Here are Ultimate Performance’s top ten tips:
1. Eat a breakfast of champions
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. At UP, we suggest high protein, lower carbohydrate breakfasts, such as salmon, avocados and blueberries. Why? Enhanced productivity, sustained energy and focus, as well as increased fat burning through the day are to name a few of the reasons why it’s crucial to start the day right.
2. Do not skip meals
When you’re busy, it’s tempting to skip meals. However, this can be disastrous for your productivity, and your waistline. Skipping meals can lead to unstable blood sugar levels, and more often than not, reaching for a chocolate bar from the office vending machine. One of the habits we instil in clients straight away is to eat a protein rich meal every 3 to 4 hours.
3. Focus on hydration
The majority of you reading this are chronically dehydrated. Multiple studies now indicate dehydration can lower productivity dramatically, increase stress hormones, create poor eating habits and hamper your body’s ability to burn fat. A quick solution to this is simple: Fill three one-litre bottles of water at the start of the day and keep them on your desk. By the end of the day, they should all be empty!
4. Master portion control
Busy people don’t have the time to count calories, or deal with complicated nutrition plans that involve calculators or mobile apps. Instead, at UP we focus on mastering basic nutrition habits and portion control. A good starting point for each meal could look like this: 1-2 palm sizes of meat or fish, a large handful of colourful vegetables and a tablespoon of healthy fats. A cup of starchy carbs can then be added depending on the individual client’s demands.
5. Own the meeting
A common pitfall in any executive’s day is the time around meetings. If you know you are back to back for hours, it’s vital to go in prepared. Here are the essentials: water, protein powders and some nuts. In between meetings when solid food isn’t an option, mixing a good quality whey protein powder with water can be a lifesaver.
6. Pick the right menu
Many executives eat out in restaurants on a regular basis, whether it’s due to time constraints or business meetings. Either way, it shouldn’t be an excuse to indulge on three course meals, luxurious desserts or binge on alcohol. Restaurants are full of hidden calories, so it’s vital you make your food choices very basic. Sticking to one main of meat, and then asking for a side dish of vegetables (without mayonnaise, butter or the like) is one way to go about it. Alternatively, doing your best to scout the restaurants you know you can eat well in is always best.
7. Dominate travel
A lot of the executives we deal with at UP have extremely busy travelling schedules, meaning they are constantly in an out of airports. To maximise productivity and energy during these business trips, one of the best tips is to avoid alcohol in the airport lounge. With champagne and wine on offer all around, sticking with water on your flight will make a world of difference to how you feel. Second, bringing simple, healthy snacks such as biltong, nuts and seeds can help keep you satiated, and prevent succumbing to poor quality airport food.
8. Batch cook
For anyone short on time looking to live a healthier lifestyle, batch cooking is essential. To make it easy, pick two days in the week and spend an hour preparing the next few days’ worth of food. You’ll never have to worry about being caught off guard at the office canteen again!
9. Maximise quality of sleep
Most busy executives are deprived of sleep, and for the most part, trying to get more sleep is not going to happen. Instead, we can work on improving the quality of the sleep they do get. The first ‘trick’ is to strategically eat your carbohydrates later in the day. Whilst opting for high protein meals earlier in the day is better for productivity and focus, carbohydrate heavy meals in the evening can actually help trigger the relaxing hormone ‘serotonin’, helping with the ability to fall and stay asleep at night.
Second, executives are known for always being ‘on’. Switching your phone (and yes, that means email too!) off at least an hour before bed can help the mind relax and unwind, making for higher quality and deeper sleep.
10. Exercise efficiently
To achieve optimal body composition, you need exercise. If time is very tight, some exercise is still always better than none. A quick 10-20 minute daily bodyweight circuit, or even some high intensity interval training are effective ways to increase your metabolic rate and burn a lot of calories. If done correctly, you may even be able to build some muscle in the process!
For more info, visit upfitness.co.uk
