Welcome to the Rise and Conquer Podcasts. This podcast is for women who want to take ownership of their lives, live unapologetically, and are ready to turn their biggest dreams into their reality. If you're ready to be armed with the tools that will inspire to take bold action, feel confident within yourself, and conquer your goals, then you've come
to the right place. I'm your host, Georgie Stevenson. I'm a lawyer turned entrepreneur, co founder of Naked Harvest Supplements, and social media personality with a community of over three hundred thousand. I grew up believing I had to pursue the safe option and fit into a mold others had created for me. But then I entered my corporate law job and I realized that settling for a reality that did I didn't set my soul on fire, was something I was not prepared to do. I wanted more, and
I have a feeling you do too. Join me and special guests weekly as we get down to the nitty gritty on all things health, mastering your mindset, creating lasting habits, thriving in your career and relationships, plus so much more, and together we'll gain the knowledge and perspective to pursue our wildest dreams and kick fear to the curb. Well, what are you waiting for? Let's rise and conquer. Hey guys,
and welcome to another episode of the Rise and Conquer podcast. Today, I am bringing you a chat with the WBFF bikini pro and one of my closest girlfriends, Micky Parker. I've known Mickey since high school and we weren't exactly close friends in high school, but we actually start sard renting an apartment together when we're around nineteen and became the most closest sister gal pals. She is just such an amazing overall human. She has so much knowledge on health
and fitness. She's a qualified pet, she has won a couple of bikini titles, and we have a really amazing chat about lots of things. Micky, much like me, went through a complicated start with her fitness journey, had some issues with body image and disordered eating habits and that sort of stuff, and she really found her way when she became a qualified PT and started to do bikini body competitions and has really found a balanced lifestyle and now coaches other women to feel really good in their
own skin and to lead a similar lifestyle. So in our conversation, we get down to what made Mickey want to jump into the world of bikini comps, and she clears up a lot of miscommunications surrounding them and also shares so many good tips on nutrition and fitness, plus so much more. This is such a fun recording. You can tell we were having a really fun time. We hadn't seen each other in a while and we could just literally talk about hours. But it's a really good episode,
so I hope you enjoy it. Let's get straight into the show. Welcome to the show. Mikayla. You hate when I qure you.
Because I stop looking into my eyes.
Okay, guys, I'll set the scene. So I've been staying at Mickey's house. I'm down down in Sydney, Yes, down in Sydney and recording some podcasts saying with Mick, and it's been good because I hate being away and being out of routine. But because Mick and me have lived together before, I feel super comfortable borrowing all your shit toothbrush.
It's great. It does just feel natural, though, which is nice.
Brings back to men. So we are getting into a very exciting conversation. This will just be like us talking shit, let's be honest.
Yeah, it probably won't be the most professional podcast you've ever.
Heard in any like sort of og followers, you remember me and Mickey's content, like, this is what it's like. So I'm excited though, because it's a different sort.
Of poty, real, very raw.
Yeah. So, as you know, as I told you before, Mick, the new question that I asked all my guests is what current season are you in? So what I mean by this is we all go through seasons, and I like to call them seasons because sometimes they're really hectic, sometimes they're a struggle, sometimes they're really good. But it's knowing that it's a season, so you know you're not always going to be in it, if that makes sense, or being really grateful for when you're in a really
good season. So what sort of season are you in?
Honestly, I'm definitely still in a very busy season. At the end of the last year, I was in a really busy season after having more of a relaxed season probably before that, after my competition, I was traveling and stuff, and then at the end of last year, you know, coming to the end the year. I thought it would kind of quiet down and everything, but no, it was very, very busy, and it's kind of honestly just carried all the way through to January, the first month of this year.
But I wouldn't really have it any other way. It has been really good. And I like that you asked this question because I totally agree with you in that sense that it is just a season and throughout the year. I do definitely go through a few different seasons, and it really depends what I've got on in what we'll get into in my competing, in my business.
Different parties exactly.
At the moment, my main focus is really my health and family and my business at the moment as well.
Yeah, in a season of hustle can relate. So for those listeners who don't know you, can you give us just a bit of a snapshot of who you are? Who is Mickey Parker?
Okay, So I'll start back when I guess we met, because that's probably just the easiest.
Started your line.
Yeah, yeah, ever yet part of it, so that was we lived together back in Brisbane. I am originally from Brisbane, probably about four or five years ago, and back then I moved in with Georgie and her partner. I was like Beyonce husband, God, it's it's been a long time. So we all lived together back then, and I was actually studying law same as Georgie, so I feel like
that's where we really meshed. But throughout this whole time, I was always really passionate about health and fitness while I was studying law, and I was working full time in a law firm as well, so in Brisbane, I
was very busy. Because I also decided on the side of full time law work and part time university study, I decided to do my Set three and so Foreign Fitness just because I was really passionate about it and I really enjoyed it, but also because I needed to have more education around health and fitness and nutrition because I found myself getting stuck in a bad cycle with nutrition and food and things will get into I'm sure in this podcast, but that's when I moved to Sydney
with my partner, and I really just was so passionate about health and fitness that I thought, why not use my certificates instead of just being for my own personal use and education, why not just do it for even a year see how it goes. And when I moved to Sydney, I did exactly that, started in the fitness space and left law behind and I actually put my
law on hold at university and everything. So I was a really big step and from there I just fell in love with the health and fitness space and being able to help women kind of get through that struggle that I once found myself really stuck in that binge recycle go again, that binge restrict cycle. I was like, recycle. I was like, what binge restrict cycle?
