nutrition | Diary of a Swole Sister

Change is as good as a holiday….

Posted on December 21, 2015 by smpowell87

Top Left – 3 months ago, Bottom Left – end of October, Right – Mid December

It has been a hella long time since I have posted on the blog, and well, I’m not really sorry. It has been a very interesting, fun, challenging, emotional and crazy three months full of change, growth and a little bit (ok, a lot) of self loving.

So where to begin? Well, let’s start with my appearance at the PTC Novice Powerlifting comp during October. With the encouragement of my coaches Craig and Kitty, I decided to channel my focus on a lifting comp, which up until the day, I had very mixed feelings about. There were probably a zillion times where I changed my mind about whether or not I wanted to actually turn up on the day. From previous posts, you would have seen that I am quite possibly my harshest critic and I put so much pressure on myself to perform and not choke and just do my bloody best (…chill dude, it’s a novice comp). In the end I decided to go through with the comp, mainly because it made me uncomfortable. It sounds redic, but I am a firm believer that pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is the best way change and challenge yourself. Competing was definitely an experience and it taught me a couple of things.

It is amazing how much nerves can impact your performance. Overall I missed two lifts because I was not concentrating on the refs calls. As someone who is so used to just lifting in a gym, it is hard to adjust your behaviour to lift on certain calls.
The environment that you train/compete in can be incredibly supportive when there are common interests and goals. I met some lovely people on the day and it blew me away how supportive everyone was. I didn’t really know anyone yet, whenever you stepped up for a lift, people would cheer you on an encourage you. If you failed a lift, it was the same.
With competing it doesn’t matter how well you lifted the day before, weeks before, or how many PB’s you have hit in the past. In the end it comes down to how you perform on the day. If you aren’t feeling well or your head isn’t in the right space or you have niggling injuries, all of these will have an impact on your performance. The important thing to remember is that this one competition also doesn’t define you as a person.

For those interested, I placed second, not that I ever thought I would walk away with a placing. After the competition, I pulled up with niggling injuries, a lack of motivation and was dealing with the fact that I had put on a solid 8kgs post “comp prep”. Mentally, I was struggling 100% to deal with the weight gain and continued to emotionally binge eat and had almost zero desire to train. It got to the point where I literally couldn’t even deal with the thought of being in a gym, even though I made an effort for a couple of weeks to turn up. I would use every excuse under the sun to not train “oops, I left my gym towel at home”, “I am so busy with work”, “I am really tired, I will go in the morning”. I would even sit there cleaning and wiping down the gym equipment to avoid the next set. One evening, I was sitting in the car park of a convenience store at 9pm, eating multiple chocolate bars, crying to myself because of the situation that I was in and at that moment, I knew something had to change.

Enter Kitty and the NuStrength “Popping the Food Bubble” program. For nearly twelve weeks, I have been on an incredible journey that has left me questioning everything I thought I knew about nutrition (which, wasn’t exactly a lot) and the massive impact that certain foods and hormones and behaviours have on my body. In addition to educating myself, I have had a massive shift in mindset towards nutrition, training and life in general. I have learnt to take the good with the bad, and accept that the journey I am on will not happen overnight. There is no quick fix and where I am today is only temporary. Yes, I may not be as lean as I was 6 months ago, however since that night in the car park, I haven’t had a binge eating episode (that is 2.5 months). I have learnt that you need to nourish your body from the inside out. Years of dieting and putting my body under stress has damaged my metabolism and this will take time to heal. I may be 8kgs heavier and this has taken time to accept, however I have so much more confidence in myself and my body image and I feel as sexy now as I did 6 months ago.

I have taken some much-needed time out to rest, recover and reset. During that time I have focused on my work, which has seen me kick some massive goals which I am really proud of. I have been able to spend quality time with my family and friends and enjoy food and alcohol without the nagging guilt of off plan foods and in addition re-assessing my goals for the future. Tomorrow I am back to the gym and I am excited as hell to start lifting for pure enjoyment.

Sassy Salt

Posted on September 16, 2015 by smpowell87

A few people recently have questioned why I put salt on most of the foods that I eat. I do draw the line with my yoghurt, I really don’t recommend that. I believe knowledge is power and we are continually feed misleading information through the media, the medical industry, the fitness industry and cults like paleo (hah – I made a funny!) I like to be educated and informed so a standard part of my coaching sessions now include lessons around the ‘whys’ of my nutrition plan. I want to know the science and research behind how all of these foods work together, nourish and stimulate my body to ensure I am lean, healthy and competition ready without compromising muscle.

