My interview with ‘Beyond the Strip’ with the lovely Nerissa Sam :)

To watch on youtube here.

To hear on Spotify here.

‘How are you showing up in your life -- as your authentic self, or as a person the world has trained you to be? Sophia McDermott was at the height of her career and a mother to two young children when she realized she needed to change women's perception of themselves and what it means to be a world champion in the male-dominated world of Jiu Jitsu.  

Her new Live Interactive Training Sessions at girls-ontop.com will help show you exactly How To stay in tip-top shape -- and how to honor and trust your inner self above all else.  If your goals in life don't match what people expect of you, this interview is a must-watch.  You'll learn how to stop trying to fit in and be the person you were meant to be.

What is the truest most amazing vision that you have for your future self?’

@sophiamcdermottbjj via @beyondthestriptv

Free Mat Movement workouts every Tuesdays!!!

There are so many ways to move our body. Since lockdown getting creating with nothing but your body weight and a mat has been the focus and you can have a really challenging workout that keeps you mobile, lean and strong with only your bodyweight if you know how. 

Every Tuesday I am still teaching a Live BJJ based Mat Movement class at 5 pm PST on my private Facebook Group Here. The focus is only muscular endurance, strength and mobility. These workouts are fun and different and eager towards the athlete who is looking for a way to work out to help improve their performance. 

Take a look at some of these movement patterns and give them a try!

Tips to Help you De-Stress

Life at the moment is pretty stressful. There have been so many changes sometimes on a daily basis and it’s being one wild rollercoaster ride which can lead to stress and anxiety.

As a way to cope with all the changes and confronting news on the media, it’s really important to make time to switch off. There are a few different ways to switch off. Here are some things that I do that really help me, that I am happy to share with you. 

• Go for a walk in nature - breath the fresh air and get some vitamin D.

• Do yoga, meditation or engage in rhythmic movement such as swimming laps where the focus is on the breathing and being in the present moment.

• Surround yourself with good people who uplift you.

Ways to eat vegetables so they aren’t boring!!

When people think of clean eating, they think of salads and steamed veggies with no flavor and it’s all just so tasteless and boring. I am here to tell you there are so many different ways to eat veggies that are healthy and just bursting with flavor!!! Try roasting or grilling veggies instead of just steaming them. Try adding some nuts or goats cheese to your salads. Light seasoning with lemon juice salt and pepper can make all the difference to plain sautéed veggies. Here are a couple of my favourite recipes from my Nutrition E book.

Mushroom Kebabs

Need
1 cup of mushroom, thickly chopped
1/2 cup of red bell peppers (capsicum), chopped into 1 inch squares
1/2 cup of green bell peppers (capsicum), chopped into 1 inch squares
1 cup of onion (white or red/spanish), chopped into thick slices
For the marinade:
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp of honey
2 tbsp of soy sauce
4 - 5 wooden skewers

How
Preheat the grill, broiler or BBQ on medium to high heat. Soak wooden skewers in water for 5 mins to prevent them from burning. Add vegetables one by one onto the skewer. Coat each skewer with marinade. Grill/broil for 6 mins and turn over. Add remaining marinade and cook for another 3 mins.

Roasted Carrot Medley

Need
1 pound (450g) of carrot varieties ie, orange, purple, white or parsnip. Chopped lengthways in 4 inch sections and down the middle.
1 tsp of olive oil ½ tsp of All-purpose seasoning
Salt and pepper
Serve with 1 tbsp of dip (hummus or low-fat spinach dip)

How
Prepare in a baking tray lined with a drizzle of olive oil, chopped carrots. Sprinkling with seasoning, salt and pepper. Bake for 1 hour on 400 degrees F. Cool and serve 4 - 6 and enjoy with low fat spinach dip or hummus dip.

It’s official. Girls On Top is here!!!

A safe space for women to learn virtual BJJ techniques, that work better for women. This is an interactive platform that is everything about women's BJJ including, live BJJ sessions and BJJ based workouts. There is also a Q&A session where any member can tune in and share their thoughts to the discussion and a video breakdown featuring two amazing ladies every week who submit their footage to me to view and share.

And even better still everyone who joins gets a free drilling dummy so we can all learn together in the comfort of our own homes while gyms are still shut. If gyms are opening up for you this is still a great opportunity for supplemental training and learning techniques that are better suited for women and taught by a woman. 

Officially launching Monday, Memorial Day!!! 

This monthly membership price is only available for this weekend so don't miss this launch special. 

Feel free to email me at girlsontop.bjj@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Submission Coalition Podcast Interview

Recently I was lucky enough to be interviewed on the Submission Coalition Podcast. Darkwolf MMA's Submission Coalition Podcast is a resource for all things: Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, Kickboxing, Boxing and Combat Sports.

