Tom Daley has revealed that he will marry his fiancé Dustin Lance Black – congrats guys – and Healthista is celebrating by interviewing the mega-medal winning Olympic superstar about his go-to healthy life hacks
In his new book Tom’s Daily Plan: Over 80 fuss-free recipes for a happier, healthier you. All day, every day
, Olympic golden boy, Tom Daley, 22 reveals the go-to daily practices and recipes that keep him fit, healthy and in such great shape. We caught up with him to find out the life hacks we could steal to give our own lives a bit of Olympic edge.
READ: Tom Daley’s 3 healthy dinner recipes from his book here
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How to get motivated when it all seems too much
‘I like to have a bit of a plan – think about the process how you get there. First, think of the steps that can happen overnight – eating well, daily exercise, meditation. These are the things that can get you results quickly so you keep going. Then, the steps you need to achieve in the medium term, and the long-term as well as the daily moves you need to make to achieve the goal. Then, you keep reviewing that plan – changing up daily and medium term actions until you get to your goal.
2. How to get to sleep
‘Lots of people struggle with stress, anxiety and getting to sleep and I have in the past too. Now, I do 10 minutes of meditation every single morning and that sometimes helps me when I am going to bed as I am able to focus on my breathing which in turn helps me sleep. I started off using Headspace App and then from there learned the basics. It’s all about focusing on your breathing and the habits of your breath and knowing that you can take some space on your own anywhere whether it is five, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, for some ‘you’ time really helps with your focus on the day. That in turn has meant better night’s sleep for me.
Lots of people struggle with stress, anxiety and getting to sleep and I have too.
‘Also be conscious of what you are doing before you go to bed – not eating too close to your bedtime and not looking at your phone or tablet.
3. How to get motivated when you haven’t slept enough
‘I get up about 7am to go and train at 8am. That gives me an hour to eat a good breakfast and do my meditation before I go and throw myself off a diving board.
Your body doesn’t need those perfect eight hours of sleep all the time
‘But when you have a bad night’s sleep it’s important to remember it’s only one night. Your body doesn’t need those perfect eight hours of sleep all the time. If you get yourself up and going and moving and following your daily actions, you might find you start to feel better, instead of focusing on being tired. Once I get started on training, I always get into a better mood.
4. How to cook healthily when you haven’t got the time
‘Yes, I eat pretty healthy but I never cook with anything that I need to go to a special store to find. I think you need to keep it simple and use ingredients that you can get on your way home from work from your local supermarket or corner shop. All the recipes in my book are based around simple easy-to-get ingredients.
I like making sweet potato chips by slicing it finely and roasting it in the oven on baking paper with some garlic salt, paprika or chilli flakes
I love quinoa for adding to salads with some lemon and mixed seeds to help you get essential fatty acids. I also like making sweet potato chips by slicing it finely and roasting in the oven on baking paper with some garlic salt, paprika or chilli flakes. You can cover them in honey for an extra treat.
5. How to step away from a crisis and pull yourself together
I will try and find a quiet space and breathe in for a count of one and out for a count of two until I am calm and collected. Extending the exhalation really helps you relax and get into the present moment. I do that before each dive to get myself really calm. It really helps with anxiety and stress if you’re in a situation where you are panicking or you need to respond fast or you need to prepare for something scary.
Tom Daley‘s new book Tom’s Daily Plan: Over 80 fuss-free recipes for a happier, healthier you. All day, every day £6.99
READ MORE:
Tom Daley’s healthy dinner recipes
How meditation affects your brain
How to become a vegan – from super-blogger Niomi Smart
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