Being Your Best Version: Body Confidence

Being Your Best Version: 

What does this mean to you? What can it bring to you in terms of being true to yourself, being happy with yourself and living in complete contentment?
Let's be honest not many people can live in complete contentment but working towards this can be something that helps you think about your life goals.
How do you identify these? What happens when you achieve them? How do you know it's the right goal? How can this give you life satisfaction?

Being Your Best Version Then: What does this mean to you?

Think of you, as you imagine you would be as your happiest being, feeling satisfied with your life, satisfied and proud of where you have got to, what you have overcome to get there and excited for the future. Then think of the process of how you got there:
- What were your goals along the way?
- How did you achieve your goals?
- How many goals did you set in order to get to your chosen destination in life?
- How satisfied were you every time you reached a goal?

Everyone has a different best version, no one person can have the same vision and complete same set of values as anyone else, these are completely personal to you. So how can this give you body confidence?

By understanding "YOUR" best version and living true to you, you can live in complete satisfation that you are 100% working towards the life that you wanted and this gives you "happiness, confidence and power". Don't let "social media and societal views" determine Your Best Version! Create your vision, identify the steps to get there, and work towards this, in your time, in your way and be happy and confident in yourself, in your life and in your happiness.

Body Confidence Week: Finding Your Happy Self

Body Confidence Week was developed in response to a report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Body Image, which highlighted that low body confidence is a critical public health issue, damaging lives and affecting more than 60% of the UK population. Body confidence, low self esteem and other mental health issues that can be developed from this is a massive rising problem in the UK.

With the rise of social media worldwide within the last 10 years, body image and confidence problems have risen drastically. In one hospital in London those being admitted to hospital for eating disorder related issues increased by 360% within the last 9 years! THIS IS A MASSIVE proportion. In the UK it is been advised that 1.6 million people admit to suffering with an eating disorder, but obviously the problem is much higher as there is thousands out there that do not have confidence to admit there is an issue.

What is the key to body confidence?
Having researched, from experience, talking to other individuals who suffer from body image problem, the key is find your happy self. This isn't necessarily just happy with how you look, this covers a wider concept of overall "well-being". Every aspect of your life can affect your body confidence:
- Job
- Friends
- Home Life
- Partner
- Stress Levels
- Illness (common colds - more severe illnesses)
- Body weight
- Body Shape
There are so many factors that can affect your overall body confidence.

This is from a government document on Body Confidence Week:

What causes low body confidence?

While popular culture is a key factor in body confidence, it does not explain why some people sustain resilience and confidence while others do not. There are a range of social, cultural, psychological and biological factors that influence body image – which is why the Body Confidence Campaign seeks to improve resilience and aspiration, as well as acting on harmful cultural messages.
 

Psychological Factors

Low Self-esteem

Depression

Perfectionism

Need for external approval

Body comparison tendencies

Internalisation of body ideals

Appearance schemas

Objectifying the body/embodiment

 

Socio-Cultural Factors: Cultural and social norms

Ideal image of beauty

Importance of meeting the ideal image
 

Transmitted through

Media

Parents

Peers

Professionals

 Communication styles
Pressure to meet the ideal

Teasing and negative commentary

Suggesting ways to meet the ideal

Sexual objectification

Fat talk

Cyber-communication

 

Biological Factors - Genetic influences

Body size and shape

Rate of development

Perceptual distortions

 Pubertal changes
Gender differentiation
Rate of development (breast development, body

Your Journey through Perfectionism

In October 2010 I made a commitment to myself that I was going to adapt my life, sacrifice aspects of life, fully commit and overcome an eating disorder to enable me to perform to my complete maximum on August 1st 2014. What you don't prepare yourself for is how badly you want something, how it can affect your rhythm, how it can literally consume every second of everyday and this is what we need a better outlook on. The future, your journey, the beginning, the middle and moving forward.

On August 1st 2014 I committed and gave my whole prep, my whole body, my mind and wellbeing to competing in the Commonwealth Games Final 2014. I should of been in this situation almost 4 years earlier in Delhi, but I wasn't because as I have openly admitted I was recognising and in the midst of recovery from an Eating Disorder. On Saturday 4th October I had the opportunity to stand up in front of England Athletics high jump coaches to share my story to raise awareness, try to identify how to deal with this topic and moving forward reduce the prevalence.

