Finding a job that you are as passionate about as rowing is extremely difficult and some may say impossible.
I am writing this blog as I think it’s important to not only just write about training camps, racing and the ups and downs of rowing but also write about what us athletes have to plan for once we hang our oars up for the final time.
Rowing is not a forever career and at some point you have to find ‘a proper job.’ After Rio I wasn’t sure continuing was for me. Contemplating what to do next, I really had no idea and hadn’t put anything in place for the next phase of life. It was a daunting time and a wakeup call. I have now started planning for my life after rowing.
Many of my friends who have retired from rowing, have at some point found the transition into the working world challenging. Finding a job that you are as passionate about as rowing, is extremely difficult and some may say impossible. Everyday whilst rowing you have a very clear focus and motivation and even on a bad day you still feel satisfied, having completed the days training, knowing it is miles in the bank. This can be hard to find in another career. My aim is to find a career after rowing, that I find motivating and fulfilling.
Having always been passionate about nutrition, fitness and overall wellbeing, I qualified in personal training and am just finishing up my first Nutrition Course. Shortly, I will start a course with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, to become a Health Coach. Health coaching is about using a holistic approach to wellbeing, helping people achieve better health and happiness
Food isn’t just calories, its information
Being a full time athlete demands a great deal from my body and it is my belief that the three main components of improving performance, are training, recovery (mental and physical) and nutrition. I recently watched a lecture with Dr Mark Hyman, Chairman of Institute for Functional Medicine, where he stated “food isn’t just calories, its information.” This quote resonated with me, and now embodies my philosophy around fuelling the body. The food we consume determines how it functions, so putting in the right information will help our body to perform optimally, which leads to good health and performance.
It is my desire to help people live a longer, healthier and happier life. The concerning thing about the society we live in today, is that Western medicine mostly treats the symptoms of disease with medication, but rarely treats the cause. Medication is absolutely necessary, and has cured and prevented many diseases. My aim is to advise on how individuals can use nutrition, stress management, sleep, relationships and much more to help lead to better health. Medication can have negative side effects, good nutrition, stress management and good quality sleep always have positive side effects! Diseases such as heart disease and diabetes (Type 2) are, on the whole, due to lifestyle choices and this where a Health Coach could help people to make more informed choices about their lifestyle.
Health coaches also assist people in living a well-balanced and fulfilling life. The Institute of Integrative Nutrition talks about primary and secondary food. Secondary food is what is on our plate and primary foods are things such as an inspiring career, good and honest relationships and regular and enjoyable physical activity. Often when these primary foods are in place and balanced people have a good relationship with the food on their plate.
I will blog more around this topic in the future and let you know what I am learning. I’m really looking forward to 2018 and learning a lot more about holistic health and nutrition.
The western world has an obesity epidemic, leading to more and more ill health and it is important that there are people working towards reversing this problem. It is my vision to have a positive effect, helping people to develop the power to realise this.
