I’ve always loved sport. In fact, some (my wife) would say I’m obsessed with it, based on what must seem like an endless stream of ‘unmissable’ action from around the globe (test match cricket is particularly rewarding for truly year-round entertainment).
But it’s not just the watching that floats my boat. If I go more than a couple of days without going for a decent run or some serious physical exertion (ideally with a competitive element), I get very crabby.
So that’s most of my spare time covered, but my day job is of course centred around nutrition, and primarily the dietetic management of incredibly sick patients on ICU. I love the role, and as I move well into my second year of doing it, it’s certainly a case of the more you know, the more you become aware of the massive gaps in your (and the collective) knowledge base. But that’s fine by me – I would hate to feel like I wasn’t learning something new each day, and I’m in the right place to help unravel the complexities of critical care nutrition.
Anyway, it recently occurred to me that I should also be doing more to combine my twin passions of sport and nutrition. I’ve had a flurry of questions come my way this year from friends and fellow runners (in the build up to the marathon, particularly) about multiple aspects of sports nutrition, and it is something I really enjoy discussing. I’ve covered plenty of sport and exercise nutrition in previous degrees, but now it’s something I’m planning to formalise, with recognition by way of the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register (www.senr.org.uk), giving me the opportunity to work with more people who love sport and exercise (nearly) as much as me.
So, that’s the short-ish term plan (alongside good old intensive care of course). And there was me thinking my days of academia were behind me…watch this space and wish me luck!
