Today’s health power players are no longer just doctors or dieticians. They are smart businesswoman and men, tradies, bloggers, and health/fitness coaches – the new ‘it’ people on the health scene so to say.
Each week we will talk to a variety of inspiring individuals – from raw foodies, crossfitters, organic city dwellers, paleo peeps, nutritionists, bloggers & overall amazing human beings who actually practice what they preach.
First up I would like you to introduce you to Kara Webb who is THE fittest gal in Australia. For real. She placed number 1 at the Wollongong Crossfit Regional Games which is a massive feat – and she is current in California competing at the Crossfit Games which is running now until July 22-28.
Name: Kara Webb – (placed #1 at the 2013 Crossfit Australia Regional Games)
FITC Question: For the people who aren’t familiar with you (or just want to know more), tell us a bit about yourself.
Kara: I live in Brisbane and I my life is pretty much CrossFit. I am a coach as my sole job and love it. I get to use my experience to help others be better and in return I can learn from them to better myself. I have almost completed a nutrition degree but have taken some time off to just live and enjoy the cool stuff going on in my life. I got married, bought a home, made it to the CrossFit games and just decided to really enjoy it because this is the best time of my life and I don’t want to blink and miss it. I plan on finishing off my degree in the next 12 months or so, slowly but surely.
FITC Question: What made you choose the path of leading a healthy life and was there a particular turning point?
Kara: I was 19 and I had been going out doing all of the usual things a 19 year old does, drinking and carrying on, but I just felt gross. I didn’t have much energy or motivation for anything in life, I was eating bad food and didn’t feel very productive. I decided to ditch the silly times and joined a regular gym to try and feel good and get some positivity in my life. I started to really enjoy being fit and eating well, and the people that came into my life. Within 3 months I had met my now husband and also my coach/boss/friend. My choice to focus on being a better be brought the right people in my life and they haven’t left. My coach was my personal trainer and then he started CrossFit and I joined in too. My life is now perfect!
FITC Question: What does your usual daily routine look like – what is on your ‘must do’ and ‘must take’ list?
Kara: I am up at 4:30am every morning to coach at 5am so I don’t have a great deal of time to play around with. I always have a banana, and some other piece of fruit depending on the season and a big glass of water as soon as I wake up. I then have a second glass of water for my supplements. I take Pure Pharma’s fish oil, vitamin D3 and Magnesium and at the moment some Co-Q10. I then coach 2 classes (with a cup of Earl Grey tea J) and sometimes train in the morning or practice some skills, and then come home to a second more satisfying breakfast usually left over dinner or some kind of eggs and ham or bacon and avocado. I love a warm cooked breakfast. I then have lunch around 11:30-12 because I like a solid meat and veg or meat and salad lunch and don’t want a full belly when I train at 2:30. I will then usually have some kind of little snack about an hour again before I train. Heaps of water during the day, and then a Progenex protein shake straight after I train while I cool down. Then more water, some kind of fruit or snack if I have to coach again and then straight home to more meat and veg for dinner. I love every kind of meat, poultry and seafood you can imagine and make sure I balance it out over the week. Always have a cup of chamomile tea before bed to turn my body off and calm my nervous system after a crazy day.
FITC Question: Let’s take a peek in your bathroom cupboard – what are your must have products?
Kara: Since I train heaps I have to have things like Lavender oil for torn hands or grazes on my shins from Olympic lifting. I also take really good care of my skin since I train so hard and the mix of excess free radicals and salt on my skin can dry it out and leave it a bit worse for wear. I have a natural range from a company online called EZEntial. A nice gentle balanced cleanser, definitely toner, and a good night time moisturiser are my must haves.
FITC Question: What do you always have in your kitchen (both fridge and supplements)?
Kara: Always have dark chocolate, bananas, tea, heaps of meat, sweet potato, fish oil, magnesium.
FITC Question: How important is clean, nutrient rich food in your diet? Do you follow a certain style (ie raw, vegan, paleo etc)
Kara: I guess the basic structure of my diet follows a paleoish form. I eat red meat, fish, poultry with salad, fruit and vegetables for all of my main meals. Most other foods are occasional foods and might pop up in my diet from once a week to once every 6 months. I eat good quality cheese and yogurt maybe twice per week but other then that I don’t have dairy. I try to just follow the rule of eating food as it is for all of my main meals and have a few treats around that. I always have dark chocolate a few times during the week with my hubby.
FITC Question: How do you like to move and keep fit? Is exercise an important part of your life?
Kara: I wouldn’t be who I am without exercise. I do CrossFit 5 days per week. I need to feel challenged, productive, sweaty, fit, and strong most days or my body and my mind doesn’t function at its optimum. I want to live the best life I can and when I exercise I do that. It brings a feeling of contentment and happiness that nothing can compare to.
FITC Question: Who or what has been the biggest influence on your health journey? These days we’re influenced by so many different sources – from friends, family, blogs, magazines and now even Instagram!!
Kara: A combination of my coach/friend/boss Brian being such a positive influence on my life and coming into my life at the right time was the best influence probably. The other influence would be the continued companionship and socialising with my husband and everyone who does CrossFit with us. It’s the most positive environment that its addictive. We all feed off each other. That’s why you have to surround yourself with positive like minded people. Being happy is my influence. If it makes me genuinely happy and content then I will continue doing it as long as I feel that way.
FITC Question: Currently loving:
Kara: Loving Chamomile tea so much at the moment. I starting drinking it at regionals to keep my nervous system in check at night because its so hard to sleep during competition and it made me feel so relaxed and helped so much. I drink it every night now.
Number 2 is Sudoku haha. I have always liked playing it but I started on the plane to regionals also and then downloaded the app for it and played that all weekend. I have found keeping keeping my mind active in a positive way distracted me from any negative over thinking and in turn makes my training so much easier. I have been playing it ever since.
Number 3 would probably have to be interior decorating. I absolutely love it. There is nothing more fun then moving everything around and making your own space beautiful. I love my home to be my zen place. I make the effort to keep it clean, functional and full of beautiful positive things that keep the energy flowing. I am addicted to Pinterest Home Décor and spend way too much time on it but when I get home at the end of a big day at the gym I literally feel so happy as soon as I walk in the door.
FITC Question: Fave local cafe or restaurant?
Kara: We have a little café/roasting house calles Elixir in Hayward street Stafford next to the gym. The people are amazing, the coffee is beautiful (decaf for me J) and the food is so yum (Have to order the potato Rosti). It helps that its so close to us too.
FITC Question: As your parting gift to us – what is your favourite health product/holiday destination/retreat/exercise/recipe/tip etc (choose one and provide some info)
Kara: Well my favourite treat actually is a chocolate cake I make probably at least once per week for my husband and I. Its so simple and gives me an excuse to use my kitchen aid, and tastes delicious even though its not full of junk (recipe from the Fast Paleo App)
Kara’s Favourite Chocolate Cake:
Ingredients:
4 Eggs
¾ cup Honey
3 Table spoons coconut oil
2 Tea spoons vanilla essence or extract
½ tspn baking soda
¼ tspn salt
¼ tspn baking powder
1 cup cocoa
* thats right, no flour!
Method:
Beat all of the wet ingredients well. Slowly add the dry and beat gently. Cook in a cake tin on 180 degrees celcius for 20 minutes. Check with a tooth pick its all done and you have a super moist awesome chocolate cake in next to no time.
FITC note: I made this cake and it is amazing!! For extra luxe I added paleo chocolate icing
Paleo Chocolate Icing:
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1/3 cup of cocao powder
1/3 cups of honey
1-2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
Blend in a food processor until smooth – done!
