37% of Brits say that their energy levels are the lowest they have ever been as they enter a new season

GB Marathon & Ultra Distance Runner and Revvies ambassador, Samantha Amend, offers her top nutrition tips to for Brits to combat lethargy and get to grips with their health

The past year has by far one of the most tiresome and draining in recent memory, with Covid making many of us consider making changes to boost our overall health and wellbeing and kickstart the next year with a health kick.

But, as Brits continue to embrace their new year health kicks, it is more essential than ever that the nation makes the important strides to ensure that the foods they consume also help to combat the exhaustion epidemic that is affecting many of us this lockdown.

New nationally representative research conducted by Revvies, has found that 37% of Brits claim their energy levels are the lowest they have ever been as we enter the new season, with a third of Brits saying that working from home again has made them more lethargic than ever.

Key Statistics:

•         37% of Brits say that their energy levels are the lowest they have ever been
•         37% of Brits say that working from home has made them the most lethargic and tired they have ever been
•         23% of Brits claim that their normal methods of replenishing their energy levels take too much time or cost too much money to be realistic (meditation, spas, exercise, supplements)
•         18% of Brits avoid caffeinated drinks as they upset their stomach

Finding the ways to maintain a new healthy lifestyle is now proving more difficult than ever, with the UK under lockdown amid the cold winter months and motivation at an all-time low. Now, Brits throughout the country are looking for ways to re-energise and replenish to start the season off right, and now face the challenge of rebuilding their energy levels, fighting fatigue and combating this epidemic of exhaustion in hopes of maintaining a healthy life in 2021.

As a seasoned professional athlete and committed vegan, Samantha Amend, GB Marathon & Ultra Distance Runner and Revvies ambassador, has offered her top tips to get to grips with your spring-time health kick:

“No diet is perfect, so it is important to look at adding additional supplements to your diet to cater for anything you may now be missing from cutting out meat. Here are some of the key nutrients and vitamins needed for a healthy balanced diet and some that I utilise in mine to boost my energy and overall performance.”

•   Iron  –  On many occasions I have had to keep check of my iron levels and you are more at risk when not eating meat. Recommendations often suggested will be porridge oats, or cereals with added iron, spinach, edamame beans, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, green veg, nuts and dark chocolate.
•  Protein  – The first question as a runner I always get asked “where do you get your protein?” Let’s be honest you do not need to be a dietician or nutritionist to know most foods have protein and even now most non vegan products have alternatives. it is not difficult to reach the recommended daily intake as a vegan. Double space  Some of the best sources for vegans are products made from TVP (textured vegetable protein) or pea/soy protein.  Some suggestions could be chickpeas, black beans, baked beans and edamame; seeds, nuts and nut butters; quinoa, oats, rice and grains. Even vegetables contain protein!
•  Calcium – Beans and greens tend to be calcium-rich and examples for this would be kidney beans, soya beans, kale, watercress, and broccoli. You’ll also get this from sweet potato, butternut squash and tofu, and from dried fruits & nuts like dried figs and almonds.
•  Vitamin D –   This helps absorb calcium and from the months of September – April especially in the UK there is less sunlight. Many people forget this vitamin is needed and can be found in breakfast cereals and breads.
•  Omega-3 and Omega-6  – Known as fatty acids and can be found in leafy vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains and most vegetable oils. It is very easy to get sufficient Omega-6 on a balanced vegan diet. Then, for the Omega 3 (found in fish), the best source again are the trusty green vegetables, walnuts, and flaxseeds.
•  Vitamin B12 – A must as a supplement and only found in animal based products. As a marmite lover this is a great start as years extract has this at a plentiful and in soups, I add often a little of this to a soup or roasted veg. Additionally, plant-based milks have plenty of this present.

Samantha Amend: 

“During the lead-up to a race I will up my carbohydrates and ensure the fluid intake is good.  I find that post race I become very dehydrated. The general plan is “eat well” all the time and then increase calories and also make sure during the race every hour you take carbohydrates and fluid, fulfilling a strategy.

“I have taken regular advice and built up knowledge on good sources of food over the years learning from fatigue or signs I am lacking something. It’s especially key if you’re starting to increase your running distance/time/speed which will impact recovery with poor nutrition.

“Some example foods I will take during a race will be FODMAP related (do not aggravate the gut) which wasn’t always the case but recommended through a Revvies nutritionist. Then I would have a mix of bananas (potassium), Huma gels (vegan), and Tailwind for fluid which is also vegan. Not forgetting my regular use of Revvies Energy Strips every 4 hours on a 24hr race.”