Pro Athlete and Olympian Georgia Hunter Bell reveals the products and practices that get her through the day.

I am a morning person – it’s my favourite time of the day. When I used to juggle working a full-time corporate job with training, I had to wake up at 5.30am to train before work, and that was really hard, especially in the winter. But now, as a professional, I won’t have to train until 10am, so I wake up around 8.30-8.45.

I have a ginger shot, and then I have a ProBio ‘ProBlend’ probiotic drink, which gives me all the vitamins for the day. It’s specifically for pro athletes – the supplements we take have to be Informed Sports Certified to ensure there’s no contamination because we get drug tested all the time. 

Then I’ll go back to bed with a coffee and some yogurt, fruit, and peanut butter. I’ll read in bed for half an hour before I have to get up and go exercise. It feels very indulgent and is such a nice way to start the day. George [my husband] obviously hates it when he has to get up and do stuff and I’m just having a lovely morning. It feels like a Sunday morning, but every morning!

I always have a book on the go, and that’s what I like to read in the morning. I try not to go on social media until I’ve done my first workout of the day, so usually not until lunchtime. That’s something I started doing recently, and I’ve been really liking it. I set myself a daily time limit on social media of 45 minutes to spend on Instagram and TikTok – you’d be amazed how quickly that goes! I get a reminder that comes through saying I’ve had my 45 minutes and to close the app. My mood is a lot worse if I spend a lot of time scrolling.

After I’ve gone back to bed, read, and had my breakfast, I’ll head out for my first workout at around 9.30-10am. That’s either a track session or a tempo session on the road, so volume ranges from anywhere between six to 10 miles of work. Then I’ll come back, shower, and have lunch. At home I usually have an omelette with loads of veggies, or if I’m eating out, I’ll have a big salad bowl with protein. Then I’ll do a bit of admin before taking a nap ahead of my second workout.

I always wear makeup when I train. I think it’s because I always wear makeup when I race. I feel like if I look good, it makes me feel like I can do it and that I’m more powerful. In the morning, I use The Inkey List ‘Hyaluronic Acid Serum’ for hydration, and I’ll do minimal makeup. I never leave the house without the bareMinerals foundation powder and Charlotte Tilbury’s ‘Pillow Talk’ medium lip liner, some bronzer, and a bit of mascara. I use the REFY setting spray and always spritz that on my face to hold my makeup together. It all takes about five minutes. 

The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid Serum – £9

bareMinerals Barepro 24HR Skin-Perfecting Powder Foundation – £37.50

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Medium Lip Cheat – £22

REFY Face Setter – £22

I recently started using the Wonderskin lip stain, which is all over TikTok. It looks so funny when you put it on because your lips look blue, but then you rub or peel it off and it’s such a nice lip stain. If I’m exercising and it’s raining or if I’m out for three hours or something, it will always stay on.

I always fake tan before big races. I really like the Filter by Molly-Mae, or Bondi Sands is usually more accessible if I’m travelling. It’s so funny because running is so glam. The girls that we compete against look like supermodels on the start line. Getting ready in that hour before I leave for a race is like my ritual to get in the zone. Then I turn up and feel like a million dollars and try to race as fast as I can. I also always have mini Le Labo fragrances in my training bag for when I’m out on the go (Thé Noir or Santal 33) and Jo Malone scents in the house

When I come back from my first workout I take a shower. I use The Ordinary products to take off my makeup, and then every three days I’ll wash my hair, usually with Olaplex. It takes me an hour or so to dry and style it, and I use GHDs to do some loose curls and then brush it out. When I’m in the shower, I obviously want to completely cleanse. I’ve been using the Sol De Janeiro body wash, which smells so nice. I’ll then reapply the same makeup before I head out for my next workout, which is usually going to the gym for two hours to do strength and conditioning.

In the evening, I’ll always have a bath. I’ll light some candles, use some NEOM bubble bath, and I’ll have some electrolytes in a wine glass to make it feel nice [laughs]. Humantra or SIS ones are really good. I find it quite hard to drink water and I definitely don’t drink enough, but I’ll always try and have a few glasses a day with electrolytes to make sure I’m getting the salts and replenishing my body. 

I’ll use the Bioderma Micellar water to take off my makeup, I’ll cleanse with The Ordinary, use BYOMA’s toner and moisturiser, and then I’ll use the Dr. Dennis Gross LED mask. I use the red light for ageing, and the blue light for breakouts, and I’ll sit with that on for about 10 minutes. I’ve also recently been using the Mario Badescu ‘Drying Lotion’ if I have any blemishes.

Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar Water – £21

BYOMA Hydrating Milky Toner – £12

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion – £17

Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro – £465

Dinner is usually some variation of chicken or salmon with rice and vegetables. Every Saturday night, once we’ve got to the end of the week of training, George and I will have a date night, or I’ll go out for dinner with friends. That’s where I can eat what I want and have a glass of wine, so I always look forward to that time because you need a bit of balance. I love a pizza with a glass of Pinot Noir, but you can’t be doing it every night if you’re a pro athlete.

I love just unwinding in the evening with George, that’s the part of the day I look forward to the most.  He’s a much better chef than me, but I love cooking dinner together and then watching a show or something. If it’s the weekend, we have a slow morning doing a crossword in bed with some coffee. That’s the highlight of my day. Can you tell that we just got married? [Laughs].

We’ve got these Normatec boots, which look like massive moon boots, which are really good if you’re watching TV as they put different pressure on your body to help you recover. 

There’s definitely a lot of external pressure, because my job is very public. If you’re expected to win something and you don’t, everyone can see and comment. There’s a lot going on, but the racing is really fun, so I genuinely look forward to the competition, which makes a big difference. 

At the moment – and I hope it stays this way – I don’t get anxiety around racing. I get a lot of excitement from it, but I’ve had to set myself quite clear boundaries. It can seem kind of selfish, but in the run-up to big races – like last year ahead of the Olympics, for example – I had to say no to so many important things like weddings and family occasions. It’s not because I’m doing anything else, it’s because I’m literally resting and going to bed early to make sure I don’t get sick and stuff. A younger version of myself would feel like I had to say yes to everything, whereas now I know that this is the sacrifice it takes to be there.

words by Frankie Jabarkhyl