Client Testimonial: Emily B

Client Success Story: Online Coaching, Gym Services and Comp Prep

alice@thebodyconsultants.com

I have had the pleasure over the past 12 months now of working with Emily, a young enthusiastic health and fitness enthusiastic who came to me not with a goal of competing but of learning more about training and nutrition to improve her physique and also mindset. Not only is she leaner, stronger, fitter and healthier but her attitude towards food has changes, from a "clean" eater who used to binge to consuming more food on average and a well balanced dietary intake. No longer thinking of foods as good vs bad but nutrient poor or rich choices. SO proud of you Em!

Befor

After: 2nd Place INBA sports model novice

Client Testimonial

"To be honest before I met Alice I had no idea what I was doing. I had poor lifting form, was spending way to long on the treadmill, “clean eating” my heart out while also under eating.

They say knowledge is power and that is exactly what she has given me. I now enjoy all the foods in moderation by making educated decisions based on my macro and micro nutritional requirements, spend 45 hardcore minutes in the gym doing a range of awesome exercises tailored to my goals and only ever do short HITT cardio sessions.

With this knowledge and her on-going support I was also able to smash my ultimate goal of competing in a fitness competition, in which I came third.

I will be forever grateful to Alice for giving me the power to change not only my body but mind set for the better. I would highly recommend her services."

Emily

Perth, WA

YOUR BODY= YOUR CHOICES

YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOUR BODY LOOKS LIKE

NO ONE FORCES YOU TO EAT FOOD, NO ONE HOLDS A FORK YOUR MOUTH AND FORCES IT DOWN YOUR THROAT, NO ONE EVERY GOT FAT BEHIND THEIR OWN BACKS??? 

MUCH LIKE NO ONE EVERY GOT FIT FROM SITTING ON THE COUCH.....YOUR BODY DOESNT CHANGE UNLESS YOU DO.....CONSCIOUSLY.....

ANY WORKOUT IS ONLY AS HARD AS YOU MAKE IT.....

What do I mean by this??? Well a workout is only made as hard as the amount of effort you put into it, two people may not get the same result from the same workout routine. This morning in Thailand we did a conditioning workout, mainly with full body exercises, sprints and functional work. The pace of my knee drive, intensity of my sprint, depth of my squats, depth of my push up, reps performed is all up to me.......think your working hard??? 

Ask yourself: Are you breathless? Are you fatigued? Are you sore? Are you looking uglier than when you walked in????.....

MAKE SURE YOU ARE. Think you can give more??? THEN GIVE IT.

WANT YOUR BODY TO CHANGE??

Take a good hard look in the mirror, are you really giving it your all??

Or simply going through the motions??? Much like your diet??

Is what your doing today getting you close to your goals or further from them?

CONSISTENCY

HARD WORK

INTERNAL DRIVE

GET IT DONE!!!!

Alice x x x x

alice@thebodyconsultants.com

Bored? No results? When is it time to change your workout?

Changing your training routine reap the rewards!

What method is best? When to change it? How to structure it around your goals?

Why mix up your training ??! Not only to give your body a shock but to give your mind some mental stimulation and change!

Today I ventured back to my old stomping grounds the athletics track, after being a competitive sprinter was years its daunting going back to something that used to be so familiar.

I didn't expect much after 2 seasons off and no speed work at all after injuries but coped much better than expected. We did 10x 100m sprints with a walk back recovery. Only about 0.5-1.5 second off what I used to do for that session with a little more recovery.

Just shows how resistance training benefits not only lifting weights! With more muscle on my hamstrings and glutes I actually felt more powerful although my lactic tolerance has decreased significantly which was to be expected haha.

Not only that but I remembered why I loved running, fresh air, burning legs, breathless exhausting but mentally relaxing and soothing once complete, 8 weeks out from comp and I aim to include 1 track session per week in my program :)

People may think competing in a bikini or bodybuilding competition means you can't be "sport or athletically fit" just goes to show you can! It also shows that we work our butts off everyone is constantly finding new ways to challenge there body to change and strive to make there weaknesses there strengths...success in the sport doesn't come easy!

