Popular TV host Sonia Kruger said she never paid attention to her health and fitness when she was younger but now realizes the importance of good food and exercise. Sonia Kruger is the first to admit that she was never someone to turn to for advice about health and fitness in her younger years. The voice host has been a regular on our TV screens for years, but behind the scenes, her life was all “pizza and champagne”, and a good night’s sleep was unheard of. But her approach to her health has changed massively since the arrival of her daughter Maggie in 2015, so much so that she launched her own fitness and nutritional program, Strictly You, in 2019. And champagne and pizza are nowhere to be seen. “We keep learning about our bodies as we age,” she says.
“I know now that I need good sleep and healthy food. “There were days in my younger years when I would never cook because I was always out and survived on pizza and champagne, but now I take a much more measured approach. “I try to eat as well as I can, and I’ve learned along the way about good food and nutrition, but it wasn’t until I created the fitness website that I could list out my favorite foods along with our kitchen team.” She’ll soon find herself hosting Big Brother VIP, but should the cameras ever find their way into Kruger’s home, she says the viewing wouldn’t be so exciting.
Forget the yelling matches and hissy fits she’ll be guiding us through on telly; at her place, you’re more likely to find Kruger unwinding in a warm bath with a good book. “I am used to juggling a bit, so there’s a lot to think about – whether that be parenting, working, or looking after myself and our household. I try not to worry about everything at once, and I think segregating tasks and chores helps you focus on one thing and stops you from feeling stressed or overwhelmed,” she says. “Often when I’m working, it’s a high-energy environment, so I’m buzzing when I finish and can sometimes find it hard to wind down. “I have a few remedies for that, including a bath, a book, or a TV show I’m bingeing.”
Sonia Kruger is on…
The best advice she’s ever received
“Recently, a friend and I were talking about how to deal with click-bait stories and negativity on social media, and he said to me, ‘you can’t control what other people write or say, but you know who you are in your own heart and that’s all that truly matters’.”
Morning matters
“The morning is always pretty full-on, but your actions are important, and I think that’s how you set up your day. I always throw on gym gear straight out of bed.”
The power of sleep
“I am a different person after a good night’s sleep. In my 20s, I could survive on less, but I think in this day and age where we pack so much in if we don’t let our bodies and minds rest and reset, we’ll end up in the fetal position by the end. Of the week.”
The five foods she could never live without
“Hard to narrow down! Salmon, nuts, broccoli, cherries, and … hot chips. I’m only human!”
