Day on a Plate | Weekend Edition

Over the last three months I have really found a love for all things food and fitness. I've had a negative relationship with food in the past, overly obsessed with calories and always conscious about the food I was putting into my body in fear of putting on weight. However recently I have overcome this obsessive relationship and instead focus on eating food that I want that make me feel good and balancing that with working out. 

I work out 4-5 times a week at F45 which is quite a strenuous workout, and I find that I am eating more now than ever before because my body is using up so much energy during these 45 minute classes. I'm definitely not strict with my diet, however I love fuelling my body with healthy foods and mindfully eating, rather than snacking for the sake of it. It's also to note that I do not count my calories, but I always look at the ingredients on the back of anything and everything. My rule of thumb is if I cannot understand more than two ingredients, I won't put it in my body. I listened to an amazing KIC podcast with nutritionist Marika Day all about nutrition and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about understanding ingredients and other nutrition facts.

***

8:00am-9:00am

Saturday morning is started with a one hour F45 class called West Hollywood. This workout is the ultimate full-body burner because it is a mix of both cardio and strength targeting all muscles. I aim to drink a 1-litre bottle of water throughout the workout and 15 minutes post-workout to hydrate my body.

10:00am

Brunch is my favourite meal time of the day, and I love going out to cafe's on the weekends with my friends and indulging in yummy food rather than preparing it myself. This morning I went to The Brook Eatery in Cherrybrook, which is such a nice cafe in the north-west of Sydney. 

Since leaving my job I have stopped drinking coffee through the week, and allow myself one coffee on the weekend to satisfy the craving. This morning I was desperate for one, so I ordered a regular soy mocha and sipped on two glasses of water. 

Absolutely starving after my workout, I ordered scrambled eggs with salmon and tomato on two slices of turkish bread with I think feta or cottage cheese.

2:00pm

Feeling very satisfied with brunch still, I opt for a protein shake for lunch. My current fitness goal is to gain more muscle, so my trainer recommended that I start incorporating a protein shake in my diet everyday. Usually I have one as a snack but because I am still quite full from brunch, I am just having this as a meal instead. 

The protein powder I use is the Vanilla Whey protein from Women's Best, and I just blend the powder with 250mL of milk as I like to make it as creamy as possible. 

7:30pm

This Saturday night I have decided to ditch my Saturday night drink sesh and instead enjoy a nice meal with my girlfriends. I haven't consumed alcohol in the past 3 weeks and have found that I am performing better in my training sessions and not seeing as much bloating which is great! 

Tonight we are going to a restaurant in Dural called Entrata. Italian food is my fave and whilst I am technically on the F45 Challenge, indulging in pasta and bread is an exception tonight. 

For entree, we ordered the croquettes and the burrata with prosciutto, tomato and bread and for our mains we ordered the carbonara pasta and ricotta dumplings, which was all phenomenal. My personal favourite was the ricotta dumplings, so good!

All in all, we truly ate as much cheese and carbs as possible, no regrets.

Burrata & Croquettes

Ricotta Dumplings & Carbonara

***

Stay tuned for a weekday edition of Day on a Plate!

Love,
Madyson

Instagram
Twitter

The Skincare Products That Have Saved My Skin

"Beauty is being comfortable and confident in your own skin"

Skin is our largest organ, and one that we need to love, nourish and protect always. Over the years, I have become more and more interested in ways I can make my skin feel and look beautiful, as there is nothing more empowering than being confident in your skin. To be honest, now, I feel the most beautiful when I am stripped from all colour cosmetics and I am  fresh-faced and natural. 

This hasn't always been a reality. 

Just over a year ago, I was struggling immensely with my skin and how it looked on the outside. I was suffering from horrible hormonal acne that was covering my entire face and was so sore it felt as if my skin was burning. I know too well the detrimental impact not feeling good and confident in the skin that you're in. Your face is the first thing you look at when you wake up and can ruin your day before it has even began. 

My acne made me angry and insecure. I cancelled plans, I was too embarrassed to leave the house, and I was constantly comparing myself to others, wondering what I had done wrong to my skin for it to be treating me this way. 

The beauty industry can be a scary place when you are insecure. I was desperate to cure my acne fast, so I did what you definitely should not do, and that is to go shopping without doing research. 

It was as if the sales assistants at David Jones could tell that I was desperate because from the moment I stepped foot into the beauty department, I was immediately approached by different beauty counters offering me their "solutions" to my acne. I was literally sold every cleanser, every toner, every serum, without having any knowledge on the harsh ingredients within these products that were only going to make my skin worse. 