Often we get complacent in our workouts and just want them over and done with after a long day, often forgetting about the importance of tempos/speed/timing of the exercise. TEMPO is key, it is the time under tension of the muscle in either the concentric or eccentric phase of movement. TEMPO can change a workout, it can make it amazing or ruin it if done incorrectly.

People often ask what are the best exercise for fat loss, for muscle gains etc and the answer is there isn't! Its all about how you train, how you fatigue a muscle, how it recovers, the period of rest you give it and the overall time under tension of the exercise as well as how you load certain movement patterns.

How many reps should I do? How long for? How many sets? What exercises?? How much cardio????

I have had a lot of inboxes lately in regards to the above questions around training and many more and I would love to share my personal philosophy to training with you:

Ask yourself about your current training routine/program:

1- Does is challenge you? this can be neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and even sensory: To challenge your body and cause it to change either for growth, fat loss or athletic goals it needs to be challenging in some form. This challenge can be created by focusing on the variable of your training e.g reps/rest/tempo or speed/recovery/exercise choices/timing of exercise/timing of training around nutrition etc.

There are infinitive variables when it comes to training that that is why there is no blanket "Best training routine" for this or that, its all individual and variable based as well as ultimately how you train mentally.

Some clients I find function more mentally and switch on on small simple slow controlled programs where they can focus on activate muscle efficiently while others may benefit more mentally from varied exercises and changes to keep them engaged. It has to be client centred, not one of my clients will ever be on the same program for this reason.

2- Does is ultimately change you?

Is your program based on the specific changes you would like to make within your body from training. This means if your training for a bodybuilding competition and your in a growth and shape phase and your training power lifts, explosive, fast, large muscle groups? Will this change your overall shape to how you would like it? Possibly, but things should be considered such as for growth cell volume, swelling, atrophy, hyperplasia etc. If your goal is fat loss does your nutrition also reflect goals, time under tension etc. Will it change you if you not eating clean? Probably not or not as fast as you would like.

Other factors to consider:

- Does it fit with your lifestyle? is it achievable?

- Does it account for injuries or factors that affect your training

- How accountable are you for your nutrition?

AND MANY MORE

Basically what I'm saying is that there is n perfect program for fat loss or hypertrophy etc if it is not done correctly, targeted to the individual and aligned with sufficient nutrition to fuel the ultimate goal from it.

TRAIN SMART= GET RESULTS

Lemon Lime Coconut Cheesecake

Did someone say Cheesecake??

Healthy Lemon Lime Coconut Cheesecake

A guilt free high protein, low GI carb, low fat delight! For all of you citrus lovers! Only takes about 20 minutes to make and 20 minutes of cook time. YUM!

Nutrition Info

• Calories: 154.8
• Fat: 6.9g
• Carbohydrates: 13.6g
• Protein: 11.0g

Ingredients

Base:
3 melted tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup almond meal 
half your shredded coconut (45g)
2 tbsp stevia
tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup coconut flour or rice flour etc
80g oats or oat bran

Filling:
Pre max lime sugar free jelly mix with approx 1/4 cup hot water- set aside to cool in fridge slightly
cottage cheese- reduced fat 250g
natural low fat yoghurt- 200g
2 tbsp agave- optional can use stevia
2.5 serve of vanilla protein powder approx 80g (whey/blend)
1/3 cup lemon juice and rind of 1 lemon
Other half of shredded coconut 45g
2 egg whites
tbsp gelatin/agar agar

Extra coconut and lemon rind to decorate optional

Directions

Combine the melted coconut oil and all of the base ingredients in a bowl. Place in a pan about 1.5cm thick and base untill golden (blind bake) approx 20 minutes 180 degrees. Set aside to cool in fridge.

Combine the yoghurt, lemon juice and rind, cottage cheese, agave, protein powder, egg whites with a blender/mixer. Stir in jello mix when slightly cool. Stir through gelatine/agar agar, stir in extra coconut shredded.

