Keeping Fit, Focused and Clean

 As a child and growing up in the 70's in the little rural village of East Haddon in Northamptonshire, my sister Louise and I were always out and about riding our bicycles and running around the village with our friends because within the rural environment it was safe and secure. We were lucky enough to have a squash club with a swimming pool in the village, so we played squash and swam whenever we could, sport seemed to come naturally to us which was quite a surprise considering both our parents had really no interest in it at all! We totally loved it all and immersed ourselves into various school sporting activities. I played football for my school and the village men's team when I reached 15 years old, ran cross country, played tennis and took part in any activity that was going on.

But starting a career in catering doesn't bode well for continuing your hobbies and interests and generally keeping fit! I remember starting my first big job in London at the Inn on the Park, Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane in 1989 at the tender age of 20 years old and catching the first tube at 05.00 to get to work at 06.00 (as I was on the breakfast shift for the first three months!!) and thinking to myself, whilst looking at all the other forlorn people in the carriage, there must be a better way to get to work than this?! So shortly afterwards I bought my first mountain bike and started to cycle to work every day. I loved it, as it seemed to stir up memories of cycling around East Haddon where I grew up as a child, although a hell of a lot busier and considerably more dangerous! Cycling to work and back every day kept me fit, saved me huge amounts of money on tube fares and allowed me to discover all back street routes around a lot of London; you see and notice so much more on a bicycle than you would ever do in a car or train. On my days off I would go to the gym near my home in Putney with my three other house mates and do weights and have competitions on the cross trainer. I also played for the Four Seasons Hotel football team as a striker in the London Hotel League every week. We achieved some good results in the league in the early 90's.

As my career in catering continued and my love for it grew and grew, I worked with some legendary individuals, cooking all over the world and met some people from all walks of life who have become my friends. I soon realised that keeping fit kept me focused and able to work the long hours that were asked for; whereas many other chefs suffered from alcohol or substance abuse. It is very unfortunate, but the hospitality industry has one of the highest percentages of mental health, ill health, substance, alcohol abuse and stress out there. I am proud to say that I have never succumbed to any of the above mentioned, apart from the occasional beer or glass of wine, but instead always remained clean and focused, 

I still cycle around 30 - 40 km every day, I swim a minimum of 2 km every week, on my day off and have previously trained in Krav Maga (Israeli unarmed combat) for a decade with my instructor and friend Mike Kapsalis. In 2009 and 2010 I competed in the Vertical Rush, which is a race up the stairs of Tower 42 (the building where Rhodes 24 was situated). I completed the 900ft vertical race in 5 minutes 54 seconds placing me 11th out of 900 runners, which I was more than happy with! I have since gone on to compete in numerous Spartan races, Tough Mudder, Hell Runner and I have competed in the Swim Serpentine, Henley Mile and Castle to Castle open water swim races, and several Harlequins Rugby Club Rival Ride cycling events, which I absolutely love. 

Keeping fit is an integral part of my life and now in my mid fifties and with an active family I still have to exercise everyday as part of my daily routine. Numerous articles have been written over the years on the connection between exercise to positive thinking, general happiness, focus and the achievement of goals. I firmly believe this to be true and I could not honestly imagine my life without some sort of daily exercise. It seems that there are many exceptionally successful and talented chefs in the industry that keep fit on a daily basis through various forms of exercise too, such as Gordon Ramsay. Phil Howard, Paul Ainsworth, Tom Aikens and Michel Roux Jnr to name just a few. They share the same ethos that I do, which seems to prove the point that keeping fit keeps you focused, positive and enables you to maintain exacting standards in life and a highly pressurised job. 

Now as a private chef, my role is to create outstanding meal plans for my clients so that their journey in life or even in recovery, whether it is from mental health, alcohol addiction, substance abuse or dietary restrictions can be the most enjoyable it can possibly be and for me the most important thing about creating a meal, is that it is enjoyable, tantalises the senses and gives pleasure. Very simple really. 

There is definitely a link between nutrition and mental health, the term “You are what you eat” is so true. What we eat can significantly influence our brain chemistry and mental state, with deficiencies in nutrients leading to mood swings, brain function and general well being. The human brain directly affects our stomach and intestines and it works both ways; so for example when the thought of eating a fantastic meal can start the stomach juices flowing and make you feel happy, the opposite can occur when a troubled intestine can send messages to the brain causing stress, anxiety or depression. 

So it is essential that we have a balanced nutritional diet to sustain the balance in mental health. I work closely from day one with each client and the medical team to ensure that each meal is tailor made to their needs. This meal plan will gradually change over the course of time as the client starts to move into the next phases of their recovery. 

When I create a meal plan for addiction recovery, the meals need to contain nutrient dense whole foods, so that it replenishes their body with vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Whole foods or “clean foods” as I like to call them, are unprocessed, fresh natural ingredients with minimal natural sugar, so there will be no sharp spikes in blood sugar levels, which would in turn help reduce mood swings, depression and anxiety. 

As the clients diet is changed to a clean, well balanced and nutritional meal plan, this in turn regulates their blood sugar levels and will minimize the risk of relapse and should help curb the cravings for addictive substances. 

I am just a chef, not a doctor, but food is definitely medicine in mental health and addiction recovery. Sustainable, long-term healing requires more than therapy and medication; it requires me as the chef to play a vital role in the clients nutrition and that balanced with daily exercise can only lead to a positive mental, physical state and life longevity. 

I have never been in recovery but I whole heartedly agree that daily exercise, coupled with balanced nutrition and a healthy clean lifestyle can only lead to a positive mindset, physical wellbeing and a long life. I believe I am proof of that, especially after 40 years of being a chef.