Anna Robards shares her tips for staying motivated to exercise in winter

Anna Robards née Heinrich won the heart of Australia’s first lead of The Bachelor, Tim Robards, back in 2013.

The pair officially tied the knot in 2018 and have welcomed two daughters since then, but Robards' dedication to health and wellness has always been at the forefront of her story. 

The mum of two is a proud founder of Intu Wellness, plus she's one half of the women’s health, longevity and beauty focused In Your Skin Podcast. 

Back in 2018, we had the pleasure of sitting down with the beauty founder to discover how she stays motivated to exercise in winter, her top tips for looking awake (when she's struggling to do so), and the beauty essentials she always has stashed in her gym bag. In our opinion her sage advice is timeless...

How do you stay motivated to exercise in winter?

You’ve got to know that just because it’s winter you shouldn’t hibernate, you shouldn’t stop doing exercise. For me, it’s about surrounding yourself with really healthy, positive people who are going to motivate you. Get a personal trainer, and set that alarm and know that you can’t escape it, because you’ve got someone there waiting for you. I find a friend because you don’t want to let them down. I hate letting anybody down, so if I know they’re waiting for me, I will get up and I will be there.

What does your daily exercise routine typically look like?

It depends what I’ve got during the day. I try and incorporate health and fitness into my daily routine. I always take the stairs and walk as much as I can. I might do a gym class in the morning or the afternoon. I might do the Bondi to Bronte, I might do a boxing class, a pump class, I might go outdoors and use the rings. It really varies and I think that’s really important.

Do you have any tips for looking awake when you're exhausted?

A lot of concealer! A green tea in the morning is massive but I think [also] having a shower and waking yourself up. The biggest thing coming into winter is [that] I try not to have a really hot shower because I know that can dry out skin. As much as you want that, it’s probably better to have a cooler shower.

What beauty products do you always keep stashed in your gym bag?

It’s so bad, but I’m someone who’s always loved beauty from a young age. As soon as I get up, pretty much, no matter what I’ve got, I’ll wear makeup. So if I’ve gotten ready for the day and I know I’m going to be exercising in the afternoon, it’s not something I feel like I need to take off.

I think it’s really important to use a waterproof mascara, and I use the hair ties that don’t create dents — I love those. Blistex ($6.49 from Priceline) — I always have that in my beauty bag!

At the moment I’m using a foundation called Too Faced Born This Way ($79 from MECCA), I’ve been using it for a while but I love it. Before that I loved Armani [Beauty] Luminous Silk Foundation ($99.20 from Adore Beauty).

Gimme Brow! by Benefit ($39.20 from Adore Beauty) is so easy to apply and it makes a massive, massive difference.  And I think smelling good is important. I’ve been using YSL Mon Paris ($115.20 from Adore Beauty), and that’s quite nice.

Love to know how other women tackle exercise? Miranda Kerr just revealed the secret to getting abs like a 2000s Victoria’s Secret Angel.

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