3 Weeks out – The Social Suicide

3 weeks out from my first INBA Fitness Competition – I’m excited and surprisingly not nervous!

Excited not only to go onto stage to compete but for it to all be over – I miss my friends, I miss talking about non fitness/food related topics (I like talking about this but sick of talking about myself!) and I miss going out and not having to worry about what I’m going to eat – it is socially extremely difficult!

Starting this journey was for personal reasons not because it ‘looked’ fun or other people were doing it – it was a personal challenge I NEEDED to do at the time as I stuck in a plateau – entering I had been warned it is very consuming.

Consuming is an understatement.

IT is down right selfish. (Poor Matt has lost 4kgs)

Every thought and action revolves around you, food and training.

You literally eat, train, sleep & repeat.
I can no longer go out and have ‘normal’ conversations because people what to know what you are eating, how you are feeling, what it is I’m actually doing yada yada yada always with the response ‘I love food to much to do anything like that’ – no shit so do I!! Not to mention the never ended jokes about chicken and broccoli (My good friends actually bought me broccoli for my birthday – luckily for them it also had a Lulu voucher in the bag otherwise it wouldn’t of ended as smoothly!)

One question I have been asked countless time is ‘Will you compete again?’ My thoughts and answers to this have changed many times (usually depending on my carb cycle) In short YES – but not until next year. WHY? If it has been hard why the hell would I want to put my body through the same thing again? Purely because being my first time I tried multiple approaches when it came to food and training and only found what suited me 8 weeks out – I’d like to do this approach 15 weeks out and watch my body transform even more (I’m very head strong and am always looking to improve) second time around I will no what to expect and knowingly welcome the ups and downs with opened arms and give it all I’ve got!

3 weeks out the whole process feels automatic to me but drastic to some so I thought I’d answer some common questions:

-Yes I crave food but I’m at the stage now where I know I’m just not allowed to have it so that is that! (I'm currently sitting at mums house as the dogs ate our internet - there is salted carmel ice cream in the freezer and an opened block of chocolate in the fridge - this is control at its finest!)

-Yes I have a list of foods I want to eat post comp. (With pizza and donuts at #1)

-No I don’t live off broccoli and chicken it is in 2 sometimes 3 meals out of my 6.

-I drink long blacks when I need coffee.

-Yes I train daily sometimes twice per day.

-Yes I am tired.

-Yes the bikini hardly covers my arse.

-No I’m not nervous about posing I’m a confident person and this seems like the easiest part.

-Yes I practice posing nearly every day and go to posing classes.

-No I don’t get hungry as I eat 6 meals a day – they are just very bland.

-No I don’t have my chicken in sauces – it is just chicken (maybe some herbs if I’m feeling fancy)

-Yes I have to get that super dark tan – it is 2 coats worth. 

-Yes I can walk surprisingly comfortably in my stripper heels.

-Yes the process is expensive I’ve easily clocked up $1000, with my bikini coming in at $400 alone.

-Yes I’m drinking a heap of water and get up at least 4 times a night to pee. (I know how pregnant ladies feel!)

-No I don’t miss drinking alcohol or partying.

-Yes I’ve sussed out my competition and do not see them as competition but rather as badass girls going through the same badass process as me! 

-Yes it was hard now it is just automatic.

-Yes if I were to do it again there would be things I would change.

-No I do nothing fitness related on stage, I literally strut my stuff and get judged on the appearance of my body.

-No I don’t win a cash prize. 

-No not everyone could do this – this shit is for the mentally, physically and emotionally strong.

-Yes I have abs and no I don’t want to show you in the middle of the supermarket/shopping centre/restaurant.

-Yes I’m taking supplements – 7.2 protein powder, Fat Burner, Pre-Workout, probiotic and apple cider vinegar. 

-Yes going out socially is hard as most social things I do revolve around food and surprisingly most restaurants don’t just serve steamed broc and chicken.

-I’m freezing cold constantly.

-Yes I look at my body in the mirror x10 to what I use to just to make sure I’m not going backwards and my phone is filled with selfies, inspo, food and my dogs.

-Yes I’ve changed how I perceive myself – now wanting to become more defined as opposed to 'smaller' (which has been bloody hard!) 

-Yes it is best to completely avoid me on no carb day. (This is strategically on Sundays where I have little human contact haha)

Wow that was surprisingly easy to get out! Hope I’ve answered all your questions – if you ever do have any questions please inbox me I’d be happy to write an email about it because if you have that question chances are another 10 girls will have the same one!

