your 5 favourite exercises to stay fit 365 days a year!

I don’t really have a favourite exercise as such but I will say working on your weaknesses and being consistent is the key to long-term success and happiness in all aspects of your life.

Obviously, we're a bit obsessed with the concept that sleep is as important to overall health and wellness as diet and exercise. How is your relationship with sleep? Do you think you get enough?

Sleep has always been an important ingredient in having balance but to be perfectly honest, since getting a JUNO mattress I have been having a much more sound and unbroken sleep and am really able to notice a difference.

What is your morning routine from waking up to starting your day?

I am blessed to live near the beach so I will often take the 1st 30mins for “me” time, walk to the beach have a coffee and listen to an audio book or if the weather isn’t great, I’ll have coffee and listen to an audio book at home as often as I can.

How are you sleeping on your JUNO Activate mattress? Has it had an impact on both your sleeping life and active life?

My Juno Active mattress is amazing, better than I actually expected it to be and I am definitely sleeping much better. It's crazy how having the right mattress really does make the world of difference.

We all know the feeling of experiencing muscle soreness after a strenuous workout. How do you recover best and how does sleep affect this?

To recover the best possible way I'm making sure to cool down adequately after training, getting the right nutrition and going to bed at a reasonable time. If you don’t sleep well that really sets the tone as to how the rest of your day is going to play out. Being able to get off on the right foot in the morning because you have had a great sleep empowers you to be firing on all cylinders to take on whatever the day brings. Being tired from a bad sleep becomes the flow on effect of an average day for work and play.

Last but not least… What are your five top tips to staying happy, healthy and full energy to support an active lifestyle?

Sleep, nutrition, and exercise are key! Any parent with a new born baby will tell you all they would really love is a few more hours of sleep just to be able to function better. Those who are often sick will tell you they would love to be feeling better. As for exercise, it comes in all shapes and sizes just like we do, so find something that you enjoy doing and do it regularly, get outside and go for a walk, join a sporting club or gym, go swimming, play golf - there are hundreds of activities you can do, just find time to put it into your routine - you deserve it!