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07/09/2026

NUTRITION BASICS 3 - PROTEIN 

Protein gets a lot of attention in the fitness world and for good reason. But more isn't always better.

For most people who exercise regularly, getting enough protein consistently is far more important than trying to eat as much as possible.

Your individual target will depend on things like your body weight, training, age and whether you're trying to lose fat, maintain weight or build muscle.

A useful starting point for many active adults is around 1.4–2.0g per kg of body weight per day, but that doesn't mean you need to hit an exact number every single day.

A few things that can make hitting your target easier:

- Include a protein source in your main meals
- Don't forget about breakfast
- Use snacks to top up your intake if needed
- Choose foods you actually enjoy and can eat consistently
- Remember that protein powder is an option, not a requirement

And if your goal is building muscle, remember that protein is only one piece of the puzzle. Your training, total energy intake, recovery and overall diet all matter too.

The goal isn't to eat more protein. It's to eat enough protein for you.

Next up: Carbohydrates — are they actually making you fat?


 


CrossFit kids/teens is 4!What started out with 1 class with a handful of kids 12-16, has grown into 3 classes ranging fr...
05/09/2026

CrossFit kids/teens is 4!

What started out with 1 class with a handful of kids 12-16, has grown into 3 classes ranging from 3 years old to 16 and nearly all of them full this week! 💪🏻

I'm forever grateful to have the opportunity to inspire and develop the athletes of the future, whether that is for them to go into sport or to be able to live fit and healthy lives.





31/08/2026

NUTRITION BASICS 2: WHERE DO YOUR CALORIES GO? 

When we talk about energy balance, it's easy to think of "calories out" as simply the calories you burn during exercise. But exercise is only one part of the picture.

Your body is using energy 24 hours a day, whether you're training or sitting on the sofa. And the amount you use isn't identical from one person to the next, or even from one day to the next.

Your body size, muscle mass, activity levels, food intake, training and even how much you move without thinking can all influence your daily energy expenditure. This is one reason calorie calculations should be treated as estimates, not exact numbers.

A calculator might tell you that you need 2,400 calories. That's a useful starting point. But your actual needs might be higher or lower and they can change over time.

That's why good nutrition coaching isn't about finding a magical number and never changing it. It's about using the best available information, looking at what actually happens, and adjusting when necessary.

The biology is dynamic. The maths is useful. But the maths isn't the whole story.

Nutrition Basics 3 is coming next: Protein - how much do you actually need?

Save this series if you want nutrition explained without the nonsense.





25/08/2026

NUTRITION BASICS: ENERGY BALANCE

Let's start with one of the most fundamental concepts in nutrition.

You've probably heard "Calories in vs calories out."
And while that's an incredibly simplified way of describing it, the underlying concept is correct.

Over time, changes in body energy stores are determined by the relationship between energy intake and energy expenditure.

But here's where people often gets it wrong…
Your energy expenditure isn't a fixed number.

It can change with:
• Body weight
• Activity levels
• Training
• Food intake
• Digestion
• Adaptive responses
• And even how much you unconsciously move throughout the day

So the idea that a 500 calorie deficit = exactly X amount of weight loss every week is far too simplistic.

There also aren't really "exceptions" to energy balance.

Things like hormones, metabolism, food quality and activity can influence energy intake, expenditure and how the body partitions and stores energy — but they don't override the fundamental principle.

This is why understanding energy balance is important, but also why simply telling someone to "eat less and move more" isn't particularly useful nutrition coaching.

The concept is simple. The biology is not.

This is the first post in my Nutrition Basics series, where I'm going back to the fundamentals and breaking down the concepts that underpin evidence-based nutrition.

Save this one and follow along for the next instalment





Last week Chris Sutton and I got to bring some DBE - Dad Bod Energy to the THE RAINHILL TRIALS // FITNESS EVENTS Masters...
03/08/2026

Last week Chris Sutton and I got to bring some DBE - Dad Bod Energy to the THE RAINHILL TRIALS // FITNESS EVENTS Masters at War comp.

This was my first competition in 2.5 years due to injury and it sure felt good to be back.

Working on improving myself ready for the next one!

Big shout out to the LOGUN DJ for the tunes to help kick into another gear and Laura Richmond for watching the boys





One of the biggest misconceptions in nutrition is that success comes down to willpower.If that were true, most people wo...
09/06/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions in nutrition is that success comes down to willpower.

If that were true, most people would have solved their nutrition struggles already.

The people I speak to usually know the basics:

- Eat more protein
- Eat more fruit and veg
- Drink more water
- Be more active

The challenge is applying those things consistently when life gets busy.