Yeah, so well let's actually start there. So what would you say your teenage years were like in regards to your relationship with food and your body. Oh, it's a little bit tricky because at the time and early twenties. Yeah, at the time, back then, because I was coming from an uneducated place and I feel like there's so much more education on social media and stuff now. I was training a lot, I was cutting calories, I was doing
like no carbs after five. I did have a really bad relationship with food.
But it's funny because I can see that now, but at the time I thought I was being so fit and so healthy.
And you were almost praised if you could do any of that.
Yeah, Like I remember, I was actually thinking back to this the other day. I remember one of my news resolutions, this is so bad to admit, used to be to not have chocolate for three weeks.
And to me, dude, wasn't it like three months? Was it?
Just I used to try and like restrict things over certain pots.
Do you hate chocolate?
I love because I love chocolate and.
One of your weaknesses.
Yeah, And it always comes down to the good and bad food mentality. And I was an all or nothing type of person. So if I was dieting, I was a clean eater and I wanted to be like the cleanest eater, Like I wanted to do it one hundred percent because I thought that was the way that you were successful, if that makes sense. Like I thought, if you were eating chocolate, that that means that you know you've failed and you're not eating clean and you're not you know, being.
Your healthier self, like a very all or nothing approach exactly exactly.
So it's taken years and years to break that. I'm not going to lie. It wasn't like all of a sudden I just came out of that.
So how did you develop from that mindset and maybe even talk a little bit about what is your mindset now around your food and body.
So I have done a complete one point eighty. So I used to always want to restrict, and I always wanted to get skinnier and skinnier, like the skinniest little legs. So I was always cutting calories, doing cardio, just doing as much as possible. And now I really focus on fueling my body and eating. I actually want to eat as many calories as I possibly can to fuel my body.
And the restriction is just completely gone now, Like I don't restrict any food groups, any macros, I don't really live by any food rules, like I've gotten rid of them completely. I just really like to ensure that I'm getting a healthy, balanced diet, so enough protein, carbs, fats, and nutrients. But then I also allow myself if I want chocolate, I'll have chocolate my whole prep and just my everyday life. I will have if I feel like it. I will have chocolate every day. If I don't feel
like it, I won't have it. Like it just no longer can controls you. No, Like it's not even really a thought that I have, and it seems so distant now.
But I'm sorry to butt in. I was just gonna say, I obviously know that you were never diagnosed or anything like that, but do think you had some sort of eating disorder? Sorry to put you on the spot.
Yeah, I think No, I think I had disordered eating. Yes, I don't think I had an eating disorder, And honestly, I think it really just stemmed from being uneducated as well, and the way that I was viewing calories and not appreciating how my body could actually work. Because once I did get educated in how the body works, like the human physiology for me, that's where I was. I actually had this moment where I was like, oh my god, it makes sense.
I get it.
I did have that moment and yes, my mindset and that took a little bit longer to catch up to more of my analytical brain that was like, yes, that's how it were. Yes, So there was a bit of lag there, but honestly, that was definitely my turning point, Like.
It was clear as day getting more educated.
Yeah, as soon as I understood exactly what was going on in the body, I'm really a why person, So I'm always like but why, Yes, So once I understood that why, and now I know the functions of the body and what actually happens, so which is probably different for everyone. I think their why is going to be different to get them out of that. But once I understood that, that's where I really noticed that my mindset really started to change.
Yes, see that's so interesting. So as you would know, and maybe a lot of the listeners is like, I have a similar story. So because we kind of went through our obsessive phase together, I don't know, would you say that?
I think so. And I think because like what I mentioned before, we were a little uneducated as well. We thought we thought we were doing really well. Yeah, like we thought we were almost like feeding off each other.
We were a one hundred percent feeding off each other, and it was easy. It was almost easier to do it with someone because we used to go to gym every single morning. We'd wake up at like five o'clock, we'd do an F forty five class. And then we were living together and it was like so much easier
because one hundred percent. Don't you think it almost felt like very and I don't want to butcher this or it almost felt like not euphoric, but it felt like I almost got this high from and I know there are actually studies that this happens when you restrict food, but it almost got this high from like working out really like pushing myself and not eating and then being like, like you said, like successful at it, Like I was really proud of myself, Like it really.
Was this proper.
Feeling that I was getting.
Yeah, no, me too, And like now looking back, we know, I know, ridiculous. That's why it's very hard for me to put it into words because it's completely different when when you were in that and back then, Like I'm trying to give people context now of there's so much more education given to like the general consumer on Instagram or on any platform.
Back then, there was no education and captions. It was a lot of spo photo.
See. This was the other thing that I was going to add to it. We were almost praised as well by those things, and everyone's like, oh, you're doing.
