Being your most effective and present self: part 2 

It’s what on the inside that counts…

Attitude is everything. 
Your attitude and perceptions are the tools you pack for the job.

  • Pack the wrong tools and you will feel out of your depth, ill-prepared and unable to operate effectively. 
  • Pack the right tools and you will approach your task with confidence and understanding. 
  • Pack high quality tools that you are excited to use and you will jump at your task with enthusiasm.

So how to do go about “selecting the best tools”?

Top tip 1: Positive self-talk

Our thoughts proceed everything that we do. We think we are hungry; we think about the meal we would like and we take action to have that meal. We receive an email at work, we think about completing the task it details and we do so. Our language too has subtlety and power to determine how we respond to each task and how it makes us feel. I have to do this will establish a different platform to respond to situations than I get to do this. Our performance and response to life are highly susceptible to the energy and attitude we feed into the beginning phase and our motivation levels are highly sensitive to the language we use as we go. 

  • I can’t do this Vs I can’t do this yet. 
  • I’m useless as this Vs I’m still learning how to do this 
  • I have never done this before Vs this is an opportunity to learn

Think about how many thoughts you have a day, how many powerful opportunities you have to either fuel your fire or put it out. Take a moment to practice positive self-talk, being your own best friend and encourager. Practice this as often as you can and see how your mindset begins to strengthen and embolden you.

Top tip 2: Let past achievements inspire you
How many fantastic things have you already achieved in your life? Maybe when you started these ventures you felt a bit overwhelmed. You were starting your degree and thought gosh I have a long road ahead. But then you did it. Maybe you felt this way when starting a new job and having to learn new things but look where you are now or where you ended up. This can be applied and extrapolated to many areas of your life. The start of a hike, a new relationship…. Many things. The point being, things often seem scary at first but then you overcome, achieve and move on. Remember these past victories and let them compel and inspire you on to greater things. 

Top tip 3: Surround yourself with like-minded and encouraging people
More valuable than tools are your team, even if that team is not present on site all the time. These are the friends you choose to influence you, the partner who should ultimately encourage and support you and the other people you have in your life; mentors, personal trainers, coaches etc. (you cannot choose family so I shall simply wish you luck in enjoying the best of what they can offer you and extending your understanding and discretion on any negative aspects that sometimes stem from these relationships.)
We are sponges and will soak up the energy and will of those around us. So be picky and do not apologise for this. Does the company you keep uplift and motivate you? Or does it leave you feeling drained and deflated? This sometimes takes a while to work out. Allow yourself the space and time to do so.  

Key take-aways:

  • Your attitude is the foundation and tools which determine your outcomes and results 
  • How you speak to yourself have a huge impact on how you perceive you circumstance and the task ahead
  • You have made it this far and achieved this much already, there are greater things than that in store for you still. 
  • Pick the best team 

I hope you enjoyed part two of this months theme on being your most effective and present self.
SaeYond is all about using training, nutrition and mindset to get the most out of the one life we all get to live.
If you are keen to up or change your game then reach out at the below:

christina@saeyond.com

04 1355 2904

Our studio is located at ⬇️

3 Garden Court Elwood

Melbourne, Victoria 3184

Australia

Spiced South West Salmon and Salsa

A salmon serve a day truly keeps the doctor away. The high-quality protein to promote healthy muscle mass, the omega 3s to support cardiovascular health and brain function as well as loads of other minerals to keep you stronger for longer. 

This smokiness of the spiced salmon is wondrously cut through with the fresh-ness of the salsa and the broccolini will happily soak up the juices and be the crunchy companion of your dinner’s dreams. 

Ingredients:

  • 2x 100g salmon fillets:
  • bunch of broccolini 
  • a zucchini
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp sweet paprika
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • Sprinkle of salt
  • Simple Salsa:
  • 2 tomatoes 
  • ½ red onion
  • Handful of fresh parsley 
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  1. If using a conventional oven, set to preheat at 200 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray. Slice zucchini into halves and salt, allow to ‘sweat’ whilst all else is happening.
  2. Blend the above mentioned portions of nutmeg, salt, cayenne pepper, sweet & smoked paprika in a small bowl. Once blended, evenly coat the salmon in the spice mix. Arrange salmon portions and zucchini on the baking tray and pop into the oven for 15-18 minutes (depending on your oven and how you like your salmon cooked.) If using an air fryer, simply select the fish button or set to 11 minutes at 210 degrees Celsius.
  3. While this is baking the salsa can be made by rustic chopping of the tomato and onion into cm-ish pieces, throw together in a bowl with the salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. Put to one side. Cut the end stems off your broccolini and pour boiling water till just covered, put on med-high heat for 3 minutes. 
  4. Once salmon is cooked, remove from the oven and arrange on the plates alongside the broccolini, zucchini  and salsa. 