A topic I identified as being a characteristic trait and personality trait that will consume athletes to being at risk of developing disordered eating and body image issues is, "perfectionism". What does it take to be a high level athlete? Every elite athlete has the extremes to ensure their lives are completely driven towards one direction, one goal. This is not normal human behaviour in terms of what you will put your body, your mind and your life through. Perfectionism comes into many different factors: how you look, how your training looks, is your body right, is your training right, have you maximised your lifestyle. Therefore this heightens your arousal of ensuring every little aspect of your life in perfect - slightly like an ocd disorder. But is this actually neccesary?

What does perfect mean? Who has the perfect life and or perfect training programme? Having the "perfect" body shape isn't the be all and end all and I think this is what now needs to be portrayed into the sporting light. I am a 5ft 7 (1.71cm) slightly curvier than other female high jumpers, shorter too and I still managed to jump 16cm over my head height and reach commonwealth games final. Look at Jessica Ennis: 5ft 5 and Jumps 1.95m! So yes physical leanness and good body-weight to strength ratio is key, but you have to look at the overall picture. For example my best jump of the year came in February 2014 when I was 3kg heavier than I was in June 2014. So we need to identify and rationalise our perfection drivers. Not diminish that "perfectionism" isn't essential towards performance, but use "perfectionism" in a different manner. Use perfectionism to enable the athletes to get the "perfect" athlete/social life/work life/future career balance, use perfectionism to help prepare a pathway for every athlete to have something else is it all goes wrong. I have seen too many athletes get a career threatening injury and there is nothing in place for them to go from full time athlete to getting a job that will propel them forward in the future.

Topic for discussion and a topic to think about. How does perfectionism affect you and or your athletes.

Commonwealth Games: Before - During and After

Commonwealth Games: Glasgow 2014

Experiences before, during and after the best experience of my life

Glasgow 2014... Literally a pinnacle to what can only be described as a rollercoaster of 8 years!
In 2005 I made a commitment to athletics that meant I decided not to live at University and not go to my first chosen university to do sports marketing in Preston (UCLAN) so I could stay in Edinburgh and train with my then be coach John & Anne Scott. This initially was to focus on Delhi, initially to go for high jump but then in 2007 I had an unbelievable year in Triple Jump which included Scottish Indoor and Outdoor Junior Records and the first woman in Scotland to ever jump 13m, also included an incredible trip to Hengelo for the European Junior Championships - Did not do great but was an amazing learning experience. At this point I did not know it was going to be such a long trip to make it to my next major championship. So Here I stand 7 years later after its all over... SO excited for the future. In the past month I have made some awesome new friends, had the best overall experience of my life and have experienced major highs and unfortunately major lows.

Holding Camp
We arrived at the holding camp in Kilmarnock on July 22nd to start to completely focus and prepare for the next 10 days and go to the opening ceremony. Menzies Hotel Irvine were incredible and so friendly! The kitchen staff even got to the point that they were cooking some separate foods for people. Anyway Day 1 at the camp we had to head into the village for a little look around, I completed a weights session early on in the afternoon supervised by Andy White (S & C coach for SIS) and accompanied by Kimberley Murray (My best friend, life coach and Sports Physiologist extraordinaire). Then a small group of us headed into the village on the last bus from the hotel to have a look round village and get out accreditation. This now seems like a lifetime ago but it was such a nice experience being in the village that it gave such a buzz to get in there! It was pretty busy on Scotland street with everyone just chilling out as we walked round and I was so excited about all the free irn bru (RESULT). It was a 45 minute journey to and from the village from our holiday camp so ended up being a bit of a trek! On the Wednesday it was early to rise, eat breakfast and then head to the track in Kilmarnock run by Ayreshire Athletics for a plyometric and sprint session before a press conference. The press conference was lots of fun and I just want to clarify neither myself or James said the word cuddle... well I certainly didn't.. so maybe it was James... It was a quick turn around before heading back into the village before the closing ceremony in the evening. In the village we had a few hours to just chill out, grab some food and then get ourselves beautified for the ceremony in our lovely dresses. Since the athletics team did not have enough rooms for everyone there was 7 girls in one room getting ready - was fairy amusing and about 14 of us sharing a bathroom. We all had to get ready and head down for Photos.