After a long day of work, training, family commitments, and making decisions, it's not surprising that nutrition becomes harder.

It's not a sign that there's something wrong with you.

More often, it's a matter of having the right strategies in place.

The people who seem "disciplined" often aren't relying on discipline as much as you think.

They've found ways to make good choices easier and more repeatable.

They have:

- meals they enjoy and repeat

- a rough plan for the week

- food available when they're busy

- habits that support them when motivation is low

That's why I spend far more time helping clients develop practical strategies than trying to increase willpower.

Because motivation comes and goes.

The right strategies help you stay consistent.

If this resonated with you, save it for the next time you catch yourself saying:





People often approach BBQ season as if progress and social events cannot coexist.That’s usually not the reality.In fact,...
29/05/2026

People often approach BBQ season as if progress and social events cannot coexist.

That’s usually not the reality.

In fact, BBQs are often easier to navigate nutritionally than people think.

There’s usually:
- decent protein options
- flexibility with portions
- opportunities to build balanced meals

The challenge is often less about the BBQ food itself —
and more about:

- mindless grazing
- alcohol intake
- snacking all day
- “I’ll start again Monday” thinking

One important point:
A single BBQ rarely causes meaningful fat gain on its own.

What tends to have a bigger impact is when one event turns into:
“well the weekend is ruined now.”

A few practical things that can help:
- don’t arrive starving
- include protein with meals
- choose leaner options where possible
- be aware of liquid calories/snacking
- slow down while eating

You do not need to be perfect to make progress.

You usually just need enough structure to stop one meal becoming one bad week.





A difficult part about disordered eating is that it often doesn’t look “serious” at first.Sometimes it looks like:- cons...
17/05/2026

A difficult part about disordered eating is that it often doesn’t look “serious” at first.

Sometimes it looks like:

- constantly restarting diets

- guilt after eating certain foods

- feeling anxious around social meals

- needing to “make up” for eating more

- your mood depending on whether you “ate well”

And because some of these behaviours are heavily normalised in fitness culture, they can be difficult to recognise.

An important distinction:

- Not all dieting is disordered.

-Not all tracking is harmful.

- Not everyone struggling with food has a clinical eating disorder.

But that doesn’t mean a relationship with food can’t still become unhealthy or distressing.

A useful question to ask is:

Does your nutrition approach improve your life…
or does it control more of it than you’d like to admit?

Nutrition should ideally support:

- physical health

- performance

- flexibility

- social life

- mental wellbeing

—not create constant stress around food.

This topic deserves more nuance than social media usually gives it.





A lot of people preparing for CrossFit competitions are focusing on the wrong things right now.They’re thinking about: -...
10/05/2026

A lot of people preparing for CrossFit competitions are focusing on the wrong things right now.

They’re thinking about:

- supplements

- cutting weight

- “eating cleaner”

- trying to get leaner before the comp

…while under-fuelling their actual training.

The reality is: you do not recover, adapt, or perform well without enough fuel.

And by the time competition week arrives, it’s usually too late to fix poor habits.

If you’re doing the M Squared Fitness FeMale Comp in July, now is the time to start paying attention to:

- energy during sessions

- recovery between training days

- hydration

- meal structure

- fuelling around training

Competition nutrition should be practised — not guessed on the day.

One important point: “Eating healthy” does not automatically mean you’re fuelling adequately for performance.

A lot of athletes unintentionally under-eat while training hard.

That can affect:

- session quality

- recovery

- energy levels

- performance output

At this stage, you probably do not need anything complicated.

You likely need:

- more consistency

- better recovery habits

- enough carbohydrates around training

-a structure you can actually repeat





28/04/2026

Fuelling early morning training is one of those things people tend to overcomplicate — or ignore completely.

The reality is: it depends.

If you’re training at 6am, you’re dealing with:

Limited time

Lower appetite

Potentially lower energy availability

So your approach needs to reflect that.

A few things to consider:

1. Not every session needs food beforehand
Short or lower intensity sessions can often be done fasted without major issues.

2. Performance-focused sessions usually benefit from fuel
Especially if intensity or duration is higher.

3. Post-training nutrition matters more than people think
If you skip food before, this becomes even more important.

4. Caffeine isn’t a substitute for fuel
It can improve alertness, but it doesn’t provide energy.

There isn’t a single “best” approach — it’s about finding what works within your routine and what you can actually stick to.
—
If you’re struggling to structure your nutrition around training (especially early sessions),
Leave me a comment and I'll message you back





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