If anybody can keep up a daily workout streak during a global pandemic, it’s Charlotte Voisey.
The global head of ambassadors for Scottish liquor company William Grant & Sons has exercised every morning for the last 14 years. “When I became a brand ambassador, one of the hardest adjustments was going from a daily clockwork routine as a bar manager to a role with no routine, where no two days would ever be the same,” she says. “I quickly realized that if routine is the breeder of good habits, I needed to take control of my daily life and instil an exercise regime.”
That even includes the week every summer she normally spends in New Orleans for the annual Tales of the Cocktail convention—an event traditionally known for its late nights, open bars and carousing. (Tales of the Cocktail will be virtual this year.) While Voisey seems to be everywhere, hosting giant parties, giving lectures and conducting tastings, what has always impressed me is that she still starts her day in the gym.
While she has had to alter her routine due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, she still exercises every day. Read on for her Workout Diary.
I get out by 8 AM on the weekend, since the waterside running paths in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where I live are quieter earlier and I can keep a healthy six feet from the dog walkers and other runners.
10k (6.2 miles) takes me approximately 50 minutes, sometimes a little more. I know this because I am part of the Reyka Runners group on the Strava app, which tracks all my runs. It breaks down the details of my activity as well as that of my fellow Reyka Vodka loving buddies. The group was started by my colleague Fabiano Latham in London in order to champion wellness and encourage exercise among our industry community.
Then around 6 PM, I do a 90-minute hot yoga sequence at home.
I have been practicing hot yoga in the Bikram style for about 10 years and started ramping up my frequency about 5 years ago to where I now seek it out every day. Yoga to the People (YTTP) in Brooklyn is my studio, as anyone who follows me on Facebook already knows. They are currently closed but they continue to offer virtual classes on Instagram (@yogatothepeople) and on YouTube. They are accepting donations to support their teachers and the studios, and I donate in line with what I normally spend on my classes. They have given me so much and greatly helped my physical and mental wellbeing, so I want to be able to support them now.
By now you might be thinking I should have more variety in my exercise. If I could jump on an elliptical, lift some light weights for my arms or, better still, jump in a swimming pool and do laps, I would. But I am #stayinghome and keeping a routine that allows me to monitor my performance everyday, comparing apples to apples, so I might notice if anything changes with my health. Having a routine and knowing I can run 10K and practice hot yoga each day is reassuring to me right now when health is the priority.
I don’t listen to anything when I run. It is my time to think and in the mornings I find I have space to organize what I need to achieve for the day. It affords a little time to frame an argument or seek out a fresh perspective on something that I might have been trying to battle out on my computer.
I prefer to run in the sunshine. Growing up in London it is no surprise that my body craves vitamin D. These days I run with a cloth mask over my face and gloves. I err on the side of warm clothing, so as not to get caught out if the weather turns.
When not on lockdown, I enjoy going to the gym, especially if it is raining. My standard gym routine is an hour of cardio, usually on the elliptical, and then I have a 10-minute light weights sequence for my arms, which I adapted from a Cindy Crawford workout video I used to follow when I was sixteen. (I am not going to admit that it was a VHS videotape!)
Today, I instead do a 10K run and 90 minutes of hot yoga.
I had never done yoga at home before March 17, which was my quarantine day zero. That day I bought two small heaters and a humidifier for my bedroom. Together, they simulate the YTTP hot studio and allow me to continue the practice I have come to rely on for both physical and mental strength.
Each evening after yoga, I juice an apple, beet, carrot and some ginger, and have a light dinner.
Guess what?
My Workout Diary features the fitness regiments of bartenders, chefs, distillers and brand ambassadors.
Interview has been condensed and edited.