Pour into chilled base and cool in fridge or freezer day/overnight.

Number of Servings: 14

ENJOY!!
Alice xx

An Inside into the life of a Bikini Competitor/Sports Model

Competition: Its a journey, challenge and not always easy!

NABBA/WFF WA 2012 1st Place Sports Model

I have had a lot of girls inbox me about competitions lately about getting into bikini/sports modelling so I thought it would be a great idea to give you a bit of insight into what it requires and my approach to training/nutrition/lifestyle changes around it.

I haven't posted since I posted over 6 months ago about coming up to my first competition and a lot has changed since March IFBB my first every competition. I have learnt a lot about the sport and a lot about the industry and the more i compete the more I love it, the thrill on stage, the feeling of achievement, no matter if you place or not but knowing you have truly challenged yourself to get your body into peak condition.

Everyone competes for different reasons and for me its 2 reasons:
1. To challenge myself, to better my last physique on stage and improve on my weaknesses until they are my strengths, to transform and shape my body

2. To give myself confidence and others confidence to take that step out of your comfort zone and do something a little different!

STRIVE FOR PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION

INBA WA 2nd Place (2nd comp)

To be honest before I started competing I couldn't think of anything worse than getting up on a stage in a bikini that has less coverage than your average beach bikini, plus bright lights on you and a room of over 500+ people judging you on your aesthetics, maybe sounds a little superficial even?? Yeh sure it can seem that way but I used to have no confidence, competitions have taught me to walk tall, head high and give off positive energy and a confidence in everything I do now in daily life. My first competition was a nightmare I was wobbly on my feet, rushed through my individual walk, smiled awkwardly and fake and was so un-natural, I didn't practice enough posing or stage presence and focused on training hard and eating clean. When i got up there i realised how important your stage presence is and that even if you have the best body up there sometimes it means nothing if your shoulders are forward, your not smiling, you don't pose right and you have no personality or confidence. Posing classes are a godsent and something i highly recommend, not only do they assist you on the day but they give you the tools to highlight your best assets and its also a great way to meet other girls prior to the competition who are going through similar experiences and can be a supportive network of friends.


After that first comp I wanted to do it all again, but better! It did put me off a little but not enough, I love a good challenge and 4 weeks later I competed in another competition and placed 2nd I was wrapped but still had a little work to do on posing, a week later my 3d competition I won overall in WA and then went on to represent WA at the nationals for NABBA/WFF and placed 2nd at nationals in the short class. From coming from no stage presence, no confidence in March, to rocking it and feeling confidence, energetic and positive at nationals in May I knew that it was a sport I could really enjoy! Its more about the journey for me than the placings, I'm no longer scared to get up on stage but excited! Its your 45 seconds to shine, sometimes even less, it goes by so fast but you have to sit back and enjoy the ride and think I have worked by butt off for 2/3/4 months however long and I'm going to rock this and shine on stage!

Not only that but i changed up my diet and training form the first competition to the consecutive competitions with help from professionals in the industry and my own research as the diet I was on at the beginning competition was un-sustaibable, made me moody, tired, lethargic and i couldn't function, I'm completing my masters degree and I was falling asleep at University I needed something manageable. So I changed my diet adding in a lot more food as i believed my body was actually in starvation mode and storing the small amounts of food i was giving it as my weight/BF% was staying the same, once i added more foods i actually got leaner! My shape changed, my abs became more defined and i had energy coming out of my ears! I had found a healthy balance now where I can accommodate training, university, work and of cause clean nutrition, I'm not at all saying its easy I work my butt off everyday but it can be done.

