What does your average day on a plate look like?
If I could plan out a day, it would look like:
Healthy brekkie of poached eggs and avo and tomato on rye toast or a protein bar and coffee or green juice if I am on the run.
Poke Bowl with protein (salmon or chicken), Vietnamese rice paper rolls or a salad wrap for lunch .
Dinner of steak/chicken/fish with steamed veggies, a clean stirfry with brown rice for dinner .
Snacks include Munch superfood snacks (they are so delish), salt & vinegar Vege chips or a cheeky bag of red frogs if I need a pick me up. (I am notorious for always having a sweet treat in my handbag - can’t shake that vice!)
You had to return home to Australia from working at the Pakistan Super League during COVID... How did you manage your mental health while in lockdown?
The first lockdown post the PSL wasn’t too bad. Ben and I returned together from the tournament and back, then, the health advice was to self-isolate at home. So we had the entirety of lockdown together with our rescue dog Sicari, which was actually the longest we have ever spent together in almost 6 years!
I struggled with the thought of work ceasing as the industry was rapidly suffering - I do get so much satisfaction from my work. But knowing we were all going through this together country-wide made it easier.
Lockdown 2.0 was much more difficult. I travelled (willingly) to Brisbane to cover the Women’s International’s between Aus and NZ and to film another project. Hotel Quarantine is a whoooole other ball game. My fiancé Ben was a STAR - he brought me groceries to cope with the food every couple of days, plus my gorgeous friends who sent various meals, treats and activities to keep me organised.
My job isn’t really a WFH situation, so I found the 14 days really long and tedious! I have never been more grateful, for online workouts, video calls and the beautiful people in my life who kept me sane! I am a massive extrovert - lockdown isn’t great for me, but I got through it thanks to the wonderful people around me!
Talk us through a typical week in workouts...
I try to work out every possible day I can. It’s as much for my mental health as it is my physical - particularly in a year like 2020.
I train with superstar PT Ben Lucas on average twice a week, then attend a mix of strength, barre, yoga and spin classes for the rest of the days. This usually ends up being anywhere from 4-7 days a week, schedule dependent.
I love a good home workout now too, this year as taught me that I really can get up a good sweat anytime, anywhere, without any equipment! I also find that incorporating it into my morning routine means that 99% of the time I will go. I’ve recognised I am definitely not an afternoon workout person, so getting up and going on auto-pilot first thing in my day is the best thing for me.
Due to your Big Bash and international cricket commitments, you’re constantly on the go. How do you manage to maintain these healthy habits?
This is where the being kind to yourself and accepting sometimes things are out of my control comes in to play! The availability of at-home workouts has made exercising when travelling SO much easier, plus I try to now get more organised with my food before my flights. Taking a bunch of my fave healthy snacks is always a great way to avoid overindulging in things I shouldn’t when on tour. Last year, I would be on a domestic flight every 3-4 days and had 10 overseas trips, so I have become pretty good at navigating this on the run!
How do you and your fiance Ben navigate long-distance?
It’s never been easy, but this year has been a whole other level. Our careers require that I am based in Sydney and Ben in Brisbane. Due to the border closures after the first lockdown, I made the decision to come back to Sydney to work. After so many months off, I knew I had to come back to work, but as a result, I have seen him for around two weeks out of the last five months, which was incredibly difficult. We are used to long periods apart, but that usually entails one of us being overseas, not a short flight away! I guess it’s all about communication - we have always talked all day, every day, keeping the other in the loop of whatever we are doing hat day helps you both feel included in each other's lives, even if you cant be present, There would never be a morning I don’t wake up to a good morning message, or a goodnight in the evening. The little things like that make a huge difference.
Have you firmed up a date for your wedding post-pandemic?
The cricket schedule is still quite up in the air. We have had two date changes so far, one due to Covid back in June, and one in December due to the change in cricket schedule. I don’t think my brain can cope with another date change, so we are holding out on firming up a date until we get a clearer idea of what 2021’s schedule is looking like. I feel terrible for our guests - but what can you do in this situation? I have never had a big celebration in my adult life, no big b'days or an engagement party etc, so I really didn’t want to compromise on the amount of people or the dancing etc. I am happy to wait until we can have everything we love under one roof, safely.
How has your relationship to your body changed over the years?
It’s getting better the older I get. I am more forgiving of not always adhering to my routines with my diet and fitness - due to the often spontaneous nature of the industry it’s not always possible to fit everything in, and that’s ok. I recently performed in the All New Monty on Channel 7, and that was an incredible experience of self-growth and acceptance of my body. I am really quite flat-chested - something people often feel the need to point out to me on social media and has definitely been the part of my body I am most self-conscious of. I can’t tell you the number of times people have told me to get a boob job or wondered out loud why I haven’t gone and done something about my lack of curves. Exposing that part of myself (for the wonderful cause of breast cancer awareness) was a no brainer, but something I found quite confronting and didn’t realise how much that negativity played on my insecurities.
The Melbourne Stars, Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder and Perth Scorchers will feature in prime time for the rebel Women’s Big Bash League Finals series this week. The two semi-finals will be held on November 25 and 26, with the winners to face off in the Final on November 28. Catch all the action on Seven, Foxtel, Kayo and ABC Radio.
