My name is Sophia, I’m a 34 year old London born Greek girl, living in beautiful Swansea and I cook from the heart. Food and nutrition fascinates me and so does creating new and innovative dishes and treats.
1. What made you decide to do the triathlon?
I broke my leg really badly in 2013. I had a spiral fracture and
metal plate in my leg for 1 year. While I was immobile I
occupied myself with a lot of reading. I came across an
inspiring article about someone who did a triathlon, and I
said to myself “one day I’m going to do a triathlon”. Fast
forward 4 years and I have just opened my own restaurant
and speciality coffee house- Bluebell Coffee and Kitchen,
with my brother. We were working ridiculous hours with no
work/life balance and not exercising enough. It was
Christmas time and something pops up online about the
Swansea Triathlon. I spoke to our manager (Laura, who is
also a personal trainer) about taking part and low and
behold she was thinking about doing it too. We both
approached my brother (Tim) and business partner about
registering so we could start getting fit and healthy again.
Just before the New Year we all signed up and were raring
to go!!
2. Were there times when you wanted to give up your
training?
It’s not really in me to give up anything. I was taught at a
young age this mantra “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try,
try again!” There was never a time I wanted to give up the
Triathlon training but definitely certain moments when I
was running I felt like I couldn’t carry on. Due to my leg
injury I was experiencing a lot of pain in my right knee and
there were times I felt like stopping running. There were
definitely times it was very hard to train for all of us.
Running a business that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner
as well as baking cakes, serving coffee, running the social
media side of things and marketing AND finding time to
train was tricky. Lots of early mornings were needed and
some nights with minimal sleep!
3. What did you eat and how did you train for the triathlon?
We have just launched our Bluebell Munch meals which
are pre-prepared meals we make at Bluebell Coffee and
Kitchen. I am vegan so had these tasty options from the
Munch selection. They were filling and great for training as
they were quick and ready to go for my very busy life. After
I would train I would normally have a recovery smoothie
that contained things like:
Macca powder, oat milk, cocoa powder, dates, peanut
butter, blueberries, frozen banana, chia seeds, flaxmeal,
pea protein.
Food and nutrition is really important to me and I made
sure I was getting all of the nutrients and energy I needed.
4. How do you lead a healthy life?
I’ve been vegan for 2.5 years and I feel the healthiest and fittest
I’ve ever felt. I feel younger, full of energy, have a clearer head,
better skin, healthier hair and overall mental wellbeing. It’s all
about balance for me. You are allowed to have a treat once and a
while. Have that glass of wine, piece of chocolate or slice of cake. I
believe life is about enjoying and living, but it’s also all about
moderation. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely times I’ve
gone a bit wild on a night out or decided to have a pig-out, but
that’s life! Not being too hard on yourself is definitely key. A
positive mind leads to positive actions. In the past I have been that
person stuck in a rut and looking to food for comfort. As a young
girl I have experienced hardly eating anything to look nice and thin
like the models on the front of a magazine!
As the years have gone by the one thing that has lead me to a
healthy life is a healthy mind. Meditation has helped me with this; it
started me on the correct path of focusing on being positive in
everyday life. When you exercise you instantly feel good and this
then ultimately improves your wellbeing. It’s all interlinked.
5. What is the one thing you can’t go without?
Oh gosh…that is a very difficult question! There are many things
really.
My family and friends, baking, coffee, yoga, music, the sea, the
beach, swimming, hugging, avocados, hummus (cliché for a vegan
I know!), olives, cake, BREAD (even though I shouldn’t eat so
much of it).
Ultimately if I had to choose the one thing I couldn’t go without, it
would be the people I love!
Tasty Roots
website: https://tastyroots.wordpress.com/about/
instagram: @tasty_roots
BlueBell Coffee
website: www.bluebellcoffee.co.uk
instagram: @bluebellcoffeeuk
