“There are lots of different opportunities to get fit in London without the usual ‘death by treadmill’ at the local gym. ” Understanding what to eat pre and post workout is a great start, but where most people fall down is not having a practical plan in place to eat well day to day. Many new clients I see admit to being ‘stuck in a rut’ – preparing the same meals each night at home, and visiting the same café chain for the same sandwich, during the working week. Take Ownership The starting point to taking ownership and driving your nutrition, is building a 15 minute planning slot into your weekend. This is where the Mind & Body element of performance nutrition is key.
Key questions to plan your week ahead: • • • •
What are the work, training and travel plans next week? When will shopping take place? When will you try out a new recipe? Are there any ‘pressure points’ next week that require extra planning? (e.g. travel, social occasions)
Have a recipe ‘go to’ Some of the biggest frustrations shared by many is 1) recipes take too long to prepare or 2) contain too many ingredients which need to be sourced from different locations. I hear you and that’s why I’ve challenged our chefs to ensure all recipes are under 15 minutes but also contain no more than 10 ingredients: Sunday - Prep and perform Picture this - the shopping is done and you’re in the driving seat! Now it’s time to get creative. The expression ‘food prep’ often conjures the image of multiple Tupperware containers in the fridge, with lots of bland meals – enough to bring anyone out in a cold sweat! When we use the term preparation – this is about what meals can be batch prepared on the Sunday to eat during the week, to cut down the admin after work. Sunday is a prime time to prepare -35-
meals to keep in the fridge for Monday and Tuesday. If you prefer to cook as you go, that’s fine too - just having the ingredients ready to prepare dinner after the gym on Monday and Tuesday will get the week off to a great start.
James Collins Jamescollinsnutrition.com @JamesnCollins1 James Collins is Head of Nutrition at Arsenal Football Club. He’s worked with some of the world’s best atheletes over the last decade within Olympic and professional sport.
Issue 10 | Spring 2017 | codehospitality.co.uk
Take the time to relax with a coffee and fully engage in your week ahead - without setting your week out in this way, you will just follow the same old habits, which have brought the same old results.
With any new programme it’s important for you to challenge yourself and to think differently about your nutrition. Start slow and plan one new recipe to try out each week. You will be amazed at how quickly your confidence and cooking repertoire grows!