Macros: The above makes two serves, the below are per serve

Each: 304cal 23gP 12gF 25gC

Hot tip: Make enough salsa to keep extra in a jar for the next day for a fresh and handy addition to your lunches or snacks. 

Hot tip two:

A smaller portion at dinner means more calories left over for dessert.
Chocolate, peanut oats with berries is my go-to

Enhance Your Focus

Part one of a series on being your most effective, present self.

Three free things you can do:

  • Cold exposure: 5 minutes in a cold shower, a dip in the ocean or a walk in cold temperature in minimal clothing. You can derive further benefits from these practices by focusing on your breath while experiencing the cold. Ensure you are breathing through your nose if you can and try to tempo your breath to 5 seconds inhaling and 6 seconds exhaling. 
  • Fasting: The best brain food is no food. Fasting does not suit everyone but it is hugely beneficial for a majority of the population across a range of health parameters but specifically here for helping you to stay focused and productive. 
  • Exercise: To quote Dr Wendy Suzuki (Professor of neural science and psychology at New York University) Exercise is like a bubble bath for your brain. When you exercise for as little as 15 minutes you let off a powerful cascade of hormones that positively affect your ability to focus, clear and motivated. You boost your blood flow, dopamine, BNDF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) which then opens up neuroplasticity (your ability to form new memories, learn and retain information)

Four natural supplements:

  • EPA (found in fish oil): A quality omega 3 supplement will deliver the highest dose. It is also naturally found in good quantities in salmon and sardines and smaller quantities in walnuts, chia & flax seeds. A female will derive huge benefits from 600-800mg EPA (that’s EPA total, not fish oil/flax seed oil total) and males from 800-1000mg EPA
  • Lion’s mane mushroom powder: Traditionally used for thousands of years to aid digestive health, today it is sought after for its nootropic effects, promoting neuroplasticity and cognitive function. Try adding ½ tsp to your coffee (you won’t taste it) or a cup of bone broth. 
    Support brands that organically farm and then process rather than those that pillage from wild eco systems. 
  • Coffee: Not only does it improve focus and mental alertness, but it also stimulates the central nervous system and boosts the production of neurotransmitters associated with creativity. 
  • B vitamins: Specifically, B12 is the major player for supporting healthy brain function and ability to concentrate. Aim for 2.4mcg at least per day. 

Settling into flow with a feeling of clarity and alertness is wonderful, bringing yourself back out having been effective and productive is gold. It can be incredibly frustrating to feel unable to focus but wonderfully, the above free behaviours make the biggest difference and are accessible to all. The proceeding supplements are the cherries on top. Other things that make a difference are quality sleep, avoiding processed foods and eliminating the distractions you can (such as excessive social media).

I hope you enjoyed Part 1! This series will be going all for the whole month of September. If your mood, focus and motivation is something you would like to invest in, to change the game on other areas of your life, then reach out for coaching today.

✅Mindset
✅Training
✅Nutrition
Are the full package offered by SaeYond Health, contact details are below

christina@saeyond.com
04 1355 2904
3 Garden Court Elwood
Melbourne, Victoria 3184
Australia

Addressing Adrenal Fatigue

Struggling to sleep, a lack of focus, little energy and an over all off kilter feeling that is leaving your depressed and frustrated. Adrenal Fatigue feels horrendous.

A quick bio lesson:
You produce adrenaline (also called cortisol) in glands. Your perception of the world and how you experience stress and other day-day experiences will determine how much your glands secrete. You need sufficient amounts for focus, energy and to fight off infections when necessary. Your body will produce more or less depending on the situation it feels it is in. You can also produce more through certain supplements like caffeine. Your system can be overwhelmed by too much cortisol being produced for too long and not enough rest and recovery time in between. This can lead to the depression of other important bodily functions and hormonal imbalances.
You may have heard of type II diabetes where people have become “insulin resistant” this is because for so long they had to produce lots of insulin in response to a diet too high in sugary foods and now their pancreas can no longer keep up with the demands which leads to the resistance. Adrenal fatigue works in much the same way. Your body has to keep up with such a high and sustained production of adrenalin that the system simply goes out of whack as it gets depleted.

How does it feel?
Like you are not yourself. It feels hard to self-regulate emotions as you feel out of balance and out of control. A quality night’s sleep may feel harder to achieve and even when you do sleep you wake feeling groggy rather than refreshed. Energy levels are low throughout the day and remembering simple things is a challenge which in turn makes it harder for you to trust yourself and your own judgment. Often the fatigue you feel leads you to crave foods you don’t need.

