I see a lot of people and businesses that promote products and services because it suits them. I used to do the same thing, whilst almost everything I promoted was actually stuff that I loved and used regularly there is still a temptation to promote something via “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”.

These days I only mention things that I truly love when I really believe people’s lives can be enhanced by these products and services. With that in mind I want to talk a little about 4 major nutritional changes I made in this last 12 months, all of which have had a profound effect on me. I am going to briefly mention 3 of them so that you realise it was all part of a holistic change but I really want to focus on one today. I’ll leave that one to last.

Firstly, I have been doing Pete Evan’s Paleo Way 10 week course and can only tell you what I have experienced and leave the rest to you. I have absolutely loved it, I have totally felt aligned and constantly physically replenished whilst eating in this way. It makes absolute sense and my body has totally given me that feedback. I lost 7 kilograms in 7 weeks, all the little bits that were hanging on my body whilst not really needing to be there. I can’t believe how much lighter I have felt. Whilst I was pretty much eating Paleo anyway, committing completely to it has had a massive positive effect on me.

To put it in perspective, my average day has involved, in the last few months, a light to medium training session, sometimes two, mixed with a lot of session and conference work with people. The nutritional energy I require is anything that helps me rebuild after training but keeps me clear, consistent and concise, not sugary and up and down. To say that my life is way better whilst off sugar, would be a gross understatement. Considering I have spent a period of time eating vegetarian, I also have a very “tuned in” experience when I am eating and can really feel which animal proteins are more easily digested and agree with my system. For me, most of these are fish proteins.

Eating Paleo is simply eating foods that are not inflammatory. It is not to do with huge protein and carcass eating, like some may think, it is a balanced way of living that involves tapping into the nutrition that suits our DNA. If you haven’t checked it out yet and find yourself caught in the media hype about it, do yourself a favour and watch some of Pete Evan’s videos with the worlds’ leading nutritional experts. Make no mistake we are going through a food revolution, we are not allowing the wool to be pulled over our eyes any more. Paleo is one fantastic way that this is coming about.

Another addition, one I have spoken about earlier, is MANA, www.manablend.com. This is the most beautiful collection of superfoods, which are, most importantly, treated with absolute love and care. I regularly add it into my daily consumption and always feel like I have put a nice big spiritual and energetic log on the fire after having some MANA. It is also a very gentle supplement, something I love about it. This is one of those wonderful products that has been created by two beautiful ladies, Lisa and Chrissy, because they had a passion for changing the world.

Next is a small company that was started just around the corner from my home. I am talking about Nutra-Organics, www.nutraorganics.com.au. This was started by a beautiful husband and wife, Mark and Darls, that just felt they could do a much better job of producing beautiful, healthy, organic, raw and vegan products. We love the products so much, that they line our cupboards now. I love trusting the people I buy off. We love their raw food bars and it is a bit of a fight between the kids lunch boxes and my training bag.

It is worth noting that there are so many beautiful people creating beautiful products right now, especially in the raw nutrition area. We have turned a corner that we will never go back around, thank you to all those that are putting these great products on our shelves and forcing some of the old less healthy ones off.

Lastly, and the one that I really wanted to focus on, I have come across Punish nutrition, www.punish.com.au. These are the guys that brought out Punish fight gear. Doesn’t seem like a likely fit, a fight gear company leading the way we approach our sports nutrition but these guys are out of the box. Nick and his team decided early on that they were sick and tired of the “artificially sweetened” and stimulant packed sports nutrition that was touted as the best of the best. They simply said “there must be a better way” when everyone else said “No, you need sweeteners and fillers to make it work”.

They set about creating a range of products that come from the best and most naturally derived ingredients. A couple of my favourites are their Branch Chain Amino Acids and their Proteins, particularly their Rice Protein. Whilst there is no rice in a Paleo eating plan, this is simply the protein removed from the rice. Their whole range is fantastic, but the Protein and Bcaa’s have become huge for me. I love creating whole food smoothies with the rice protein and love knowing that I am not putting whey protein into my “dairy intolerant” system, not to mention it is also not Paleo and in most cases causes inflammation.

The one that I have recently used a lot of is the Punish BCAA’s, (Branch Chain Amino Acids). The science suggests that these are what the body requires for the rebuilding of muscle and tissue after break down. Our bodies are made up of Proteins and amino acids and these Branch Chain amino acids are the vital building blocks that the body can’t create on it’s own. They therefore have to be absorbed in our dite. In a modern diet out of modern depleted soils etc and during heavier training, we are not getting enough of these into our systems.

Let’s make this clear, I am not doing big sessions, like the old days, but am going out there and keeping my training moving for up to an hour. When I have the Punish BCAA’s, I always recover faster and I don’t go through a energy slump whilst my body recovers. I just feel naturally supported. This is really important to me because my training is not even close to the most important thing of my day, that honour falls to the people I work and mix with and of course my family.

This means I can go out do a training session with my sons and come home and be totally present and vital for the people I am helping.

There are two versions of the BCAA’s. One is simply the best mix of BCAA’s and the other is that mix plus Magnesium for absorption, Electrolyte mix for mineral replacement and Glucose for energy and uptake. Whilst the glucose is of course a sugar, it is naturally derived and brilliantly mixed with the above mentioned elements to make the perfect energy matrix for pre, post and during training. I can literally tell the difference on my days when I mix these BCAA’s with my training. I love the Berry Blast flavor.

This need to follow better nutrition has come out of me getting back out and doing some more training and really needing to stay alert and clear during the recovery periods. I have had so much energy I decided to race again this season and pursue a dream with my Son, to race in a national championship together. This venture has all culminated in me racing at the Australian Open Surf Life Saving Championships as a 46 year old, mostly against mid 20 year olds. I followed the dream and teamed up with my Son, who has also been following the same plan and after many rounds, a lot of love and a few miracles, we won the Open Board Rescue, a feat that has never been achieved by a father and son before.

Whilst I believe the biggest reason behind it was the deep connection we share, our ability to stay in the moment right through all of the rounds and because it was just meant to be, I also believe that the nutrition I have mentioned above, played a massive part in having us prepared and keeping us both full of energy, even after 6 days of racing. I am beyond thankful for these people I’ve mentioned and the others that are leading our nutritional revolution.

If you have a passion, don’t hold back, like these guys mentioned above, you may just be supporting some others with their passion, like my Son and I.

Remember, bring it into now and never underestimate the power of who you are.

Love,

Trev