[00:00:00] Josh Kennedy: Today, we're talking about nutrition for cricketers, a beginner's guide. And if you listen to the previous podcast, the ideal weight and height for cricketers, this follows on nicely, I think, um, nutrition, potentially, you know, something at the top of the game. They are definitely looking into much more now in the, uh, in the professional guys, but amateur cricketers, we know from our experience, don't we, James, that they don't particularly consider nutrition when they're getting back into their training, you know, back in the nets or whatever.

[00:00:28] Um, you know, it's like. I'll find I'll exercise and I'll lose the weight and I'll do my cricket training and it'll all be fine. Nutrition is not something they consider highly, do they? And, um, do you want to talk about an interesting study from, uh, our good friend, Dr. John Berardi in terms of what happens when you.

[00:00:49] When you train for 12 weeks and don't take nutrition into account. 

[00:00:54] James Breese: Yeah. And I'd also argue that a lot of elite cricketers don't really know much about nutrition or think about [00:01:00] it because they haven't got time off at all. 

[00:01:02] Josh Kennedy: Would you not say it's considered, do they not put more emphasis at the top of the game?

[00:01:06] I would hope so in the professional, excuse me, game. 

[00:01:09] James Breese: I don't think it does. Speaking to some of the cricketers I have done, it's not, it's interesting. They get maybe. One or two days a year when they come in and speak to them, but I think it's something they're going to have to really look at, I think in the IPL they do when they're all in house working together as a team.

[00:01:27] And it's monitored a bit more. But I think every, every cricketer is left to his own devices, from what I'm seeing at the top level too. So, elites, amateurs, beginners, it's all on the same thing. So that's what I wanted to talk about today, this idea of this beginner's guide. But you're right, like John Briley, good friend of, uh, of Cricket Matters and us over the years and one of the leading proponents of habit based nutrition coaching, I think.

[00:01:51] He's an absolute fundamental, great guy. He's definitely a moderate. He's a moderate in terms of nutrition coaching, which is fantastic because you need [00:02:00] to be bang in the middle because you've got extremes left and right. Of the spectrum a bit like religion when it comes to, um, when it comes to nutrition but He did a great study and it showed that the data showed that three plus hours of training per week with a weightlifting coach And two plus hours of training per week with a bodyweight circuitry didn't really affect body fat percentages Right what he means by that is when he did he did two studies Where one group was training and just training, and then the other group focused on nutrition as well as training.

[00:02:30] And there's another group that just focused on nutrition. What he found was that just the training group didn't lose any body weight at all over the 12 weeks. Nutrition guys lost a little bit of weight, but the guys who trained and looked after their nutrition lost the most amount of weight. Right? It was ridiculous.

[00:02:47] They were like, what was it, 35 and 45 percent in some places? Like over the end of 12 weeks, people lost so much amount. I can't find the data in front of me right now. Can you see where it was, Josh? Uh, 

[00:02:58] Josh Kennedy: I think it was, I did have it. [00:03:00] Now you've thrown me, I think it was about 35 percent and 45 percent body fat.

[00:03:05] There we go. As indicated by DEXA body scan. So very accurate, obviously. 

[00:03:10] James Breese: So it was, like I said, it was just a great study to show that. If you want to lose weight, that is what you need to do. And most cricketers do need to lose a bit of weight. So we're talking about this. But it's not just about weight loss.

[00:03:24] We've got to look at nutrition in terms of performance and mindset and recovery. Particularly the older cricketers out there. You've got to recover between matches. Even the pros are going to recover between matches to go again and again and again. But nutrition affects your mindset when you're playing.

[00:03:39] If you're undernourished, you're not going to think as clearly as you would do if you had the right amount of energy. Again, I use it time and time again, Batsmen, a lot of them get out in 20 and 30 mostly because they're unfit or they haven't got enough energy to keep on going, they're under fuelled most of the time.

[00:03:56] So, this is kind of like the starting point of well, nutrition, [00:04:00] where do we start? That's the topic, that's the question. But unfortunately we don't always start when it comes to training because it's the hardest thing to fix. Am I right, Josh? 

[00:04:09] Josh Kennedy: It is indeed. I think you're leading on nicely to our four quadrants here, aren't you?

[00:04:14] Can you tell us what are the four quadrants? 

