nutrition | Diary of a Swole Sister

Mindset Madness

Posted on September 25, 2015 by smpowell87

“If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it, even if I do not have it at the beginning” – Mahatma Ghandi

I have mentioned in my previous blogs that my mindset is my biggest challenge and my greatest weakness. It is something I am committed to strengthening on a daily basis. It isn’t an easy task by any stretch and it is going to be something that takes many, many years to master. The truth is, your thoughts control your world. If you constantly let negative thoughts and past experiences enter your mind, you will continue to be burdened by them. I am guilty of many of these thoughts, just this week I was reminded of negative feelings and thoughts caused by an ex when I ran into them. I often have negative thoughts enter my mind about the person that I used to be – the overweight unhappy one. My financial situation will remind me of questionable life choices that I have made. It is inevitable that these will constantly be with us, however what is in our control is how we react and deal with those thoughts, because lets face it, if negative thoughts were on our mind all of the time, we would be bloody miserable!

So, I thought I would share a few of the mechanisms that I am putting into place to help mould and strengthen my mindset. Obviously these aren’t for everyone and it comes down to whatever works for you:

Reflection: is something that I make time for each evening. I take literally no more than 10 minutes a day to sit down and evaluate what worked well in my day, what didn’t work well and what I did to progress towards my goal. For me the majority of this is focused around my competition prep and training. It helps me identify patterns and triggers for behaviors that are stopping me from getting to where I need to be.
Reading: knowledge is power. I am currently reading a number of books which are helping me to really identify my goals for the future, and mechanisms that I can put in place to foster the right mindset. These include: MegaLiving! 30 days to a Perfect Life, 21 Days to Master Success and Inner Peace and The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari. These have all been recommendations from my Comp Coach.
Hot Yoga: I am making an effort to get back to practicing hot yoga at least twice a week. Not only does this help to improve my flexibility and recovery, it is something that I enjoy so very much. Yoga has been a part of my life on and off over the past 5 or so years. The benefits of yoga go far beyond the physical for me, it provides me with the opportunity for my body and mind to come together to challenge myself mentally with my thoughts, push my body in a safe environment and enter a state of utter relaxation.
Positive thoughts and affirmations: this one is a little newer to me and something that I am still not 100% comfortable with, however, I am noticing massive shifts in my mindset and self perception. There are a number of things that I remind myself when I wake up and go to sleep at night, as well as reinforce if I am having negative thoughts or I know I am about to fall off the wagon with my nutrition or if I am struggling to find motivation to train. Some examples are: Food does not control me. I eat to fuel my training because I am an athlete. A number on a scale does not define who I am as a person. Food does not fix how I feel – it is not a solution to dealing with emotional trials. This is my lifestyle, not a diet, this is how I eat on a daily basis. I am not deprived of anything. This is my choice.
Mission Statement: as part of my readings and goal setting actions from MegaLiving! 30 days to a Perfect Life, I had to write my own Mission Statement. I usually cringe when asked to write anything like this and it took me FOREVER. However I didn’t stop until I had finished. For some reading this, it will sound ridiculous and just isn’t your thing, and that is ok! But for me I found it to be quite a valuable task. I will share mine with you, in the interest of making myself accountable to activity, and I challenge you to sit down and do the same, you might be pleasantly surprised!

My mission is to become a strong, confident woman with integrity and compassion. I will lead an incredible life by attaining a resilient, focused mind. A strong body in a constant state of peak wellness both physically and mentally which I will use to educate and coach others seeking to be the best person they can be. I will have an amazing partner, family and supportive friends with a professional career that enables me to turn my lifestyle into an income that generates great wealth. I will be patient, courteous, genuine and loyal to myself and all of those in my life. I will live my life to the max with absolute passion and energy.

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.

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!

All of the foods

Posted on July 24, 2015 by smpowell87

Going to sleep, is like entering a glorious time machine to breakfast. I was so excited to eat this morning, I was exactly like a kid on Christmas morning, bounding out of bed to destroy those presents under the tree. However, there was to be no bounding. My ass, hammies and calves politely reminded me to calm the fuck down. DOM City, population me. Guess that heavy leg session yesterday was a one way ticket on the #gaintrain (heh, gym bro phrases…Shut up!)

So speaking of breakfast and food. People like to point out the following (all of the time), so for clarity I thought I would answer them.

“You are always eating.”
Why yes I am, IT’S AWESOME!!

“Is that bag a giant esky and do you carry it with you everywhere?” Fuck yeah it is, it’s pink and shit! Look at all the room for containers. Yes.

“How can you eat so much and still lose weight?”
You lost me at lose weight Sslkgnzdlkrgndzkjfnzlskmgdrgeoig……

“How do you eat so much, I could never eat what you eat?”
Huh? How could you not? Who are you?

“How are you so restrained around all of these cakes and things?”
I smelt them while you weren’t looking, hah just kidding! No I’m not…..

Enjoy a photo collage of food porn. I bet you are hungry now. I am. Meal 2 here I commmmmmmmeee!

Mind Games

Posted on July 19, 2015 by smpowell87

Today was 100% one of those days where I struggled mentally and physically in and out of the gym, actually to be brutally honest, this has been the same for the past 9 days. They have been a massive struggle and the only way I can really describe it is like limbo.

I feel tired, I feel frustrated, I feel 3 times heavier than I did 9 days ago, I feel lost, I feel like I have physically lost a lot of strength and most of all, I feel like I have let myself down. For any of those that know me personally, they will agree that I am my harshest critic and often put a lot of pressure on myself to achieve sometimes unrealistic and more often than not high expectations/standards that I set for myself.

I have pretty much eaten enough food in the past 9 days to feed a small African town for a month and I have spent a lot of time rationalizing it in my own head. “Just this last meal off plan”, “just enjoy the meal with your family”, “Oh I really feel like blah” – there has been every excuse under the sun to not stick to my nutrition plan and I have caved every single time, no doubt undoing a lot of the hard work from the past couple of months.

I have had very mixed gym sessions. I have had 3 sessions I have absolutely killed, and another 2 sessions which have left me feeling less than impressed with my efforts, even though I have given it 100%. So shout out to Nat who asked “How do I stay motivated when ones mind is your harshest critic? I wish I could answer that! Mindset is and will always be one of my biggest hurdles to over come. Self-doubt is the biggest killer and something that I am yet to master.

If anything, the past 9 days have provided me with a very steep learning curve about myself. Regardless of my poor choices with nutrition and regardless of my sometimes sub par workouts, I have still prepped some meals and I have still turned up at the gym and not a day goes by where I don’t think about all of the goals that I have set for myself and what I need to do to achieve them.

Tomorrow is a new day, which provides me with an opportunity to be better than who I was today. Rise and grind, trust the process, and chip away at those goals a little bit each day.

Also – It is important to remember that we are all human. We all make mistakes. We all move on. Enjoy my dodgy bathroom gym selfie. I am still smiling and I still have my baby bicep!