I was 19, I’d just started going to the gym for aesthetic reasons (compared to the exercise I did as a kid for sporting achievements). I wanted a 6 pack to look hot in bathers, but had no idea where to begin.
The beginning of the end: The very best jellybeans in the world! I used to eat a packet of these everyday.
I actually remember saying to myself, that sugar just rots your teeth but wouldn’t make me fat, so in my head I excused the full packet of jelly beans I used to buy everyday before gym class. I actually thought I knew stuff and was being clever buying sugary treats to give me ‘energy’ in my gym class!
Well after a year of going to the gym and not loosing a single kilo, I wondered if I actually knew shit about stuff. Turns out no, I knew diddly-squat.
I liked feeling fit, and energetic, I could see muscle toning, I was encouraged to not let all this hard work plateau, so I dug a little deeper to understand the relationship between what you put in your mouth and the movements you make.
The first thing I did was stop drinking a huge glass of sugary orange flavoured juice every morning, and the second thing I did was give up my beloved jelly-beans. Nothing else changed. I hadn’t heard of quinoa or kale back then. I just needed to eliminate so much sugar.
So yes, things started to change. As I got older, I noticed the impact of what I ate on my energy levels, on my weight, on my mood, on the way I recovered, on my endurance throughout exercise… The relationship was becoming much clearer. That then tweaked my interest for cooking and ingredients, seasonal foods, super foods, healthy treats and alternatives. When I was on my maternity leave the first time, I enrolled and completed an online advance diploma of sports and nutrition. I was just so fascinated in the whole fitness/health/nutrition field, and it was so complimentary to my Pilates and not to mention I had just become a first time Mum at that time and needed all the nutrients I could get! My body was now sustaining another life and it was so vital that I put good stuff in it. I had many moments through the fog of sleep deprivation where I noticed, I couldn’t just binge on a packet of biscuits without crashing and usually crying too. Oh the joys of motherhood. It definitely made me notice how my body processes food differently throughout the different stages of life.
One of the most common questions I hear when it comes to starting a Pilates practice is ‘will I lose weight’? The short answer, no. The long answer, probably yes. Like any wellness plan, a healthy lifestyle will always trump a short sharp drastic diet. It might take longer to see results but it will be sustainable. The thing with Pilates, is that if you are truly committed to it, you will easily complete 30 session, and as Joseph Pilates famously said "In 10 sessions you'll feel the difference, in 20 sessions you'll see the difference, and in 30 sessions you'll have a whole new body” so if you do 30 session, you will notice a change in your body. Now that might not necessarily be weight loss straight up, but perhaps you feel taller, more toned, stronger, fitter, more flexible. Simply put, your body will change. And then subsequently it is likely to spark further interest or additional motivators to keep the positive changes going. Just like how I changed one thing, stopped drinking orange juice, and it encouraged me to seek out more, understand more and deepen my knowledge. Pilates promotes a practice of paying attention to your body which is a key skill in eating in a healthful way.
Don’t just take my word for it. I’m not a true expert but my long time friend, Emma Lynas, is! Emma is a Nutritionist (BHSc Nutritional Medicine), exercise professional and mindset coach. I wanted Emma to be my guest blogger contributor this month to give you some sound advice around how best to compliment your movement practices with what you put in your mouth, so you have the energy, mindset and mood to tackle life’s many challenges.
Take it away Emma…..
The Elusive “Perfect” Diet
When it comes to nutrition, many of my clients come to me believing that there is a “right” way to eat and that once they know this coveted secret, they will hit the wellness jackpot. The unfortunate but liberating news is that, in fact, there is no one size fits all way to eat. Each person has unique genetics, likes and dislikes, ethics, life stages, health status and goals that all significantly impact what the right diet may be for them. Hitting the wellness jackpot is about understanding where you find yourself within each of these categories and then using the guidance of a health professional to work through what will most likely be the most beneficial diet for you.
Eating for your Life Stage
Traditional Western nutrition would have us believe that if you are aged 22, you have roughly the same nutritional needs as a 46 year old. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Our nutritional requirements vary with many factors, such as:
Age – as the decades roll on, most people will have noticed a significant slowing down in their bodies compared to their ‘younger years’. You might have slower digestion, more broken sleep, less energy. This is all a totally normal part of ageing, but will impact how much and the types of food that work well for your body and mind.
Activity levels – throughout your life your activity levels will usually vary significantly, from your 20’s where you might run or walk and be very social, to later in life when you have less time for exercise but are running around after little ones, to times when you have been career focused and spent many hours behind a screen. All of these fluxes in activity levels will impacts the types and amount of food you need.
Health conditions – conditions like insulin resistance will change how much carbohydrate you can tolerate before gaining weight and having low energy levels. Heavy periods will affect your iron levels, pernicious anemia will increase your need for vitamin B12. There are thousands of circumstances that will change your individual requirements for nutrients.
Hormonal stage – hormones have a significant part to play in mood, body composition, skin, digestion and much more. For women, our hormones are significantly different with each passing decade even when we don’t account for pregnancy, breastfeeding and menopause. Changes in your Oestrogen and Progesterone levels particularly can change the foods you crave and the way your body processes carbohydrates, protein and fat. I find when we can bring a woman’s diet into alignment with what may be happening hormonally, whether that be PCOS or menopause or insulin resistance, we can create a significantly more easeful and effective nutritional plan.
We Plan and then we Observe
Once we have a good understanding of your unique requirements and have made a plan of the foods that are likely to improve your energy, sleep, gut health etc, we then need a final piece to the puzzle – a movement practice that connects you to your body. I love Pilates for this as it offers a wonderful chance to connect inwards and understand how your body is responding to not only movement, but also what you are eating, how you are sleeping and how your mind is feeling. Your body is incredibly wise and constantly trying to communicate to you – too much, not enough, more of that please, and it’s our job to do our best to hear and understand all those subtle little cues. Just like Pilates, where there is a focus on mind to muscle, proper nutrition focuses on the mind to gut connection.
Some of Emma’s delicious recipes:
Emma and I will be working together a lot more next year and I’m so excited. We will be running a 5 week Pilates and Nutrition program, so if you are female, over the age of 50 and have or have started to notice hormonal changes/menopausal or pre-menopausal symptoms, then stay tuned for Emma and I’s 5 week Pilates and Nutrition program coming early 2021. It will be targeted towards women who may feel they are struggling to manage physical and emotional changes in their body. Come and learn how eating the right foods and moving in the right way, can create joyful experiences in a body that needs to be nourished and fulfilled. Register your early interest here.