[00:04:16] James Breese: So when we start working with nutrition with any athlete or we want to go into nutrition with them, we know we need to go into nutrition with them. The four quadrants of this, we start with activity first. We then look at hydration, we then look at lifestyle factors, and then we start addressing nutrition, because it's like a domino effect, right?

[00:04:33] If we start getting people moving more, we'll get them drinking more. If they start moving more and drinking more, they'll start sleeping better and feeling better about themselves. And when they do all three of those, they then start to adhere to nutrition practices a lot easier and they're more willing to adhere to nutritional practices, right?

[00:04:51] Because it's all about mind over matter a lot of the time, particularly if it's a weight loss journey or even weight gain journey sometimes because you just don't want to eat as much food, [00:05:00] right? It's mind over matter. So you feel better. You will then start to adhere to the nutrition principles a lot simpler.

[00:05:06] So that's our process when we go through that. And we discovered this by working with a load of clients over the last 20 or so years. And we found that the difference between elite performers, or the high performing athletes, and the everyday Joes we were working with, Essentially were the basics in place and our basics in place are WWS walk, water, sleep, and the triple seven rule.

[00:05:25] So if people aren't walking at least 7, 000 steps a day, aren't drinking seven glasses of water a day, and aren't sleeping seven hours a night, there is no point doing anything else with them in terms of nutrition because they haven't got the basics in play. You need that. You need to be hydrated. You need to be well rested and sleep well because if you don't sleep well, you know, you naturally want to eat, eat and consume more calories and make poorer choices.

[00:05:48] Right? And if you're not walking, you're not moving blood, you're not burning energy, it's not part of your NEAT, your non exercise activity thermogenesis, which helps in the weight loss process and just recovering better because it pumps blood [00:06:00] around the body. You're not adhering to those principles. It's gonna make it harder.

[00:06:04] So we look at these areas first. So nutrition starts with the basics of WWS. Are you doing them? Yes. And no, if it's a no, we start there. 

[00:06:14] Josh Kennedy: Exactly. You've got to have the fundamentals in place. And there was that we talk about, as you say, because it's a nice ring to it. The triple seven rule, you know, 7, 000 steps, seven hours of sleep, seven glasses of water.

[00:06:26] But there was that study that showed. What was it an ideal world? 8, 500 steps is like about the perfect amount. If you want to lose some body fat the next day, it has a knock on effect. So if you didn't do your 8, 500 the day before, you're not going to lose quite as much the next day. So in an ideal world, 8, 500 is what you want to be shooting for.

[00:06:48] But of course, if you only walk 3000 now, then get to. Get to 5, 000, then get to 7, 000, then get, you know, just do it in incremental, incremental steps. There you go. Incremental [00:07:00] steps. So if we've got the. Basics of WWS in place. What, what is next? What are some good, healthy habits for cricketers when it comes to nutrition?

[00:07:10] James Breese: Protein with every meal. I think that's the really simplest one here. So let's, let's think about rather than thinking about calories and how many calories you need to consume. Let's talk about basics of what you're consuming. And what we do know is that everything starts with protein. So you've got these high carb diets, low fat diets, high fat diets, low carb diets, right?

[00:07:32] But what everyone can agree on is that people need protein, right? It helps recovery. It's muscle synthesis, right? It's it helps preserve muscle mass. It keeps you fuller for longer. Everyone can agree on that. So we start looking at protein consumption first. So, whether you want to go to high fat, low carb, or high carb, low fat, whatever you want to do, start with the protein first.

[00:07:55] And it makes no difference what you consume after that, because the protein is the most important aspect. [00:08:00] So, we want to look at the protein levels first of what you're doing, and are you having protein with every meal? Ideally, go for a palm sized portion with every meal, at least, is the simplest way to do it.

[00:08:11] Because again, this is nutrition for beginners, not advanced meals. We'll talk about advanced nutrition tactics later down the line. But, you know, go for a palm sized portion of protein with every meal as a starting point and then start to feel how you feel after food. Are you fuller for longer? Are you craving less food?

[00:08:28] Okay? Because that's what tends to happen is the cravings are not being fully, are not satiated. 

[00:08:33] Josh Kennedy: Yeah, exactly. So protein is the most satiating macronutrient out there. It'll make you feel fuller for longer and it will, it should help you stem those cravings, reaching for the sugary treats or, uh, you know, higher fat treats and stuff, if you're getting enough protein in.

[00:08:47] And as we know, again, from working with a lot of people over the years, most people do not eat enough protein, do they? 