So well, You're so fit, you say. We also to be completely transparent, like blew up on Instagram, like we were gaining a lot of followers and getting a lot of praise from stuff we were doing together and being really active and one hundred percent. So it felt like it.
Didn't feel like we were doing at that time. It didn't feel like it was anything negative. No, until obviously we I guess we started coming out.
Well sorry, this is what I was going to say before you were saying your turning point was very much getting the education and really knowing your white I think when I think back, mine was really getting to the point. And this is because again I think we'll get into this about our bodies being so different and not ours, like everyone's body is being so just me and you.
But I got to the point where I couldn't sustain how much less food I was eating, So I almost I don't think I would have changed until my body started giving me those symptoms of hormone and balance and like all that sort of and they have really bad acting and all that sort of thing. So I almost needed a physical reaction from my body to say, no, it's enough, you need to stop.
But that's also in my eyes, like you got more education at that point when the doctors were telling you, yeah, this is why. Yeah, because I realized the.
Root cause was literally I was being restricted.
Yeah, so then you realize that that's a cause from you know, the lifestyle that you were leading.
Yes, I remember, because we both started getting quite bad acne at the same time and we were like, it's the pre workout and like all these things, and like, now looking back, it was it was probably a lot simple of that. But okay, sorry, I went on and ran there. Guys. Okay, so let's get into fitness comps
because this is a big part of your life. And I feel like fitness comps there was definitely a point where it was almost like a trendy thing to do, and I remember you weren't doing it at that stage or anything like that. You then got into it a bit later, is that correct?
Yes? Yeah, So I really wanted to do a fitness competition years and years before I actually did. But I had recognized that I didn't have a healthy relationship with food because I was I like cutting so many food groups. I remember, I was cutting carbs completely, which is so dumb for me, especially like so silly the way that my body works as well.
So what compelled you to want to compete? So?
I think I just got to a place where I was in a really good relationship with food and I was loving my training. I felt really strong, I felt really fit. I didn't have any like emotional ties to food anymore. And then I just wanted a challenge. I have always been really, really into health and fitness. I just for me, it's really about progression and challenging myself. Like it felt like the next step, felt like the
next step, and it felt like time. I think I gave it, Like it must have been because when after I moved to Sydney, so.
I remembering four years before you did it, like, yeah, this is this is the thing, Like I wanted to back when I did my first PT sessions when I was like eighteen, And it wasn't until many years later till I actually stepped on stage for the first time.
And So for those who don't really kind of know what a fitness comp is, and I know you specifically now are doing WBFF YEP, and can you kind of just explain what goes into a comp prep because you see people like I'm in prep, I'm you know, doing prep. What is this prep business? What is prep? What is prep?
I'm going to give you a bit of context. So with fitness or bikini shows, there's different federations and generally they look for a different type of look So I've competed with two one called ICN and one called WBFF, and they all are quite different than They have different divisions as well, so this is just giving you context. There might be a bikini division or a fitness or figure and it just comes back to the muscularity and
also the leanness of the competitor. So what goes into it with the prep At the end of the day, It really just comes down to making sure that you have enough muscle mass in the right areas for that category and then also having the leanness and the symmetry the shape for that particular category as well. But obviously that does come with different stages in prep and different seasons.
So for example, you generally have an off season and a prep like what you've spoken about, so off season is generally where you focus on building and bettering your muscle mass, so increasing calories, making sure that your hormone is really healthy, getting your calories as high as possible, so that when it does come to the prep part, so the cutting the calories part and getting leaner that you are able to you know, have a nice and healthier prep with not cutting calories too low or having
too much cardio so there really is a lot to it, but the preparations, Yeah, there's a lot of science behind it, but the preparation is really the time it takes to prepare to get on stage. So not only is it the weight training and cardio if you've got it, the nutrition, stage presence pose in getting all the other stuff for girls ready, like the bikini, the shoes, like absolutely everything.
So there really is a lot that goes goes into it, and everyone's prep is going to be different depending on their starting point and what federation and category they're in.
So some people or some women for example, in a bikini category might already have the shape and the muscular tone that they require for that category and they just need to get lean, so their prep might be, you know, a twenty week diet, whereas with myself in the category that I'm competing in currently WBFF Bikini, I need to build more size and more shape, so a lot of my prep is actually spent in a surplus eating a lot of food, training and trying to put on weight
and trying to put on muscle, and then at the very end then I do my cut. So it really depends person to person, but the prep is just getting yourself ready.
So give us a little example in insight the four one month of like the prep that you're about to do, because I know you're competing middle of the year or August, I think, yeah, October hopefully, and so give us it, like, I know, is that is it sixteen weeks? How many weeks? And what do those weeks or to entail? I know there's like different blocks that you've talked about previously.
Again, it's going to depend on the person completely.
Well, actually, then let's talk about your last prep. Yeah, and give a little example because you.
