Powerful and transformational interview with Thanh: how better eating habits & exercises transformed her body & soul.

 V Bikini in Red 

Tell us about yourself in one sentence?

I endeavour to be the best version of me.

Where were you born?

In a lost corner of the world in a tiny town bounded by pine trees in the province of Quebec, Canada

What’s your favorite sport?

So many, depends on my mood HA! I just love to mix it up and keep it fun, but the usual suspects are functional training, yoga, boxing, dancing, running -  just whatever feels like playing!

What are your talents?

I am a professional winger ;) I’m not particularly talented in anything but am a very decent all-rounder and will manage anything I set my mind to, even if it takes a really long time!

What's your favorite color?

White and black.

Occupation?

Professional winger, bioresource engineer, entrepreneur, interior designer.

What does ACHIEVEMENT mean to you?

Setting myself to do something and getting it done as quickly as I can, no matter how big or small the challenge or task at hand.

Pamela Lycra Track Suit 

What is your definition of success?

To me success is personal growth. It is acquiring wisdom, feeling inner peace and a lighter heart than I did yesterday.

What do you look for when purchasing a swimwear?

1. Practicality 2. Comfort 3. Looks

How does Makara Wear differ from other swimwear companies?

It’s created by an amazing, talented, wonder women that I am blessed to call my friend.

Which piece you bought from Makara wear? For what reason? And why you chose US not other brand?

Can’t remember the name of the body suit (LONG SLEEVE CLASSIC), but I love it because it is black & white, and the turtle neck gives it such elegance, It’s gorgeous!

Let's talk about body positivity, as we know that you were not so comfortable with your body lines before, but now you are, what's changed? What inspired you to change/transform?

I am lucky to say that I always felt comfortable with my body as I understood from a very young age that physical aspects only accounted for such a small portion of who I am, and rather than hyper focusing on the outer shell that was readily given to me, I focused on nurturing who I was in my heart and mind as I believe that we hold all the power to become our greater self by being a certain way rather than looking it and that our true worth always shines through.

This said, overtime, I became more aware of the gift that I had been handed at birth. I now understand that our body is not just for self-representation or an outer box wrapping who we are inside, it’s truly our vessel through this journey of life and we need to be kind and loving to it. We are born with only one body, caring for it should be a priority and three years ago I made in mine. I went on this intimate journey with myself, and changed all my habits: quit smoking, changed my diet entirely, changed my training and sleeping habits. As a result of those changes, I unloaded nearly 7 kg of dead weight off my vessel in 3 months, but the end goal was never to lose weight per say or to look a certain way, although that did feel great. My motivation was always to feel the very best I could feel and to prevent getting ill. Beyond downsizing my wardrobe by 3 sizes, I now know how to stabilize my energy levels, I sleep like a baby, my mood is more predictable, my focus is sharper than ever, I very rarely get sick and I am so much more resilient to stress.  At 33 years old, I am proud to say that I feel like I am at the top of my form, mentally and physically. I feel conscious and grateful for this awakening that I had 3 years ago, it has been an incredibly satisfying experience and one that I wish to share with you in hopes of inspiring you to go on this intimate, nurturing and loving journey with yourself – your body is a gift.

What kind of routine were you running? 

Here are some of the changes I made:

• - Food

I started fuelling up with mainly non-processed foods and cut out meat and dairy (as I am lactose intolerant), carbs (bread, pasta, rice, white potatoes) as they made me heavy and over blotted, sugars (including raw and natural sugars such as honey and maple syrup) because sugars actually kill our taste buds by over stimulating them and makes us numb and disinterested to non-sugary food.

  I eat fish and sea food, mountains of veggies, certain low carb fruits such as berries, pineapple and apples, I’ve discovered the world of lentils and beans. Smoked tofu is a great find sent from heaven and almond butter is magic. Nuts are a good snack, but don’t go too crazy. I have become a salad goddess and made salads into incredibly tasteful art pieces (for dressing, to avoid using sugar, I always use a 5-year-old aged white balsamic vinegar which has become naturally sweet overtime). Beyond what I ate, I understood that how I ate was even more important.

Big portions 2-3 times a day is a no go.

The ideal is to continuously eat throughout the day, we constantly need to breath to bring oxygen to our brain and body, we don’t take in a few large gulps of air and then hold for several hours, so why should we do otherwise with food? This was key in my transformation and in regulating my energy level. Also try avoiding foods and beverages that spike your energy levels, again like sugary drinks or coffee.

Here’s an example of a daily menu:

Massive glass of water before eating not whilst eating as it apparently drowns the food and take away the

ability for our body to really absorb all the nutrience (I’m unsure of this fact)

Breakfast:

3 flower bread crackers with raw almond butter with a small bowl of mixed berries

Early lunch:

Massive vegetables and lentil salad that I munch away for approximately one hour.

Afternoon snack:

Hand full of seeds and mix nuts

Dinner:

Fish and a small salad or portion of veggies with a glass of white wine ;)

*To enhance better sleeping stop eating at least two hours before going to bed.

• - Workout

My main advice is to diversify your activities/sports and keep it fun. Fun is key. During my 3 months body change, I went from training at Xfit 3-4/ week to a refining toning exercises I did at home for 30 minutes 6 days a week called Metamorphosis by Tracy Anderson, my body type is abcentric.

Sleeping: I believe that we all overlook this component in our lives. Good sleeping habits is CRUCIAL and regulates everything in our body. Do it well and consistently and your body will return the favour! Skipping so many hours of sleep one night to then catch up on them the following day is not actually getting those hours back. I started to set alarms to prepare my bedtime so one hour before the time I should be sleeping, I start unwinding, washing up and then clear my mind by doing some breathing exercises.

To conclude this interview, I would simply say that this is my own personal relationship with me that I carved and adapted overtime and you may use it as general guidelines, but as for any successful relationship, it requires adaptation, dedication, willingness to observe and listen, and handling with love and care.

Have fun with yourself!

T Xx