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Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel X

Have your cake & eat it too!

So Fri-yay was my birthday, I got extremely spoilt by all those around me and it really made me appreciate the awesome pack of HEARTCORE athletes I train, I’m so f*cking lucky to be able to associate with such inspiring, beautiful women each different in their own way yet coming to ME to help keep them looking fit, healthy and vibrant.

That’s a massive responsibility!

For many it would be too overwhelming – being responsible for the health and fitness of 75+ women, all of different ages, shapes, sizes and fitness level – to me it is a dream come true!

I love that each and every one of us is different yet many of us share the same insecurities when it comes to our body – we look in the mirror pulling our fat back thinking ‘this is what a thigh gap feels like’, ‘my thighs need to be smaller’ & ‘why do I look pregnant?’.

We criticise our appearance daily constantly reminding ourselves that we need to change this or look like that and what we currently look like isn’t good enough - instead of being proud and confident of how far we have come and the healthy changes we have made and the strength we have gained we choose to look how far we’ve got to go when reality is no matter what our body looks like (6 pack or not) we will never be truly happy until we change the way we see ourselves in the mirror, until we change the daily negative thoughts and criticism until we realise we ARE constantly improving and progressing from the person we were yesterday.

To change our body we must first change our mind and until we do this we will never be satisfied.

Apart of my goal as a coach and mentor is too lead of my girls down the path of greatness - a success for them is an even bigger success for me! I have their back and will do what ever it takes to get them to the next level and a lot of the time this isn’t in the gym – as mentioned above it is their mind (and those cheeky chocolate bars) BUT by applying all simple advice that I give man are they ALL stepping it up – EVERY SINGLE one of my HEARTCORE-IANS is an absolute machine (both physically and mentally) and watching them go through the transition is one hell of an experience so I just want to thank each and every one of you for being legends – you guys inspire me!

Well that escalated quickly this post was suppose to be about how this is the first year ever I haven’t eaten junk for my birthday hahah!!!

Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel X

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10 MUST do food tips to start NOW!

1. Don’t over cook your veggies – I’ll more then likely get in trouble for this but anyways the bossmans Mum loves to cook and I mean REALLY cook broccoli by the time it hits our plate it is almost white and we need a spoon to eat it, by this time all the nutrients are long! When steaming veggies ensure they are still the original colour and have still have some crunch!

2. Can the soft drinks/caffeine/energy drinks- It doesn’t matter if it is ‘diet’, ‘sugar free’ or ‘skinny’ the sh*t is still bad for you stop drinking it! Drink herbal teas such as green this will not only flush toxins but also give your metabolism a bit of a boost. I’m also not saying to stop drinking coffee - I love the stuff but go for a no sugar, black option or a soy latte, you’ll still get the caffeine buzz but your tummy and calories intake will love you for it!

3. 2-3L water- New to fitness and health? Start drinking a minimum of 2 litres of water per day, this is the VERY first thing you need to worry about not chia puddings, agave syrup or coconut oil – get the basics right first.

4. Too much fruit- most food diaries I go through have buckets of fruit in them!! Yes fruit is packed with nutrients but it is also packed with natural sugar – stick with berries and only have 2 serves per day. The rest can be made up in veggies like carrot, cucumber, celery and capsicum sticks!

5. Salt- Stop adding salt to everything unless you enjoy looing like a puffy cloud.

6. Not enough food- eating 2 small meals a day is not how you reach your fitness and body goals. IT is though the perfect way to wreck your body, become moody, tired and sick! Eat regularly without over indulging which leads me too….

7. Watch your portions- Because your partner eats off a plate the size of a small child doesn’t mean you need to – portions play a big role, you may only of had 3 meals for the day but they were all served to cater for 3 adult men! Go for less and IF hungry after have water and IF still hungry then eat more, many people confuse thirst with hunger.

8. Supplements- Two BIG supplements I love and have been great during comp prep are 7.2 Greens and 7.2 Protein powder – Why? This protein powder is sugar free, diary free, lactose free, whey free, gluten free and soy free! I have troubles with my gut so after having this protein I’m NOT bloated only satisfied and re-energised it is the best! As for the greens I believe it is important to fill in any nutritional gaps with this it helps with energy levels and is great for girls who don’t get enough vitamins and minerals in their diet and it is the only greens I’ve had that I like the taste of! Girl these are in stock at Royale Fitness at the moment too!