Okay, So I remember my last prep. I think I prepped for about six months with my coach. We started on an eight week build phase. So with this we started around two thousand, one hundred calories and over the weeks we just increased those and we I think we
stopped at about twenty six hundred calories. So over that time, not only was I increasing my calories into a surplus, I was also weight training about five times per week, and then the other two I was resting because rest is really important, especially when trying to build muscle mass, and with my body type as well, I do struggle to put on muscles, so I need to ensure that I'm not, you know, like I used to do, go
crazy with the cardio or anything like that. So for me, cardio actually get stripped right back, and I need to really focus on putting in good weight sessions and then resting and then for the rest of the prep. We did do a long diet, as it was my first
prep with this particular coach. We did a long diet, it must have been well the rest of the six months, and what we did was a less aggressive deficit or diet, so we didn't take away too many calories, and my calories really didn't get too low at all because what
we were doing was just a slight deficit. And then we were also doing diet breaks and refeeds throughout the time as well to try and maintain some of the muscle mass and not lose the muscle that I'd just spent all this time building, which is obviously the difficult part as well. You spend all this time building with muscle, especially for myself, then when I start cutting, I generally
lose it. So it's really a science of you know, manipulating calories and training to ensure that we're trying to keep as much muscle mass as possible and not just get as light or as lean as possible. So it is a little bit more complex.
M and so you have a coach that goes through this process with you. Yeah.
So my coach now is coach Mark Carroll on ig shameless plug at Mark Carroll. Yeah, so he I found out about him through Clean Health Fitness Institute, which is here in Sydney, and my prep with him has been absolutely amazing. My first prep and my prep before that with ICN was a completely different. So it just goes to show like different, You'll have a different prep experience every time.
Can you talk us through because I remember you telling me about that. Can you talk us through your first compprep experience and what was different?
Okay, so my first comprep experience was with the ICN. So they like a very very lean physique. Naturally I am quite lean, so I was like, okay, this does suit my body type and ability. So it was just very different. The coaching style, you know, each to their own. And this is why it's so important to find a coach that you share the same methods with and the same mortality with, because this coach and not saying anything bad, but she didn't believe in macro's or calories or anything.
She put me on a meal plan, which, again for my first comp experience with my background, I had one meal plan and I had to eat the exact same foods for the whole yeah, about six months as well, and we started with her on two thousand calorie end. By the end of it, I don't even want to say so, we just kept taking away calories or she was just taking away food out of my meal plan.
And the last I remember Peak week do not recommend this at all, but I actually calculated my macros and it was something like eight hundred.
Calories for that way to go.
So that was very tricky for me coming out of that because that was my first experience, and I had always said I was like, oh, I don't know if I'll ever compete again, because it wasn't It's funny because
I actually won my show, I won all my divisions. Yeah, but for me the experience, I value my health, as you know, very highly obviously, and I just felt like, you know, there was better ways to do it, and I always said to myself, I would not compete again until, you know, I felt like there was a plan in place where we could do it much better. And then that's where Mark came in. So I didn't compete again
for another year and a half. And I think that is important to not continuously be competing and give yourself that time to recover, Like it took me eight months at least for my immune system and my hormones and stuff to recover from that prep at least eight to twelve months.
So yea, well, let's actually talk about that though. So do you think competing is for everyone?
Like?
Is there certain people that competing is not for?
Well, I don't want to limit it at all, but I think when deciding to go for a competition, you just need to be sure of your why. Because it is an extreme spot. It's not I think it is taken a little bit too lightly sometimes because people don't realize the extremities of the dieting and what that can actually do later down the track, especially if you don't do it. You know that right, And some people really do have to grind and really have to get their
calories really low. It's very difficult to come out of, not only for your mindset, how you view your body. Then you know your relationship with your body, but your relationship with food. And I really experienced this after that first prep, Like I really felt like I relapsed back because I was, you know, had like body to small for your again because I was that lean. And I remember taking photos and I was like, I'm not even lean. If I could insert the photo right now, guys, I
looked so creepily lean. That's how much you know.
Yeah, it's almost fed back in.
Yeah, So you just have to I think people to be just don't take it lightly when deciding to do a competition. Make sure you're doing it for the right reasons, Like if you already have a bad relationship with food currently, like don't don't even think about it's not going to help. If you're also doing it to like lose a bunch of like weight, I just I don't think it's the
best way. I think it's really important to make sure that you've been training and weight training for a long time, you have a really good starting position with where your calories are out, you're not underreading already, you haven't been underreading recently, and just make sure that your why is important enough, Like I'm not saying it's not for everyone. But it's just well, I think people just need to think about it, that's all.
I love what you said about I think sometimes especially on social media, you know, you see these girls and they're prepping, and it's almost sometimes you forget that that's actually a sport. Like you trained for it, you compete in it, there's awards, there's prizes, everything like that, and I think sometimes people do forget that it's in a sport and it's an also extreme sport because like you said, there can be huge healthi ish issues. So it's just being aware of it.
It's just being aware and making sure that you have a good coach and a good approach. Really right, didn't mean to rhyme, I know, I just looked at you. Oh my god, that was good. No, So I think that is really important and to understand, Yeah, just the implications as well, and not implications.
That's not bad.
But you need to think about the long term and your exit strategy, like your plan after yeah, because that's where people get stuck.
