The former child star has quietly rebuilt her health around ritual, nature and joyful movement. Her routine costs little, runs on intuition, and keeps pressure low. It’s a candid rethink of fitness that asks you to move for feeling, not for likes.
From stage lights to sunrise rituals
Years after stepping back from the spotlight, Church has rooted herself in mid‑Wales at Rhydoldog House, the former home of Laura Ashley. She’s turned 47 acres of woodland and water into The Dreaming, a retreat focused on softening the nervous system, not punishing the body. The setting guides her week: she walks, sings, reads by the sea, and moves when energy rises rather than when an app pings.
Mornings start early. She sits at an altar, journals, sings and sets intentions. It’s quiet work that shapes the rest of the day. When she wants cardio, she doesn’t lace up for a jog. She turns up the volume and heads out to greet the sun with a dance.
Her only form of cardio she actually enjoys: big music, barefaced dawns and dancing the sun up.
A 47-acre rethink of success
Church has reframed wellness as the capacity to face the heavy parts of life — grief, burnout, injustice — while still making room for joy. That reframing shows up in her calendar. She strips tasks away rather than stacking them, stops when energy dips, and lets silence do some of the lifting.
Move for joy, not for metrics
Her philosophy is plain: movement should regulate, not dominate. Singing, dancing and long walks in wild places set her rhythm. On lively days, she builds an impromptu playlist and treats the coastline as her studio. On slow days, she reads and rests without guilt. No monthly membership. No leaderboard. No rush hour commute.
£0 movement, maximum mood: sing to settle your breath, walk to clear your head, dance to lift your pulse.
The only way she’ll “do cardio”
Church is frank about it: structured cardio bores her. Dancing at dawn does not. The beat pulls her in, the sun gives her a finish line, and the sea breeze turns it into a ritual. Physiologically, that choice makes sense. Fast, rhythmical full‑body movement drives heart rate, builds leg stamina and coordinates breath — the essence of cardiovascular training — without feeling like a chore.
- Dawn playlist plus freeform dancing = 20–30 minutes of steady cardio
- Nature walks for 30–60 minutes, most days
- Sea swims when conditions allow, for mood and cold‑water stimulus
- Short breathwork blocks to settle the nervous system
- Writing, singing and quiet ritual to mark the day
Do less to feel better
She’s cut the clutter from her to‑do list. That means fewer commitments, smaller notebooks instead of packed diaries, and clear boundaries around rest and play. She once feared being alone. Now solitude is the fuel, not the threat. A greasy burger on her own, a bracing swim, a chapter by the water — these are acts of recovery, not escape.
When the list shrinks, recovery grows. Rest, solitude and play are now non‑negotiables.
Boundaries that actually stick
Church lives with ADHD and treats her phone like an energy leak. She blocks social media for five or six days at a time, then checks in on her own terms. That single habit reduces dopamine spikes from endless scrolling, steadies attention, and makes room for the rituals that keep her grounded.
| Then | Now |
|---|---|
| Overfilled diary, constant work | Minimal planning, protected rest |
| Scrolling all day | 5–6 days blocked at a time |
| Gym by default | Walks, dance, sea swims |
| Chasing plans | Following energy and mood |
Forget the fads, keep what works
Her experiments haven’t always landed. She once tried Kangoo — a high‑bounce routine done in spring‑loaded boots — at 6am. It was meant to help battered knees, but the novelty wore thin. The lesson stuck: if it feels contrived, it won’t last.
What did last for a while was support from a close friend and trainer who mixed personal training with massage, qigong, reiki and advanced breathing. They met about once a fortnight. Sessions sometimes featured high‑intensity intervals; sometimes they focused on recovery and flow. That hybrid approach helped her build a base without burning out.
Habits you can steal this week
You don’t need 47 acres or a studio team. You need a few anchors and a bit of honesty about what you’ll repeat.
- Pick a £0 daily regulator: 20 minutes of walking or singing reduces tension and steadies breathing.
- Schedule joy, not just effort: one sunrise dance or swim each week beats three grudging workouts.
- Block your biggest distraction for 3–5 days; notice what you do with the time.
- Keep a tiny notebook. If a task can’t fit on one page, it’s too big for today.
- Choose one energy practice: breathwork, qigong or a simple stretch flow.
Why this approach holds up
Dance checks the cardio box. It hits 60–80% of maximum heart rate with fewer aches than running, especially if you move on forgiving ground. Walking builds daily expenditure through NEAT — the calories you burn outside formal exercise — which keeps weight stable and mood steadier. Short cold‑water dips may sharpen alertness and improve stress resilience, provided you acclimatise and stay within safe conditions.
The routine works because pressure is low and pleasure is high. Enjoyment increases adherence. Adherence builds fitness. Fitness improves mood. Mood makes the next session likely. That loop is the real programme.
No monthly fee, no turnstiles, no guilt. Just rhythm, daylight and repeatable habits.
Safety and smart tweaks
If you try sea swimming, check local tides, enter with company, and keep dips short in cold months. Warm up fully after with layers and a hot drink. If dancing at dawn, choose flat ground and supportive shoes if you have joint niggles. For phone boundaries, use app limits or full device downtime to remove choice fatigue.
Extra ideas to deepen the reset
Turn one dance session into interval play: three songs easy, one song hard, repeat for 20 minutes. Add a breath cadence — four counts in, six out — during walks to dial down stress. If you miss structure, book a fortnightly check‑in with a trainer or bodyworker to adjust form and keep curiosity alive.
Pair rituals with cues. Light a candle before journalling. Put trainers by the door at night for a morning walk. Save a “sunrise playlist” so you can start moving before thoughts get noisy. The point isn’t perfection. It’s building a week that you’ll actually live in.
Dawn dancing as cardio? I might acutally try this—no gym fee, no guilt.