In a world where passions intertwine and diverse experiences shape our paths, we encounter individuals like Alex Sheep, whose journey navigates the realms of fitness, travel, and a unique blend of interests. In this interview, Yummy delves into the life and perspectives of Alex Sheep, a personal trainer, full-time online fitness coach, and an advocate for a dynamic lifestyle.
From his teenage years in the UK to his current nomadic lifestyle, Alex has crafted a narrative that seamlessly weaves together his passion for fitness, love for various sports, appreciation for food, and candid outlook on life.
Join us as we delve into his personal and professional voyage, exploring the intersections of his diverse passions and the insights he has gathered along the way.
The images are cropped/ made safe for online purposes, full images available inside Yummyzine Issue Three
Photo story by SASHA OLSEN
ADRIAN GOMIS EXPOSITO. Hi Alex! What a pleasure having you on Yummy! First off, could you briefly tell us about your teenage years in Leeds, UK, and what was it like growing up there?
ALEX SHEEP. No problem at all, thank you for having me! It was a great experience to model for Yummy. My teenage years were spent in Bradford, a small town beside Leeds itself. I had a relatively normal teenage life; I wasn't very academic, but I loved languages and sports, so I pursued those subjects specifically as I went into college and finally University. I loved football, loved rugby, and everything athletic!
A.G.E. You're a personal trainer and full-time online fitness coach. Where does your passion for fitness stem from? Is there a specific motivation behind your work?
A.S. My passion for fitness actually stems from injury! My original passion was to be an academy-level football and/or rugby coach, and that’s what I studied for at University, along with gaining many qualifications to teach it along the way. I had a bad knee injury playing rugby where all three cruciate ligaments were torn and my knee was turned to mush. After being told I couldn’t play either sport again, I started training at the gym, fell in love with the progression element of it, and realized I could combine it with my love for people and teaching, and the rest is history!
A.G.E. Thanks to your remote work, you get to live in different countries like Bali, which sounds pretty exciting. How has experiencing various cultures and environments influenced your approach to fitness coaching and your personal fitness routines, and what’s it like working anywhere in the world?
A.S. Travelling has its pros and cons with fitness. It's great to experience new environments, cultures, weather, people, food, etc., so as a general rule of life, I'd recommend to people that they travel as much as possible. However, with fitness, a huge part of the success of fitness is consistency and routine. Eating the same foods, doing the same workouts, having the same daily habits, etc., so travelling and fitness don't really complement each other, so it's been difficult, and I can safely say I'd have more success with my own fitness being at home in one place in the UK, but travelling and living life is more of a priority to me.
A.G.E. Your childhood was divided between a passion for football and spending time in the kitchen. How do these seemingly different interests intersect?
A.S. They're both combined by parental influence. My mother is a chef, and my father was a professional footballer. They had an equal responsibility in my childhood, so my interest in food and sports has an almost 50-50 split in importance!
A.G.E. Name your favourite dish to prepare and the one you always order.
A.S. Oh man, that's tricky. It really does depend on the day and where I am! If I’m in Venice I'm definitely not ordering a burger, and if I’m in Bali I'm definitely not ordering Pizza. A very consistent cuisine for me will always be either Greek or Mexican though, so I’m going to go with either souvlaki or enchiladas.
A.G.E. Many people struggle to keep a balance between work and hobbies. How do you manage to juggle your busy schedule as a fitness coach with your commitment to staying active and participating in various sports?
A.S. I think, fortunately, fitness for me is both a hobby and a job at the same time. So, while I’m in the gym performing workouts for myself, I’m simultaneously filming tutorials for clients and walking them through the same exercises, so there are a lot of crossovers. Other than that, my hours are low! I don’t strive to work 60-hour weeks, so I have a client cap to ensure that I still get to prioritize all the things I want to do in life such as traveling, socializing, and playing sports!
A.G.E. What’s the best tip you could give to a person who wants to be fit? What’s the first step to living a healthy and fit life?
A.S. Reduce obstacles. Make things easy. Don’t try to overhaul your entire life. Going from working out 0 times per week to 5 is like trying to stop smoking by going cold turkey; you’re making it as difficult as you possibly can right from the get-go. If you want the best chance of maintaining those habits, you need to start small. If you’re currently not going to the gym at all or eating lots of highly processed unhealthy food, maybe start out by walking 5k steps a day for a week. Then maybe increase that to 7.5-10, then you can try a gym session once per week, then twice, etc. Food-wise, simply switch to fat-free/sugar-free alternatives to what you already eat. You don’t want these new habits to feel any different from what you’re already doing.
A.G.E. Your shooting with Sahsa for Yummy is really cool. What was this experience for you like?
A.S. Interesting! I’ve only ever modelled for the university before for my course ambassador role; this was a little bit different. It was a lovely feeling to feel like the shoot was entirely about you in an appreciative way, rather than one ambassador for another brand. I’m comfortable being naked around others, so that wasn’t a problem; I like being in front of a camera!
A.G.E. What does the word “yummy” mean to you?
A.S. The word definitely translates differently depending on whoever’s using it. Below the age of 18, for me it’s food-related. A warm, homey style description of food. As an adult, however, it’s people. If someone is yummy, they look borderline edible, in a more sexualized description. Non-derogatory, I think it’s really complimentary!
A.G.E. How do you feel about nudity?
A.S. If it was socially acceptable to be more nude, I would be. I spend as much time as I can with little clothes on, and I am completely comfortable with others doing the same. In the modern-day world, we have such little exposure to nudity, and given that sexual activity is decreasing among younger adults, they could do with seeing more nudity overall, otherwise, their only exposure
A.G.E. What makes you feel sexy? What do you find attractive about other people?
A.S. Words, language, noise. A person’s sex appeal to me comes largely from how expressive they are. A language barrier means nothing for a person’s sexuality to me. But an expression barrier? If someone’s facial expressions, tone of voice, vocabulary when speaking, etc., are mundane, then it’s a no. I like to be spoken to, and I like to see the ‘wow’ in someone’s expressions when we’re interacting. That’s sexy for me.
A.G.E. When it comes to sexual interaction, do you have any preferences to make it a mind-blowing experience? What’s important for you in sex?
A.S. Honestly, the above! I’m indifferent to sex positions, environment, music, etc. I just want the other person to be expressive and enjoy it. A large part of that, I guess, comes down to chemistry though. I’ve never had good sex with someone I haven’t had good chemistry with, and vice versa.
A.G.E. Looking ahead, you mentioned your desire to continue your current lifestyle in various countries. How do you envision your coaching business evolving over time? Do you have any plans to incorporate your love for sports and food into your future ventures?
A.S. I think this current stage of my life is all about figuring out where I want to be. I know I love my job, I know which hobbies I like, which people I like, and what my non-negotiables in life need to be. I just need to work out which culture, which climate, which people, and which space fulfils those needs for me. So until that point, I’m just going to keep doing exactly what I’m doing and see what I find!
FIN
Find Alex on Instagram: @anabolic_sheep and photographer @sashaxolsen
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