OWNutrition

I PAID £15 FOR THESE PHOTOS SO I’M GOING TO ABSOLUTELY RINSE THEM (NOT SORRY) 📸

Remember, if you want to learn how I carb loaded for my 70.3 and how to make your own bulletproof plan, comment below “fuelled” and I’ll get you added to the email list where you can hear first 📧

ROME 2023 🇮🇹

Very fresh faced to the DSLR world but enjoying taking my marketplace steal on my travels with me.

Here’s my favourites from the trip (alongside the million food pictures & tismarus which you don’t need to see again).

NUTRITION IS CHALLENGING. ESPECIALLY WHEN 88% OF SOCIAL MEDIA IS FILLED WITH ABSOLUTE WAFFLE 🧇

But remember, you all live very different lives, so your nutrition should be different too

Food rules don’t work because you all require different AMOUNTS of food at different TIMES

All depending on your current training schedule, work commitments, life commitments and just general lifestyle preferences

Making nutrition a real challenging space

But that’s why we are here. We can work that all out for you, show you and educate you on what this looks like whilst giving you the freedom to go and explore food (not restricting you to broccoli + chicken meal prep)

WE GUIDE, YOU DECIDE

Get in touch if you want to find out more about the Ambitious Athlete Programme

OW

Beers, Brugges, Bridges & Brussels 🇧🇪

📸 11 from Belgium
(Ft. Dobbo and his crosswords)

What does it mean to fuel with intent? ⛽️

It means that you want the right AMOUNT of fuel, the right TYPE of fuel and at the right TIME going into the body for each session

This leads to a higher training quality, quicker recovery, effective adaptations and essentially MORE RESULTS 📈

Just think: quicker, stronger, further, better & repeat! 🔄

If you’re driving your car to Dundee and back, you don’t just put £20 quids worth of diesel in do you? 🚘

I’m always seeing athletes eating the same breakfast regardless of their training demands for that day! Quickest route to fatigue & injury that 🤕

Filling up a big tank takes a while, you can’t just be reactive and pop a Squares Bar before a 2h training session and hope for the best (I’ve seen it happen countless times)

Typically, as the demands of the day/session shift we want to see these changes:

🚦HIGH DAY = double carbs, less fibre, lower fat intake
🚦MOD DAY = regular carb portion, moderate fibre & fat intake
🚦LOW DAY = half carb portion, high fibre & fat intake

With every ambitious athlete that I work with, we put together a Fuelling With Intent Strategy. This is built specific to their training, their food preferences and for optimal timing. All they have to do is eat and watch the sparks fly in training 🚀

If you are training for a big event or are training multiple times per week, you’re an ambitious athletes and I can help you

Drop me a DM today 💬

PROTEIN POWDERS: DO YOU NEED THEM? 💪🏻

Throwback to 16 year old Ollie, I was obviously pretty clueless when it came to nutrition and was smashing back double packs of chicken super noodles (still elite 🍜)

I also started going to the gym and felt like I HAD to get some whey protein otherwise all my hard work was wasted. And by hard work I mean chatting with my mates whilst we did 4 sets of chest press in 60mins

Funny story, I actually decided to buy UNFLAVOURED whey to try and save some money. I mixed it with honey and it was about as pleasant as your 4 week old yoghurt sitting at the back of the fridge 🤮

I digress, if used correctly, these can be a very useful tool for hitting your protein goals, maximising your muscle gains as well as supporting you towards your body comp goals ✅

The key is to use these protein powders with purpose. For example, added into breakfast because we are lacking in protein, or having it straight after a workout if we aren’t eating for a few hours

Just make sure you whey up whether you actually need one (and they definitely aren’t a meal replacement!)

