BECOMING A FITNESS PROFESSIONAL

I was lucky enough to interview athlete Delyse Botes. Whilst she has always been passionate about fitness and a healthy lifestyle she decided in 2012 to get back into the competitive side and since then there is no stopping her. She shared some of her tips and what her goals are that she has set herself.

 

 

 

What is your fitness/training background? "I have been training since 1996. Always loved sport, I was a show jumper and a endurance off rider! I like working for something, setting goals... see how far I can push myself!"

 

What made you decide to compete? "I have not had any competitive sport for two years and due to me love being fit and the opportunity with the 'kiddies' being bigger I decided 2012 that I want to do my first comp in July 2013. Just wanted to do one....but one was all I needed to be hooked."

 

What kind of training routine do you follow? "Weights six days a week. Ten weeks before competition I will add three days of cardio and one yoga session."

 

How often and how long do you train? "Six days a week. Never longer than an hour. When I do my cardio I will split my workouts morning and evening."

 

What is your favourite part of the body to train and why? "I don't have a favourite part, either way I am always in pain and push as hard and heavy as possible."

 

What kind of diet to you follow? "Very high protein and low carb."

 

What is your short term and long term goals? "Short term goal (worlds comp) to be placed in the top 5. Long term goal....to be old and very strong."

 

What are your competition achievements so far?

 

SA Extreme (1st IFBB)

WBFF SA (1st figure and 2nd and 3rd in Diva)

Provincials (1st)

Nationals (1st)

International Motivator (1st)

Arnold's Europe Classic (8th Masters and 8th Body Fitness)

 

 

 

Do you have a coach and nutritionist?  "My coach is Federico Focherini (Italian) International Coach. I do not have a nutritionist."

 

What would your suggestion be, to women looking to start training and perhaps compete?

"Go for it...never hesitate...you are a winner just by standing on that stage! Have fun."

 

Hope this inspires you to get moving this winter remember summer bodies are built in winter!

 



THE DIET DEBATE

If there's one question us girls always want an answer to it's how do I loose weight fast and without too much effort? I am pleased to say after 20 years of research and evaluation and trial and error I have the answer.....

There is no quick fix! There is only one sure fire way to achieve a toned, healthy and strong body. Eat less exercise more. Sounds simple but putting it into practice is the tricky part. However take it from someone who has tried everything from the 500 calories a day diet to Atkins that eating healthy clean food and regular exercise is the only way to loose the weight and keep it off.

Along the way I got some valuable lessons:

1. Enjoy exercise - it does not help taking up an exercise plan that you cant stand, you might go great guns in the beginning but a month down the line you will be finding excuses as to why you cant go. So try out lots of different exercise programs, so many gyms and clubs offer a free trial class and with the wealth of options out there I am sure you will find something that tickles your fancy.

2. Eat small regular meals - I was famous for skipping meals or having a shake in place of a meal. Again this is not maintainable. Our bodies were made to be at their best with sufficient clean fuel so if you are not giving it this how can you perform at your best. The key here is to try and eat five small meals a day (meals that fit on a side plate). Fill it with vegetables and some protein. Remember guys in the cave man times we were hunting and gathering and able to catch our own food which I can assume takes energy and strength which they managed to do without shoving a doughnut down their throat.

3. Sugar makes us fat - When I started looking into just how much sugar is in our food I was shocked, sauces and other processed food literally had more sugar in than chocolate. Stick to the isle's in the grocery stores where you find the fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. Stay away from items that literally can stay on the shelve for 10 years, not only do they have large sugar contents but they have a host of  chemicals in that our bodies were just not designed to handle.

4. Have active rest days - All the people I researched with fit bodies not only have a regular workout schedule but they are active on their rest days. We live in a beautiful country with great weather so get out and take the bike ride with the kids, walk the dog or go for a hike. Getting in touch with nature is also a great way to meditate and self reflect.

5. Set goals - Make sure you know what you are working towards, do you want to just tone up, loss 10kg or run 5km in less than 30 minutes. Once you know what goal you are working towards you will be able to set mini goals and remember to make sure that your goals are measurable. So lets take run 5km's in 30 minutes - here you would set a time frame that you would like to achieve this and then each week or day you would have mini goals to keep improving to reach the final goal.

6. The scale lies - I used to be a scale fanatic every morning I would jump on the scale and be disappointed. Now I don't say that the scale has no place in your bathroom but it should not be your only measuring tool. Remember muscle is heavier than fat so whilst you are building that muscle you might stay the same or even gain weight. The best way to mark progress is a body fat percentage test which most fitness professionals offer as a service.

7. Be consistent - You have to aim to get it right 80% of the time. Find that exercise program you will stick with, eat a healthy balanced diet and stay active. Twelve week challenges are great to get you started but if you don't stay consistent you will go right back to where you started. Remember when you do something for 21 days it becomes a habit!

