Welcome to Workout Diaries, a series where we ask expert trainers to talk us through what a week of exercise looks like for them, helping you figure out how to develop and maintain an effective workout routine.
Georgia Testa has always enjoyed working out, but it became central to her recovery after health issues.
The Pilates instructor and Studio 281 founder had skin cancer in 2018, when she was just 22. Three years later, she had a complicated C-section birth.
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“It took me around three years [after the birth] to feel as though I had properly rebuilt myself,” she tells Fit&Well.
Pilates was central to her postpartum recovery: “It taught me to slow down, reconnect with my body and rebuild strength from the foundations rather than trying to rush back to where I’d been before.”
Now, the instructor says she feels stronger than ever, but her definition of fitness has changed.
“It’s much less about pushing myself as hard as possible and more about building a body that is strong, capable and healthy for the long term.”
To maintain that strength, she works out for a minimum of three times a week, for 20 to 45 minutes each time.
“Three proper sessions a week is my non-negotiable. If I manage five [sessions], that’s a brilliant week, but I deliberately don’t tell myself that I have to train five or six times,” she says.
Here’s what an average week looks like for her.
Georgia Testa’s workout diary
Monday
A walk or treadmill session
Tuesday
Hyrox or a functional fitness session
Wednesday
30 minutes of boxing
Thursday
Strength training
Friday
Rest day
Saturday
Hyrox training
Sunday
Rest day
Georgia Testa’s tips for developing an exercise routine
1. Routine over motivation
“I don’t rely on motivation because it naturally comes and goes,” says Testa.
“For me, routine is much more powerful. If I’ve decided Tuesday at 8.30 am is when I train, I try to treat that commitment in the same way I would a work meeting.”
2. Make exercise part of your social life
Testa says that community is a factor that keeps her coming back to work out day after day.
“Training with people you genuinely enjoy being around makes exercise something you look forward to rather than another thing on your to-do list,” she says.
“That’s a huge part of what we try to create at Studio 281.”
3. Identify why exercise is important to you
Testa says her daughter is a driving force behind her fitness.
“I want to have the energy to keep up with her and I want her to grow up seeing that looking after yourself is important,” she says.
“I also want her to grow up seeing exercise as a normal, positive part of life.”
She adds that this means her priorities have shifted to building strength and promoting longevity.
“I want to be strong, mobile and capable for as long as possible and strength training plays a huge part in that.”
4. Variety keeps things interesting
Testa says that varying her routine helps her maintain consistent progress and keeps things interesting.
“Some days I want the energy of a class and to train alongside other people and other days I want to put my headphones on, go for a run or set myself a challenge,” she says.
“Fitness doesn’t have to look exactly the same every day.
“Pilates will always be a huge part of my training—both Reformer and mat—but I also love strength training, running and functional fitness, particularly Hyrox-style sessions.”
5. Build up slowly and sustainably
“People often decide they’re going to completely overhaul their lives and suddenly train five or six times a week,” says Testa.
“It might work for a fortnight, but if it isn’t realistic, eventually something gives and you feel like you’ve failed.”
She advises beginners to commit to two or three achievable sessions a week and build up from there.
“Twenty or thirty minutes absolutely counts. Find movement you enjoy, ideally find people you enjoy doing it with, and focus on consistency rather than perfection,” she says.