[00:08:54] James Breese: Not at all. And how much protein do you need? Well, we'll save that for another podcast because that goes into more advanced [00:09:00] tactics. And you probably think, well, I need to know how much to eat.

[00:09:02] No, stop. The biggest mistake you do right now is people jump into nutrition with two feet and try and do everything all at once. It's hard. Nutrition is really hard and it takes a lot of time, trial and error to get it right. It really does. So again, it comes back to the activity in the quadrant. Activity, hydration, lifestyle, then nutrition.

[00:09:24] Activity layer one is are you walking 7, 000 steps a day? Activity level two is are you training? Three to four times a week consistently, right? Activity level four, are you trading out seven, seven days a week? And doing multiple trading days per day, right? If we want to talk about in depth here. Hydration, well, are you drinking seven glasses?

[00:09:43] Okay, level two, are you, are you, are you able to absorb that water? And that is, you know, are you taking electrolytes, peeing it out straight away, right? And then three is, well, how good's the quality of your sleep, right? What are the lifestyle factors? What stress factors do you have in place? Let's work on these things [00:10:00] first to make you feel better about yourself so you can go into nutrition because I promise you it'll make it so much simpler.

[00:10:05] That's from years of experience of practicing and experimenting with diets, working with athletes and listening to some of the best nutrition coaches out there too. 

[00:10:15] Josh Kennedy: Absolutely. So as you say, protein first, once you've, once you've done all those and then you come on to nutrition, protein is the first macronutrient we should be focusing on.

[00:10:25] Keep it simple. As you say, palm sized portion to begin with, and then we can advance from there. This is a slightly more, um, Controversial question, I suppose. What type of diet would you recommend for cricketers? 

[00:10:39] James Breese: All diets work. Let's say that for another podcast, the best diet for cricketers, we'll definitely talk about at some point, but it all diets work, all diets work.

[00:10:47] You need to find the right one that's suitable for you, your beliefs and how it fits in your lifestyle. 

[00:10:53] Josh Kennedy: Okay. But would you say potentially that, um, cricketers maybe need more carbohydrates potentially [00:11:00] to help them fuel their sport? 

[00:11:01] James Breese: Depends. If your body can process the carbohydrates, yes, you know, you get too technical.

[00:11:08] I know. So you ask the question, you only get the proper answer. So yes, in theory, they want a few more carbs help process them. However, if you're somebody like me. who doesn't do well and absorb carbs and process carbs very well. I want less carbs, high fat, more protein. 

[00:11:25] Josh Kennedy: As you say, though, you look at now you can see you getting technical.

[00:11:27] Now you're saying process carbs. What about your vegetables, James? Live on broccoli. Hail to the broccoli. 

[00:11:32] James Breese: Yes. Hail on broccolis. This episode can be now sponsored by broccoli, right? How about that? Sponsored by Broccoli today, that is what's happening here. But yeah, no, I, vegetables are so important, right?

[00:11:42] Just don't, just keep eating them. Fruits, vegetables, keep eating them. It's really important. 

[00:11:47] Josh Kennedy: Exactly, exactly. So is there, I feel like we're kind of wrapping up here. Is there anything, could you actually, you know what James, summarize what Nutrition for Quick as a Beginner's Guide, please? 

[00:11:58] James Breese: Absolutely.

[00:11:58] Nutrition for Quick is, have you got the [00:12:00] basics in place, right? Are you walking 7, 000 steps a day? Absolutely. Are you drinking seven glasses of water? Because a lot of cricketers are dehydrated. They don't drink, they drink lots of coffee and beer. 

[00:12:11] Josh Kennedy: Most, never mind cricketers, most people are dehydrated to be honest.

[00:12:15] As I'm sitting here drinking my water. 

[00:12:17] James Breese: Me too, yeah. And are you having electrolytes with those water as well to help you absorb the water? And are you getting enough sleep consistently? Are you going to bed at a consistent time? Are you waking up at a consistent time? Are you getting at least seven hours of sleep?

[00:12:29] Ideally more closer to eight. Right? If you're doing that, well, then we can start talking about everything, but then it comes down to protein, start with protein first, eat more protein than we are, just focus on the protein at every meal as a starting point for nutrition and everything else will take care of itself after that.

[00:12:47] Josh Kennedy: Absolutely. Thank you very much. That is it for today. Please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe. And if you would like our free training plan, then go to cricketmatters. com forward slash train.