Ireland's Junior Squash Players .. Getting Serious About Nutrition

I had another great session with some of Ireland's top junior squash players yesterday evening in Mount Pleasant LTC, helping them understand how taking nutrition seriously can give them that performance advantage when completing at national and international level. I was delighted to see they had implemented some really positive changes to their nutrition since our last session and had also grasped an incredible understanding of how to fuel their bodies for optimum energy, health and performance. The knowledge is now there and changing behaviour takes time and constantly needs to be worked on. However there is no better motivator than the drive to improve and succeed after all the hard work you put in when training at this high level in any sport. Best of luck to those competing in the five nations at the end of the month and future tournaments this year. And remember .... Taking your nutrition seriously and fueling your body for performance might give you the advantage you need over your opposition!

A few of you asked for the recipe for the scones I brought along - here it is! Almond and Lemon Drop Scones

100grams wholegrain flour 100grams ground almonds 300grams self raising flour rind of one full lemon 1 teaspoon of baking powder 2-3 tablespoons of honey (optional) 100grams of butter (or coconut oil) 2 eggs Enough buttermilk to bring to a consistency between a dough and a batter about 100mls

Set oven to 200 degrees celcius. Rub butter into dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add lemon rind and mix well. Add beaten eggs, honey and buttermilk. Mix well to a sloppy dough. On a baking tray covered in greaseproof paper drop 15 or so good tablespoons of mixture on the tray with about 1 inch between scones. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden.