Having more than 1 million Instagram followers doesn’t happen overnight. Viral fitness influencer Michie Peachie has dedicated herself to cultivating a community of strong, committed, and health-conscious individuals who are all on the journey to improving their lives through proper exercise and diet.
Michie’s life changed for the better once she began learning about nutrition and physical fitness, and now she’s giving back to others through her incredible programs that bring long-lasting results.
No matter your goals or your experience level, Michie’s mindset is all you need to become the best version of yourself. The fitness guru is all about balance, and encourages her clients to prioritize mental wellness just the same as they do physical wellness. Her other tips include getting enough sleep, maintaining a healthy diet, and most importantly, staying consistent and not giving up on yourself.
Speaking exclusively to GLAMOUR South Africa, Michie opened up about her transformative path to fitness fame, body confidence, setting realistic goals, and how her Instagram following helped her overcome anxiety and believe in herself wholeheartedly.
GLAMOUR: What sparked your passion for fitness and living a healthy lifestyle? Was this always important to you, or did a certain instance in your life inspire it?
Michie Peachie (MP):
I was at a very low point in my life. I was very depressed and living with chronic daily migraines that no doctor could seem to cure. I was taking care of my dying dad (my best friend and rock) and drowning in medical debt. I had very low self esteem and a strong hate for my body and the way I looked.
I had to wear kids sizes in shorts because I had no butt or hips and was very skinny. Eventually the day came that my father died while I held him in my arms in the hospital..I felt defeated by life. I crumbled and became a “shut in,” afraid to leave my home. I hated myself and was embarrassed of my body. I would dream of what it was like to look the way other women did in photos and what it would be like to be strong and confident. I finally had enough and decided to take control of my life.
I sat down and started researching all I could about health, fitness and nutrition. I cleared out my fridge, stocked it with healthy foods, bought the cheapest home exercise equipment I could find and started my fitness journey. My life has never been the same since. I have gained almost 30 pounds of muscle over the years and transformed my body. The greatest part of my fitness journey is not the physical but mental transformation it has given me.
I set out thinking that if I change my appearance on the outside I would feel better about myself. Over time I learned that fitness and healthy nutrition strengthened my mentally and and gave me a new and improved positive self esteem and outlook on life.
GLAMOUR: What is your current fitness regimen, and your nutrition plan you use to stay in shape?
MP:
Currently I am trying to build muscle. I usually switch between trying to gain targeted muscle and maintain muscle while decreasing body fat. Often it is referred to as “bulking” and “leaning”. Right now I am working lower body 3 days per week, upper body 2 days per week and one day of plyo / cardio. Most of my lifts are in the 6 to 10 rep range and with a weight that I will hit close to failure on my last rep. My nutrition is always clean eating.
Chicken breast, 99% lean turkey and flank steak for proteins. Yams and rice for carbs. Broccoli and asparagus for veggies. I give myself at least one cheat meal of whatever I want each week. My macros vary depending on my goals. If I am bulking my carbs are higher and if I am leaning my carbs are lower.
Macro ratios are very important to hit your goals. Finally, and one of the most important aspects of my fitness regimen is rest. I always can tell a huge difference in my results and performance when I’m getting lots of rest vs no getting rest.
GLAMOUR: What one thing do you never skip in your workout?
MP:
I have to have two answers for this one. On lower body day I never skip hip thrust and hip abductions. They are key to my booty building goals.
GLAMOUR: How would you describe your philosophy on health and fitness, and how has it evolved?
MP:
You build yourself on the inside by building yourself on the outside. Whatever is going on inside, manifests on the outside and vice versa. To me, a fitness journey is a medicine to a lot of ailments. Just like myself, I have watched it transform people’s whole lives.
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A post shared by 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐄(@michie_peachie) on Jan 24, 2020 at 4:23pm PST
It’s amazing what falls into place when we just turn our focus inwards and stop neglecting our bodies.If you were in charge of your best friend's health, what would you feed them and how would you make sure they exercised ? And why would that answer be any different for the way you treat yourself? The relationship you have with yourself, is essentially you seeing yourself as two people who are best friends.
Take a lesson from my Dad who had these regrets before he passed. My dad was like a superhero but he had a tendency to be extreme with his diet, he was so passionate about being a marathoner. I was beyond proud. But he learned in the end that maybe a little more of the “bad stuff” was worth it. Still let yourself have a balance so you can eat the bad things in moderation and still make it to social outings with loved ones.
