lifestyle

Gotta walk the walk to be able to talk the talk

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Maintaining a super healthy lifestyle is hard!!! Especially where there is so much delicious and tempting sweets and quick and easy processed meals available. It is hard to make the time to train or workout when we are all living this fast paced lifestyle with so many obligations. But if health and fitness is what you preach, you have to make time to meal prep to have healthy food always available, and make the time to train. Put simply, if you talk the talk, you have to be able to walk the walk. #keepitreal

Look back at My October Lifestyle Camp

My October Lifestyle Camp was an absolute hit!! A huge thank you goes out to everyone would attended the camp & to the amazing sponsors (Fuji Sports, Juice Plus+, Menhune Soaps, Shapes Gym, Finding Samata & Fortitude and Wellbeing). 

Here are a few snippets from the lovely Jodi Schwartz article!

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" Morning person or not, the ladies of the camp got up early each morning to be greeted by a stunning array of fresh fruit before taking a short walk to the beach for sunrise yoga led by the brilliant and beautiful Jiu Jitsu Yogi, Jasmine Bienvenue . Each day, Jasmine explored different flows where she encouraged a connection to the body and breath before laying and meditating in a sweet savasana as the sun came up.

The practice was followed by a hearty nutritious breakfast which offered a choice of fruit, eggs, yogurt, gluten free or rye toast with coffee and tea. All meals were prepared by the woman of many talents, Tina West, with help from sous chef Jodi Schwartz. 

At 10.30am Sophia McDermott taught the BJJ sessions. Sophia who is a world, no gi world and Pan Am Champion as well as the 1st female black belt from Australia shared her knowledge BJJ with a particular focus on techniques that were better suited to women. After a couple of hours of BJJ techniques and open rolling came where the pictures of smiles do not do the happiness and joy felt justice.

After a good training session, The ladies had worked up an appetite were ready for lunch. They were greeted with a nourishing lunch of protein, vegetables and complex carbs before relaxing in the afternoon. The next three to four hours were open for whatever suited. Many of the girls went to the beach, some to the pool, some shopped, went to a movie, or took a much needed nap. There was also little downtime for walks, relaxation, meditation, private lessons or snap chat sessions.

Evening activities varied day by day, which included workshops that alternated with a focus on the body and mind/spirit. Sophia taught a toning & sculpting workout, a nutrition workshops, partner stretching and a BJJ Q&A session. Tina west took charge of the Warrior Within empowerment workshops, sound therapy and guided meditations. You can check out all of Tina’s talents and skills here and here.

Dinner was always ready after the workshops to make sure that ladies were refulled and recharged from all the activities of the day. Although, the focus of the camp was about health and good nutrition if needed, the ice cream shop and convenient store was just a quick walk away for those with chocolate cravings."

It is a euphoric feeling for five days where women from all over the US and World come together to meet, learn, experience, share and make lifelong connections. The sisterhood developed is on a different level than one most have ever experienced. Each day and session seemed to light more of a fire within each woman, inspiring each one of us to be the wonderful person that we are, listening to our hearts and choosing our own paths. #bethestarofyourownlifeIt.

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Spotlight on the Amazing Sponsors for my up and coming Lifestyle Camp!

There is about a week and a half until My October Lifestyle Camp and we are getting very excited not only about the experience but the amazing goodie bags that all the ladies will be receiving! They are jam packed with awesome stuff from our sponsors. A huge thank you goes out to all the sponsors for very kindly gifting us with great products to give you all!!

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I want to give a shout out to all the sponsors of the Lifestyle Camp, but in particular Menehune Soaps who create all natural, hand made soaps that are scented with essential oils, that truely make your skin feel like silk. Visit their Facebook Page HERE

Thank you to Shapes Sarasota who will be giving a physical card as a guest pass to put in the goodie bags and the first month is free if they decide to join. Check out their website HERE

Thank you to Fuji Sports who are my long time sponsors who look after me in every way are providing some special goodies. 

Juice Plus+ who are the most thoroughly researched brand name nutritional product on the market today will be providing the best multi vitamins to keep us healthy & energised! Find out more HERE

Finding Samata - Jasmine Bienvenue's business , she will be taking us through beautiful sunrise yoga classes!

And last but not least thank you to Fortitude and Wellbeing, Tina West will be teaching the Empowerment workshops and meditations. 

Another huge thank you to all the sponsors, we greatly appreciate it! Can't wait to see everyone's smiling faces on October 9th!!

One word...Bloating

Bloating has become so common these days, we could probably refer to it as an ‘epidemic’! The combination of poor diets and high level of stress there is no wonder that people are suffering from bloating! Whether it be the uncomfortable feeling, the appearance or maybe the gas that comes along with it, a bloated stomach can seriously impact on your life.
 

Foods to Eat

Probiotics: “Good Bacteria”. This includes foods such as Kimchi, Sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir and kombucha! These foods help to kill the bad bacteria that trigger digestive issues!

Raw Dairy: As opposed to conventional diary, aged/raw cheese, kefir and yogurt help to limit negative reactions.

Water Rich Fruits & Vegetables: Leafy greens, cucumbers, celery, fennel, artichoke, melon, berries, steam veggies and cultured/fermented vegetables.

Herbs, Spices & Teas: Such as ginger, dandelion, aloe vera, fennel, parsley, oregano and rosemary, herbal teas, essential oils, bone broth and green tea all naturally soothe digestion.
 

Foods to Avoid

Sugar & Sweetened Snacks: Sugar easily ferments in the gut therefore can contribute to inflammation.

Conventional Dairy: Flavored yogurts and other dairy with added sugar and artificial ingredients remove important enzymes that protect your gut.

Refined Grains: Gluten, corn and other grains can prove to be difficult for many people to digest.

Sulfur & FODMAP Carbs: Veggies like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onion and garlic are very nutritious with several anti-cancer properties but can produce relatively high volumes of gas thanks to a type of carb (raffinose) which can remain partly undigested in the intestine.
 

If you do find you are still suffering from bloating, here are some simple tips to follow!

Talk to your doctor: Your Doctor will be able to run tests to help determine the cause of your bloating!

Get some Exercise: Being active definitely helps with your digestive system to function to its optimal capacity. Try doing something active for at least 30 minutes per day!

Increase your water intake: To ensure that the fiber entering your body can perform its job correctly, you want to be drinking 2 - 3 litres of water per day! Staying hydrated is essential for beating the bloat!

Reduce Stress: Stress and anxiety can create a huge impact on your digestion! When you are anxious or sad it causes your brain to divert attention away from proper digestion in an effort to conserve energy and high amounts of stress can increase your cortisol levels therefore causing you to become overly hungry, constipated and store unnecessary fluids.

I hope that all the information and tips above provide you with understanding of bloating and how to beat it! If you want some more insight, please email me at sophia@sophiafit.com and we can discuss further!

Time out.

Taking time out throughout the day will make you overall much more productive.

Taking time out throughout the day will make you overall much more productive.

It is really important to seek balance in your life. I have been stuck on the computer all day so I decided to spend my lunch breakout outside and connect with nature and do some stretching.  If you are working a lot, taking time out a couple times a day just to get a quick breather and to reset your mind will make you so much more productive overall. There is nothing worse than the feeling of being brain deal all day when you have deadlines looming. 

Sometimes we have to stop and smell the roses.