So let’s talk about Salt baby! Sassy salt is a thermogenic . She is hottttt – literally. She increases heat production which in turn increases metabolic rate, which decreases the activity of the fat synthesizing enzyme. Salt decreases body fat (true story). If your body isn’t receiving enough salt, it will slow your metabolism, lower your body temperature, create inflammation, stress and degenerative illness and ultimately has the opposite effect. In addition to this, she is an anit-inflammatory (aids in muscle recovery) and is directly linked to decreasing the negative effects of cortisol (hormone produced when stressed), which as a figure athlete are two very important functions to optimising muscle growth and a reduction in body fat. It doesn’t stop there – in addition to all of her amazingness so far, she aids in improving magnesium absorption, improves sleep, improves insulin sensitivity, supports thyroid function and improves overall muscle function.

So know that I have dropped a bit of a knowledge bomb – where to from here. Simples. Gradually increase your salt intake. Ideally somewhere around the 3000-6000mg of salt a day have been linked to healthiest human beings. Also remember that the type of salt is important. Clean, unrefined, non – ionized white seal salt (ditch the pink, the grey, and the Himalayan – that stuff is expensive anyways).

You are welcome!

Fail to plan, Plan to fail

Posted on September 1, 2015 by smpowell87

My week this week is INSANE to say the least. Work is 150% demanding as hell – the project we have been working on for months has finally been implemented and as with all projects there are teething issues. There is an incredible amount of post go live work that needs to be done going forward. On top of this I have my everyday operational stuff to complete. Because nothing is ever easy, my job is about to advertised, so I need to update an 8 year out of date resume and respond to a full application process including selection criteria (gasp, it has been 8 years since I have had a job interview. Cue panic?!)

Additionally, I have all of my usual commitments to my training, coaching sessions, meal preparation, my study and for fun I am about to undertake a 12 week “Popping the Food Bubble” Program (if you want more details, give me a yell!).

Pretty much every minute of every day is planned out to ensure I get everything I need to get done. I have to do lists plastered all over my room, my desk, in my phone and anywhere else one might find a to do list. Tonight I managed to finalise two of those eight selection criteria and the rest of the evening I spent prepping three full days of meals so I have ABSOLUTELY no excuses to miss a meal and eat off plan.

So, I thought I would share some of the things I am doing to ensure I am on my A game this week and everything I need to get done, gets done!

Time Allocation of Non Negotiable Tasks: Ensure time is set aside for the non-negotiable tasks. For me these are meal preparation and my job application. I have split the job application into smaller chunks that I can attack throughout the week. Meal prep I have split up into two big cook ups so that frees up more time in the evenings during the week.
Work: I have to haul my ass into my place of employment every day to get paid. I am trying to get errands and other small tasks done in my lunch break like paying bills, returning phone calls etc.
Training: I have decided my training will need to take a slightly lesser priority this week. Essentially I need to focus on my job application to give myself the best chance of being appointed. The higher paying job in the end comfortably supports the lavish lifestyle that I have become used to. Bodybuilding is not a cheap sport. If my nutrition stays on point, things will all be OK. I also for the first time don’t feel guilty for making this decision. In the past this would have caused a lot of angst and anxiety. I do have a permanent gym bag packed in my car for any last minute changes and if I end up having time 🙂
Study: this one is penciled in for the weekend, given that it is self paced study I have the flexibility to delay this (just not for too long!)

The key to success will always be planning and organisation. Sometimes you have to make short term sacrifices (like your own sanity) but the hard work is worth it in the end.

Update!

Posted on August 13, 2015 by smpowell87

I saw a quote (see above) that resonated with me this morning – whilst scrolling through my Insta Feed, smashing back a triple shot long black and planning my work for the day (hello multitasking)! It prompted me to write a bit of an update blog post mainly for those of you that have expressed interest in what I have got going on and for me to get my thoughts down.

Comp Prep
My comp prep is still going strong – just how I like it! Just because my comp date has changed, doesn’t mean I can throw the towel in with my nutrition and training. I still see my Comp Coach weekly and have set a number of small goals to hit hard over the next few months until my 20 week prep starts again. I have learned over the past few months that 100% without a doubt, consistency is key. Not only does consistency bring results, it makes me feel better. When my nutrition and training is on point, I feel fantastic. I have so much energy, my stress levels go down, and most importantly, I enjoy it!

