When it comes to food, I believe you get out what you put in. When I fuel my body with healthy fats and lean proteins, it fuels my body to push hard through training. I still always go for food that I genuinely enjoy, but I know that when I look after my body with healthy, protein-rich foods, I feel better on the inside and perform better on the outside.
6:00AM: Workout
I like to start my day with a gym workout as it helps me wake up and feel energised. I usually do an upper and lower body workout with weights in the morning. I’ll also run through some mobility training to build my strength and avoid injury.
8:00AM: Breakfast
After my morning workout, I make my way straight to the Roosters office with a coffee (I cannot start the day without a coffee!). This gives me another quick hit of energy before I’m able to sit down and have breakfast.
By the time I get to the office, all I can think about is food! Depending on how I’m feeling that day, I’ll usually whip up avocado and poached eggs on wholemeal or soy linseed toast (can you tell I’m a millennial?). I like to have good carbs and healthy fats in the morning to help keep me fuller for longer.
10:30AM – 11:00AM: Mid-morning Snack
My snack is usually pretty basic and something that is easy to grab on the go. I like to either have natural yoghurt or fruit. I have the biggest sweet tooth so anything that has natural sugars is my go-to as it stops me from snacking on chocolate and lollies.
1:00PM – 1:30PM: Lunch
I LOVE sushi, so at lunchtime I’ll usually have salmon sashimi, a salmon roll and a seaweed salad. I like to make sure that I’m eating a combination of lean protein, good fats and carbs to help me prepare for my afternoon training session. I genuinely enjoy eating sushi, so I don’t really feel like I’m forcing myself to eat something because it’s healthy or will give me energy, so it’s a win-win.
3:00PM – 3:30PM: Afternoon snack
By the afternoon, I need to add more fuel to my body to make it count at training. I’ll usually grab a handful of nuts or have a protein shake in the car on my way to training. Eating nuts or having a protein shake helps me to stay full until dinner without feeling bloated. If I go to training without eating properly, I will not perform to the best of my ability.
5:00PM: Afternoon Training
My afternoon training is usually skills-based, including quick drills around tackling and passing. It’s a big conditioning session, with lots of running! I’m usually pretty lethargic heading into training, and this wakes me right up!
8:00PM – 8:30PM: Dinner
I think it’s so important to spend quality time with my family at dinner, so I always try to finish training on time to make it home for a family meal. As we eat quite late, we try to stay away from too many carbs at dinner (I compensate by eating a lot of healthy carbs throughout the day).
Most of the time we’ll have a stir-fry with plenty of vegetables like broccoli, capsicum and cauliflower and Steggles chicken. My family mean so much to me, so I really look forward to this time of day.
When you need to treat yourself
In the off-season, or if I feel like I really need to treat myself, my weakness is ice cream – nothing comes between me and a bowl of classic vanilla ice cream with chocolate topping.
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