Well, for example, I think to put it into perspective, so you know, we lived together four or five years ago, and at that time that was kind of a very disordered eating disordered habits and all that sort of time. And only just in the last couple of years do
I feel like I've even recovered from that. And I couldn't imagine, like my hormones went through this like red, Like it took so long for me to get to a stable weight where I wasn't yo yo, when where I wasn't binging, and where I didn't have like these constant thoughts that consumed me and like I was like just doing it for fun and it wasn't even as extreme as someone who does it well, not all, but you know what I mean, like competing, So I think
sometimes people don't realize that, yeah you can, you can compete, and you can look really good, but it like might be literally like years after that. You're then trying to get back to normal.
And there's been studies on like people's metabolic rates and their hormones and it takes time for it to recover.
Like and you've done that so well. I love how you did your first comp and you did weight and then you did you can tell even like you guys will have seen photos of Mickey or makes you go check check her out, check that butt out, but you can shame us, But you can really see such a difference from your progression and even your body now you've put on so much more weight. You've really like you've built that progression up in a way that has been
very disciplined. But over this long period of time, it hasn't been this quick thing that has happened.
Yeah, exactly, And it just it just comes down to learning, and I feel like you learn something from each prep but coming back to the whole disciplined thing and people kind of rebounding. I think the other misconception with competing is they think that if they fail or if they rebound, that's a lack of discipline. But what they don't realize is you're it's like what we said, it's an extreme sport. And literally your human physiology, like your hormones, there's so
many things fighting that like years of ever survival. Ah, yeah, like survival, Like your body does not want you to starve to death.
It doesn't. It doesn't want you to be that lean.
No, it does not want you to be that lean. And the thing is, once you kind of start really pushing it, it wants to rebound the other way twice
as hard. And there's been countless studies on this, and that's why it really for me as well, is important to not compete too soon together, like what we were talking about, to really make sure that I've recovered again and I'm in a good place before I put my body through that stress again, because otherwise, if you're constantly doing compreps, I feel like you're really just yoyo dieter and you're even promoting that, so which I feel like that's probably going to upset a lot of people who
do compete often. But that's that's my honest opinion because some of these people, even pros in all different federations, Like I know, their maintenance and their calories and their metabolic rate is really low, and that's from constantly dieting.
Never refeeding let their body rebuild because.
They're always cutting down for the photoshoots or for the for the event or for you know. So it is an extreme sport and it's just you just need to know what's actually going on inside the body.
Well, the here's an interesting question, and I'm going to be bold, do you think there are people in that industry that they've definitely got disordered eating and they kind of use the competition to almost hide it.
Oh probably.
I was like, how do I know? I was like, how do I say? I don't want you to name names or anything, but how do I say this? You could imagine that happening, of course.
And like I was one of them in my first competition, do you know what I mean? Everyone was praising me. Again I won my comp I went to nationals.
That you feel second, do you know what I mean?
And it's so easy to get fall back into back up into that and then because you know it is these people's profession and it is their life, then yeah, of course, but yeah, that's pretty much. So it is hard. But at the same time, I feel like over the years I see things heading more and more towards the right direction. Yes, so it's definitely been I just see it progressing in a better way.
So which is why it's so important to make sure you have the right coach, to make sure you're doing it for the right reasons and have that background of you know, you've been weight training for years and that sort of body base.
I think it is base base, but I think it is a bit. I just don't know if it's always the best. If you know, someone starts in the gym and their first goal in the first few months is to do a competition. And I think it really is important to you know, progress through the gym, get good at the movements and everything, movement pas time, give yourself time, and then when you feel like you're in a really good place and you want to challenge yourself and if you want to do it, then then I think one
thousand percent, go for it. It sounds like I'm saying don't compete.
No, but I think it's I think it's important that people are aware of this because I feel like there was definitely a trend where just everyone was doing it, and it's like, not till now that everyone has.
Realized struggled a little bit because I felt like even I was, you know, competitors. We glamorize it. We wear these beautiful bikinis, like all sparkly, you know, have the full glam on.
The stripper hills, yeah, the stripper heels. Post My favorite part, all the videos.
Of us being like that lean you know, because yeah.
But that's but that's why I love your account and you're one of the few people I follow who do finish accounts of best friends but follow you bit you do, like you post photos and you're like, this is what it looks like, Like this is literally me on one week of the comprest and then you post photos of this is what it looks like when I'm refeeding, and you post the whole journey, not just the highlights. I think that's important.
Yeah, it's important because people just see on show day and they see how lean you are and they think that that's maintainable, and it's not. That's the whole thing of peak week, like we do. You know that whole six month prep for that one day, and then the next day you probably don't look like that already. So I think that's another misconception that you know you can hold stage leanness or you will look that way. It's it's just impossible. I don't know anyone who's held their
stage leiness. It's not healthy and you should and you shouldn't. Yeah, So I think that's just something as well, And that is something like what I was saying. I've struggled with a little bit on social media because I feel like I have been part of the problem with glamorizing it as well. So that's why I do try and be as open as possible and not really negative. But in those last weeks when I feel shit, be like I feel shit because I'm not eating much and you should
probably eat more than it. Yeah, So just being transparent, and I just really like to share on my page exactly where I'm at, exactly what I'm eating, Not telling anyone to do the same, but just to keep it open and to show people exactly what I'm doing as well.