Training
I have fallen in love with my training all over again, in particular with the type of program my trainer currently has me following. For those of you that ask me if I spend my life in the gym, the answer is no. I train 4 days a week. When I do train, I hit those sessions hard and heavy. It’s not about quantity, it is about quality and training smarter. I am also really starting to appreciate rest days more. If I am sore AF and not feeling like I can put 110% into my training, or my heavy lifts will be compromised, I take an additional rest day knowing that with one extra day, I can hit PB’s, higher weights or increased reps the following day. I look back on the days where I was training 6 days a week, often twice a day and have no idea how I actually survived. I never achieved the same level of results training like a maniac.

Work/Study
I am working full-time, in a project based role which has not been without its stresses and challenging moments. However over the past 8 months, I have realized that I am not truly happy where I am in my professional career. I have never really been a career orientated person, and my motivation for work has always been to pay the bills and fund the type of lifestyle I live. In the past, if colleagues asked me where I saw myself professionally in 5 years time, I wouldn’t be able to tell them. I would sit there with a blank look on my face and be like, I can’t even tell you where I will be on the weekend let alone 5 years time?! So after doing a lot of reflection, I have decided to start studying my Cert III/IV in Fitness. It isn’t a quick fix, but I know it is a small stepping stone to turning my passion for strength training, comp prep and lifestyle choices into a career.

I guess the point I am getting to here is that, things don’t happen overnight. Progress towards my competition goals take time and I need to chip away at my study whilst still working full-time and I need to acknowledge that you can’t have everything now.

So, is what I am doing today getting me closer to where I want to be tomorrow and the future? Absofuckinglutely!

Creative ‘on plan’ Cooking

Posted on August 1, 2015 by smpowell87

For the most part, I am a creature of habit. I can easily eat the same thing day in day out for weeks at a time and not get sick of it. However, one of my greatest pleasures in life is cooking and something that I often miss. I did go through a phase where I would cook up a storm on a Saturday night for my re-feeds however I have been outsourcing my re-feeds lately to enjoy dinners and catch ups with friends and let’s face it, I am way too busy during the week to eat or create anything that hasn’t been meal prepped 2 days in advance and not out of a plastic Tupperware container.

This weekend, I was in need of some downtime so planned very little, other than my training sessions and domestic chores. I was itching to get in the kitchen and cook up a storm. In the past, I have been known to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine, spend the most part of the day in the kitchen cooking a three course meal and thoroughly enjoying it at the end.

So given I had my re-feed earlier in the week, I had to work within my current nutrition plan – so here is what I came up with. Sheppard’s Pie and Berry Cheesecake. Now the quantities will varying depending on your requirements so I will just list ingredients and the process.

Berry Cheesecake

Chobani Yoghurt
Cottage Cheese
Tablespoon Powdered Gelatin
Drop of Vanilla Extract
Sprinkle of Cinnamon
Frozen Berries

Combine Yoghurt, Cottage Cheese, Vanilla and Cinnamon in a bowl. Mix well.
Boil water and mix gelatin with a 1/4 cup of boiling water.
Add half of the boiling water mixture to the cheesecake mix. Pour into a glass and set in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Bring the frozen berries and remaining gelatin mix to the boil, remove from heat and allow to cool.
Once cooled, add to the top of the Cheesecake Mix and pop into the freezer for an hour, then pop it back into the fridge to continue setting.
Eat and Enjoy.

Sheppard’s Pie

Organic Grass Fed Beef Mince
Dried Mixed Herbs
White Onion
Crushed Garlic
Carrot and Two tablespoons of peas (I would normally eat the carrot during the day however I forgot I still had half left by the time I got to dinner, the peas I added because I felt like some greens!)
Potato, cut into slices, cooked and covered with salt and organic butter
Shallots
Cheese

Brown the mince, garlic and online in a pan. Add the carrots and peas and cook until soft. Add the dried mix herbs. Place into an oven safe bowl.
Slice the potato, cook in the microwave. Add the butter and salt (let it melt over the potato).
Layer the potato slices over the top of the mince.
Bake until the potato is fully cooked and brown on top.
Add the shallots and cheese and return to the oven until melted.
Eat and Enjoy!

Normally, I would cook the mince by itself and serve with steamed potato and the dessert I throw into a bowl with very little skill or thought involved. It is amazing what a little imagination and thinking outside the box can achieve! Hopefully it inspires you to chef it up!