After a month of using some pretty horrible products, I made the decision to see a doctor, who prescribed me a new contraceptive pill that had helped many other young girls like myself with similar skin issues. I also decided that I needed to do my research into the products that I was using on my skin, and this research encouraged me to start using natural products and products that were catered to sensitive skin. 

It took a good 3-4 months before I started seeing results, but since I made the change and introduced the below products into my routine, my skin has never felt and looked better, and I am now happy to leave the house with no makeup. 

***

PRE-CLEANSE

How you remove your makeup and prep your skin before you cleanse is so important. After engrossing myself in all things beauty and listening to every You Beauty podcast and reading every Into the Gloss article, I made the decision to ditch my trusty makeup wipes and invest in a good quality Micellar Water.

Message from the wise, do not buy a Micellar Water that is not Bioderma. Bioderma is the OG of all Micellar Waters, and the best I have ever tried. Catering specifically to those with sensitive skin, Bioderma Micelle Solutions is a gentle way to remove any makeup and dirt. I lather a makeup remover pad with the solution and rub gently across my face. I find that it does exactly what it's meant to do whilst purifying and hydrating my skin at the same time. 

Another great pre-cleanse alternative is a reuseable makeup remover cloth like Face Halo. I find though that these do not get as much makeup out of my skin as the Bioderma Micelle Solution does, but it is a more sustainable alternative. Also, it is important that you are regularly washing and switching these out so you aren't constantly wiping bacteria back onto your face.

***

CLEANSE

Is there anything more satisfying than cleansing your skin and seeing all of the product that sat below the surface of your face wash away? 

Learning the importance of double cleansing transformed my routine, and is a vital step in achieving fresh skin. There are so many amazing benefits to double cleansing that you can read here, but for the most part, double cleansing ensures that you are removing all of the built up pollution and product that is sitting under your skin.

There are three cleansers that really stand out to me and that I regularly switch between. The first is the Bioderma Sensiblo Cleansing Foaming Gel, which is my go-to always. This cleanser is so gentle and beautiful on the skin and has not broken me out since I have started using it a year ago. The pump bottle also makes it extremely functional. It also lasts ages! 

Next is the Kate Somerville Daily Detox Cleanser. There's something about this product that just feels so luxurious on the skin, it also smells beautiful too. I find that this has really improved the texture and vitality of my skin. Only downside is that the product can be messy as it is a twist-to-open product.

Andalou Naturals Citrus Kombucha Gel Cleanser is magical! 100% natural ingredients that really soothed my acne when I started using it. I found that this product didn't necessarily banish my acne, but it definitely assisted in getting rid of all of the bacteria and reducing the size of my acne so it was flat upon my skin. 

***

MOISTURISE

Moisturiser is SO important, ladies! I swear by the Cremorlab Fresh Water Gel Moisturiser and is one product that I will have a spare always on stand-by. This moisturiser is a dream for those with dry skin and completely revitalised my skin. I use this everyday and most night's and every morning I wake up with soft, hydrated skin. 

In winter when my skin needs a little more attention, I will use the Skin Renewal Cream which is a super thick moisturiser that restores dry, textured skin. A little goes a long way with this product. 

***

EXFOLIATE

If you listen to the You Beauty podcast, then you will know the Alpha H Liquid Gold chemical exfoliant is Leigh Campbell's holy grail. This product is to be used every alternating evening, and swears you will see results after the first use. They weren't lying. This product contains all the good stuff including Glycolic Acid, which literally gives you an at-home facial overnight. The luminosity in my skin since using this product only two weeks ago is incredible. This product also states that it is an exfoliant, serum, toner and moisturiser all in one. A staple in every woman's routine I believe.

***

SPF

SPF is a new addition to my daily regime, but one that I value highly. The Mecca To Save Face is the one I love the most because it doesn't feel like an SPF, it feels like a moisturiser. It is super nourishing on the skin with a fresh fragrance that isn't overpowering. I use this after my moisturiser and before my primer.

***

SUPPLEMENTS

Biotin is the best beauty supplement I have tried. This supplement has dramatically improved the health of my skin, hair and nails in 2 months. I take this religiously every night and it has had such a positive affect overall. 

***

Thank you for reading this post. If you are struggling with your skin I highly recommend seeing a doctor or skin professional that can assist you in making the correct choices regarding your skin. 

After further research, I have decided I will be adding a Retinol, Serum and Hyaluronic Acid to my regime, most probably from The Ordinary. I won't touch on the benefits of these products yet as I am yet to try them, but will share with you in due time once I have tested and tried.

Love,

Madyson