👋 Hey. Welcome to issue #81 of The Everyday Athlete Newsletter.
Here are my 3 favourite ideas, learns and resources to help you improve your performance this week (4.5 min read):
🌱 Popping the hood on athletic greens
If you’ve ever listened to a podcast, you’ve likely heard of Athletic Greens.
It’s a greens nutrition supplement. Over 75 vitamins, minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, superfoods, adaptogens, digestive support, and antioxidants.
Sounds pretty good, right? 75 ingredients! How good. Surely the more the better.
Plus, it’s promoted by some of the most trusted public faces in the health and performance world.
But before you splurge on the $120aud/month price tag, consider this:
Their “proprietary blend” helps keep the exact amounts of ingredients a secret.
But some smart nutritionists are helping us crack the code a bit...
See, each ingredient is supposedly listed in order of quantity. So the first ingredient listed should have the greatest portion in the "proprietary blend".
And first up is spirulina—an algae loaded with anti-oxidants shown to benefit cardiometabolic health.
But for these benefits, the research says we need dosages of 4-10g.
The Athletic Greens serving size is 12g.
So if they're giving us the dosage we need of spirulina, we’ve only got (at a minimum) 8g left for the other 74 ingredients.
Going through the ingredients like this, it becomes pretty clear that we can't possibly be getting the scientifically recommended dosages needed to actually get benefits.
Rather, they're including tiny amounts of them so they can promote their benefits—including them for marketing rather than effectiveness.
The studies on their website aren’t real rigorous either. For example, the study on gut health indicators was literally done with 3 people. And the subjective studies fail to mention how placebo might influence pounding a “nutritional greens” drink every morning.
Look, there's definitely benefit. I reckon it's still the best quality greens supplement on the market. But far from the best value.
I forked out the $120/month when I was living in Canada, without access to quality food like we have in Aus. And it gave me serious peace of mind.
But I was probably better off saving some cash and running a good multivitamin. Which is probably the option if you’re travelling or out of routine, and can’t eat well.
Apparently their sponsorships are great though. So if this newsletter blows up, you’ll know why I’ve changed my tune on it 😂
🏃 Marathon training program
Bloke ran 2:57:31 in his first marathon, 6 months after he started running.
Insane.
His weekly training included:
- 🏃 6 runs
- 🏋️ 4-5 lifts
- 🤸 Daily prep and mobility work
- 🔥 Daily ice and sauna
- 🥑 Good nutrition
We don't all have time or access to that. But inspiration you can scale down to suit yourself.
Get a full breakdown of his training plan – HERE
🧘 Building recovery into the day
I tend to try optimise every minute of my weekdays.
If I'm not being productive it's a waste of time.
If I'm not working, I’m listening to podcasts—on breaks, at lunch, on walks.
It means my entire day is spent exciting the nervous system.
And I found, about once a week, I'd be up in the middle of the night. Mind racing. Tossing and turning.
I never thought the two would be related. Turns out they are.
So I started building recovery into my day—as simple as making most of my breaks tech-free.
But it could also look like doing a few minutes of:
- 💨 Down-reg breathing
- 🧘 Yoga nidra
- 🎧 Quick lie down with binaural beats
- 🚶A walk outside without the phone
By just reducing stimulus throughout the day, I've slashed these middle-of-the-night wake-ups, seem to be way better at dealing with stressors, and amcounter-intuitively more productive.
Food for thought.
💪 Wanna upgrade your health and fitness by 10% in 8 weeks? Learn more about working with me 1:1 here.
That's it!
Have a great weekend 🤙
Matt
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The Everyday Athlete Newsletter is not a licensed health service and is not a substitute for professional health advice, treatment or assessment. The information given in this email is general in nature, written for a specific audience. If you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional.
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