If you want a discount code, drop us a DM 📲

1 WEEK IS ALL IT TOOK FOR HANNAH TO GO FROM UNFUELLED ➡️ FUELLED

Now, don’t get me wrong, not every athlete I work with has such immediate success. And there’s also a long journey ahead for Hannah, but this just goes to show how quickly a bit of guidance, some education and application can have an impact

You don’t have to suffer with gut issues or with zombie-like training sessions where you are just ‘getting by’ 🧟‍♂️

You’re doing the hard work by simply turning up for training and putting the time in, don’t waste that effort by turning up under-fuelled 🚫

Hate that feeling of being under-cooked but also too scared of eating before training as you know your stomach could turn at any moment?

You’re not alone, it’s a common issue for plenty of athletes

But don’t suffer in silence 🤐

Hannah didn’t, she reached out, signed up to my Ambitious Athletes programme and is now gradually building her confidence with her fuelling

I offer a free discovery call to chat through all your struggles & barriers

Interest? drop me a DM today 📲

THE AUDIBLE GASP FROM THE ROOM WHEN I TELL PEOPLE TO EAT SQUARES BARS 😲

Every time. EVERY TIME I’m presenting and I mention that a squares bar is up there with one of THE best things to eat before training, you would think that I’ve told them who assassinated JFK

There’s a buzz of both excitement and disbelief

How can a nutritionist be recommending something so full of sugar and highly processed? He must be a fraud

Incorrect (unlike Eddie boy I’m actually a registered sports nutritionist) 🚫

But why wouldn’t you want to be eating whole foods which are high in fibre and packed full of nutrients?

Well it all comes down to timing and context (as does everything in the nutrition world)

I had an athlete working with me once who, every time she ran, she suffered with serious belly cramps - to the point it was ruining her sessions and she couldn’t perform

She was frustrated, upset - couldn’t understand what was going wrong as she was really focusing on her food and eating well

2 simple swaps was all it took for her to be fuelling like a champ and to remove her belly issues

She was having 2 slices of seeded wholemeal bread smothered in high quality peanut butter

🚫 TOO HIGH IN FAT
🚫 TOO HIGH IN FIBRE

What did we try instead?

1 Crumpet pasted in jam

SUCCESS ✅

She couldn’t believe that something she would normally be avoiding because she didn’t think it was ‘healthy’ was actually the solution to her belly & training issues

By trying to do the right thing, you may actually be harming your performance

Remember, health & performance don’t always see eye to eye

GET SOME SUGAR IN YA 🍭

(And don’t worry, you can’t become addicted to sugar)

OW

STOP REACHING FOR THE SHREDDIES WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE 5MINS FOR DINNER ✋🏻

YOU DON’T NEED TO COMPROMISE ON YOUR NUTRITION IF YOU’RE SHORT ON TIME ⏰

Although a bowl of cereal might seem tempting (and definitely has its place in an athlete’s diet!), it could be a bottomless bowl and you still wouldn’t feel particularly satisfied

You’re also missing out on an opportunity for some muscle growth ☹️

So, here are 7 ideas that you can throw together in a matter of minutes whilst still getting in a balanced meal (also perfect for anyone who struggles in the kitchen!)

Some key considerations if needing to slap up a meal in ultra quick time:

⌚️Have some of these items stashed in the fridge or freezer ICE (in case of emergency!)
⌚️Don’t neglect your protein (have some cold protein options in the fridge, make yourself to keep the costs down)
⌚️Frozen veg is just as good as fresh, use them to your advantage
⌚️Always make some leftovers, these can be your get out of jail free card when busy

What’s your go to meal when you’re in a rush? For me, it’s always some kind of eggs on toast! 🍳

Let me know in the comments below

SNIFFLE SZN IS HERE 🤧

Why do we always take breathing through our nose for granted until we have a blocked nose?

But what else happens when we are ill?

Sleep quality drops

You can’t train to the same intensity (perhaps even at all)

You resort to pints of Lucozade, multiple punnets of grapes and Heinz tomato soup (why was this always mums go-to when ill?)

