027 - Michael Naylor - Nutritional Strategies to Gain a Competitive Edge The Primed Mind Podcast

In this episode, Michael Naylor, the Head of Performance Nutrition at the English Institute of Sport, reveals what nutritional strategies really work to increase your performance and gain a competitive edge in any area of life. Elliot and Michael discuss how he works backward to create nutritional plans that fit his client’s individual needs while optimizing their performance. Listen in to hear an expert share the truth about popular diets – and learn the best way to fuel your own life’s purpose.
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Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:00 – Introducing Michael, the head of Performance Nutrition at the English Institute of Sport who has worked with international football, rugby, and Olympic teams 01:45 – Michael’s background and journey 02:00 – He has a degree in Nutrition and got an internship at the English Institute of Sport 02:45 – He travelled and worked with international teams and was Head of Nutrition for Team GB at the Rio Olympics 03:50 – Nutritional needs are different in every sport, in every position within a sport, and in every individual 05:10 – New diets are so common and the messages out there are conflicting and confusing 06:00 – It comes down to your purpose and goals; from there, a nutritional plan can be put in place to get you to where you want to be 07:00 – How Michael creates a nutritional plan 07:15 – He assesses what the athlete is doing that day in training and works backwards from there to support the activity and body 09:18 – The individual might have dietary restrictions, so Michael works with them to respect those while still getting them to their purpose 10:30 – The role of supplements 10:42 – He recommends supplements on occasion, but urges athletes to just eat real food unless they have a deficiency 11:15 – Even vegans can get their dietary requirements through food; there’s an element of convenience with supplements 13:05 – Michael’s thoughts on carbohydrate-limiting diets 13:15 – Every gram of carbohydrate holds about three grams of water so if you limit carbohydrates, you’re limiting water mass, not losing fat mass 14:00 – It’s all about being in a negative energy balance when wanting to reduce fat mass 15:45 – General tips for anyone trying to be healthy 16:00 – Reflect on what you eat and what your goals are and write it down 16:50 – Educate yourself on basic nutrition and balance your vegetables, fruits, protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates 17:39 – Build in your carbohydrates based upon your activity level and use free tools like My Fitness Pal to log food 18:15 – Plan your food based upon your activity and think ahead 19:00 – Why it’s important to choose lean meat 19:15 – There’s less calories and saturated fat in lean meat 19:45 – Subtle changes that make a big impact 20:10 – Eliminating sugary drinks or snacks; many athletes have a bad habit of drinking sugary drinks 21:15 – What he sees at the Olympic level 12:30 – Athletes get great nutritional support in the UK but in the Olympic Village they try to get the athletes to eat McDonald’s and other unhealthy food 22:42 – The athletes have to get prepared for the village because they are the ones that must make the responsible choice 24:00 – Performance shifts over time when their nutrition is changed 25:00 – Every meal is a stimulus in your body; it either maximizes or minimizes your wellness and adaptation 26:24 – You can gain a competitive edge and increase performance by eating the right foods 26:35 – Match your nutrition strategies to your purpose 27:30 – There’s a much simpler approach that’s more effective than eliminating entire groups of food 3 Key Points
Don’t believe in every fad diet – what’s trendy now may not be next year! Fuel your body based on your purpose. Food can be used in many ways to increas