  
 


ALL I can say is WOW: I AM SO GLAD I did not miss it! WE had to stand outside the stadium for about 2 and a half hours and my fit bit said we had taken 24,000 steps in one day...but by gosh it was worth it! The reception and the atmosphere you felt walking into the stadium was INCREDIBLE. I left there feeling SO excited about getting into the village and competing 1 week later. Fortunately I had a rest day the next day so I had the longest lie in for me ever: 9.30am. I had a wonder into Irvine Town Centre.. that was very interesting and not good for my addiction to shopping but never mind.

The Village:
Heading into the village on the 28th August was just amazing. It was a build up of excitement, everyone was buzzing and it was just such an awesome team atmosphere. One of the best things about the village was the free Irn Bru... LITERALLY Love Irn Bru!! So happiest week of my life! I had 1 and a half days before my competition to prepare which was all rest, So I had filled my days with a plan of timings so I didn't go insane. Physio, lunch, nap, dinner, film, rest. The problem with the village is that it is too easy to be distracted by what everyone else is doing, eating, training and I kept in sharp focus through coaches advice to remember to trust "our" process.

The day of the Qualifying
So after an early night I was awake bright as a button at 4am! We had to leave reasonably early for the village but did not need to be up at 4. After trying to stay asleep for as long as possible, Sarah Warnock was up early for her qualifying too so I ended up getting up and having a pre comp morning chat. I felt far more relaxed than what I thought I would. I felt confident and I knew I had it in me. My warm up went okay, I didn't feel amazing so I was feeling a bit nervous once we got out into the competition field. Once I started competed still didn't feel "amazing" but I built into the competition. Hitting first time at 1.80m got me going and I felt a massive rush of relief with 1.80. I had struggled all outdoor season with hitting heights. Then 1.85m came round I just remember saying do the exact same, I almost blocked the crowd out and just went... BOOM 1.85m first time. On reflection I really wish it had gone through 1.88m for confirmation of qualifying but that is life. Once that was over it all felt a little surreal, it took me 45 minutes to walk from field of play out through the mixed zone due to meeting all my scottish fans it was great fun. Then once out I was desperately trying to get hold of my mum to go and get some lunch with my family. EVENTUALLY we found each other!
After this I headed back to the village for a sleep, I had a massive comedown in the afternoon. From this point things seemed a bit different...

In between
Once I had qualified headed back to village to chill for a bit and then met James to head for dinner it all became a bit real. I was at the commonwealth games, I had made the final, I had achieved a massive goal, I was so excited, I wanted this so bad for so long, I had to make sure everything was perfect for the next 48 hours... this is where I went wrong. On reflection what I needed to do was change nothing, be happy, be relaxed, enjoy the experience and have a bit of fun. I secluded myself from the group and forced myself to be on my own. I wanted to focus and make sure I was ready... but why I never did this for the qualifying? Maybe if I had been a little more relaxed things might of turned out a little different.

The day of the final
The day was here.. I woke up, everything I had been dreaming of, working towards, turning up to the track day in day out, putting in the reps in the gym, on the track, round the curve all down to 1 day, 1 moment. I was definitely more on edge, and little things on the day annoyed me although I was trying to not let them. The day went so quickly and I headed off to the track at 3pm.
Arriving at warm up, I felt awesome, I felt ready and my body just felt ready. Throughout warm up I just had to hold myself back my body was on fire, I felt fast, bouncy and reactive. We walked out into the arena, the atmosphere was UNBELIEVABLE. My warm up was the best warm up I have EVER completed in my life, all lifetime best warm ups (which on reflection probably was not the best idea).
After a quick toilet trip we had to line up to be introduced to the crowds... when my name was announced the crowd literally erupted and all I remember was from toes up towards head my legs just going to jelly, my heartbeat getting faster and thinking NISBET this is your moment COME ON!
1.78m opening height straight over but rhythm was a little rocky.,.. then from there it seemed like everything went double speed. I can't even properly describe 1.82m, it still doesn't feel real 2 months on. I feel numb when I think about the moment, I feel empty and dejected. How could it all be over so quickly? How could everything I had spent everyday working towards, working my work around it, changing my lifestyle for it, sacrificing every social occasion and dreaming off be all over in a matter of moments. As I lay there on the mat with my head in my hands, I cannot describe the over rush of emotions. Hate, fear, disappointment, hurt, confusion, desperation, like a knife had literally gone through me. I tried to tell myself hold it together Jayne you can hold it together, but the emotions were just too much. 8 years of struggle, overcoming some extreme battles in lifestyle, illness, relationships and work. Down to getting over 1 height in the commonwealth games final. I was distraught. I had to leave the area, and I headed down to the warm up area to a quiet area and I think I cried for about 1.5 hours. I didn't know what to do, what had happened, how could this happen, why? I had to get myself together as James was competing in his qualifying later on in the evening. I got my head together and headed back round to see my coaches Graham Ravenscroft and David Parker. We were gutted together, but James could pull it back. As I sat and watched James I was willing for him so much to prove everyone wrong - those that know James recent history with injury. All I can say is the guy that knocked him out in the last round was 1 of 2 from the same country that did not throw the next night...
On completion of James comp we sat in warm up area for a bit for some reflection before heading back to the bus... By this point I could barely put any pressure on my left foot. I had been having ankle issues throughout the season but this seemed different. Once we arrived back at the village I removed my trainer to only find a massively swollen foot, the top of my foot looked like someone had snapped my bones so they were sticking up, this topped off my night. I headed to bed... but could barely sleep. The next morning I still felt distraught so I headed into Glasgow at 8am to see my parents with a swollen foot. I just needed to get out and get some space. When I got back I was referred for an xray but no broken bone so it was looking like a stress fracture or stress response but would need to wait for a referral for an MRI on the Tuesday once I was back in Edinburgh, So I got dressed up in flat shoes and headed out to Glasgow with everyone for a night out - it had been 10 months!

