International Women's Day 2021 - Q&A with Becs Sandwith
Continuing on with our early celebrations for International Women's Day this year, we have Becs Sandwith with us to share 10 minutes of her wisdom with us.
Becs is a registered nutritionist and CrossFit coach with a heart for supporting women along their fitness journey. We’re proud that she is also a MLA ambassador. Read on for the conversation!
Who are you and what do you do?
B: So my name is Becs. I am a qualified nutritionist. I work one-to-one with clients with pH Nutrition and I'm also the in-house nutritionist at CrossFit Putney where I'm also a CrossFit coach. I do various other freelance work with various brands, one being More Life Adventures! Some work is nutrition support, some is blog writing, some is recipe development. I do a lot of different things in the nutrition world.
S: And you have a heart for women in particular?
B: Yes. So predominantly a lot of my one-to-one work is with females.
What is one thing that you're proud of yourself for?
B: One thing that I'm really proud of is following my passion.
Long story short because I know we're short on time! I didn't really know what I wanted to do and I didn't really want to go to university, but that was kind of the next step from school and that's what Dad wanted me to do. I got a place at uni to study a degree that I wasn't really passionate about and didn’t really want to do, but it was kind of just to tick that box.
I went and lived and travelled in Australia for a year and deferred my place at uni to come back to and whilst I was out there I was like, I really don't want to go back. I don't want to go and study. Whilst I was out there I also kind of got into fitness and found my love for fitness and food. Nutrition was always the passion, I just never really considered it as a career because it wasn't really a thing.
One day I called up Dad and I just said look, I want to change my course. I want to study nutrition. He wasn't really keen on the idea and basically said no, but I stuck with my gut and said, I'm going to do it. I'm going to come back and change my course and study it and I ended up doing that.
So I guess for me, I'm proud that I stuck with my gut feeling and went with what I wanted to do. I think it would have been very easy to listen to what he said and actually just continue with studying that course that I was going to do.
S: What was it? Was it economics?
B: No, definitely not! It was International Hospitality Management. So very, very different. It was because I worked in the hospitality industry for a bit and I loved it, but the thought of going and studying for four years, I just didn't want to do that. I probably would have gone and not been very happy and who knows where I would have been today? So yeah, proud that I stuck with my gut.
S: Absolutely. Awesome.
Do you have a female role model?
B: I do, it's my mum and I think I'm very lucky that I'm close with my mum. We have a very good relationship, she's awesome. She's taught me so much. She's basically my best friend and I know I'm lucky that I can say that because I know not everyone can. I mean she's super fit and she's so strong. I want to be like her when I'm her age.
Is there something that she’s told you or do you have a specific quote that you go by? Anything that you’ve tattooed on your body?!
B: I haven't quite gone to that extreme! I have a tattoo, but not of a quote. I love a quote. I think quotes are great. I'm a very big believer of “Everything happens for a reason”. I've always, always believed that. I think that we all go through periods where we have to make big decisions, or have to go through change and I think that the outcome always happens for the right reason.
S: That's good to remember. That’s a really good attitude to life, especially when things go sideways and not quite what we had in mind. It’s good to always think, “there's something I should be learning from this”.
B: Exactly! Because that's the thing, you always learn something from the situation. I also love the quote “Hard work pays off” because it's so true, in whatever aspect of life. Work hard, it pays off.
S: Nothing happens overnight, right? There's always a lot of graft behind everything. I also think that sometimes we don't realise that we are working towards something. Like you said, you were already doing nutrition and food without really even realising it. Like you were maybe just cooking at home or coming up with recipes yourself without thinking that this is what you want to do in life, but just because you loved it.
B: Exactly. Actually I was lucky because we had it as a choice at school for both GCSE and A-Level and I studied it, but it was never really an option when we were told about university. No one really ever said “Nutrition” and for some reason it never crossed my mind. Like you say, I was always doing it and not realising.
What would you say either to a younger version of yourself or just to women out there in fitness right now?
B: I think two things. Firstly, I think surround yourself with women that make you feel good. If you're constantly comparing yourself to other people and other women, or if you're finding that the women around you don't make you feel good or confident in your skin, look at your environment and make sure that the women around you are making you feel your best.
I think a big thing for females in fitness is the confidence side of things. Walking into a gym can be intimidating when you don't know anyone or you don't feel confident in there. Create that safe environment for yourself. This could mean going with a friend or going with someone that you feel good around. Or even if you don't have anyone to go with and you're a bit lost, reach out to gyms or reach out to coaches at gyms or find a friend to take with you to try something new.
I think that also leads to the point that so many people say “I hate the gym”, “I hate working out”, “I don't enjoy it”. I think there is something for everyone out there. There's so many different forms of exercise, different sports and I think you've got to explore and constantly try different things to find the thing that is for you.
S: You've tried a few things haven't you?
B: Yes! I was a gymnast growing up and I was also a swimmer and then I gave both up and found CrossFit a year ago. When I gave up gymnastics, it was very much like going from training once or twice a day to nothing and I felt lost. I ended up going to the gym for a good four years, but I never really loved it. There was no passion. I was just doing it because I thought that it was good for me. CrossFit is the sport I love now.
S: Because it’s 7 sports in one!
B: Exactly. I like it. Every single day is different.
S: That's awesome. Thank you so much Becs. I will save and share this so that people can reach out to you for wisdom and motivation from now until forever! Speak soon!
Did you enjoy our catch-up with Becs? If so, stay tuned for the follow-up!
If you’d like to find out more about Becs and her nutrition services, you can follow her and get in touch.