'When it comes to the fundamentals - there is no choice'
- Michael Johnson
Last night we had our second instalment from our 'Health & Performance' webinar series - a focus on nutrition.
We fit a lot of content into the hour-long talk:
Starting off by considering our core values & personal identity. We recognised that our physical health, our energy & vitality will greatly impact each & every one of our core values - family, career, sport, travel - no matter where our core values lie - our health is the greatest asset or liability to enjoying them fully.
So therefore, no matter what goals you have in life - dedicating time to exercise & balanced nutrition will be a key predictor in 1) your ability to achieve them & 2) your ability to enjoy them.
Using this mindset - we then took a stroll through some of the key principles around nutrition coaching, nutritional strategies that can support us in our performance goals and top tips to making consistent & long-term progress to good health, high energy & vitality.
The most important factor is, and will always be, consistency.
Next is energy balance - are we fuelling with the correct quantity of food.
Macronutrients are the next pieces of the puzzle - what types of food are we consuming.
Once we nail these three cornerstones - consistency, quantity & type - then we can start considering meal timing & supplementation - there are the final 'icing on the cake' - when all other areas are solidified - we can begin to consider the 'extra %' we can gain from timing & supplementation.
To finish, I took some time to reflect on a profound speech delivered by Olympian - Michael Johnson - at the Pendulum Summit, which took place in Dublin earlier this year.
Speaking about achieving his pretty ambitious goal of becoming an Olympic Gold Medalist (four times) - Michael Johnson struggled a lot during his college years - and in the USA, if you aren't competing at a high level in college sport - you may miss your chance to get scouted & placed on 'team USA'.
He was incredibly concerned about missing his opportunity - because he kept picking up injuries & niggles - despite have the best of everything available to him - coaches, programmes, facilities, funding, physiotherapists, medical teams & of course - talent.
As his frustrations mounted - one of his most trusted coaches (who ended up working with him for the entire duration of his career) told him to take some time for reflection & this time, instead of focusing on what's going wrong with what his is doing in his daily training - focus on what he's not doing.
The penny dropped - he wasn't giving the same effort & energy to his strength work as he was to his running - neglecting a fundamental component to athletic performance
He wasn't giving as much effort to his stretching & mobility - neglecting a fundamental component to injury prevention & recovery
He wasn't giving enough effort to his nutritional intake - neglecting a fundamental component to athletic performance, injury prevention & recovery
"When it comes to the fundamentals - there is no choice - it takes what it takes"
It can be hard to equate our personal goals to that of one of the most successful Olympic sprinters of all time - but sometimes these super 'successful' people are super successful because they figured a thing or two out along the way to greatness!
I think Michael Johnson figured something profound out - at a very important time in his career. If we are truly committed to achieving our goals - no matter how big or how small we might consider them - when it comes to the fundamentals - the basics - there is no choice - it takes what it takes.
Click on this link to hear Michael speaking about this topic on the Pendulum Summit in Dublin:
https://pendulumsummit.com/michael-johnson-it-takes-what-it-takes/
Happy Thursday everyone,
Katie