8. You can achieve what your mind perceives - don't let people put obstacles in you way and tell you, you cant achieve something there are plenty of hot toned bodies of women in their 40's, 50's and right up to their 80's. So be the best you can be! 

 

9. Be a celebrity - Now I know we cant all be famous but the one thing they do right is they consult with a lot or professionals to achieve their goals. Most of us are not experts in diet and exercise so consult with people who can help put you on the right track. Now I know this comes at a price but normally a once of consultation is between R250 and R500 and do you feel your health and well being is not worth this? Besides think of the money you will save from not going to the doctor when you are healthy.

 

10. Start now - this is the most important lesson, stop putting off today till tomorrow. You deserve to be the best version of you why wait till Monday to do that?

 

I hope my lessons help you on your path to health and well being I would love to get your feedback on some of the things that have worked for you and where you are at in your journey! 

NEW LOOK NEW NAME

It has been a long time coming but eventually I am pleased to say the re-launch is here! I did not want to rush into it and wanted to ensure I have some awesome material to share with you.

When I looked at changing the blog I initially was going to focus on just fitness and diet etc but the more I looked into it I realized I am passionate about more than just fitness. So Fab Fit and Forty was born.

I hope to share with you not only fitness tips and diet do's and don'ts but also style trends and how to stay fabulous from hosting a party to doing the school run.

The more I chatted to people the more I realized that in the 35+ age group there was not as many bloggers focusing on these outstanding women with a wealth of knowledge and talents. So sit back grab that cup of coffee and enjoy the articles.

Please interact and give feedback as I would love to hear what topics you would like me to cover and share my blog with your girlfriends!

Happy reading!

XOXO

Simone

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Hi guys I know I have been very quiet and very inconsistent with writing, I am looking at a new look and feel for the blog so please watch this space. It is always awesome to get feedback from people who read the blog and find it helpful so I am hoping the new look and content will blow your socks off!

PINTEREST STYLE ASSISTANT

I know I have spoken about this before but I absolutely love Pinterest for ideas for the home, garden, health and fitness and especially for style ideas. If you are like me you get tired of recycling the same outfits each week and you end up feeling like every Monday is blue dress day etc etc. Some people can just put together and outfit, normally something that you would not think of throwing on together, and make it work, I am not one of these people. However where I do have a gift is seeing something on Pinterest and being able to recreate that look.

An important key to remember, and my daughter can confirm this after trying on 60 white tops to find an exact match, is you might not necessary find the exact top etc that you see in the picture you need to be flexible and work with the concept.  What I love about using media like Pinterest and Instagram is that it helps you think outside the box colours and items of clothing that you might not always put together suddenly seem to gel. Also items of clothing that have been banished to the back of the closet suddenly find new life. If you have a pair of pants for instance that you are not sure how to style what top or shoe is going to go best trying searching using the description of the pants.

Don't forget the wonderful thing about Pinterest is as you are browsing and come across awesome outfits you can pin them to your board for later inspiration. So on those days where you stare at your closet and think I have nothing to wear and feel like climbing back into bed take a look at your board with all those wonderful go to outfits you have pinned. I have a number of boards I pin to so head on over to Pinterest and follow me.

Below are two outfits that I recreated using Pinterest inspiration:

The bottom right is the image from Pinterest, this pic made me see that a button up blouse that I normally would not pear with a maxi skirt would work and not look slouchy, the belt helps keep it from being to much fabric.

SETTING GOALS

Not sure about you but this time of the year makes me dust of the journal and start setting those goals! One of my goals at the top of my list is to blog a lot more, I started full steam and then my schedule got the better of me and before you know it you have not blogged in three months. To those of you following me I am sorry it has been a little quiet on the Simone Style Café Front.

I know it is really cliché to have New Years resolutions and some people religious make them each year (I am one of these) and then by February those resolutions are distant memories and we reassign ourselves to the fact that nothing is going to change.

I don't know if it is that 41 is fast approaching or that I am tired of not achieving the goals I put down on paper but I have a renewed sense of hope that 2014 is going to be the year of achieving and exceeding my goals.

My age old goal is to get into shape. Now those of you who know me I am not obese and most people would say you look perfect but come summer time and December holidays when you have to climb into that painful swimsuit I do not feel comfortable, gorgeous or sexy. It might be only one month out of the whole year where you have to show a little more skin but it literally ruins my holiday. Now I have two choices one I accept that this is as good as it gets and just buy a bigger swimsuit and cover up or I stop wishing for the body I see on the cover of fitness magazines and put in the work required to obtain that physique.

I have chosen the later option, the goal has been written down (an important tool I believe) and now I am making myself accountable by putting it up on the blog. Goals also need to be measurable so I have taken the before photos (also a great motivator to get you to move into action and keep you motivated), I have met with a nutritionist to get a solid eating plan in place and to make sure I am eating the right foods and the exercise plan is in full action.

So I have the tools needed now comes the most important part of any goal setting make sure you put it into action! So guys keep your eyes on the blog and I will keep you updated on operation kick my butt into shape goal...