Yes, I love that this episode is brought to you by Naked Harvest Supplements. I'm sure most of you know who Naked Harvest is, but if you're new here, Naked Harvest is the all natural supplement company I co founded with my brother. Naked Harvest started because I personally had a really bad experience where I found out a supplement that I was taking had ingredients that were not disclosed on the label, and even though it said it was natural,
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and don't forget my podcast spam. Get a special discount which is Rise and Conquer fifteen for fifteen percent off. I'll put the link in the show notes. Otherwise, head straight to Naked Harvest Supplements dot com or follow us on Instagram at Naked Harvest Supplements. All right, guys, let's
get straight back into the episode. Let's talk a little bit about kind of the mindset and mind shift of when you are on comprep and then when you're in your off season leg Is there something where you have to really kind of shift out a certain mindsets or any advice in that regards.
Yeah, look, I for me, definitely, off season is a more relaxed lifestyle. I have my calories so high, so nothing not that anything is off limits, but nothing's limits in the sense of social events and obviously food and that type of thing as well. And you can just have more flexibility, like even down to the mindset of sleep and the ways that you spend your time. In off season, I feel like there's more flexibility because it's
not as soon. But obviously when you're in prep and even being you know, twenty weeks out versus eight weeks out, like there's a very different mindset and you do get to a point where you're like, all right, you're stepping on that stage in ten weeks, Like, come on, you have to be disciplined. Now. This is where like everything counts. Like if you're not getting enough sleep of a night time, that's going to affect your performance and then you're gonna
feel shit and you're gonna want to overeat. So there's just a lot of mind shifts, and I feel like you actually go through them as you get closer to
stepping on stage. Especially when you're in that prep zone, you need to really think about who and what you're giving your energy to, because as you do start cutting calories and you get closer and closer to that time, you get really busy as well, because not only are you prepping, you've got an hour of posing, You're trying to organize like where you're staying, and you're a bikini and everything. I feel like it's just so time consuming.
It's literally like a part time job. It's like twenty five hours ago.
That's what's something I found quite astonishing. And this is what I mean by people almost need to take up more seriously. As we were chatting and you're like, it's literally like having another full time job for like twenty weeks or how we long of the long you do your prep because of all the preparaction, I guess that's why they call it prep, even the stuff like making your food and making sure you get that gym session. I remember all that.
Just a few weeks, my sessions were taking like an hour and a half and then making sure that I was getting my steps in cardio was like another hour, and then posing was like another half an hour. Food press so I was doing like at least four very serious a day of prep.
Athletes so it's just it is.
It's a lot, and that's what I struggled with the most was managing my time with running a business and everything as well. So for me, the mindset shifts getting back to that is definitely as you get closer and just it's more prioritizing what's really important to getting you to that goal. And at the end of it, you do have to be a little bit selfish on where you do distribute your time and energy.
One hundred percent love that. Well, let's move on to some general kind of health questions. So you do online coaching training and nutrition where you go through with clients and help that. So let's kind of talk about some general questions and people may not even know. So, for example, you talk a lot about macro nutrients. So what are the three and why are they so important that we get all them?
Okay, So with nutrients, you've got macro nutrients and macronutrients. So your macronutrients are the big ones, and that's why they're called macros. So you've got your protein, fats, and carbohydrates. So within any food that you have, whether it be for example, bread, you will have the macronutrients making up that those calories, and it is broken into protein, fats,
and carbs. So when you're talking about obviously lean meats and stuff, they have predominantly protein in them, but they might have trace fats or trace carbs depending on what you get. So every food is really broken down to your protein, fats, and carbs, and that's just a source of energy. So your macro nutrients actually make up your calories. So I think a lot of people get confused with what's more important, calories or macros and calories. Macros are
calories because they actually equal calories. So for carbs, one gram is four calories, and same for proteins, So proteins and carbs one grams equals four calories, and four fat it is nine calories.
Program Okay, awesome, So now we've got some more info on macronutrients, and so what is your thoughts on kind of the ideas around you know, restricting a certain one or you know the low carb or the low fat or the high fat and that sort of thing. What's your thoughts on that.
I think with that, it's again it's personal preference what people feel best on. As long as you are getting the minimum requirements that your body needs for each macronutrient, which there is a minimum requirement for those. Then whether you prefer having a higher fat diet or a lower fat diet, then that depends on the individual. Everyone's completely different. For me, I prefer a higher carb, lower fat diet. My body doesn't really digest or deal with fats very well.
I really don't feel good when I eat high fats at all. But then I have a lot of clients and I know, like yourself, like you do feel feel really good eating a higher fat diet. But it is tricky because this is where media kind of comes in. I want people to be choosing that method of eating because they genuinely feel better, not because they've heard low carb is best, because again that comes down to fat diets.
So you don't tell your clients to go on a certain diet. What is your approach with nutrition?
Generally, when a client comes through, I actually have a really long screening test, so I ask a whole bunch of questions. These things might be I ask literally what they like to eat, what they each eat each day, what they feel best on if they know a lot of clients actually don't know what they do feel best on.