9. Snack attack- Are you forgetting your snacks? A) Yes, you actually do or B) Yes, you eat them but choose to forget about them because they are high calorie, high processed nibblies   that don’t need to be remembered! Snacks count. Doesn’t matter if you don’t sit down to eat them or just picked at a ‘little’ bit – have SET snacks LEAVE the rest alone.

10. Fresh over frozen/packaged- You will ALWAYS be better off to eat fresh produce over packaged goods and just because something has cool labelling and says it is fat free doesn’t mean it is a super product that will solve all your problems – best tip for this is to shop the OUTSIDE of the supermarket when doing the grocery shopping that’s where all the food stuff is! The isles are filled with canned processed nasties!

Stay Strong & Stretch, 
Tel X

Can I ask you a question?

Why do you keep giving up on what you tell yourself you truly want?

Is it because it is too hard achieve?

Is it because it is easier to live like the ‘old’ you?

Is it because you don’t want it bad enough?

Is it because you don’t how to get there?

It may be all of the above reasons.

Whatever your reasons are as to why you keep giving up on what you want you feel you truly want you need to realise that all worth having doesn’t come easy.

When you reach for the shitty foods or skip yet another training session just realised that these ‘small’ hiccups push you back that little bit and eventually the small hiccups become one large knock down and it all becomes too hard and giving up is your easiest and what seems like only option.

You will need to chip away at your goals daily, as success does not happen over night.

Stop playing continual circle games with yourself.

Escape from the never ending ‘no where’ goal cycle, whatever you did last time didn’t work so why are you trying the same approach?!?!

Sit down.

List want you TRULY want and why you want it.

Set a cut off date as to when you want to achieve it, by having an end date helps establish where you should be at certain points of time and keeps you accountable.

Set out a weekly plan of things you must do in order to reach the end result – then work out and research as much as you can so this leaves small room errors.

If you have a small hiccup learn from it – okay I had popcorn at the movies next time I need to be more prepared and take my own snacks – the small hiccups are not excuses for throwing in the towel.

STOP F*CKING GIVING UP!!!

You ALL have the power to set high goals and absolutely smash them – so do it!

Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel x

Are you sick of being bloated?

Being a female trainer I commonly get concerns with clients whom are continually bloated, sluggish, backed up and feel like lower ab’s are a magical mystical urban legend.

I come across it THAT often I feel I should write about it because not everyone is open about their guts and could be living with a food baby when they don’t need to be!

Working in pharmacy for 7ish years it was extremely common for females to come in and buy movicol, coloxyl and senna, Metamucil and all these other ‘doctor recommended’ products to help with stomach discomfort and relieve.

And if you have been to the doctors then you know exactly what I’m talking about because these items are the ‘quick fix’ answer to all stomach upsets.

It drives me mental.

These products are neither beneficial nor good for your body long term and only mask the problem rather then pin point what is happening and solve the problem.

I’ve also suffered from gut issues and feel like I have tried absolutely everything under the sun – but in doing so it has paid off!

I now longer have ‘food babies’ unless of course I over eat or eat and ‘trigger’ foods.

I’m not bloated, I don’t feel sluggish, backed up or constantly full and even more excitingly my lower abs are FINALLY starting to lean out (don’t expect this to happen with out A LOT of hard work)

So what did I do? Firstly I told the doctor to shove the movicol (okay that didn’t really happen but that’s what I would of liked to do) and focused more on my diet.

I wrote a food diary (you know I love these things!!) and with it at the end of each day writing how my stomach felt and how my movements were going. I would also monitor after meals how my stomach felt e.g bloated, gurgerly, upset or content.

By doing this I was able to notice certain foods that triggered the bloat!

Mine were and common ones can be:
-White carbs such as any form of white bread and potato.
-Things that were high in MSG – sauces, especially take away Chinese!

-Certain nuts (usually because I’d eat a whole bag rather then the handful I should of had)
-Dairy not cheese or yogurt only milk and ice-cream (again because I’d have a massive bowl of ice-cream and a giant chocolate milk shake)
-Dried fruit again for the above reason – which btw if you can stop at 3 dates I applaud you because that shit isn’t easy!
-Whey protein.

By knowing what triggers I was able to limited these foods from my diet and increase foods that will help with my digestive issues.

