TALKING HEALTH WITH HATTIE

From winning the title of WBFF 2016 World Champion and founding the popular online fitness and coaching program, Sports Model Project, to growing her online following as an inspirational health and fitness spokesperson and digital influencer, there’s not much Hattie Boydle hasn’t achieved over the duration of her ever-growing career. Just recently, ASN got the opportunity to sit down with Hattie to talk all things health, fitness, mindset, and of course, Gut Performance. Find out how Hattie keeps on top of her health and fitness below!

I feel like my idea of “balance” has changed as I get older. I often reflect on how hard it is to actually execute balance sometimes. What I like to do is break it down:

1. What does my year look like?

2. When will I be pushing myself for competition prep, and then when will I be allowing myself time to be more playful?

3. When is my busiest time of year with clients?

4. When is the time to have more hobbies or study time?

I think it’s really important to have a clear outline of when you need to be really on and when you can loosen the reigns a little (not too much, but enough to breathe or feel a sense of freedom). Then you can set goals, mark them off, count down the days, get excited for some hard work and then get excited for a holiday.

I also like to look at finding balance with food and training. What does this look like? Enough hard work with days of recovery and downtime, my diet consisting of a balance of all food groups with lots of micronutrients, and a little fun. Finding out what is sustainable for you and your lifestyle is important when trying to find balance in your life.

Something that has always helped me is recognising that we only have one life, but with many, many opportunities along the way. Each day, we wake up and are presented with the ability to make something of ourselves. Life is hard sometimes. Sometimes we are thrown into the deep end, and although it may feel like we can’t swim at the time, we can. And we learn to swim even better than before. Life is a chance to learn and fail forward. We can make so many mistakes that come with so many lessons, and with those lessons comes growth.

I also recognise that this is my body, and this is my mind. My mind is so powerful. It nearly killed me, but it also helped me become the strongest person. How can I use my mind (and body) and make the most out of it? I started to develop a really strong bond with myself and it helped me see opportunity rather than focus on what is missing.

I like to wake up in the morning with ME time. Generally my LOVE time, and I set myself up before I let the world in.

Journaling and meditation have been a game changer for me. Journalling declutters my mind, gives me clarity, lets me see what I am getting done and what needs to be done, and anchors me to my vision. I always sign off with “today is going to be a great day”. I set my intention in the morning and away I go!

Meditation has helped me to “sit still” and to focus on my breathing. I found that it really helped with visualisation for my training and performance on stage.

I don’t like to rely on motivation for anything. I like to rely on my vision and my purpose. I become a soldier - no emotion, just a process. I know it works, and I know what needs to be done.

I like to say that motivation is like a wave - It comes to pick you up, help you set up your process, set up your habits, but eventually, the wave will die down or you will fall off and it won’t take you to the beach. However - it has helped you lay foundations. When you understand that motivation won’t get you to the beach, but it will give you the foundation, you can use it for what it is. And you can continue on your path using your WHY.

The scientific world has known for a while now that intestinal health plays a big role in how we feel. When we feel unhealthy, we get ‘moody’. We don’t feel ourselves and this just isn’t ‘in our heads’. There are proven scientific links between our intestinal (gut) health and our mental health and wellbeing. Something like 70% of our serotonin is used for gut function. If things aren’t working properly, then our gut takes priority and there isn’t anything left for our brains. The Gut-Brain Axis describes the neural communication between our brains and our intestines and the information flows both ways. Depression, anxiety and even cognitive dysfunction have all been successfully treated with a change of intestinal microbes. And the best way to make that change is with nutritious foods like the ones found in Gut Performance.

1. If you aren’t treating your gut well then you aren’t digesting foods properly, which means that you aren’t getting the optimum nutrition your body requires, and ultimately you aren’t performing or training well.

2. If you aren’t treating your gut well then your mental health is not functioning optimally, which means you cannot focus on your goals as well as you should be.

3. If your body is constantly diverting the resources trying to repair your gut, then those resources aren’t being used for optimum training output.

I have known for years that our gut is the engine room of our body and inner health must come first before we can perform at our best. My initial conversations regarding the development of Gut Performance was that it had to be a natural food, assist in good gut health and help my body to recover post-competition. We worked closely with our food scientist, Dr Mal, over a number of years and the end result was a seriously good gut health food. The three main ingredients compliment each other and the combination of these beautiful foods is key. I call it the love tub for your gut!

I take it every single day and if I go without it, I really feel it. Pre-competition I take Gut Performance twice a day as it will help absorb my nutrients, maintain good gut health in the rigorous lead up to the competition. I honestly love Gut Performance.

Gut performance isn’t a cleanse, or a supplement. It’s an everyday food for everybody to improve and maintain good gut health. Foods are managed by the body naturally. Gut Performance is a food product that uses high-quality ingredients to manage the microbiota of the body and relieve the symptoms of intestinal conditions, such as IBS. Gut Performance uses real, nutrient-dense food ingredients, scientifically formulated to specifically improve the gut. It will also help the gut to absorb the supplements and proteins that we spend lots of money on. Put simply, it works. Our testimonials come in daily and speak for themselves.