And we work together to figure it out. But generally, what I like to start people on is an isochloric diet, which just means a balanced diet, so it means balancing your proteins, fats, and carbs, and then if they feel any particular way, if they feel sluggish, we can make it chain from there. Because again, even when you do ask that question with majority of people, they automatically say, oh, I know carbs are bad, so I'll go low carb, which isn't really the answer I'm wanting. Because I will
always set my client's minimum requirements per macro nutrient. So, for example, fats are really good for your sex hormones and for keeping your hormones healthy, especially females. So when I'm setting your macros, I will always set the base fats and you shouldn't go below that. And then I always tell my clients as long as they're hitting their protein and their calories the way that they split their
fats and carbs, I don't really care too much. It's personal preference, whatever they feel best on, as long as they're not going below those minimum requirements, which is where you would have hormonal health issues.
Yeah, and so you you do macro counting and carry counting with your clients. Is that something that you want your clients to do for the rest of their lives or is this almost like educating them so they actually know how to fuel their body?
Yeah, no, not at all. I don't think that anyone should have to macro account or calor account for the rest of their lives. And what I really think is everyone for how long they should be doing it. It's going to be different, but I do believe that everyone should do it at least for even if it's only for a few weeks, and depending again on where they're at and where they want to be or need to be with their health, because some clients might only need
to do it for two weeks. Recognize where they're low in certain macro nutrients, say it's protein, which is common for most females, and then just be more mindful of eating more protein or then through their routine will realize that Okay, so if I have a protein source for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and one snack, then I will pretty much hit my protein requirement, so then they don't need to track further down the line. But for other people, obviously it's just
going to depend how long they need to. But I definitely don't think that you should be. And if you're already in a good place, you're happy with where you're at, you're healthy. I don't think you need.
To at all, But depends on the person.
It depends on the person. And I do think it teaches you a lot about what you're actually putting into your body.
Well, exactly what you said about when you get that education on no carbs are not bad and taking the sort of power away from all the mainstream diets and that sort of stuff and doing it in regards to what actually feels good for your body. How do your energies feel, How do you know all those sorts of things feel, which you do need to do through experiments.
Yeah. So I think that's what people, even my clients when they first start with me, they don't understand because they're always like which diet is best and none Like the answer is, none of them are best, none of them are superior. And that's why I work with Custom Coaching and we work very closely to get and we even like do phone calls and stuff because everyone's so different, there's not a one size fits all.
And do you kind of agree that it's definitely what can you maintain in regards to your lifestyle and what your your personal preference is for you know, a long amount of time rather than what is the quick.
Fix exactly one hundred, Because if you gain something really easily, you're going to lose it really easily as well, or it's going to be very hard to maintain. And I think that people need to just telling people what they should do. I think it's very hard because I've been stuck in this as well. But I think they need to realize that you don't have to be your leaner self all the time, and it's okay to kind of substitute for being your leaner self to holding a bit
more body fat but having a healthier lifestyle. And by that I mean having more social life, having a better relationship with like family and friends. So yes, it's a little bit of give and take. But I think people think that they're going to be happy when they're leaness but don't realize that it's almost impossible to stay really really really lean and not have some sort of fallout in other aspects of their life.
I love that you touch on that, like really kind of disassociating from this idea that lean means healthy, which we know now like, well, like you're saying, is not the case. In most cases can sometimes be the opposite and realizing and especially if you're not doing a fitness comp and you're just you know, an everyday person. You want to feel good, you want to move your body.
Maybe you do want to change your body, which is totally fine, but making sure you're doing it in a way that doesn't do anything to your health and is actually sustainable and that you actually like so you can still see your friends do stuff with your partner.
So that's how I view it, because people always ask me that question. They're like, well, how do you How are you mentally okay with how you look? Knowing that you're sitting a few kilos up from stage, you know, like you can see all your muscle definition when you are that lean. And it's really that everything has a trade off, and for me to be that lean, my trade off is my social life and my life, like my life in general, and I don't want it to
consume me. And I think some people do get stuck in that even after camp or just in everyday life, and that's when their social life and relationships and and their health can really deteriorate because they're not they're making kind of the wrong trade offs because they can't wrap their head around the fact that they can't have both have it all, which we do all we try.
To have it all.
Yeah, I understand, but like it's yeah, it's.
I think also though that around that is like detaching from the idea that your looks like I feel like when you're at that stage, you're almost you'll look had become such a priority that it's like, I think you almost need to step back and be like, hey, how much is this actually impacting my life in a negative way for something that is very you know, superficial if
that makes it almost like priorities. And I love what you kind of said about the trade offs because recently, like twenty nineteen, for most of it, I was extremely busy and very business focused, and so my health definitely took a back seat. I like, actual how I looked wise wasn't that much different. But I could feel in myself like I wasn't prioritizing my health and I could definitely like feel it in my body.
And I was.