Because your other hormones have gone out of balance things like your sex drive, ability to learn and retain information, your mood and cycles also go off kilter and become depressed.

How does it happen?
Your lifestyle has a huge affect on your hormonal balance. Let this knowledge empower you. You do not have to be victim to it or your genetics, you can take control and affect positive changes within yourself to achieve the healthiest you that you can be!
Smoking, drinking, drugs and highly processed foods are the obvious causes but things like:

  • living your life in a rush and burning yourself out at work
  • drinking excessive amounts of caffeine (especially first thing in the morning)
  • not getting enough time outside in natural light
  • not eating a good balance of carbohydrates with quality proteins and fats
  • not having enough positive social connections that restore and enrich you…

…can all have a negative affect on your hormonal balance and so your overall well being. This all makes you susceptible to burnout, adrenal fatigue and other nefarious conditions that decrease your quality of life. You get one life. Do everything you can to achieve the best quality of it, you are so worth it.
See the below tips on managing your adrenal fatigue and restoring optimal hormonal balance.

what to avoid:

  • caffeine, no coffee at all and limit teas that contain caffeine such as black and green tea.
  • processed foods, alcohol and cigarets/vapes;  These stress the body out and make it harder for the adrenals to  repair themselves whilst cause other damage.
  • stress. Easier said than done but this can mean learning to say no, scheduling time to talk with friends and family, taking walks in nature and dialing back your work load as best you can.

Behaviour practices:

  • first thing in the morning, get 10-15 minutes of natural light in your eyes. This has to be outside.
  • low impact exercise such as walking, low intensity weight training, yoga and pilates.
  • cold exposure 3 times a week. This could be a 40 minute walk in minimal clothing or 3 minutes of a cold blast in the shower.
  • avoid food and your phone an hour before bed.

How your diet can help

  • eat carbohydrates within 2 hours of waking and straight after exercise.
  • including small amounts of quality sources of organic protein or the best quality you can afford.
  • including high quality fats and omega 3s (found in salmon, sardines, hemp seeds). Small amounts of coconut oil to support your adrenals and serves of avocado.
  • leafy greens, berries and cooking with herbs to get a variety of micronutrients.

For guidance and support on overcoming your adrenal fatigue, reach out.
A free 15 minute phone consult can be booked by emailing: christina@saeyond.com

We can get your started with a simple to follow diet, exercise and lifestyle plan to de-stress, nourish your body and restore balance.

Rob’s Morning Oat Jar

Autumnal apples and late season citrus offer mild sweetness and supreme juiciness while the granola at the bottom and bulk oats will replenish his energy stores (muscle glycogen) as the day unfolds before him. Why oats and granola? Why should anyone have to choose between creamy and crunchy? Why not both?

This simply can’t be called his breakfast jar as something like this only serves as a snack to tide him over till ‘proper breakfast’. As a tall and highly active male, the calorie and nutrient density of it is still a great option for his lunch box or to take to the gym. For most of us however, it can absolutely serve as a bountiful and nourishing breakfast.

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup of rolled oats 
  • ½ cup granola (crunch and nuttiness)
  • ¼ cacao powder
  • 1 small chopped apple
  • 1 peeled mandarin
  • 1 tbsp nut butter (optional)

Method:

  1. Simply build the above ingredients into a clean jar for your convenience and ease of transport. 
  2. When the time comes for munching get a kettle boiling 300-350ml of water. Tip contents of jar into a ceramic bowl, mix together and pour hot water. 
  3. You can, of course, pour into the jar if there is sufficient room to mix and eat from there. Glass jars get hot to the touch however so do practice due caution.

Macros:
The above serves 1 and includes the tbsp of nut butter
Each: 466cal 20gP 14gF 65gC

Hot tips:

Nut butters are a great option for getting an extra dose of calories and delivering creaminess. 

Bulk prep with dry ingredients and add the fruit as your day’s progress along the weeks.

Add a scoop of protein of powder, and an extra 30ml hot water for a more balanced meal.

Ready to Rock Croc Pot Chicken

Were you wondering what to do with that left over roast chicken from Sunday? There’s a big week coming up and the weather outside has you dreamy for bowls of nourishing warmth you can enjoy inside.