GLAMOUR: Who or what gives you the most inspiration and motivation to achieve your fitness goals?
MP:
Myself. I track my progress weekly, I love to go back and see the changes I’ve made over the years. I challenge myself to see how I can further continue to improve myself, my health and quality of life through fitness.
GLAMOUR: What is the best fitness advice you have ever received, and from whom?
MP:
I had a coach many years ago, who taught me the importance of consistency. There is no making up for things when it comes to fitness. You can’t skip a week and then think you’ll go overtime the next week. Your body thrives from that consistent diet, routine, and timely managed changes that are planned in a consistent manner. Your body will see better results if you choose one type of exercise program and stick with it consistently for two months before you switch it up, rather than switch to a different idea each week or take breaks and try to “make up” for it later.
GLAMOUR: What specific fitness goal are you currently focused on?
MP: I’m currently working on building a bigger outer sweep which would be the outer sides of the quads and bigger shoulders. I am 100% happy with my body but always trying to improve. Goals like building my outer sweep are an exciting challenge for me to strive for because genetically my body doesn’t grow much of an outer sweep. I don’t need it, but the feeling of achieving just a little of the impossible from hard work is so gratifying.
GLAMOUR: What's the best way for someone to motivate herself to get fit?
MP:
Face your dreams. I tell clients to consistently remind themselves about what they want and why they’re doing this for. I always recommend making a dream board, putting together photos of what your goals look like. Look at that dream board everyday. If you can remind yourself of why you are doing something it will always be easier than just telling yourself how to do it.
GLAMOUR: One of the key elements for staying consistent with working out is accountability. Who keeps you accountable for working out consistently?
MP:
My husband! He doesn't sugar coat things and he always has my back. He tells me how it is when I need to hear it because he knows how important this is to me. I’m so grateful for his love and support.
GLAMOUR: What tips would you give to someone wanting to live a more healthy lifestyle?
MP:
Look to reputable sources for your information. Don’t try to do it by yourself like i initially did, i didn’t want to reach out for help in the beginning. All i did was make it harder for myself by putting myself through a lot of trial and error as i learned the hard way. I don’t regret this because I LEARNED A LOT and use some of that knowledge with my clients today.
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GLAMOUR: You’re currently working on your custom workouts and nutrition plans, can you give a brief overview on what these are going to consist of and what inspired you to use certain methods to help people get in shape?
MP:
Yes, I have developed what I wish I had for myself before I became a trainer! I’ve learned so many lessons of what works and what doesn’t and spent years testing and developing different types of programs. Everyone’s body and goals are totally unique and a cookie cutter program will only get someone so far. There are so many apps and “programs” out there that are just generic one size fits all programs that are all hype and no substance.
My new custom workout and nutrition program gives me the ability to provide each client a customized nutrition and workout program based on a variety of variables unique to them. IT takes into account what your goals are, current experience level, access to gym or home equipment, dietary restriction and a variety of other personal selections unique to each person. The result is a program that is customized to each person for optimum results.
I also have a private community group that all my girls have access to so we can support each other. I do live Q&A sessions weekly. Each client also has a review every 4 weeks to check progress and make any changes that may be needed. There is a lot of bonus stuff and exclusive content for clients also. Anyone that is ready to start their fitness journey can sing up at www.michiepeachie.com
GLAMOUR: What's something most people may not know about you?
MP:
Instagram helped me to battle my social anxiety. Once I was gaining self confidence and wasn’t a “shut in” anymore, I was doing better but still unable to do activities with large crowds. I didn’t do social media. A few years ago, a friend made an instagram for me. As I posted more exercise content my following grew. It was flattering and exciting but also terrifying. I had a panic attack every time i posted and I’ll never forget the day that I hit 60k followers.
I broke down in legitimate panic. It all sounds horrible, but what was happening was I was facing my fears and anxiety everyday by posting and putting myself out there. I silently struggled but was determined to fight the irrational fears of my social anxiety, until I was stronger. And I’m glad I did it. Today I have 1.2m and I see all my followers as my friends and support group for each other. I Ilove meeting new girls and chatting with them in comments or DMs and sometimes even in person.
Sometimes I forget how large my following is and get startled when someone recognizes me in public. It is so humbling when a girl approaches me and tells me how I helped them on their journey. So many times I get messages from girls that say they saw me somewhere and were two nervous to approach me. If you see me in public and want to say hi, please do! I love connecting with my girls. We all have to support each other.