I talked about my fitness workouts and health plans which juggling it all as a homeschooling mum while on lockdown. I discussed my new and exciting BJJ women's group, Girls On Top and many more exciting things that I have in the pipeline.  

Thank you, Melissa and Dave, for the opportunity! 

I would love you all to tune in and let me know what you think!

Listen to the podcast on Spotify, HERE!

What lowers your Immune System and how to avoid them!!

In my previous blog post (here), I discussed foods and methods that boost your immune system. So in this blog, I would like to talk about things that can lower your immune system. So if any of these ring true for you, make the changes to ensure better health.

Highly Inflammatory Foods

When you eat food that creates an inflammatory effect in your body it puts your body in a stressed state that lowers your immune system. Foods that create an inflammatory affecting your body are:

• Refined white flour such as white bread

• Cheese and other processed dairy products  

• Fatty red meat like burger meat and processed luncheon meats 

• Spreads made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils

• Foods deep-fried in processed refined vegetable oils that are high in omega 6 fats

• Sugary foods such as sodas and foods sweetened with high fructose corn syrup…

So I’m guessing you can deduce that a burger and fries and a soda is a horrible combination for health and keeping your immune system strong.

Basically the inflammation in your gut caused by these foods affects your internal flora, the good gut bugs, the ones that fight off infection. So to keep your gut bugs healthy and ready to fight off external things like viruses, make sure that your internal environment is on point. Avoid the inflammatory foods full of chemicals and trans fats and opt for whole fruits, veggies and healthy proteins. 

Lack of Vitamin D

It is super important that we get a quota of all our vitamins, but if there is one vitamin that acts as a super vitamin (which actually is more like a hormone) that helps to create other components in the body such as minerals and hormones) is vitamin D.  Studies have shown links between vitamin D deficiency and bone loss, disease, mental health issues and immune system function. In an article recently written by Natalie O’Neil for the New York Times, May 1 2020, Researchers at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation Trust and the University of East Anglia in England compared the average vitamin D levels of 20 European countries with COVID-19 mortality rates — and found “significant relationships” between vitamin D levels and the number of deaths caused by this infection. 

More and more evidence is coming up about the overall importance of vitamin D and health. 

Vitamin D can be found in our food and through sunlight exposure. So even though we have all been told to stay indoors, for your own health you must be getting outside and getting some sunlight on a daily basis. 

Lack of Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important things for our health. It is a time where our bodies and our minds are regenerating and repairing. If we don’t get enough sleep then our bodies aren’t healed from the day’s stresses so that when we are awake we are running on empty which compromises our immune systems.

Lack of Movement

I know that we have all been ordered to stay inside for the safety of ourselves and others but there are ways we can work around it so our own health doesn’t suffer in other ways, ie by working out at home or at the park.

Lack of movement affects our circulation and other systems such as our lymph system that uses movement from the body like a pump to move fluids and remove waste from the body. We also miss out on the amazing endorphins that are our body’s ‘feel good’ hormones that positively affect our mood and reduce pain. Many cells in the immune system have receptors for endorphins, and some studies show  that increasing your endorphin levels is a great way to increase your body's immune function.

Negative Emotions

Now this might be a left-field for some but our emotions and our mind set do have an effect on our health and our immune system. Basically being unhappy makes you more susceptible to getting sick etc. Going back to Richard J Davidson PhD, Author on The Emotional Life of Your Brain, he shares results for a test he performed whereby groups received the flu shot and those who reported they were happy and who performed specific stress-reducing practices to keep their mindset’s positive such as focused meditation produced higher antibodies from the flu shot than those who did not practice stress-reducing activities.

Some of these things may be more obvious than others to keep your immune system strong. But the whole body works together as one unit. If there are imbalances or deficiencies in one area then the whole unit suffers which compromises the immune system. In order to stay truly healthy and to be able to fight off any infections, paying attention to all the factors such as healthy eating, moving your body, getting outdoors to get vitamin D, sleeping well and happy thoughts are essential.

Naughty Made Nice E Book COMING SOON!

We've been working behind the scenes and preparing an amazing book full of loads of goodies that not only taste delicious but are good for you! Naughty Made Nice contains my favourite clean, processed sugar- free and flour-free, gluten-free and dairy-free treat and snacks. And the best thing, they are all super easy to make!!

I have included recipes to help satisfy your sweet tooth and keep your health in check. You can make caramel bliss balls, milkshakes, muffins, brownies and ice cream… the list is endless.

Healthy eating isn’t meant to be boring!! It’s about eating real, whole foods, more plants, and gluten-free products. And for the sweet stuff, natural sweeteners are the best!

As you weed out ingredients that cause inflammation and your blood sugar to spike, you’ll see a boost in your metabolism and notice blood sugar levels become more stable. No more sugar crashes and hangovers!!

I will be announcing Pre Order soon. Stay tuned!