Stress Free Style

Stylish, Fit, Beautiful: Let me introduce Amanda Byram

An Irish TV Host, she is  best known for shows such as: Total Wipeout, The Swan, Paradise Hotel, Sunday Brunch and The Big Breakfast.

On top of her TV accolades she is a pioneering role model for Positive Female Image and a Health and Fitness Blogger.

Stunning and Strong: Amanda is an amazing role model showing us ladies that at any age you can resonate your inner beauty.

Today I had the privilege of meeting Amanda and learning some health tricks from this gorgeous lady!

I am going to share them with you lucky readers…

Amanda started by sharing with us her journey to health starting off her early 20s to 30s – the story that is oh so familiar with many of us ladies out there… Thinking skinny = happy

As a model she sought for perfection. She thought skinny = healthy, skinny = happy, skinny = be all and end all.

This is the recurring message that seems to thrust upon all young girls much to our detriment.

She spent the majority of her 20s, and early 30s screwing up her metabolism by trying to be something she was not… as she put it “being thin is one thing, but being skinny when it is not your body type is a different thing altogether”. Years spent on popcorn, slim fast, over exercising and fat free items. . . thinking this would make her skinny and healthy.

I looked around the room – to multiple heads bobbing up and down – guilty!

Fed up with struggling with her body image she hit a point in her 30s when she decided to switch things around and get educated on food!

“We are just not as educated as we need to be”

She went on to explain that as a world we do not nourish ourselves right. We have silly notions that fat is bad for us, carbs are the devil and sugar seems to be popping its toxic head up everywhere!

“Good fats were good for me – they were helping me to lose weight”

Her relationship with food and good foods was changing. She re-educated and was reaping the benefits.

“Good carbs were good for me – no carbs before marbs is rubbish”
A giggle echoed around the room

Amanda went on to explain “Good fats, good protein, good carbs and good fibre… we need these things to exist”
You could hear the passion in her voice and it was infectious

“Physical health is one thing but mental health also needs to be important”

“So much pressure put on ourselves “to be the best girlfriend, mother, wife, career woman” “to do do do”

“we get so obsessed with being ‘on it’ we don’t see the wood for the trees and we end up miserable”

I could hear my inner voice saying “listen” and listen good – these pressure I put on myself and I think most modern women do too. We ignore what we truly need and ignore the most important fact that all round health starts with our choice of fuel!

So how did Amanda become a 9bar Ambassador?

Well, Amanda explained, her handbag is always full of nuts and seeds in – friends calling her the “nutty seed lady” – so when she was approached by a brand she was all to familiar with… she was more than happy to help spreading the seed sensation!

“You can’t be afraid to be the person who does things their way and eat things your way”

Her parting thought… not only left me smiling but also added a new word to my dictionary…

 SNACKERED? – do you starve yourself of breakfast, lunch, other items because you think its good?

you get so exhausted you reach for the cheap sugary options?! STOP!

So if you find yourself getting snackered? Reach for a 9bar!

9bar if you haven’t heard of them are delicious vegan and vegetarian seeded bars.
“Full of goodness to tied you over when you need a snack on the run. Every great‑tasting 9BAR is handmade using super seeds and other naturally high‑fibre, gluten-free ingredients. Packed full of protein, they’ll keep you fuller for longer than other snacks and help you to avoid empty calories.”

Today’s event was courtesy of 9bar, CCD PR and First Option Studio