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This is the final in the nutrition podcast series. To date we have talked veges, protein, mindful behaviours, and training and recovery nutrition. Your ongoing challenge is to put that into practice consistently over time, and slowly keep working at opportunities to improve the quality of your nutrition.

Now that we have established our day to day nutrition foundations, it’s time to consider how training fits in with those, and what we do differently to support our training.

Having focussed on the basics of day to day nutrition the last couple of weeks, this week it’s all about behaviours and HOW you are eating. Are you making conscious choices? Are you paying attention as you eat? Are you enjoying your food?

We started by recording a food log. Last week we put the focus on meeting the 5+ a day fruit and vege goal. And this week we add on one more thing: protein - an absolute essential for day to day health and nutrition.

This podcast is specifically for the Wellington squad. Talking about important etiquette and safety when training together, plus tips about your training plan, training zones, and thinking ahead to events.

Week 1 of the challenge was to simply record what you eat and drink for the week. Even if you have an imperfect record, you still have really useful data to review. And this week we review it, looking for one specific thing that will make the biggest difference to your health and performance.

Good nutrition practices are a foundation for good health and performance. So here is a simple six week challenge to learn about yourself, and adjust your nutrition practices. No fad diets. No magic pills and potions. Just good simple practices consistently.

A half marathon can seem only a “small” event compared with Ironman or a Half Ironman. But it is still an endurance event worthy of some fore-planning. A little thought into goals, pacing, nutrition, and mental strategy goes a long way towards your best possible performance on the day.

Having just done a big technique focus in swim squad, I want to pull back from the details and look at the big concepts we’re trying to achieve. So six swim tips coming up, but explained in different / unusual ways.

True peak performance doesn't come in a 12 week training plan. So stand back from the details of a training plan, and lets build habits that will help you be successful in the long term: nutrition, sleep, strength work, and all other other things that contribute to your success.

ERG mode is switched on by default for most smart trainers. There are some great benefits from using ERG mode and obvious reasons to use it. But there are also times where it’s better not to use it. Listen in to understand the different situations

What’s the difference between exercise, training, and racing? Purpose or intent. Being clear on what your purpose is for each session means you can get the most out of it, whether that is exercising for fun and fitness, training towards an outcome, or racing at maximum effort.

6min of sunshine in Wellington last week. That’s enough to give anyone the blues. But the mid winter blues are a real thing right now, so don’t try and fight it. Recognise it might be happening, be kind to yourself, and be prepared to take a break from “training” so you can come back to it fresh and keen for more.

Do you train plenty but don’t seem to get a lot faster? Has performance plateaued and you’re not sure why? It could be that you are stuck in a rut like many “average” or “typical” athletes are. Here are 4 common “curses of the average athlete”, and what to do about each of them.

MEDIUM intensity training has a distinct purpose and place in a training plan. So the trap is to make sure it’s not your only or main intensity used. Make sure there is plenty of LOW intensity, a little HIGH intensity, and some MEDIUM intensity across the course of your training

Yes high intensity training is tough, but it’s not something to be avoided. There are big benefits to had from small amounts of intense training. New athletes, older athletes, and everyone in between should have some level of high intensity in your training.

Slow down to speed up. It can be a really hard concept to get your head around, but time spent going slower has huge benefits to your long term performance: health, base efficiency, and a platform to achieve more. Don’t be in a rush to be a little bit fast now - be truly fast when it counts.

We might not have events happening right now, but hearing people’s experiences are so valuable to help focus on what’s important now, to give us the best results for those events in the future.

Even though we’re not trying to be in peak form at this time of year, it’s important to remind ourselves how important recovery is. If we can set up some recovery habits and behaviours now, those will will be hugely beneficial throughout all levels of training.

Do we need to warm up and cool down? Traditional thinking says yes but there is evidence to suggest it may not be necessary. So if you’re not big on warmups or cooldowns don’t assume you’re doing it “wrong”. Stay in touch with your body, be prepared to try different things, and figure out what’s right for you.