When the wind has you wanting to escape, do so! To the country, with this country chicken soup recipe. Prep time: 10 minutes , Cook time: 6 hours plus. A perfect option for when you have a little time to whip round the kitchen before heading to work.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 a roast chicken (this was about 400g of pre-roasted, whole chicken bits.)
  • 400g chopped pumpkin
  • 2 onions, halved and peeled
  • 1 courgette
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 lemon cut into quarters
  • 1/4 cup dried lentils
  • 2 knobs of garlic
  • 2 stock cubes (vegetable or chicken)
  • 1 tbsp Italian herbs
  • 1/2tbsp thyme
  • 1tsb cumin
  • pepper (shouldn’t need much more salt as the stock cubes will have plenty
  • pour over 400ml boiling water
  • Dukkuh to garnish and enhance (optional)

Method:

  1. Simply add the above ingredients to a slow cooker 6-9 hours before you wish to eat and turn the dial to low. I set the kettle boiling first and then use that time whilst it does it’s thing to chop and add the vegetables.
  2. Turn the dial to high 30 minutes before you would like to eat. The ingredients should have softened and infused. Remove the lemons, serve into bowls and top with dukkuh.
6 hours later
Served and spiced with dukkuh

Macros:
The above serves 2
Each: 572cal 45gP 37gF 20gC

Hot tips:

  • My partner eats a lot… I therefore would do extra rice (as pictured above) or potatoes for him on the side so do this if need be but not they are not accounted for in the above macros.
  • Though there appears to be a massive list of ingredients, fear not. I really just used what vegetables needed to be used that were already in the fridge and you would be welcome to do the same, root vegetables rather than nightshades work best. The onion and garlic can be left out if you struggle to digest them but they are a fantastic flavour hit.
  • The chicken was pre-roasted from 2 nights before. If you are not using a pre-cooked chicken then cut a whole into quarter pieces and ensure it cooks for at least 7 hours.

Stand Tall

Avoid Pain with Your Best Posture

Train smarter and avoid lifestyle pitfalls: You can support your posture through training the correct muscles such as your upper back (rhomboids, lats, rear delts and trapezius) and being mindful during the day of your posture. This is not limited to the upper body. Strong glutes, core and working on hip mobility will support a more complete picture of your posture and prevent against lower back pain. The best place to start is getting examined to workout where you are at.

Avoid: Sitting to long at your desk, excessive phone use, neglecting stretch and mobility work or using a gym program that was not designed with your unique physiology in mind.

Being mindful of your posture during the day, sitting with chin up, chest proud and shoulders back if you are at a desk. If standing, avoid ‘duck bumming’ out as this is not doing your lower back any good. Stand firm, tall and strong. Focus on your breath to help encourage your connection to your body.

How could my gym program not be optimised for correct posture?: The classic push/pull spilt is a solid idea to have in mind to balance upper body and avoid pain and postural dysfunction but it goes deeper than this.

For example: Both your chest (pecs) and a few of your back muscles (teres major and lats) turn your shoulders in. So chest press and lat pull downs are not enough variety, this will only lead to more of the hunching our modern lives already encourage.

Find out more about a program customised for you here

What are the benefits or great posture?
Confidence and efficiency of movement. You will look better in day-to-day life and when correct posture is used during exercise your technique and therefore results have much to gain.

What are the drawback of poor posture?
In a word; pain. That horrendous cranky neck feeling at the end of the day, lower back pain and feelings strains are the result of poor posture and not exercising your way to better.

Resources for Pain Free Posture:

Hip Mobility Follow Along Video
Core, back and stretch follow along video

Shakshuka V2.0

Possibly the most excellent baked eggs I have ever had the pleasure to share in my garden.

Twirling the fork around the sweet roasted strands of squash whilst it picked up tomato, dip, egg and spice is a mouth water experience. It didn’t need the toast but the additional crunch factor was much appreciated.

A perfect once to enjoy these last few days of winter, especially as you will find the spaghetti squash “bowl” keeps the whole mixture hot and steaming long after it has been served.

Base Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tin of tomato
  • 1 spaghetti squash  
  • 1 tbsp ras el hanut spice 
  • dukkuh 
  • salt and pepper
  • additional toppings as you like V

Toppings:

  • Tahini dip
  • hummus
  • dukkuh (middle easter spice)
  • smoked paprika

Method:

  1. Slice squash in half ridding it of its seeds. Arrange in air fryer or oven roasting dish. Sprinkle a tsp of salt and pepper over the squash. If roasting in an oven you may need a tsp of olive oil. Not necessary in an air fryer. Roast for 20-30 minutes. 
  2. Once the squash s ready or a couple of minutes off, empty a tin of tomatoes into a pot on medium-high heat and add a teaspoon of ras el hanut spice, cover with lid and let it simmer until bubbling. 
  3. Crack four eggs into the tomato mixture once it is pipping hot and cover with lid. 
  4. While the eggs are cooking, get your bread toasting.
  5. Once eggs have been cooking in tomato mixture and have hardened to your liking (3-4 minutes for a gooey centre, longer if you prefer firmer eggs) spoon out the tomato mixture into the squash and carefully scoop eggs in too.
  6. Add your toppings and get messy with your toast!

