Sophie MacKenzie, a New Zealand rower, pictured right and Megan Craig, a New Zealand squash player, left.

MEGAN CRAIG is a squash professional ranked number 2 in New Zealand and number 41 in the world while Sophie MacKenzie is an elite lightweight rower for New Zealand and is the 2014 under 23 world champion and also the elite world champion. However what they share most in life is their gluten intolerance and their passion to help other sufferers overcome the restraints the allergy can have on their lives.

We talked to Megan and Sophie about their achievements in sport and passion for their work as personal trainers.

Read on to find out more about their website (https://megsandsoph.wordpress.com) which provides recipes, access to their books and health and fitness advice. 

What sports were you involved in when you were growing up and how did your surroundings help to influence and shape the people you became?

Megs: I did every sport I had time for when growing up – volleyball, soccer, squash, badminton, athletics. Being a part of so many sports growing up definitely has been a huge part of who I am today. It taught me about the training and discipline, it showed me how to be the best, respect others and listen to coaches and teammates as they were usually the ones who could help you improve and could see things that you couldn’t.

I was also surrounded by a whole range of age groups especially as I began to play more squash which I think helped me mature a lot. After lots of years of being beaten by adults and crying about it, I learnt they were the games I learnt most from.

Soph: It literally felt like I tried to play everything: netball, basketball, volleyball, athletics, touch rugby, cross-country, skiing, rowing and dancing growing up but it definitely made me who I am today. As well as growing up on a high country sheep farm I was always outside playing games in the hay shed or making bonfires, both of these have given me confidence and independence to pursue my dreams in sport.

I always loved adventures and now my rowing takes me around the world, something I don’t think I could of dreamed of even back then. People around me help me find new ways to improve and get better which is such a huge part of life. My Parents have always supported me no matter what I was trying to achieve and would and still do give me encouragement to continue to grow and learn from my experiences.

Could you tell us the sports you’re involved in and the levels you’ve reached?

Megs: I am a full time squash professional. I’m ranked #2 in New Zealand and #41 in the world.

Soph: Rowing – I am an elite lightweight rower for New Zealand. I am also the 2014 under world champion and also the elite World Champion where we broke the world’s best time for the lightweight women’s double. In netball and basketball throughout college I represented Marlborough at the national level.

What have been your highlights in those sports and where in the world have they taken you?

Megs: Definitely the 2014 Glasgow commonwealth games was a career highlight for me. And winning the New Zealand nationals last year. But I am very lucky as I get to travel lots of different places, and meet some amazing people along the way.

Soph: Highlights are winning World Champs in 2014 as we were the underdogs and no one knew what to expect from us, including ourselves, so it was pretty awesome to come out on top. I’m very lucky and rowing takes me all through European countries; this year I’m in Italy, Switzerland, Slovenia and France and will make a brief stop in Rio on my way back to New Zealand. 

How long have you known each other and what sparked the idea for the website?

Megs and Soph: We met in third form at college and have been friends ever since. We hadn’t seen each other for a few years since leaving school and Megs was in Cambridge for squash training so caught up with Soph for lunch. It was pretty crazy how much we had in common.

Since leaving school we were both competing at the top level in our sports, were both gluten intolerant, had hundreds of cook books, loved food, had huge passions for health and fitness (both studying to be personal trainers at the time & now both fully qualified ), and then Megs opened Soph’s pantry and it looked identical to hers! 

We spent the entire lunch talking about food and eating and had both said we’d love to be able to share recipes with the rest of the world but both with limited time on our hands had never really taken it to the next level. We decided right then that we’d start the blog together and could then cover for each other when one of us was competing. 

It’s now been just over a year together and we are still loving every second of it – sharing our recipes and we now even have three eBooks of recipes and a workout guide with stretches called Move and Stretch, The Workout Bible under development so very exciting times ahead.

Could you tell us about the aims of the website and how important it is to reach out to others who have struggled with similar issues?

Megs and Soph: We are both super passionate about wholesome foods, and fuelling our bodies with goodness. After both becoming gluten intolerant we really wanted to share our creations with everyone and show them that you could live this lifestyle, and that there are simple/cost effective and delicious recipes out there. It’s about showing people that as athletes its very much manageable to maintain this healthy and wholesome lifestyle while exerting ourselves 100 per cent a lot of the time and during travels.

What was life like before you went gluten free and how far are you now from the troubles you had due to diet in the past?

We both suffered terrible stomach aches, bloating and lower energy. 

Megs: I remember having to change my top to a loose baggy one during tournaments if I got my sore tummy before a match so it wasn’t so uncomfortable on my stomach. Now I realise it was from my pre match chicken and avocado bun. We are both definitely a whole lot better than we were and still getting better each day as we keep learning about new foods and what our body needs most. 

Soph: I would have a rowing race finish and have to lay on the bank in absolute agony holding my tummy for at least 20 minutes. I couldn’t eat or anything – it was awful! I also started rowing lightweight after school and started paying more attention to what I was filling my body with which lead me away from gluten and I noticed a huge change! Also my skin has got so much better since eating more veggies – it’s great!

Could you tell us about your work as personal trainers?

Megs: I  have a small business here in Blenheim which I run when I’m not away training and at tournaments. I have amazing clients who understand what I’m doing with my squash so are normally pretty flexible about their training. I try to make sure they all get their 1x train a week before I head off overseas. Sometimes I will work the whole Monday from 5.30am to 7pm and then head off to my tournament early Tuesday morning and be back in time for the following week. I absolutely love being a personal trainer and helping others achieve their goals but it is definitely sometimes hard work fitting it in with my own training and study on top of that. 

Soph: I actually just finished studying at the beginning of the year and because I go overseas for three to four months over winter I haven’t started anything yet. But together we are working on our ten-week workout guide with a stretching section (that’s my domain a bit more, I love yoga). So thats really exciting and I want to get into filming some short circuits and exercises for anyone to do when they ‘have no time’. I can’t wait to help more and more people gain confidence about themselves through eating well and exercising regularly because it really does make you happier… endorphins!

What sport, website and life ambitions do you have for the rest of the year and beyond?

Megs: I hope to break into the top 30 in the world this year. Head back to the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and bring back a medal this time. And for the future I have my sights set on my being a world champion. 

Our website – I hope we can keep helping as many people as we can, sharing our creations and journeys along the way.

We have also been working very hard on a very exciting workout eBook, Move and Stretch, so we can’t wait to release that very soon and hopefully help even more people around the world to change their lives.

Soph: I hope to defend my world champion title in the lightweight double with Julia Edward in France this year as well as gaining qualification to go to the Rio Olympics next year.

With the website I want to keep doing what we are doing: sharing, creating and having fun in our kitchens. I want to do more healthy eating workshops when I get back and start helping more people get fit using our workout eBook.