NABBA/WFF Nationals 2nd Place 

NABBA/WFF National 2nd Place Short

Think its easy?? Think again! Here is a typical day for me in my lead up to competitions:

I will generally begin my day at 4.50am either to train myself or clients, then either off to university to finish my masters degree, online programs or in store work at Muscle Worx or training more clients. I consume 5-7 meals per day including pre/post training meals and try to fit these in no matter how busy I am I never miss a meal. I carry around a handy 6 pack bag where I fit all my meals, shakes, vitamins, fluids etc in for the day so I have no reason to cheat or miss a meal. I will either train again in the evening or afternoon and then clients again. By the time I get home its usually after 8pm and then its dinner time, meal prep for the next day, washing clothes/dishes, checking emails, doing more university work or organising clients. I do my bulk of my meal prep on a sunday to save me time during the week I pre cook mountains of rice, sweet potato, veggies, lean meats, and weigh out other parts of my diet such as proteins, nuts, healthy fats and post workout meals etc. It is very time consuming but saves me time later in the week.

Training:
I train different amounts depending on what phase I'm in of training and competition prep in the off season I would train weights heavy 4-5 times per week, I love to lift and feel strong! I would generally do 1-2 HITT sessions and 1 steady state cardio session and possibly a yoga/pilates or long relaxing walk on the beach if I can fit it in. I find cardio relaxes me and lets me zone out from the world and really start the day with a positive attitude. I train sometimes full body programs and sometimes split, I mix it up dependent again on my goals and always mix up exercises, tempos, rep ranges and recovery periods to give my body a shock.
Leading up to competitions this may increase depending on my body fat and conditioning, I always have 1 day off per week even during competition for rest, recovery and growth.

Nutrition/Diet:
80% of what you do in the gym can be outdone by poor nutrition and I firmly believe that! You truly cannot out train a bad diet. My nutrition again changes around my goals and dates for competitions. In the off season I enjoy a wide variety of foods and like to experiment with new ingredients, recipes and fresh local produce. I try not to restrict myself from food to much as I feel this can cause cravings, I will try make healthier alternatives of meals or have small portions of naughty treats to not deprive myself. I enjoy a wide variety of wholegrain carbohydrates low GI, low sugar and generally gluten free, lean proteins from animal and non-animal sources, lean dairy, plenty of fruit and vegetables daily and good healthy fats. I also supplement things I feel my diet may be lacking in such as magnesium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and my post workout nutritional supplements.
In season I take a few more supplements when I begin to change and limit certain foods, I often add in an iron supplement if I'm limiting red meat and legumes and take a good multi vitamin to keep my energy levels up also and make sure I am getting in a complete micronutrient profile.
Diet is very specific to the individual an it is always important to seek an experts advice when it comes to this, not one diet will work for everyone you need to find what works for YOU and find a healthy balance that is achievable and sustainable with your food choices.
Try not to buy into fad diets or gimmicks, make sure there is scientific evidence to back it all up and again ask professionals about it.

People often ask me: But i want to know exactly what special foods you eat?? What fat burners you take?? What exact training you do?? How many calories you eat?? To be perfectly honest there is no one answer to that, I work my butt off and find what works for me and stick to it, theres no short cuts, no easy answers unfortunately, but I think that makes the whole experience sweeter :)

At the end of the day its a big commitment, decide wether your ready to commit to the training and nutrition and possibly your social life for a while. Or if you would rather focus on other goals and maybe book yourself in for a photo shoot or reward yourself with a holiday etc for achieving them. Find goals that are attainable and suit your lifestyle and work forward from there. At the end of the day don't let anyone push you into competing, do it because your doing it for yourself and you love it know one else :)

If your thinking about competing get a supportive network of professionals around you to help you achieve your goals, don't go it alone get help and encouragement along the way, I myself am a coach but even have my own coach. I believe every coach needs a coach! Have an amazing day and dream big! Believe you can do it and your halfway there
Also and very important have a supportive network of friends and family, you will have up and down days and remember to spend time with loved ones and keep your head grounded, I want to thank all of my amazing friends and family and clients for the continual support, love and encouragement from them even on my bad days! In particular my 2 best friends Bek and Ceris, they keep me grounded and tell me to pull my head in when I need it :) They even become my cardio buddies or go on green tea dates to accommodate the lifestyle near comp and support me, love you both!!!!

Alice xx
Coach/SportsModel/Nutritionist