What's your performance trajectory?
Back in 2012 I made a friendly bet with a fellow coach...
The world of nutrition and lifestyle can be overwhelming. It can be confusing. There can be so much conflicting information that you end up not knowing where to start.
The more you read, the more complicated it can become.
It really doesn’t need to be like this.
Below is my current philosophy for nutrition. My aim over the past couple of years has been to condense all of the resources I’ve studied along with experience from coaching thousands of sessions, into three words.
Quantity, Quality, Flavour.
If you remember these three words and consider them when you eat and drink, you can work towards your goals and have fun doing so.
Garlic bread, a few glasses of wine, second helpings of sticky toffee pudding all have a place in optimal, and successful nutrition.
We have to consider our happiness alongside how many vitamins and antioxidants something contains.
Remember, live the healthiest life you can enjoy, not the healthiest life you can tolerate!
Quantity - how much am I eating?
Quality - what does this food contain or consist of? Is it going to help me thrive?
Flavour - does this taste good?
Many of us think that we need to completely overhaul our diets when we have a health, fitness or body composition goal - when actually we probably only need to make some tweaks.
Take a plate of bangers and mash. Go for some decent sausages (meat or veggie, your choice!), reduce your potato portion slightly, and add some extra veg and you’ve got a plate of nourishing food that nourishes your soul too!
Take an example from the opposite angle like chicken and broccoli, that classic fitness meal that can be bland, unappealing and a surefire route to getting bored and quitting, and try this, add some seasoning to your chicken, try cooking it en papillote and make up a little mustard mayo for the side. Still packed with protein, nutrients, and considerate on calories yet ALSO makes your mouth water.
So YES, I am saying you can have your cake and eat it. But only if you remember, and apply those three words.
Quantity, Quality and Flavour.
Let me know your food tweaks!
