IN HER SNEAKERS with Madeleine Crossan (a.k.a @foodie.mads)
Say hey to the next wellness babe Madeleine Crossan, also known in the foodie world of instagram as @foodie.mads. Madeleine is a 21 year old based in Auckland and boy does she keep up with the foodie scene, I am in constant envy of this gals food! I am still yet to try Bowl and Arrow! Madeleine's page is so bright, oozes happiness, makes you feel hungry and is super inspiring! This gal is real and honest and she is gorgeous! You should check her out and enjoy reading through her interview babes ...
Madeleine Crossan
1. A little bit about you gorgeous .. who are you, what do you do and what are you passionate about?
Hey honey! I’m Madeleine, a 21-year-old gal from Auckland. I’m just over a month away from completing my Bachelor of Commerce at The University of Auckland (HELP…) and I’m currently working two jobs; The Design Store on the weekends and with the commercial team at Paralympics New Zealand on Tuesdays.
My passion is eating; I LOVE food! I think about what my lunch is going to be before I have even finished breakfast- low key hoping that I’m not the only person like this..
2. What does health mean to you?
It sounds a bit boring but I never really grasped the full concept of health until a couple of months ago in my sports science class. I learned that your health should be thought of in a variety of lights; your physical, mental, social and spiritual health, to name a few. I really believe when individuals feel healthy across all those spectrums, they experience optimal health and overall wellbeing.
3. What does a typical day in your sneakers look like?
A typical day in the life of Mads will involve a commute into university, coming home to hit the gym, dinner, a bit of study and then sleep. Oh, and Netflix will often be in there for this procrastination Queen.
4. What does a normal day of eating look like for you?
It’s a 97% chance that a day of eating for me will include a smoothie bowl, I absolutely love them and theyre so easy to whip up. If im at home for lunch, I will probably end up cooking scrambled eggs with peppered smoke salmon and some spinach or a bit of wholegrain toast. As you can tell.. I love breakfast foods hahaha, I have absolutely no shame in having more than one breakfast meal in the day. For dinner, I often have kumara or roast vege salad- that’s my absolute go to. My family cooks a lot of steak and meat as well, so my dinner typically involves a lean piece of eye-fillet or scotch alongside heaps of green salad.
5. How do you maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle and your tips and tricks for others?
A healthy and balanced lifestyle to me, is not obsessing over the burger or ice cream or slab of cake you ate. A healthy and balanced lifestyle is about eating yummy, enriching and wholesome food that fuels your body but also ordering that croissant with your coffee if you really cant keep your eye off it. We shouldn’t constantly deprive ourselves of what our mind tells us we want, and while its important to be knowledgeable about food and make conscious day-to-day decisions, its equally as important to understand that eating a burger will NOT kill you. In terms of tricks and tips for others, do your research! Its so easy to get bored and lazy with food and fall into bad eating habits but it is even easier to find delicious and nourishing recipes online. The internet is an amazing thing- you’ll be surprised with how many ‘no fuss’ healthy recipes are out there.
6. How do you deal with stress and pressure in this fast paced world we all live in?
As cliché as it sounds- working out. I cannot stress enough how important exercise is to me when it comes to sorting out my mental clarity. Its so easy to get caught up in uni, work, socializing and sometimes we forget to take time to stop and slow down. For me, nothing works better than a good high intensity class. Sweating it out and taking time for myself works wonders.
7. What has been the hardest part of your wellness journey?
As much as I hate to write this, because its something that I wouldn’t want any young woman to stress over, but- weight gain. I initially decided to change my lifestyle at 15 years old. I lost 18kg in less than a year, and while I owe that to a very very healthy diet and exercise, I was also still growing. So as I shot up- I leaned out a LOT. 6 years later, I almost weigh the same as I did at the beginning of my journey, even though looking at me you would never think so. My body has changed in many ways through developing into a woman and through different training over the years. So, yes I’m not the weight I once was at 16, but I am much stronger and happier than I was then. Your weight does not define you and you should never let it. Something that is so insignificant gets in the way of so many young women’s’ happiness far too often. Dealing with the rollercoaster of weight gain and weight loss has definitely been character building for me.
8. Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given and from who?
My mum gave me the best advice I have ever received at the age of 17. She told me that you should never live life with any regrets and leave yourself wondering “what if?”. This advice is important to me because it so relevant to all aspects of life- and it has encouraged me to grow so much and leave my comfort zone behind.
9. Favourite treat?
This question is doing my head in hahaha! Umm, definitely a hard one.. probably would have to be dumplings though!
10. 3 foods you couldn’t live without
Kumara, bananas and chocolate
11. Favourite way to move your body
High intensity workouts! My favourite Les Mills classes are Sprint, Grit Cardio and Grit Strength.
12. Any last words of wisdom …
Always, always, always be unapologetically you. You are perfect and unique and loved. In a constantly changing and fast paced life, never ever lose sight of who you are!
