Some of My Favourites

“Failure is temporary, giving up makes it permanent"

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Today's Motivation

“True success comes to those who strive for greatness without surrendering to defeat. You can overcome anything when you possess the unstoppable drive to do so."

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Food For Thought...

"When something bad happens you have three choices - you can let it define you, let it destroy you, or let it strengthen you."

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Today's Motivation

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm"

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More Nutritional Ideas

Another great eating guideline is below:

Really, losing weight, building lean muscles and reaching your goal body comes down to science. It's a calculation game and it pays to learn about what essentials your body needs and thrives from. 

And for those nut lovers, the break down of all the nuts you eat. Knowledge is power guys! 

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that these is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle." Christian Larson. 

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My Nutritional Plan

I thought I’d share the nutritional lifestyle that I follow on a daily basis. I believe that having the body you want, and reaching your optimal health level is based on 80% diet and 20% exercise. Eating clean is vital for a healthy body and mind.

Below is an outline of what I will consume on a daily basis. I try and eat 5 meals per day (yes meals because if you are eating the correct foods for your body you can eat around 5-6 correctly portioned meals per day). You’ll also notice the diet is heavy in vegetables over fruit. This is an active choice of mine as I find I drop weight more easily when there is less fructose in my system, as it is not then being stored as excess fat.

My diet is based on a the Paleo style of eating, that is made up of mostly organic or grain feed meats, lots of vegetables, roots, nuts and limits or excludes entirely legumes, dairy, salt, refined sugars and carbohydrates and processed oils. The carbohydrates I consume come from my vast quantities of vegetables and from my protein shake (3.1g per 100g, serving size 30g).

Meal 1 –

160g Chicken breast with handful of nuts and various seasonal berries

Meal 2 –

Protein shake or 2 eggs with carrot, cucumber, avocado and capsicum slices

Meal 3 –

150g of lean mince with a large (undressed) salad/steam vegetables (by large I will easily consume a salad around the size of a medium sized mixing bowl)

Meal 4 –

Protein shake or 150g of lean protein  or 2 eggs with handful of berries and nuts or another smaller salad/steamed vegetables

Meal 5 –

Grilled salmon or white fish with steamed vegetables or salad

Supplements - 

• 5 x a day 
• 4  x Omega 3 with Vit D and K
• 1 x Ultra HCI 4.0 (supports the digestive system by aiding the absorption of iron, calcium, vit. B12 and protein through the inclusion of Betaine HCI)
• 1 x a day
• Vit B
• Immune Tonic Tablets (amazing at warding off colds, something I used to really struggle with)
• Vit C
• Berocca
• With protein shake
• Glutamine
• L-carnitne
• chia seeds
• ground flaxseeds

I drink around 6L of water per day and ensure that I prepare most of my meals for the week on Sunday and freeze them so they’re ready to go when I need them and have less time during the week. Balancing eating correctly with a university lifestyle is hard but being prepared and organised makes it a thousand times easier. It’s not uncommon to see me lugging around two book bags, a sports bag and a mini esky bag around campus.

For someone starting out in the realms of healthy eating, the most simple recommendation I can make is to eat clean. If it doesn’t come from the ground, a tree or is a lean protein don’t eat it. Your body should not be your own personal trashcan. The second step is to include protein in EVERY meal. This will help you feel fuller for longer and help provide the body with building blocks to build and repair the muscles you’ve workout so hard for!

As for cheat meals, depending on what I am trying to achieve at the time, I normally have two per week. I am currently trying to bring this down to one but it is something I am struggling with. Eating clean all the time isn't always easy but I remember why I am doing so, because my body feels and operates so much better when I do. I do not keep any CRAP ( Carbonated drinks, Refined sugars; Additives heavy and Processed foods) food in the house because as far as I am concerned - out of sigh out of mind! When I do have a cheat meal I make sure it's the good stuff and won't waste it on subpar chocolate. I'll always go the expensive 80% cocoa type instead. 

After all - "You are the sum of your consistent actions."

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Feel free to ask any questions you have but please remember while I am a qualified personal trainer I am not a nutritionist. This is just my food intake based on what I have learnt from my own training, what works for my body and from various personal trainers I have work with. Any recommendations made are basic recognised recommendations for optimal health. 

Water - Nature's Gift

With your body consisting of more than two thirds of our total weight, it is essential to our health and wellbeing. In fact the human brain in 95% water, blood 82% and lungs about 90%.

Letting our selves become dehydrated by even as little as 2% can result in:

• Diminished short term memory
• Fatigue
• Muscle cramps
• Nausea and vomiting
• Heart palpitations
• Light headedness or fainting

By the time you feel thirsty your body is already dehydrated so it’s important to drink water throughout the day.

A rough guide is of the amount to drink is 60ml per 1kg of body weight per day. So a 60kg woman would drink 3.6L of water per day with an additional 1L per hour of exercise.

So drink up my healthy friends! 

Also, remember that working out should be fun and not a chore! Yes you should work out but make it a game and think of it as your playtime! Exercise is your reward to your body! Workout with a buddy to help motivate each other and, quite literally, spend quality time together.  Your body and mind will thank you for it. 

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My Idol - Ramona Valerie Alb. IFBB

I think this woman is stunning. To me she is the prefect blend on athleticism and feminiety. A true hardbody. It just goes to show what dedication, clean eating, dirty training and lots of sleep will get you. So never give up on your dream body because if you want to bad enough and work hard enough for it, you will have it. 

 "Cardio will reduce your weight but weights will change your BODY. "

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Today's Motivation

Rock on Granny! That's a 69kg deadlift! So what's your excuse? 

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Dying to Try...

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Strength runs wild...

I heard this quote today and instantly fell in love!

"I can defy gravity and shatter the stereotypes. My curves are earned as my weakness is shed. I trade soft for firm and tears for sweat. I turn guilt into satisfaction and tomorrow’s chore into today’s opportunity. My purpose becomes defined as my strength runs wild."

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Discipline and PB's

I can absolutely guarantee this woman has discipline! I didn't want to work out this morning, I was lacking in energy and just felt generally off but I pushed through and managed to get a PB for the vertical cable pull down - 83kg! I'm so stoked. 

"If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've done."

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Today's Motivation

"Do one thing that scares you every single day."

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Prohealth - The Importance of Nutrition

Food. It can cause a mired of responses in different people. The most important health tool I learnt was to view my food as fuel for the body. You literally are what you eat as the food that you consume is utilised by the body's cells to rebuild it's self. Now do you really want to be a lardy fat filled food item or a lean mean one? 

Regular meals (every 3-4 hours) is vital and I say meals because if you are eating the food that is nutritional good for you, that is full of nutrients then you can eat a lot of it! It also keeps your insulin levels stable and prevents sugar drops which can lead to cravings. A great article about Insulin can be found on the Poliquin website. 

You also need to look at what you are eating. Basically a good way to look at is, if it didn't come from the ground grow on a tree or is a protein source then don't eat it. I do not use the term 'diet' due to the negative connotations associated with it. Healthy eating is a lifestyle choice not a limitation I place on myself.  I fuel my body with clean, nutrient rich food so I have more energy for my life. 

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