Meet 24 year old Canadian, Sophie Gray of Way of Gray! She’s a blonde sweetheart who loves chai lattes, chocolates and is accompanied by her cocker spaniel Rio!
Known popularly as Way of Gray, Sophie Gray is a social media star based in Edmonton, and has created a name for herself in the world of fitness and through her tutorials on easy to do exercises as well as recipes. Sophie has also been a firm believer of self care and self love!
She is an RHN Holistic Nutritionist & Certified Personal Trainer and President & CEO of WayofGray. The overall goal? Creating a plan for fitness that is sustainable, simple and easy.
disclaimer: Some details have been updated to match the current year, but interview and facts remain unchanged.
Interview with Sophie :
Hi Sophie! Let’s start with you telling us a little bit about yourself (besides Way of Gray, fitness and what we know you for)
I’m Sophie Gray, a 24 year old and I live in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. I’m the youngest of 3 girls, and my family and I are extremely close! My parents are Scottish so I have a little bit of an accent.
I live by myself with my cocker spaniel named Rio. Everyone says we look alike because we’re both blonde and I have super thick hair. Plus, he has super thick fur!
I love chai lattes and chocolate. Also, I drive 20 minutes essentially every day to get my favorite chai latte with almond milk!
What was the turning point for you to decide to expand into Youtube from your popular Sophie Gray Instagram account
I really want to be in as many places as possible and reach as many people as possible. I thought YouTube was the logical route!
For me, I love creating content, and sharing that content with my audience. With YouTube, I was able to do that! People absorb information in numerous different ways. Some like to read articles, and some like videos. I am very mindful of my audience and wanted to ensure that those who prefer videos over text were getting the information in the simplest way possible. I had been saying I was going to start a channel for over a year. Finally, I decided to buckle down, work with a production company here in Edmonton and dedicate myself to the channel. It has been so much fun so far!
Was this the direction you intended to take with your Instagram account or did it somehow morph into a fitness and health hub?
Initially I started my profile to document my model portfolio.
At first, I was sharing photos from photo-shoots I did, but started to upload workout pictures and the meals I was eating. People took a huge interest in that, and before I knew it, I had built a page and resource for people curious about healthy living.
You talk about creating sustainable fitness, without always having to go to the gym. I am a prime example of somebody who doesn’t like going to the gym! Any advice you have for me?
Preparation is key.
If we take the time to meal plan once a week and prep our meals for the week, we’d be pleasantly surprised at how much easier it was to stay on track with our meals.
I find that I personally slip up on my diet the most when I have a busy day and I haven’t properly planned my meals. It’s much easier to reach for something unhealthy when you’re too busy to think, let alone cook something up or find something healthy. By having healthy snacks with you, you set yourself up for success! I like to schedule my workouts just as I would with a business meeting or even dentist appointment. This way, you’re making a commitment to yourself and your health.
Just like with anything, you have time for the things you make a priority. I definitely think your health should be one the top of that list.
How do you remain focused all the time?
I found that when I took the focus away from how I looked, and on the other benefits of exercising, I always found the motivation. I workout because I know how incredible it is for ones mood. When you’re stressed, it’s really easy to tell yourself you can skip your workout because your six pack can wait. That said, when you start to view exercise and eating well, as the tools that can help you better handle your stress – you’ll find the motivation sticks around!
Because Sophie Gray- Way of Gray revolves around fitness and everyday health, do you feel the pressure to stick to an exercise regime?
Even though Way of Gray revolves around exercising and eating well, the largest takeaway from my page is that I’m only human. My goal is to be as real as possible with my audience!
By having this “real girl” approach, and making it clear that I like pizza and Netflix, I remove the guilt if I allow myself a day off or a not so healthy meal!
Have there been crazy pizza moments?
I. Love. Pizza. Haha! Yes of course! I
personally don’t believe in the term “cheat meal.” I like to view all the meals for what they are – food.
I think by referring to certain meals as “cheat meals” you’re giving the food so much power over you to feel bad about yourself. Way of Gray is about a lifestyle, not a quick fix or fad diet – and with ones lifestyle, pizza happens along with green smoothies and workouts. It’s all about balance!
The recipes you share look and sound DELICIOUS! Are these trial and error recipes or something you’ve been inspired from by others to do?
I have personally accepted that I’m not the most creative in the kitchen. For that reason, all of the recipes I share are from other foodies. Foodies who know what they’re doing in the kitchen!
For my program, I team up with different recipe creators through Instagram who post the most incredible recipes. I believe credit should be given where credit is due. With the recipes in my eBooks, I love being able to share pages I follow and love!
Favourite recipe in your book?
Before I adopted this lifestyle – the Brownie Batter Blizzard from DQ was my fave! Also one of the incredible foodies I work with. They created a healthy version.
It is plant based and gluten free and delicious! You can find the recipe in the Drinks eBook and then the dessert one for the chunks of brownies you put in it! So delicious!
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I’m on a fitness journey myself as well, and wanted to share some items that caught my eye!
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till next time, xoxo
Samantha