Ultimately leading to some potential deconditioning (loss of fitness, strength & muscle)

There are a few supplements that can help reduce the severity & duration of flus/colds (see my previous immunity post)

But, you should also be considering your food and how you can adapt this around your training to support your immune system

If you are someone who trains for >1hour and doesn’t take anything on during or immediately after, this could be a life saver

GET YO CARBS IN 🥯

Making sure we are in a positive energy intake going into your session can help offset the immune suppression response we get after training

So simple, so effective and carbs are the key once again!

Don’t fall victim to the lurgy, be proactive with your nutrition

OWNutrition’s ins & outs for 2024 🙅🏼‍♂️

What have I missed? Let me know in the comments ⤵️

AS A (HAN) SOLO BUSINESS - THANK YOU 🙏🏻 🫶🏼

2023 has had its challenges. I’m still forever working out how to balance a business, continue my never ending pursuit of becoming a professional golfer/cyclist/hockey player, being a dog dad & making sure I’ve got milk in the fridge. As of now I’ve currently got 2 cartons so I guess I’m starting 2024 in the best place possible…

I’ve definitely got a love / hate relationship with social media. But when someone mentions something they have learnt from me or a recipe they have tried, it means a lot and makes me proud of the content I provide 😌

So thank you to all my followers and for being part of my journey ❤️

Here’s to 2024 where we will continue to smash crumpets & coffee ☕️

What’s worse than not being able to breathe through your nose? 🤧

Not being able to train either

Training consistency & availability is one of your highest priorities (or should be at least) 🔁

We can lose training adaptations at a frightening speed so being ill can really impact your athletic development

And it’s when we are training hardest that we are most susceptible to illness! 🤒

Unfortunately, just like Mr Anderson, it’s inevitable that we will get ill at some point in the winter

Sometimes we literally can’t stop that from happening

BUT, we can limit the damage/effect it has on us with some evidence-based supplementation 💊

These supplements won’t suddenly cure your cold or virus, but they will make the symptoms more manageable and might also speed up your recovery slightly

So don’t go wasting your money on anything else but a good diet and some of these extras

If you want a discount code or some more information, shoot me a DM 📲

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO EAT STRAIGHT AFTER TRAINING? 🤔

We have all been there, dry scooping our whey protein straight after we finish our 12th set of EZ bar bicep curls

No? Just me? 🫠

It’s a bit of a misconception that protein is the most important food after training. It’s important, but muscle repair & recovery is continuously occurring for 24-48H after exercise. So there are a ton of opportunities to maximum your muscle growth after training.

Whenever I do an education session or speak to athletes, they always say the same thing:

‘PROTEIN IS NEEDED STRAIGHT AFTER EXERCISE’

All in unison as if they were indoctrinated by MyProtein themselves

But, actually the bigger priority is getting your carbs in

These are absorbed twice as fast within the first few hours

Meaning if you want to rebound ready to to perform for your next session, carbs are needed

And if you are struggling with a low appetite or dodgy belly, don’t be afraid of having some simple carbs (cereal, bagels, choc milk)

These do the job just as well (and sometimes better) than starchy carbs

There is a reason they love haribo on the Tour de France 🍭

🔉 LOUDER FOR THOSE AT THE BACK: Carbs are King for Athletes 👑

You are limited to the amount of carbohydrate (fuel) that you can store in the body

This is why I’m always ramming carb content down your throat

Any time you are exercising over 50-60% of your max heart rate, your carb use goes up and up and up

And once we start reaching critical fuel levels, we see all the negative consequences:

🤕 Increased Injury Risk
🧠 Decreased Concentration
💪🏻 Decreased Strength / Power / Speed
🪫 Decreased Endurance

Essentially, you can’t perform to your best

If you want to be the best athlete you can, you need to be putting the carbs away

And let’s be real, every loves being told to go back for seconds with the pasta 🍝

“IF YOU HAVE A BODY, YOU ARE AN ATHLETE’ 🏆

What makes an ambitious athlete? Simply anyone who wants to get the most out of their body

It doesn’t matter if you are just trying to tick off your first marathon or want to row across the atlantic. Nutrition can make the difference.