The Closing Ceremony
The final day was weird, knowing that you had to go back to normality was surreal, I loved my time in the village, I had reconnected friendships, made new friends and it was like a little athletics family who I am still missing!!!! We all had to be ready fairly early to head to the closing ceremony but most were spending the day sleeping before heading out. The closing ceremony was incredible! The atmosphere again to experience the crowd, to see Kylie LIVE and literally be at the front of the stage, to be part of the whole experience was just incredible. Once the ceremony was finished we all headed back on buses to Scotland House where our "Scottish Party" awaited us. First up the fire alarms go off because the girls have too much deodorants and perfume going off in the toilets which was hilarious. The best thing was that they literally played scottish music all night which was IMMENSE!!!!

The Aftermath
After leaving the village I got diagnosed with a stress response which ended my season. The aftermath of disappointment has left more than a bitter taste in my mouth, After 8 years of highs and lows on reflection to come 10th at the Commonwealth Games should of been a high but for me in the end it has been a bit of a low. I could not of turned over anymore leaves to ensure I was ready to perform and I had given it everything. I am capable of jumping 1.90 but where is that going to get me in terms of further higher level competition. Mentally and physically I had come to a bit of a end of a road with high jump, I love athletics, but being part of it was not my main love anymore. I had struggled to comprehend why I was competing at most of my competitions throughout the year. What did I get out of competing? What makes Jayne happy? What makes me tick? It has been a bit of a mental battle the past 2 months over where my future lies in athletics, but currently I feel I need to have a bit of a "career break" per se for a few months to recover emotionally and physically from the past 8 years of build up and relentlessness of my lifestyle, as I was never a "funded" athlete. From the help of my parents and grandad and in the end one of the financial support a sponsor, I was able to maximise with everything I could without having the luxury of being a 9-5 athlete. My days consisted of 5am starts to 9pm finishes. I am going to spend the next 3 months working out what it is I want from athletics, from life and from business so I can maximise it all. I am so excited about the future now and need to thank my commonwealth journey and experience for helping me along the way.

Jayne x

Dairy Free or Vegan athlete and struggling to get enough protein?

Having had the amazing opportunity to have access to www.evolutionorganics.co.uk I discovered the best tasting, highest protein content performance protein out there. It is WADA tested also which is an even bigger benefit as a lot of the vegan proteins out there are not WADA tested.

Vega Performance
 
Vega Sport Performance Protein is an exceptional multi-source, plant based protein blend of the highest quality.
Vega Sport Performance Protein supplies an incredible 26 grams of alkaline-forming protein per serving, from a combination of bio-available plant protein sources making Vega Performance Protein Berry an excellent healthy choice.

• Each serving offers 26g of high quality protein
• Alkaline forming
• Protein souce includes: sacha inchi, yellow pea, sprouted grain brown rice, hemp and alfalfa

The recent innovation to Vega Sport Performance Protein comes from the addition of SaviSeed (sacha inchi) protein, a rich, plant-based source of the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is a key component of serotonin production(1). Serotonin-the feel good hormone-helps with the mental aspect of recovery, so you'll keep the drive alive and be motivated to train again.

