Question: what do you eat and drink to stay healthy and do you train with other athletes

Emilia McAllister-Jepps answered on 6 Nov 2016:

Hi, thanks for your question!

If I answer in two parts; I train with other kayak and canoe athletes, at the moment there are about 10 people in my training group. But at the centre where I train the Under 23 Men, Women’s Canoe, Paracanoe and Canoe Slalom athletes train as well. So there are a lot of us! It is good to have a big group to train with as it keeps the competition fresh.

In order to stay healthy I have to eat and drink well. I try to drink plenty of water, particularly when I have a big long session. It is important to replace any fluid lost during exercise. We have a nutritionist who writes plans for us, and in the winter we generally eat 10 portions of fruit and veg a day, and plenty of protein.

A typical day for me might look like this:

7am breakfast – 1 pint of water or squash, a small cup of coffee, a good sized bowl of porridge with honey and seeds.

10.30am a snack after training – a pot of greek yoghurt, a piece of fruit and some nuts

1pm lunch – 1 pint of water, an omelette made with 3 eggs, filled with mushrooms, spinach, tomato and ham and salad. 1 cup of coffee.

4pm a quick snack – a yoghurt coated cereal and nut bar or a protein shake

7pm dinner -1 pint of water or squash, Salmon with stir fry veg

9.30pm – glass of milk