If any of these describe your current situation, the ambitious athlete programme can help you:

😴 You’re constantly feeling fatigued, sore & tired from training

📉 You’re putting the work in at training but you’re not getting stronger, quicker or more powerful

💪🏻 You’re think you’re eating well but you’re not putting any muscle on

🦠 You’re repeatedly getting ill or injured and have to take time off from training

🤢 You’re forever having stomach issues during training or competition

🥉 You’re getting left for dead in competitions and can’t keep up

🤔 You’re so confused by all the nutrition information out there and not sure what’s right

If 1, 2 or even multiple of those describe how you currently feel, then I’d love to work with you to help you unleash your athletic potential and out-perform your competition

Slide into my DMs with the word ‘FUEL’ and I’ll share more details

OW 🫡

Step One for NOT Putting on Muscle: Eat as Much Protein as Possible ✅

Chewing through protein shakes & dry chicken breasts and not seeing any change? 🍗

You don’t need to be falling into that trap

Yes, protein is essential for building & repairing muscle and hitting your targets is crucial to this process

BUT, might be coming at a huge cost

Lars felt like he had a really good understanding of nutrition and was doing everything he could to put on size & muscle. But after a deep dive into his diet, it was clear he was focusing TOO much on protein

And this comes with a few consequences…..

He felt so full, all the time that his actual calorie intake wasn’t that high and certainly wasn’t high enough to produce the mass gains he wanted

And the knock on effect was that his fuelling was off for training ⛽️

Meaning he wasn’t actually able to push himself in the gym to create the stimulus for effective muscle growth OR perform to his best on the pitch

Not only was he not physically developing, but he was short changing himself with his abilities on the pitch

Over the last 3 months, he has gradually learnt to FUEL WITH INTENT. This is a massive element of my coaching programme and it means putting the right fuel into the body for the training demands

By increasing his carbs, he fuelled his training better, was actually able to eat MORE food and put on the mass he has been wanting for years

If you want to unlock your athletic potential and fuel your body correctly, drop me a DM today
(You don’t have to eat dry chicken ever again)

All tricks and no treats here 👻

Here’s my list of things to avoid or look out for in the world of nutrition!

You can enjoy flicking through this whilst you dig into your 8th treat size haribo packet. Just think how good you’re gonna feel in training tomorrow 🚀

💬 I’M NOT HUNGRY AFTER TRAINING

Something I hear all the time

But after you have just blitzed out a 90min training session, your body is in urgent need of nutrients to kickstart the recovery process 🔄

And that might mean you have to force something down, even if you’re not hungry

The body can’t refuel, repair & recover without food coming in 🆘

And that means more muscle soreness, less energy in your next session & less adaptation 😕

So, if this happens to you, try these tips:

Recovery Smoothies
Palatable Foods (eg cereal)
Little & Often
(don’t get overwhelmed thinking you have to have a massive meal!)

What does it mean to fuel with intent? ⛽️

It means that you want the RIGHT amount of fuel going into the body for that session

This leads to a higher training quality, quicker recovery, effective adaptations and essentially MORE RESULTS 📈

Just think: quicker, stronger, further, better & repeat! 🔄

What you have to do is to learn to fuel with intent. Begin eating with a purpose. One thing I always encourage my athletes to do is to think what’s required of them physically in the next 24-48h and THEREFORE, what should their nutrition look like?

