Legend, meet the Monday-to-Friday Bowl

G’day guys! We’re four days away from the Boston Marathon 2024 and I wanted to send a little love to all of you awesome legends for your support.

I set myself a goal to run a sub-3 marathon, made a plan to achieve it and adhered to it no matter what. In my attempts to run the race I have to hold a 4:17 min/km (or 6:50 min/ mile). When I started training 14 weeks ago, I was working around a 4:43 min/km. It just goes to show that no matter what you are trying to achieve, if you have a plan, get the reps in and allow your body to rest, you’ll get there!

At this point of my journey, I've done the work, and all that's left to do is show up and take on the 26.2-mile race course on Monday, April 15. If you want to keep up with my progress, follow along on my socials and if you’re in Boston and want to come by, slide into my DMs, and I'll send you a link!

Meanwhile, in today’s newsletter, let me hook you up with my Monday-to-Friday Bowl and tried-and-tested stress management strategies.

Today’s Agenda

• EAT: My super-practical epic power bowl

• PERFORM: Stress isn’t just in your head

• LIVE: Gain muscle while battling hypothyroidism and high cholesterol

The Monday-to-Friday Bowl

I'm not typically the kind of guy who can eat the same thing every day, but l'd happily take down this bowl Monday through Friday. What makes it extra epic is the diversity on the plate, as well as the ease of prep. You can prep most of it all at once for the week.

I’m so excited for you to have it, that I couldn’t wait for my upcoming cookbook Eat Like a Legend to be in your hands. Scarfably sweet, thanks to sweet potato, pear, and a balsamic dressing, the bowl features nutritional superstar quinoa, hearty kale, and store-bought rotisserie chicken.

INGREDIENTS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread the sweet potato on a small baking sheet (lined with parchment paper for easy cleanup), drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and sprinkle on a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Mix to coat well and roast in a single layer until tender with golden edges, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine the balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup of the oil, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small food processor. Give it a blitz, and with the processor still running, drizzle in another ¼ cup of olive oil and then half the cold water. Gradually add the remaining cold water just until it's the consistency of a vinaigrette. Set aside.

3. Toast the walnuts in a large, dry, heavy skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until they smell super nutty and turn a shade or so darker, 1 to 2 minutes. Chop roughly.

4. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the chicken along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until hot through and a little crispy at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Divide the quinoa among bowls, top with the sweet potato, kale, walnuts, and chicken. Core and cut the pear into ½-inch pieces and add them, too.

6. Drizzle on the epic dressing and it's game on!

Stress isn’t just in your head

Stress is more than anxiety and the body’s efforts to manage it. It’s a natural response to challenges, and impacts our mental as well as physical well-being; it can accelerate aging, cause inflammation, affect performance and recovery.

On a typical day, when I’m running from training to the kitchen to filming content, fatigue is inevitable. The strain I put my mind and body under leads to stress, which is linked to low cortisol levels.

I rely on data, because getting quantitative feedback helps me reducing stress. I monitor my stress so I can manage it. For example, I look at patterns in my day where I have low stress and I correspond that with the activities I was undertaking at that time. In most cases I am cooking, reading and even just being social. I use WHOOP to cross check the data so if I am in a stressful situation, I know what activities can help me offset that, or if I am having a heavy load day, what I can do to reduce the overall number!

Measuring Stress

I turn to my stress monitor to assess my stress levels. It does so by measuring my heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) against a personalized baseline. It accounts for motion to differentiate between physical exertion and stress. When I monitor my stress data, I measure it against myself. I compare my stress between months, and weeks, so I can visualize stress trends and patterns over time.

Managing Stress

Stress Monitor provides breath-work sessions proven to promote relaxation or alertness. I customize my cyclic hyperventilation exercises, because over time, I’ve learned what works best for me. Based on my own experience, I highly recommend WHOOP to track your stress level in real time, and provide science-backed breathing techniques to help manage it.

Try it for one free month, and let WHOOP help you understand your health and fitness at a level that has been impossible until now.

Gain muscle while regulating thyroid function & cholesterol levels

Today’s free meal plan review is for a legend that wishes to remain anonymous. He suffers from hypothyroidism and high cholesterol and his goal is to gain muscle, while effectively regulating thyroid function and cholesterol levels. He says, “I’m pretty active, but maybe not as much as I think.”

First of all mate, as a father of 4 hectic kids (aged 12, 11 and twin 8-year-olds) trying to do it all, you’re the definition of Everyday Legend, and it’s my honor to help you eat like one!

My Analysis and Recommendations:

• Increase fiber intake: Include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Opt for fiber-rich snacks when possible.

• Add low-cholesterol and plant-based foods: Choose lean proteins when possible or better yet, opt for plant-based options. Incorporate plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables. 

• Continue with healthy fat intake: Include sources like almonds, avocado and fatty fish. Also, enjoy dark chocolate!

Final Thoughts:

You’re on an excellent path already, mate. Great job diversifying your protein sources. Love that lentil bolognese!

• To boost overall nutrient content and benefit hypothyroidism, consider adding almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts or pumpkin seeds to your morning yogurt. Some tasty berries too!

• Eggs contain nutrients that may benefit hypothyroidism as well.

• Beef is high in cholesterol, so swapping it for chickpeas, lentils, or tofu every once in a while would help balance things.

Lastly

Win big with our referral program. Share this newsletter with Legends in your life and help them become even more Legendary. 🎁