|
2 min read

Getting the balance right

Author_david-flanagan Lifestyle Advice

Life is all about balance. Whether it be getting the balance been right between leading a healthy lifestyle while still meeting work and family life obligations, or be it getting the fuel balance right for optimum performance as an athlete, it requires carefully planning and executing.

Up until recently, I thought I had the balance right. I was sticking to what I thought was a healthy and balanced nutrition plan, however I was still getting run down and fatigued trying to meet my work, training and home life obligations which often resulted in me skipping training sessions. As it turned out, while I was in fact eating healthily, the macro balance in my nutrition plan was out of whack.

I discovered this imbalance after consulting nutritionist and naturopath Kate Johnstone of Kore Well-Being we overhauled my macro balance. This involved drastically increasing my daily carb intake while still getting the right amount of protein in. This was designed to give me fuel, to get the most out of my training session, while still leaving enough to keep me going through the rest of the day.

From here it got a bit tricky. As part of the nutritional overhaul, I completed a food sensitivity test which showed that I had sensitivities to almonds, eggs, gluten and all dairy. This was quite problematic as foods encompassing these four sensitivities made up half my diet. With the help of Nuzest's natural vegetable protein we managed to carefully construct a nutrition plan that would still allow me to get my macro balance right while still avoiding foods containing ingredients that I was sensitive too.

Within two months of making the switch to the new nutrition plan, not only was I left feeling great and full of energy with no signs of fatigue, I posted a personal best time at Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast, proving that getting the balance right is paramount to optimal performance in all areas of life