Filling up a big tank takes a while, you can’t just be reactive and pop a Squares Bar before a 2h training session and hope for the best (I’ve seen it happen countless times)

Typically, as the demands of the day/session shift we want to see these changes:

🚦HIGH DAY = double carbs, less fibre, lower fat intake
🚦MOD DAY = regular carb portion, moderate fibre & fat intake
🚦LOW DAY = half carb portion, high fibre & fat intake

With every ambitious athlete that I work with, we put together a Fuelling With Intent Strategy. This is built specific to their training, their food preferences and for optimal timing. All they have to do is eat and watch the sparks fly in training 🚀

If you are training for a big event or are training multiple times per week, you’re an ambitious athletes and I can help you

Drop me a DM today 💬

We do nutrition(ing) different here 📲

You can’t solve all your nutrition barriers in a 60min consultation. You also can’t make all your lifestyle changes in that time either. So, why is it common practice to go see an expert for a one-off consultation and then be left for months to put this into action, all by yourself? 🤷🏼‍♂️

Life isn’t routine. There are multiple curve balls that can happen EVERYDAY

This can come when you are trying to cook dinner and you’re missing some key ingredients, or your training has been delayed or you are on the move and didn’t have time to pack any food

You can’t solve these issues with just one consultation

There is no one there to keep you accountable and there is no one there to guide you. In my opinion, not a recipe for success (food pun always intended)

So, unlike other nutrition services, you have access to myself and other nutrition coaches DAILY 💬

We realise how important it is to be by your side to make serious change. So we value all the little questions that might come up day to day.

I genuinely get excited when I get athletes messaging me and asking me questions, because that way I know they are learning 🤓

If you feel like you would benefit from having a nutritionist in your back pocket, drop me a DM today to book in a call

Imagine being able to drop body fat whilst having the best few weeks of your life? (Champagne included) 🤯🍾

Did I simply prescribe eating 3 lettuce leaves everyday or was this because my athlete had a super clear nutrition blueprint which was realistic & easy to follow?

You got me, it was the lettuce leaf meal plan, my athlete was in fact a slug 🐌

But in all seriousness, it’s amazing what you can achieve when you have clarity with your nutrition. My athlete has a big competition coming up at the end of October and he needed to rapidly improve his body composition for this. Not the best approach by all means but I love a challenge 🤓

But how did he manage to drop body fat whilst still sinking Bintangs and piling into quality food?

We applied the Ambitious Athletes Coaching Framework:

⛽️ Fuelled With Intent

To make sure training quality wasn’t compromised, we had a structured ‘fuelling window’ to ensure energy levels were high

✅ Habit Tracking

Using the OWNutrition app they were able to tick off 5 key habits daily

🧩 Clear Nutrition Blueprint

We collaborated together to create a realistic & effective nutrition plan, focusing on a high protein intake and hitting carbs around training

💬 Weekly Performance Reviews

Weekly reviews to keep them accountable and to make any small tweaks to the programme

Over 5 weeks, which includes 2 weeks at their wedding + ‘mini-moon’ (I need to get married, so many holidays), they were able to drop nearly 5kg. Without sacrificing an ounce of happiness, enjoyment or experiencing any guilt. Impressive right?

I don’t think I’ll ever work with another athlete who will embark on a body recomposition whilst away at his wedding 😅

But if you have body composition goal that you want to hit, I can help you (champagne optional).

Drop me a DM today to get started 🤝

EASIEST WAY TO STOP MAKING PROGRESS IN TRAINING & BECOMING A STRONGER ATHLETE? ⤵️

Fasted Training 🚫

To perform at your best, you need fuel

Running on an empty tank is only going to lead to sub-par training performance

And the amount of stress you are going to put the body under is HUGE

Cortisol levels will be through the roof, your risk of injury is higher, your body will be in a state of catabolism & muscle damage will be even worse 📉

Are there any positives?

Apart from being able to brag about it to all your fellow competitors, no

And they will be 1km up the road by the time you say testosterone

Which finally leads me onto:

✋🏻 STOP GETTING YOUR NUTRITION ADVICE FROM CLICKBAIT PODCASTS/POSTS

(Except for mine, for which I do apologise for my clickbaitness but I’ve got a lot of competition)

Please be critical with where you are getting your information from. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is!

