Interview: Lee Holmes, Supercharged Food, Supercharge Your Life and Supercharge Your Gut

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Mind, Body and Sprit Food

Media Man continues to interview some of world leaders in the health, well-being and lifestyle sector. Today we hear from health nut Lee Holmes and learn some of the secrets of her success, and how everyone can benefit from utilizing much of her approach to life and healthy choices.

1. You have quite a vast background in food, nutrition and well-being. When and how did you realist you could make a career out of helping people with their diet, well-being and overall lifestyle?

I am an accidental entrepreneur and all the way along I didn't think about this as a career. Really, all I wanted to really do in the beginning was to just share my knowledge and recipes with my immediate friends and family and then social media had really started to take off and more people were noticing my recipes and I was reaching people who had been in the same predicament as me. I realised then that I had a powerful platform to inspire and help others to live their best lives. So it was very exciting to be able to help people do that, and improve their diets and lifestyles without pushing a fad-like message to them.

2. Are more people becoming aware that their overall lifestyle (habits, food intake and life choices and the like), have such a massive influence on their overall health, both physical and mental?

I think a lot of people are becoming more aware of their overall lifestyle; the things that they're consuming, how much they're drinking, their life choices and habits. I believe that wellness is holistic, it has many facets and avenues. Particularly when it comes to things like mental health, and the way that the mind and it's fluctuations have a massive influence and impact on overall health. What people are becoming more aware of is that human connection is important and your external environment, past traumas and the way they influence you now are the keys to understanding your health. It's in those areas where I believe the work begins. That's why introspection and working on going inward is just as important as what you are putting into your body. I like to look at health holistically and help people find their own wellness solutions that come from looking after themselves physically and mentally and understanding the way that those two worlds connect and influence each other.

3. Has the beach lifestyle assist you and your family much with your overall health and quality of living?

I really love living by the beach and I live here with my daughter and my dog and my cat in a little beachside shack. I like to live in a minimalist way and have a very simple lifestyle. What excites me most is getting out into nature and taking my dog for a walk and exploring the area and the beaches. It's a life in tune with nature and the seasons. I like to get my hands dirty and grow my own food and am consciously trying to minimise my footprint on the earth.

4. What's the biggest challenges you have overcome in your life, own health, and business, and how did you manage to keep on succeeding?

One of the biggest challenges that I overcame was after a horrendous year last year, and during the pandemic, everything in my life turned itself upside down. I was challenged in every area with loss, heartbreak, illness, having to sell my house and losing loved ones. I felt like I had been beaten down mentally and physically. It was during that time that I took up Vedic meditation and realised that everyone has their own struggles and for me my saving grace was going inward and working on myself so that I could be able to show up and help others more. I think timeout and introspection is paramount to having a successful life.

5. Why is it so important for people not to focus too much on their actual weight, and more about their overall health and well-being?

I think it's important for people not to focus too much on their weight because weight is just a number on the scales and it fluctuates all the time. It depends on how much you're eating, how much you're exercising, hormone imbalances, and different factors that you might have. I think focusing on the basics; eating real and fresh food, ensuring adequate hydration, a balanced intake of protein carbohydrates and good fats and looking after your mental health are what is necessary to feel good. Wellness fads will always come and go, but the basics will always be there. Having a balanced approach to wellbeing is what will ground you and guide you through.

6. Do you find that most of your clients and followers are more Mum's, teenagers, the 30s to 50s demographic, or perhaps the Mum or Dad in the family who has everyone's best health interests at heart?

I find most of my clients and followers are a broad range of people from 20 all the way up to 70 sometimes I work with people who are in their 90s and just starting to get fit and eat well and it's just so encouraging and wonderful to see.

7. How has the current global situation (known as Covid), both being a negative and positive situation for your own and your clients' health?

I think Covid has impacted everybody in negative and positive ways. When I speak to my clients some of them say that it's allowed them to take a step back and go inward and focus on their own health and spend more time with their families and then others say that it's been very difficult for them. In lockdown I'm here in Sydney and we've been in lockdown for the past eight weeks which is very challenging for people both living alone and also for families.

8. Is working from home generally a more healthy situation for most people, rather than the more traditional traveling into the office and buying lunch out, or does it get down to the individual's health awareness and how they manage themselves?

I think that working from home can be beneficial for some people, especially who are introverted and like to work by themselves. For the extrovert, working from home can be really difficult. When it comes to nutrition, being able to work from home can be a good thing as you're able to have more time to make food and cook your own healthy lunches. Having said that, I have noticed a steep rise in home delivery and also alcohol consumption during this time.

9. As is common knowledge, stress and cancer are major problems in western society. Has awareness levels of the population gone up to a point where most people over say 15 years of age know they should be eating well for the betterment of their life and likely life expectancy?

10. Do you ever work in collaboration or partnership with other health or even medical professionals, or do your clients ever tell you they were advised to see a credible nutritionist about really improving their diet and other lifestyle choices?

Yes I work with a number of health professionals and practitioners in an integrative sense. I work with doctors, specialists, dietitians and physiotherapists and mental health experts across the board. As a fully qualified clinical nutritionist I see more people wanting to work with credible practitioners to improve their diet and lifestyle.

11. Do you work with many athletes or even former athletes, be it swimmers, surfers or boxers, as to how to best adapt their diet for peak performance. If so, any examples you can point to?

12. What's your favourite food, desert and beverage?

My favourite food is definitely rocket also known as arugula. I don't know why but I absolutely love it! I have it for breakfast lunch and dinner. I put it in my smoothie in the morning and then I have it in a wrap or sandwich for lunch and then I always have it for dinner as a side salad. It's a such a peppery and distinctive tasting green which contains calcium and vitamin C K and B!

My favourite desert is always blackberries and raspberries with yoghurt and my Love your gut powder (www.superchargeyourgut.com) a spoon of almond butter with cacao nibs on top
I drink a lot of dandelion tea and make it on the stove top with oat milk and so it's nice and creamy.

13. Do you believe it to be true that one or two cups of coffee a day can actually be good for your health, as long as the rest of the individuals diet is healthy?

Yes I think 1 to 2 cups of coffee a day can be good for you and especially good for your mental health so if you love it there is no point in depriving yourself. Opt for chemical free fair trade if you can.

14. Do you have any other projects on at the moment, separate from your traditional business and offerings?

I am currently working on my vegetable garden and just about ready to get planting for springtime.

15. What's your motto?

My motto is less is more.

Ed. Amazing. We're already eating well and exercising, but there's always more one can do, and as well learning what to cut out of a diet, and learning more about one's body. The advice from Lee is going to help alot of people in Australia and across the globe, and we have been blessed to connect with Lee. Cheer's to a happy and healthy life. Now you have more tips, get to it!