Macros:

The above with tahini dip makes 2 serves, the macros described are per serve and without toast or other toppings

Each: 301cal 18gP 13gF 28gC

Please note that a tsp of olive oil delivers another 25 calories per serve and 5g of fat. Check the nutritional information on your bread and make choices that serve your goals.

Eating new things can be scary but eating healthier does not have to be a horrendous experience. For my help with your nutrition goals, to feel better in your body reach out to the details below and we can start the journey together!

Get Nutrition Coaching

Muscle: Your Longevity Organ

Benefit from the feeling that comes with moving and performing everyday tasks better.

Jumping out of a car with confident swing in your step, bending to pick something up out without feeling any twinges or aches and putting pants on without tumbling into the nearest solid object.

These are the everyday things we can take for granted when we are young and mobile.  As we age these basics become harder to perform with ease. It does not have to be this way. Yes, if you don’t use it, you lose it. If you do however, these tasks will just scratch the surface of your movement potential.

Training therefore should transcend the bounds of the gym, and beyond movements that improve our aesthetic. After all, most our lives are lived outside the gym. A well-designed program that you can stick to will deliver the muscle growth and movement efficiency that comes with it.

Support muscle growth and healthy tissue

This is done by:
– Ensuring adequate protein intake (.8-1.2g Protein/kg of body weight a day)
– Eating a variety of colours, and high quality, unprocessed foods.
– Avoiding excessive alcohol, sugar and other highly processed foods that hamper muscle growth and harm healthy tissue.

– Getting 7-9 hours quality sleep every night.
For more information on sleep, find the following past article.

Improve Your Sleep

Improve your metabolism, Not just by increasing your rate of metabolism (fat burning) but optimising nutrient use too.

Your resilience to injury: Not only does having adequate muscle prevent falls and improve our movements, muscle acts as a shock absorber too. So if you do get into a bit of a scrape with a bench or slippery surface, your muscle can act to bear the brunt of the force and so protect your more delicate joints and bones.

Offsets the decline associated with ageing: As we age we are more susceptible to a process known as sarcopenia whereby you we lose muscle which results in poor metabolic function and decrease. movement quality.

Experience Can Work One of Both Ways.

You can either let the years and knowledge build you up or let it weigh you down. It can either feed or deplete your determination and the ultimate thing it comes down to is having an enthusiastic mindset. If you don’t feel like you have enough experience you will want more and this will feed into your energy levels and the way you attack things. If you feel you have enough you get complacent and that breeds boredom and if you’re bored you are doing it wrong and you will not get results. 

Mindset tip 1: 

Balance between confidence in your knowledge and and the willingness to learn. Have the recognition that you could aways do things better. It will serve you and any project you tackle. After all, there are probably many day-day as well as higher achievement tasks that you do better now than you did before. You have learned to optimise and you can apply this to other areas of your life.

“A man who thinks the same at 50 as he did when he was 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

Muhammad Ali

Mindset tip 2: 

Takes breaks. Two good reasons to take breaks. One is, it feels so good to miss things and let yourself reset and recover. If you go to the gym to do the same style of training every day you will never miss it. If you eat the same things you may become sick of them. Time off will keep you keen and excited.

Reason two (though there are more) it can be hard to see things from too close up. Step back and you can get a look at the bigger picture and so fine tune where things are better to be placed to make the whole more enjoyable, effective as well as sustainable. We often don’t feel ourselves burn out until it’s too late. 

Mindset tip 3:

You are not too experienced or cool to be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm takes you to what people mean by “above and beyond”. If you show up to work early it means you are there because you want to be, not because you have to be. You have entered a zone of deliberate action with that decision and your performance and achievements then flow from there. If you put in the extra reps on an exercise you are doing it because you love it, because you want to see what you can do, not because it’s written on your program. Being keen is attractive and apathy gets you nowhere. 

Key takeaways: 

  • Let experience be an advantage, something that fuels your enthusiasm rather than dimming it over time. 
  • Chase your better version of you and how you do things.
  • Find balance to keep yourself from burning out by taking breaks so you will keep wanting to show up early and put that extra effort in when you are there. 

Thank you ❤️
This article is dedicated to my partner who never ceases to amaze and motivate me with his enthusiasm, mindset and balance.
– With love