Joel Tobin-White28-year-old Australian elite long-distance runner and co-founder and host of a running podcast. for congratulations.
The Melbourne Track Club member has competed in events ranging from 1500 meters to 10,000 meters around the world.
Here, he joins the 9Coach series 5 fitness questions.
1. We are always promised “the secret” to getting and staying healthy. What’s yours?
Constancy is my secret. There are no shortcuts to being healthy and staying fit. It’s about following a program week after week and allowing your body to slowly adjust to the training routine. Nothing can happen overnight, but with a consistent focus on training and healthy lifestyle habits, anything is possible.
2. What is one thing you know about health now (be it training, eating, or general wellness) that you wish you could go back in time and tell yourself five or ten years ago?
Developing my first point: As a young athlete, I made the mistake of pushing myself too hard in certain sessions during the training week. I would struggle with illness and injury because my body was always trying to catch up.
As an older athlete, I now know that you have to think “60 weeks, not 60 days.” With the consistent long-term approach to training, you are much more likely to stay injury and illness free.
READ MORE: 5 tips for getting back into exercise after a break
3. What is your nutrition philosophy?
As an endurance athlete, I burn so many calories that my nutritional philosophy has to be “eat a lot, all the time.”
When people find out I’m a professional athlete, they always ask, “Does that mean you have to be very strict about what you eat?” The answer is no. I have to make sure that I get all the necessary macro and micronutrients in a balanced diet and that any additional calories I consume throughout the day are used as energy in my training.
For someone trying to lose weight, with a 5K couch program for example, they would have to be much more strict with their diet, as their energy expenditure will not be the same as a professional long-distance runner. In elite sport, I have seen so many athletes get injured due to calorie counting and a lack of the proper nutrition required during heavy training loads.
READ MORE: Adaptive sport ‘saved’ a Paralympic athlete after an event that ‘changed his life’
4. What is one area of your own health, fitness, or wellness that you are working to improve? Is there a goal you’ve set for yourself or a skill you’re trying to master?
The last few months I have been managing a nagging knee problem. I have had to manage this with anti-inflammatory medications, rest, physical therapy, and rehabilitation. After the injury came back for the third time in four months, I realized that the only way to beat the injury once and for all was to take three weeks off running and spend time training in the gym.
Strength and conditioning training allows me to strengthen the muscles, joints, and other parts of the body that work together to support the knee when you run. Many times, injuries can occur due to weaknesses in other parts of the body and the only way they can be fixed is through strength training at the gym.
5. What small, practical step would you take if a friend asked you for advice on something they could do to improve their health starting today?
It really depends on each case. If a friend spent the weekends partying, he would tell her to cut down on her drinking. If a friend ate unhealthy but exercised a lot, he would tell you to address your macro and micronutrients in your daily nutrition. If a friend was eating very healthy but not exercising, he would encourage him to start the day with a morning walk to get his body moving.
That said, the only thing I would recommend about anything is “move”. Sedentary lifestyles are horrible for our health, so the one thing I would recommend above all else is finding time each day to get your body moving, whether it’s walking the dog, cycling to work, doing yoga at lunch or jogging in the morning. Get your body moving every day!
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