Oliver Hayes
Why Energy Levels Falter
Most people who describe themselves as "running on empty" are not short of willpower. They are short of fuel delivered at the right times. Energy dips usually come from one of a handful of patterns: a breakfast built almost entirely on refined carbohydrate, a lunch grabbed on the move, a long gap between meals that ends in a biscuit, or a training session completed on a stomach that has had nothing useful for six hours.
The result is a familiar rhythm. Blood sugar rises quickly, falls quickly, and takes concentration, mood and training quality with it. The fix is not complicated, but it does need planning. Meals built around protein, fibre and slow-release carbohydrates digest gradually, keeping glucose steadier and appetite more predictable. For personal trainers, this is often the single most useful conversation to have with a client before touching supplements or complicated timing protocols.
Anchor Every Meal With Protein
Protein is the backbone of a steady-energy day. It slows digestion, supports appetite control and gives the body what it needs to repair after training. Aim for a palm-sized portion, roughly 25 to 40 grams, at each main meal rather than saving it all for dinner.
- Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds, eggs on wholemeal toast, or porridge made with milk and stirred through with a spoon of nut butter.
- Lunch: Chicken or tofu in a grain bowl, tinned tuna with beans, or a lentil soup with a side of cottage cheese.
- Dinner: Salmon, lean beef, tempeh or a generous portion of pulses, with vegetables and a slow-release starch.
- Snacks: Boiled eggs, edamame, hummus with vegetables, or a small pot of Skyr.
The breakfast habit matters most. Clients who add 30 grams of protein to their first meal frequently report that the mid-morning slump simply stops arriving.
Use Fibre as Your Steadying Hand
Fibre is the quiet workhorse here. It slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream, feeds gut bacteria and keeps hunger at a manageable level. Most adults in the UK fall well short of the 30 grams a day guideline, often sitting closer to 18.
Practical ways to close the gap:
- Leave skins on potatoes, apples and cucumbers.
- Swap white rice or pasta for wholemeal versions at least half the time.
- Add a handful of spinach, frozen peas or grated carrot to anything saucy.
- Keep tinned chickpeas, kidney beans and lentils in the cupboard and add them to soups, salads and traybakes.
- Choose wholegrain or seeded bread rather than white, and check the label for at least 6 grams of fibre per 100 grams.
Build fibre up gradually and increase water intake alongside it. Jumping from 15 to 35 grams in three days tends to produce bloating rather than energy.
Choose Slow-Release Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate is not the enemy of steady energy; fast carbohydrate in large amounts without protein or fibre is. The slower-digesting options give you a longer, flatter supply of glucose, which suits long work days, back-to-back client sessions and endurance training.
- Oats and barley: excellent at breakfast and in overnight setups.
- Sweet potato and new potatoes: roast a tray on Sunday and use through the week.
- Wholewheat pasta and quinoa: sturdy bases for batch-cooked lunches.
- Wholegrain rye or sourdough: slower than standard white sliced bread.
- Cooked and cooled rice or potato: the cooling process creates resistant starch, which digests more slowly still.
Portion according to load. A trainer delivering six sessions in a day needs more than someone on a desk-based rest day, and pretending otherwise leaves people under-fuelled and irritable by four o'clock.
Build a Week That Actually Holds Together
Meal planning fails when it depends on daily cooking from scratch. A better approach is to prepare components and assemble meals quickly.
- Cook one or two large proteins on Sunday: a tray of chicken thighs, a batch of lentil ragu, a block of baked tofu.
- Roast a tray of mixed vegetables and a tray of potatoes or squash at the same time.
- Cook a big pot of grains and store in portions in the fridge or freezer.
- Keep a "no-decision" breakfast that takes under five minutes.
- Stock emergency options: tinned fish, frozen edamame, pre-cooked pouches of grains, bags of frozen berries.
Write the plan as a list of meals rather than a rigid timetable, and allow two flexible slots for leftovers or eating out. Plans with no slack get abandoned by Wednesday.
Adjust for Training Days, Rest Days and Real Life
Energy needs shift with the week, and meals should shift with them. On training days, place a carbohydrate-containing meal two to three hours before the session, and follow it within a couple of hours with protein and carbohydrate together, such as chicken with rice, or yoghurt with fruit and oats. If a session is early, a lighter option like a banana with a spoon of peanut butter fifteen to thirty minutes beforehand works well for most people.
On rest days, keep protein and fibre steady, and reduce starch slightly if appetite is lower. If a day goes sideways, do not write off the week. The next meal is the only one that matters. Consistency across five or six days will do far more for your energy than any single perfect day, and clients who understand that tend to stick with the plan long enough for it to work.