And if the individual making the claim can’t back it up with science, then ignore it

Walking onto the battlefield knowing you’re ready to out-perform your competition ✅

Knowing that you can keep performing at your best till the very end,
That know one will be able to keep up with you,
And you’re not going to pull up with a ni**le or cramp,
Or suffer from any gut issues / discomfort,
And you can execute your game plan to a tee 🎯

All because you absolutely nailed your nutrition leading into an event

My client L did absolutely this

Her competition day nutrition plan was all over the place. She was frightened of eating too much as she will feel heavy or it might make her feel unwell. So she was only having a small bowl of porridge and hoping for the best.

This left her feeling incredibly weak towards the end of her triathlon and frustrated because she knew she had put the miles in during training

But now she’s been prepping for her triathlons with a smile on her face knowing that she is going to absolutely smash it

And this confidence with her fuelling has seen her smash PB after PB 📈

What’s best?

It only took a few months of working together for her to see serious results. Over this time we worked on:

⛽️ Nailing her fuelling targets before an event
🍌 Hitting her intra (during) event nutrition (no more gelly belly!)
💧 Maintaining well hydrated throughout
☕️ Tactically using sports nutrition supplements to offer a boost

If you want to go into your next event feeling like a badass and oozing confidence because you know you can OUT-FUEL & OUT-PERFORM your competition, send me a message with BADASS and I’ll happily have a chat 💬

FIT FOOD FRIDAYS 😍

Taking instagram back to its simpler days & just sharing some eats from over the summer

No matter what you might hear, or what people might tell you

You can ALWAYS have great food AND smash your goals

I genuinely pride myself on being a nutritionist who recommends people eat absolutely delicious food all the time 🤤

And there’s so much great food out there, it’s a crime to your tastebuds to not get involved

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve eaten recently? 😋

HOW DO THE PROS NAIL THEIR NUTRITION? 🥇

I’ve worked with 100s of professional athletes over the past 6 years

And you might be surprised to hear,

But even they struggle with their nutrition

🚧 They have to grab food on the move

🚧 They have a young family running rings around them in the mornings

🚧 They are frequently eating out

🚧 Their schedule is ever-changing
(Always at the last minute, if you have worked in sport, you know)

So, how do they overcome this?

They have a clear nutrition plan & system that is specific to them

Every athlete has their own challenges & barriers

But with a clear system with a pinch of accountability from myself

They can overcome these barriers and still:

- Perform at their best 🏆
- Pack on muscle 💪🏻
- Recover instantly 🔄
- Reach peak performance 🥇
- Drop body fat with ease 🔥

How can you get the same results?

Well, you can also benefit from the same systems that I use with the pros

We can create a system, designed specifically to you, like I would with the pros

My new nutrition coaching programme uses exactly the same methods that I currently use throughout multiple professional sports

What’s best?

You can unleash your athletic potential even if you don’t have a good grasp of your nutrition right now

Keep an eye on my socials over the coming days to find out more about my new programme

👀

WHAT MAKES WORKING WITH ME DIFFERENT FROM THE REST? ⤴️

Simple
Clear
Visual
Achievable

Nutrition is already complicated enough as it is, and that’s before you go down the YouTube rabbit holes

And it’s too easy to follow the wrong people giving off the wrong message (remember the Liver King? 👑 💊)

I get it, you think you’re doing the right things, showing an interest and trying to learn, but you just find it so complicated

You might also be scared that working with a nutritionist means calculating everything to the nearest 0.1g

Or that you will be slapped with a god awful meal plan that only includes foods that begin with the letter C 🤮

I pride myself on creating resources, feedback and blueprints that are so easy to follow, you simply can’t miss

And your tastebuds can actually enjoy some flavour too

If this sounds like something you need right now, drop me a DM