Nutritional Advice

All of our trainers are certified to provide nutritional advice to clients.

Good nutrition matters for a healthy lifestyle and is one of the foundations of long-term health. The foods you eat provide the energy and nutrients your body needs to function, repair itself, and stay resilient. A balanced diet helps regulate weight, supports the immune system, stabilises mood, supports energy levels, and reduces the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Nutrition and exercise are connected - what you eat directly affects your performance, recovery, and results:

Balance – Include a mix of lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables.

Moderation – Limit added sugars, excessive sodium, and highly processed foods.

Variety – Eating a wide range of nutrient-rich foods ensures you get essential vitamins and minerals.

Hydration – Water supports digestion, metabolism, temperature regulation, and joint health.

Consistency – Small, steady habits matter more than strict dieting.

Macronutrients are essential because they provide the body with energy (calories), serve as fundamental building blocks for growth and repair, and regulate vital functions like metabolism and cell structure. They are the main components of food required in large quantities to sustain life and optimal health:

Proteins – Protein is a crucial building block for the body, essential for repairing and building muscles and tissues, and vital for many physiological processes like hormone and enzyme production. It helps with growth, fights infection, supports organs, and can help you feel fuller for longer, aiding in weight management.

Carbohydrates – Carbohydrates are essential for providing the body's primary energy source (glucose), fuelling the brain and muscles, and supplying vital nutrients like fibre, vitamins, and minerals for gut and overall health. They are a fundamental macronutrient, preventing the body from having to break down proteins and fats for energy.

Fats – We need fats in our diet for energy, to absorb essential vitamins, and to support cell growth, organ protection, and hormone production. Fats are a concentrated source of energy, provide essential fatty acids that the body cannot make itself, and are critical for brain function and maintaining the cell structure of our nervous system.

Fibre – Whilst fibre is not technically a macronutrient, it is crucial as it aids digestion, prevents constipation by adding bulk to stools, helps manage weight by increasing fullness, stabilizes blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, and significantly reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and bowel cancer by feeding good gut bacteria.

Nutrition critically impacts exercise and fitness by providing energy, supporting muscle repair, improving performance, and enabling recovery. Proper macronutrient intake (carbohydrates, protein, fats), hydration, and nutrient timing are essential for maximizing physical results and overall health:

Energy & Performance – Carbohydrates fuel workouts, especially high-intensity training. Adequate intake helps maintain stamina, strength, and focus during exercise.

Muscle Repair & Growth – Protein is essential for rebuilding muscle fibres after workouts. Consuming enough protein supports growth, recovery, and improved body composition.

Endurance & Longevity – Healthy fats help keep you full and support long-term energy during lower-intensity activities. They also play a key role in hormones that influence metabolism and muscle development.

Recovery & Injury Prevention – Proper nutrition reduces inflammation, speeds recovery, and helps prevent overuse injuries. Micronutrients like calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and potassium are crucial for muscle function and bone strength.

Weight Management – Fuelling the body correctly helps regulate appetite and metabolism, making it easier to lose fat, build muscle, or maintain a healthy weight.

Whilst exercise is crucial for long term maintenance, muscle retention and overall health, diet is generally more important for weight management and particularly weight loss. It is worth noting that there is a difference between weight loss and toning. Whilst weight loss focuses on reducing overall mass, which can include fat, muscle and water, toning prioritises body re-composition by losing fat while maintaining or building muscle to create a lean toned physique:

Diet – Diet is essential for weight loss as it is more efficient to create a calorie deficit by reducing calories in your diet than it is burning calories through exercise.

Exercise – Exercise is key for maintenance and health as it prevents muscle loss during dieting, boosts metabolism (especially resistance training), and offers major cardiovascular, metabolic, and mental health benefits.

Combined Approach – Studies show the most significant and sustainable weight loss comes from combining both diet and exercise, leading to better metabolic health and behavioural consistency.

The 80/20 Rule – A popular concept suggest that weight management is roughly 80% diet and 20% exercise.

Caloric Intake – The balance of caloric intake (energy in) and expenditure (energy out) determines weight. Consuming more calories than you burn leads to weight gain, consuming fewer calories than you burn leads to weight loss and equilibrium will maintain weight.