Triathlon coach, Lynne Algar reveals her top tips for eating right, no matter how busy you are.
Changes in lifestyle, such as moving house or jobs, getting married or having kids, can really throw your usual dietary routine out-of-whack and you can get totally run-down.
I like the term “run-down” because it describes exactly how someone with this illness looks and behaves. In work I observe and ask the athletes questions scanning for associated signs such as; dis-interested body language, pale complexion, loss in weight, lack of motivation, bad mood, loss in appetite, restless sleep, difficulty in getting up in the morning, depleted energy in sessions where you expect to see different, lack of attention and generally cheesed off.
If an athlete ends up in this low-zone its risky business, their immune system function may be negatively affected and they are more vulnerable to infections and fatigue. This will result in loss in training and interrupts the rate of progress.
The longer I work in this role as a coach the more I realise that the job is more about management. To maximise development and performance an athlete needs to build layers of specific and quality training year on year. They need to minimise disruption to this by managing their lifestyle, paying attention to all factors of performance development, and this includes their diet. I believe that the most successful high performance athletes are also excellent cooks, they have to be!
This concept applies to everyone not just athletes who are suffering from being a bit “run-down”. Here are my time management tips to help you get back on track.
Time management:
> 1 hour per week will get anyone to a good supermarket or shop to buy fresh and healthy food
> 20 minutes per day before bed will allow you time to prepare a healthy breakfast and lunch for the following day
> 15 – 60 minutes per day will allow you time to cook or prepare a fresh healthy dinner (Tip: make extra and that’s tomorrow’s lunch sorted).
> 1 hour per day will allow you time to eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner!
This works out at approximately 2 hours per day to fuel yourself properly.
What you need:
> Tupperware – the more the merrier
> A smoothie maker - I swear by my beet-root, ginger, orange juice and spinach smoothie!
> Get to know your local greengrocer and health store staff - they have a wealth of knowledge and ideas
> Adding a green powder supplement like One Nutrition Power Greens and/or Ultimate Oil Blend to smoothies and blended drinks gives me a natural boost and tops up my required nutrient intake. Its rocket fuel for a busy lifestyle!