So okay with that because I achieved so much my business, and it like that trade off. It was so necessarily to propel me to where I am now. And I'm not saying it was all or nothing, like I'm still going to give my body. It just wasn't at the standard I usually prefer. And I was so happy to do that because it propelled me what I needed to do and I'm so proud of all that I accomplished. Was now I'm going through a season where I will stop work was before I wouldn't, and I will go
for the walk and prioritize my health. And I'm feeling a lot more myself, and I'm okay with things being a bit slower in business, if that makes sense.
Yeah, but that's again it's a trade off and it's not just it works always. So your trade off was obviously your health for the business, and you were okay with that because you saw it being you know, it was going to be a six month thing where you needed to work really hard, and you knew that that was superority and it's the same with comprep, it's the
exact same. So that's your you know, that's your main focus, and your trade off is you know, you can't go out drinking on the weekends, but you know it's for a period of time, and that's why there is phases and seasons and stuff like that as well. But everything in life has a trade off, and that's what it comes down to is finding balance. And I don't think you'll ever fully be balanced if you have a goal, because you want.
To prioritize goal.
You want to prioritize that one goal obviously. So yeah, everything comes back to trade offs and accepting that and also you know, putting in the effort to equal that priority as well.
Perfect. Well, let's finish on one last question and this I'm just gonna throw this on you. So what advice would you give to someone who was very new to the health and fitness industry. They want to maybe start weight training, and you know, they want to start looking at what they eat, but their goal is very balanced. It's not their whole entire life, they have a career, they just kind of want to they're definitely just like a new gym goer. What advice would you give that person?
I would say baby steps. I would never say like all or nothing and go. You wouldn't want to start weight training and getting into the gym and going to the extremity, like start small, and this is what I do do with clients. I have clients who have never weight trained before, and we will start with the bare minimum because you want to you know, be able to
really have that flexibility. And the way that our bodies adapt is that as you get fitter and fitter, and the longer that you do something, your body adapts and becomes better and better at adapting to that. So what that means in terms of health and fitness is eventually, if you start with three days or two days, it's going to go to four days, and then five days and then six days. To be able to get the same, if not more results, or to gain more strength or fitness,
you always have to be progressing. So for someone starting out, I would say to just start small and make sure you get self a good coach, get educated, and make sure that you are you know, doing things correct, especially in terms of like technique and everything from the beginning, so that you don't create any like negative habits and stuff as well. So I think it would just be yeah, starting small and working your way through. Don't go from.
Zero to one hundred, don't go all or nothing.
Don't play all your cards at once. That's what I like to say. You want to start small and then slowly progress into it, because you will go one hundred percent and then you'll fall off track. And it's just starting that cycle from the beginning.
Really. Yeah, And another thing I just want to add also is like be kind to yourself in this process because likely you said there's seasons you go through staff like you're a human being. It's not going to be this new thing and it's perfect or anything like that to get such a enjoy it ernie.
Which is a journey. But yeah, enjoy it and you know, have fun with it as well. It's meant to add to your life. This is what I always say. Fitness and health is meant to add to your life your life, not detract from it.
Yes, And that's like I love that you said that actually, And that's like choosing ways of movement that you actually like, Like don't just do weight training because other people are doing it, or don't just do yoga because other people do. See, I love it.
But I'm not saying like if you want to do swimming or if you want to go play sport, because like you're social as well, Like Ray. I'm not one of these people that's like, no, this day is no Ray.
Definitely what brings you joy and that, like you said, eating is exact same as well.
Well, your mental health is so important and if you're not enjoying it.
It's what's the point the point point?
Yeah, So yeah, and you'll probably go through seasons of wanting to change what type of training.
You want to do.
I do that as well. So yeah, there's no wrong or right, just you know, just make sure that you're enjoying it and be kind to yourself.
I love that. And so the very last question just keep me going, why you lie? So what I ask everyone is what inspires and motivates you? Oh it's a goody.
I know. Everyone always asks me about motivation, and it's always everyone and says such different answers.
That's why I ask it.
Motivation is such a fickle thing. Motivation, motivating, Motivation is such a hard thing for me. It's definitely my goals. I always have to recheck back into my why behind why I want to achieve a certain goal. That's what motivates me. And then when I'm lacking that motivation, I will sit there and be like Okay, why did you even want to do this? It's because I have this goal? Okay, but why do you have this goal? And if my
why isn't good enough? Honestly, there is times where I'm like, you know, I don't do it, so I think that that's another thing. But for me, motivation comes from within. I'm someone who wants to continuously be bettering myself and striving for progression. I would hate to look back in six months or a year and be the same person that I was back then. So it's really an inner thing for me motivation, and it's really looking at my why on why I want to achieve things in my life.
Love that. Thank you so much for being on the show. Mikhayla. We're sitting in her spare room on the floor. I wish people could shoot right now. I'll go and have some dinner because I'm starving.
Oh yes, oh gods.
And that's a wrap on another episode of the Rise and Conker podcast. I hope you got something valuable from it, and I want to say a big thank you for tuning in. I really really do appreciate it. If you're craving more than don't worry. I've got you sorted. We have our very own Rise and Conquer Community Facebook group where hundreds of like minded women joined to share in on stories, ask advice, and everything in between. I'd love
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Body can saybody can say something.
Said. Starting off