2019-07-01+Health+&+Fitness

diet diary

BREAKFAST

‘I eata largebowlofcereal

beforespendingtwohours

onthewater.If I sleepin

andrushtotrainingwithout

eating,I’llhavetostop

becauseI’mdizzy.After

ourfirstsession,wehitthe

canteenfora second

breakfast.I normallyhave

porridgewithgoldensyrup

orscrambledeggson

toast.Fluidis critical,soby

thenI’llhavedrunka litre

ofisotonicfluid.’

SNACKS

‘I eatlotsof fruit,aswellas

flapjacksandcake.Wetrain

sohardthathigh-calorie

snacksdon’tseemnaughty!

We’realsophysicallytired,

soa sliceof cakeis a good

pick-me-up.’

Annie Vernon

‘WHAT I ATE TODAY’

The former Olympic silver medallist and World

Champion rower tells us what fuels her training

FOOD

PHILOSOPHY

‘Food is fuel for training.

As an endurance sport,

elite rowing demands two

or three hard sessions

a week, so I need 4,000

calories a day. It can be

hard eating that much, so

we need to plan. It’s also

hard to consume 4,000

healthy calories every day,

so I do eat sweet treats.’

ESSENTIALS

‘Baked beans are in my

store cupboard. Beans

on a jacket potato are

healthy, cheap, easy

and filling. For treats,

I’m Cornish, so I love a

pasty! But in moderation

because they aren’t the

healthiest of products.’

‘I’mnotsurprisedAnniefeelsdizzyandcan’ttrainwhensheskips

breakfast.Aftersevento eighthourswithoutfuel,yourbody’sglycogen

storeswillbedepletedandyourmusclesandbrainbothneedfuelto allow

themto performoptimally.Sowhateveryoudofirstthing,whetherit’sa

heavytrainingsessionor sittingin frontof yourcomputer,youneedto eat

breakfast– andthisshouldideallybea mixof carbs,proteinandfruit.

Eating4,000caloriesa dayis doubletheamountmostwomenwould

needbutratherthansweetstuff,I suggestAnnietriesnutsanddriedfruit

or nutbutteronoatcakes,whichprovidecaloriesbutin a healthyformat.’

7

10

SCORE

Nutritionist

FionaHunter

NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT

DINNER

‘I’llnormallyhavea little

snackatabout3pm,

beforeourthirdsessionat

4pm.Thismightbea small

bowlofcereal,somefruit

andyoghurt,ortoast.I try

tomakeaneffortatdinner

timeandstockuponmy

vegetables.I’mnotmuch

ofa cook,butI like

batch-cookinga largedish

ofstew,shepherd’spieor

similar,andputtingit in the

freezerin portions.We’re

awayontrainingcampsor

atcompetitionsfor

perhapsa thirdoftheyear,

soit meansallourmeals

willbecatered.When

we’retrainingathome,

I havetogetbackin

thekitchen,whichI don’t

reallyenjoy!’

Mind Games: Determination, Doubt and Lucky Socks: An Insider’s Guide to the Psychology of Elite Athletes by Annie Vernon is published by Bloomsbury Sport, £16.99

LUNCH

‘My rowing club caters for

its athletes, so I’ll have a

large plate of something

healthy – perhaps

spaghetti Bolognese,

stir-fry or stew and

mash. If eating at home,

it might be two or three

sandwiches with a mug of

tea – and some glasses

of squash.’

DRINKS

‘I drink pints of squash,

and protein/recovery

shakes. I also keep

topped up with mugs of

tea. If I’m on the water for

two hours at a time,

I can’t stop for a loo

break, so it takes some

practice to learn how

much fluid I can take in!’