Foods and supplement I added to help my stomach go back to normal again were:

-Chia seeds/bran (Just a tablespoon mixed with my oats in the morning)

-Apple cider vinegar (in a glass mix a little bit of water and ACV and shot it twice a day before meals)

-Probotic (Inner health plus is a great start)

-Grainy carbs (When or if I eat carbs I always go for extremely grainy version so I get a good dose of fibre)

-Avo (Upping my good fats such as those found in avo to ¼ - ½ daily gave my intestines a nice smooth lining to process my food properly)

-Eating more regular meal. (By eating regular small-portioned meals my body adjusted to this and begun to let go of food it would hold onto around my stomach area.)

-Started fasted walks. (Adding in 4 fasted walks – walking for 20 minutes before eating – really got my digestive system function well, it helps burn fat – catch ya later spare tire – and you get some exercise in!)

-H2O – minimum 2-3L of water EVERYDAY!

These are all things that have personally helped me – remembering my diet is pretty good! If your day-to-day diet is filled with highly processed foods and junk look at adjusting and eliminating these first before you add any good stuff and get help from a specialist in the industry such as a dietician or nutritionist rather then a GP.

Stay Strong & Stretch,
Tel x

6 Weeks out - Training and Diet.

Hit an emotional rock as talked about in my last blog post and instead of giving up I’ve decided to act smarter, work hard and dominate this fitness comp to the best of my ability.

When I started I wanted to do this as ‘healthy’ as possible meaning not obsessing over macros and counting calories – I use to count calories and I’d look at a banana and see 100 calories and 25ish carbs. I hated looking at food as if it were numbers, hence my reasoning not to go back down that track.

I’ve tried the ‘healthy’ approach for 6 weeks and although I’m leaner and stronger I felt I needed to up my game.

I started a keto diet – which was virtually no carbs for roughly 2 weeks – with the purpose to put my body in a fat burning zone - my body didn’t agree with this – my emotions were all over the shop extreme highs and even worse lows due to blood sugar levels, with the amount I was training I needed carbs to fuel my muscles by not having them I found I lost a lot of definition in those 2 weeks.

This is where I decided to make changes to both my diet and training.

My current diet works with Carb Cycling.

What this means is I have high carb days, low carb days and no carb days – with my heavy training session co-ordinating with high carbs and rest days co-ordinating with no carbs.

In order to do this properly I have had to go back on my word and count macros and calories but I feel good about it and completely in control as I’ve simply written out a food plan and just follow that as I go.

High Carb Days:

I get to consume 1700 calories - 246g of carbs – 127g of proteins.

Eating every 3 hours at 6 meals per day. Here is an example of my high carb day:

Meal 1:

1 egg
½ cup oats
½ cup blueberries
teaspoon natural peanut butter
1 medium banana

Meal 2:
1 egg
1 whole grain muffin
spread with avo

Meal 3:
100g Kangaroo
125g Brown rice
Spinach

Meal 4:
100g Chicken
1 cup Broc
100g Sweet spud

Meal 5:

Scoop of protein
1 cup blueberries
1 medium banana

Meal 6:
100g Chicken
1 cup Green Beans
100g Cauliflower

Totals:
Cals- 1670
Carbs- 220.2
Protein- 137.4

As you can see I get to eat heaps! I’ve fallen in love with high carb day hahah – even though I’m getting in a lot of food I’m still not bloated and my energy levels after today have already improved dramatically I trained like a champ! One thing it made me realise how much I was over eating in my portions when it comes to protein – I assumed a breast was a serving – 100g is not even nearly a breast!!! I’m having x2 high carb days a week when I train heavy.

Low Carb Day 1300 calories – 97g carbs – 146g proteins.

Still eating 6 meals a day at roughly 3 hour intervals - each meal ranges calories with the highest at 300 calories and the lowest at 130 calories and protein per meal is again roughly 27-28g. Carbs are lower today but I can still eat 97g throughout the day, which is plenty to keep my body going after an isolated training session – I’ll be playing with low carb days and will be doing them 3-4 times per week.

No Carb Day 1000-1300 calories – 48g carbs – 146g proteins.  

Again still eating 6 meals a day at roughly 3 hour intervals – the carbs are quite low today but I only do no carb days on rest day where I’m either doing yoga or walking or sprints so my body can deal with it – with no carb day I also get to up my fats a little bit so avo is my friend today!

This is my first week of this set up but I’m super confident with how it will work – my body responds well with carbs and by depriving it from them just wasn’t working! I’m finding this whole process super interesting and can’t wait to share what I learn with the awesome athletes at Royale Fitness.

Watch this space,

Stay strong & Stretch,
Tel X