A passion of mine is taking my learnings from professional sport and transferring them to the work I do with the general population. A benefit of being exposed to top level athletes is that I can effectively identify missing pieces from a client's nutritional puzzle. From there, I look to educate my clients and increase their understanding of performance nutrition principles. By doing this, you ensure change is long lasting and positive.
A pattern that is increasingly evident in clients I work with - from regular gym-goers to higher level athletes - is failing to consider nutrient timing in their nutrition practices. Quite simply, nutrient timing is when you consume your nutrients. The focus of good nutrient timing should be to provide nutrients at appropriate times to enhance performance, energy, and health.
The most common mistake I see related to nutrient timing is having long periods between food intake. Often, this is a result of getting too busy at work. Risks from this pattern include falling energy levels and poor recovery from exercise. This problem is escalated if this individual is engaging in regular higher intensity or strength based exercise that damages our muscles.
Often my clients are surprised to learn that when you eat your food is at times equally as important as how much you are eating - yet, our eating patterns do not reflect this fact. This is especially true when it comes to protein consumption. Many individuals commonly consume small amounts of protein at breakfast and lunch, opting instead for predominantly carbohydrate based meals because they are more accessible, easier to prepare, and more affordable if you are buying food ‘on-the-go’. An example of this would be someone in a morning rush finding it easier to just grab a scone on the way to work as opposed to getting up earlier and preparing a more balanced meal.
A common obstacle I have to tackle with my clients is finding effective ways of getting more protein into their breakfast and lunch meals to support muscle growth and repair, as opposed to simply relying on the dinner meal for the bulk of their protein intake. Spreading protein intake across the day enhances muscle recovery and growth which are two key factors for anyone looking to improve their body composition. One of the easiest habits my clients have been using recently is adding high protein yoghurt to their breakfast cereal to boost their morning protein intake. Other high protein options that can be great to take to work include a couple of boiled eggs or a can of tuna. By having these snacks available to us we can ensure that when ‘life’ does get in the way we can still reach our necessary protein intake.
Another particular interest of mine is educating younger athletes on sports nutrition. Recently I have been presenting sports nutrition workshops to different schools within the Auckland region including Auckland Grammar and St Kentigerns College. These focus on educating young athletes on their nutrition needs. Over the last 10-20 years, high school sports have become increasingly demanding. High training loads, particularly in those who are playing multiple sports, are common within younger athletes.
There is also an increased expectation of young athletes to engage in comprehensive strength and conditioning programmes without being provided with the necessary nutrition knowledge to match their training demand. When you combine this with a busy school schedule, social commitments and other external stressors, the risk of under-fueling in young athletes is significant. Worrying effects of under-fuelling can be sub-optimal growth and development and an inability to focus in class.
A common theme when working with younger athletes, particularly females, is their consistent aversion to carbohydrates. Often vilified within the nutrition community, carbohydrates are the primary fuel for athletes and decreasing their intake can cause a myriad of problems for those engaging in regular high intensity exercise. The most notable being fatigue and decreased stores of glycogen in the muscle which is our key fuel during high intensity exercise. A wide range of complex carbohydrates such as wholemeal breads, rice and pastas are commonly avoided by this group. A prevailing attitude towards these foods from young female athletes is that they are responsible for ‘making people fat’.
The problem of carbohydrate aversion is accentuated when combined with increasing societal pressure to be ‘thin’ or ‘ripped’ - largely driven by misinformation online, many young athletes I work with view carbohydrates as the enemy. Helping young athletes understand that quality carbohydrates are crucial to performance is a key aspect of working with this population. A client that has enjoyed particular success recently is an elite young netballer who was following an intermittent fasting style diet. Through education and an increased understanding of the importance of carbohydrates for health and performance, she was able to massively increase her energy levels by making quality carbohydrates a feature of her main meals and snacks.
Overall, I love helping athletes on their journey to be happier, healthier and higher performing. If any of this information resonated with you and you are interested in improving your performance and knowledge of sports nutrition, consider filling in the prospective athlete form on my website