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I never thought talking about what I do was important when I am helping others to achieve their goals, but having recently talked to a business coach about my new and exciting venture, I was told that without a shadow of a doubt I should be talking about myself, as I practice what I preach!
So here it is - I've just won the British Rowing Masters Championships single sculling for my age group (no, I'm not letting on what that is!!). What is interesting is that I wasn't feeling too good on the day, with a chesty cough and no voice. I am constantly telling athletes not to train or race when not 100% fit (I still stand by this with regards to training). But as I was there I thought I may as well do it anyway! The interesting bit was that, as I wasn't feeling as fit as I should have been I decided to pace myself much more, hoping that I would be able to breathe for the whole race, instead of going out too strong and not being able to hold on - and this taught me a valuable lesson about how important it is to work to your strengths (which in my case that day was strong legs and not much in my lungs). And ensuring every part of you is as healthy as it possibly can be through good nutrition is hugely important in that situation.
I am constantly asked by athletes what they should be eating for breakfast, before training, between races etc., and I know how much of a minefield it can be, especially as we now have the great internet with so much false information to sift through too! So, to help answer your questions and help you achieve your goals, I am setting up Sports Nutrition Workshops that will include great food (cooked by me and eaten by you), plus loads of great advice about eating around your sport.
A newsletter will be sent out to everyone in advance of the workshops being launched, with a new website and lots of other exciting things to come, so keep watching this space, and get in touch if you think your club or team would like to learn how to cook great, nutritious food to help them win!
Interestingly after my last post a few people have asked me about juicing and the whole 'too much sugar' in fruit juices debate. So I will explain what it is about juicing that is so great (yes I'm still doing it every day and loving all the weird and wonderful concoctions I come up with - no two juices are ever the same!).
Hopefully you will recall that the government recently told us we need to be eating 7 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Well I love my fruit and veg, but even I would struggle to fit that amount in - both physically and time-wise, so juicing is the next best option.
But you're leaving all the fibre behind I hear you say? If you have at least 5 of your fruit and veg a day, plus other foods that are rich in fibre - beans, pulses, oats, chia seeds, linseeds etc, you will reach the recommended intake of 18g per day.
What juicing provides is the micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and enzymes) that are needed everyday for all your bodily systems to function optimally, and would you rather get these from a tasty glass of juice or have to steam 2 kilos of kale and chew your way through it?
The other great thing about juices is that you can add other ingredients, depending on what nutrients you want a boost of - stir in a teaspoon of avocado oil for an essential fat boost, or maybe half a teaspoon of wheatgrass powder to make your green juice super-green!
As for the sugar content of the juices you make, I would suggest sticking to my 80:20 rule - 80% of the juice is vegetable and 20% fruit - or no fruit at all if you like less sweet juices - you will be amazed how sweet vegetables such as carrots or parsnips are. And be brave, you can juice pretty much anything - even potatoes (which are great for healthy skin)!
Happy Juicing!
Joy x
