#Fitspiration: Matilda Finnegan

Hello crunchy kids!

Can you believe that February is well on it’s way, how did that happen?! Like many others I started the year with a motivational bang, getting majorly stuck into my new years resolutions as soon as the clock struck 12. Somewhere between number 1 “Caring less about what other people think about me”, and number 3 “Drink a green smoothie every day” I have lost sight of resolution number 2 “Get fit”. I am definitely in need of some old fashioned #fitspiration and what better way to help me get into shape than to speak to a Lorna Jane ambassador, Miss World semi-finalist and international model Matilda Finnegan. With one of the most amaze bodies I’ve ever seen, Matilda shared with me her secrets to body success.

Matilda your body is absolutely amazing! Do you feel diet or exercise is more important in staying healthy?

Thank you, I work my butt off to try look good. I aim to eat as healthy as I possibly can, but being in the model industry it is very easy to get sucked into the unhealthy ways to try and be a unrealistic size. So every now and then, I indulge in chocolate goodness! It’s all about balance and enjoying life 🙂

How do you keep motivated to stay in such great shape?

Instagram – as silly as it sounds. It’s true. #Fitspiration is the ultimate way to get you moving and be inspired by some amazing people who have changed their ways and now motivate the world!

Do you have a favourite power smoothie or treat to keep you going on a long day or shoot?

I’ll be honest, I try not to drink too much water before a shoot – with my body, it bloats me. However, the night before I drink lots of water and eat blueberries and 1 slice of cheese with honey 🙂 it helps my skin and makes me feel fresh the next morning. If I am just hanging around the house, I usually just go my basic: spinach, kale, green apples, chia seeds, honey, a teaspoon of vital greens & lastly whatever I have left over in the fridge I think may work!

Your also a beach girl! What is your relationship like with the ocean?

I have pretty much lived on the Northern Beaches of Sydney all my life. Learning to swim by volunteers at my local rock pool, I graduated and joined a surf club with my family. Enjoying Saturday Rock look swims & Sunday nippers, I developed a strong connection to water. The surf just relaxes me, whether it be a quick dip or a surf with my gfs – I have to love near the beach. Otherwise I go a little stir crazy!

What does eating clean and organic mean to you?

Whatever swims, walks or grows you can eat it. As unappetising as that sounds – the best things for your body are red meat, chicken, vegetables & fish. Clean eating help any body moving, breathing easy and staying healthy! It’s such a vital process of good health, now more than ever with the greater volume of pollution and our busy lifestyles! It’s so easy to jump in your car and go to the drive through at Maccas. Clean eating is all about preparation and treating your body like the temple it is!

I personally have cheat meals every now and then, but being a model, my body is my work so I have to take good care of it!

Should I be counting my calories?

I am a complete sucker for a quality before and after weight loss shot.

There’s something about the dramatic change and ability to transform that makes me inspired, impressed and concerned at the same time. Concerned because it makes me look at myself and think, geese why aren’t I undergoing a personal extreme makeover and should I be happy with the way I look?

I would like to think I have become bulletproof to image insecurities but I am only human and from Bondi, so it would be rude to not care what everyone else thought about me right! I recently I had my final wedding dress fitting where the dress maker bluntly barked at me “Lady how much weight you loose before wedding?” THANKS. There is a lot of bridal weight loss hysteria, and with 6 months till the big day I am feeling what 99% of females feel, should I be trying to loose weight and what’s the right way to go about it?

For the past year I have been prescribed to the Whole Foods Plant Based Diet, eating anything organic, fresh and locally grown from the ground and not out of a packet. My focus has been on food for wellness not weight loss. My health and well-being have never been better.

1 year later and with low blood pressure, low cholesterol, low stress and high on life I am totes winning! So my approach to the pending wedding and my dress maker who is trying to give me an eating disorder, is to continue on the path of food for healing yet be more aware of how much I am eating and exercising to maintain BALANCE rather than try to start depriving myself of nutrients for a quick weight loss fix.

This week I am test driving the My Diet Diary & Calorie Counter App. Instead of looking to eliminate all food and fun in my life, I like the idea of monitoring my daily intake and exercise trying to stay under my prescribed 1984 Calories per day to reach my goals, while allowing myself to keep it real along the way.

 

It’s super easy to use, just plug in your meals and it tells you the calorie content and nutritional guide, cool hey!

We all want to look our best and feel confident in our bodies, bikini’s, full piece or wedding dress. Whatever your goals may be, it’s important to remember food is to be enjoyed and to nourish our cells, it has been created to heal our body and to keep us connected with the gifts that mother earth has to give.

Stay smiling kids!

Teena x