I would definitely recommend trying this protein if you are vegan or dairy free! It is literally amazing.

Get 10% off Evolution Organics by using code: 473083

Dairy Free Snacking Solved

My nutritionist - Bo Tyler (www.bonutritioncoaching.com) has introduced me to so many new dairy free egg free yeast free snack ideas it is incredible! I  will share below 3 of my favourite pre training snacks! These snacks are easy to digest and will give you a boost of energy!!

1: Living Fuel Cocochia

LivingFuel CocoChia® is the ultimate snack fuelónutritious, tasty and energy boosting. Rich in medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) and Omega-3s, it blends the finest organic coconut and chia seeds into a tasty, quick-energy fuel that's ideal for athletes, dieters, and diabetics alike. Grab a couple of tablespoons to sustain you during a hard workout or to carry you through those afternoon munchies. The easy-to-carry and easy-to-open packets are perfect for lunchboxes, briefcases and purses. It also makes a light yet filling snack before bedtime. Try CocoChia® in yogurt, oatmeal, cereal, smoothies, trail mix or right out of the packet!

2: Dr Mercola Cocoa Cassava Bar

Dr Mercola Cocoa Cassava Bars are moist, chewy, ALL organic, coconut sprinkled with superfood chia and covered with deep, organic dark chocolate. Chia Seeds which are a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber, calcium & magnesium!

• Delicious, health-promoting, lower-guilt energy bars.
• Contain a balance of protein, fats and fiber that promote optimal health
• ALL of the ingredients have been certified USDA organic!

3: 25g Munchy Seeds & handful of Raspberries

Savoury roasted sunflower, pumpkin, hulled hemp, sesame, linseed & rape seeds. A deliciously healthy sprinkle to top any salad, soup, stew or stirfry.  With the addition of all the smaller seeds like rape seed (grown by our local farmer), and linseed, not only does it give the mix an extra textural dimension, but it increases the levels of Omega 3, 6 & 9.  A cracking mix for those who want everything all in one!

Did you know that Omega Sprinkles are high in:

• Omega 3 Fatty Acids (Alpha-linolenic acid) - contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels & the normal functioning of the heart
• Vitamin E - contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress
• Iron - contributes to the normal formation of red blood cells & haemoglobin.  Iron also assists in the maintenance of normal cognitive function & to the reduction of tiredness & fatigue
• Zinc - contributes to normal fertility and reproduction & contributes to the maintenance of hair, nails, skin & eyes
• Fibre - contributes to a healthy digestive system
• Protein - contributes to a growth in muscle mass & normal bones

Raspberries add that sweetness and give you that instant natural sugar boost.

All of these can be purchased at either:

www.evolutionorganics.co.uk OR www.munchyseeds.co.uk

101 days to go

So tomorrow marks 100 days to go till the Commonwealth Games and its been a while since I updated some ideas etc. I actually for a while decided to go back to trying to add in dairy and eggs but it genuinely doesn't agree with me. I really found it difficult to be completely dairy and egg free, aswell as yeast. So 4 weeks ago I sought the help of nutritionist Bo Tyler (www.bonutritioncoaching.com) and she advised I went back onto dairy and egg free and has given me the most amazing plan! Eating has become simple again (apart from all food prep and snack buying) I genuinely have found pleasure in eating again as I don't feel unwell after anymore so Happy Days!!

We are just going into our last proper "preparation week" in terms of volume and then for 4 weeks after that we are leading into my first competition outdoors of 2014 and also have a sneaky week of warm weather training to help in between. 

I thought I would share an amazing dairy free egg free recipe for you to try for a happy Sunday:

Raspberry & Almond Butter Cupcakes

Makes 6 Cupcakes

100g ground almonds

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon almond butter

2 tablespoons water

100ml almond milk

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

4 heaped tablespoons Egg Replacer (www.organ.co.uk)

2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 cup of raspberries

Instructions: 

Heat oven to 180 Degrees Celcius

Melt coconut oil and almond butter in microwave proof dish

Then add in ground almonds, egg replacer, poppy seeds and coconut.

Mix in water & almond milk and blend until smooth paste and slightly runny.

Blend in raspberries.

Place into cake cups.

Cook for 20 minutes.