As an athlete in my younger days, and later as a runner, I believed that being active gave me the freedom to eat almost anything. Over time, I realised that this mindset was doing more harm than good.

Nutrition is highly specific depending on our goals. Furthermore, the food we consume is influenced by our family and surroundings, and is very personal, depending on where we hail, local delicacies, availability, and affordability. 

During one of my marathon training cycles, I noticed that my recovery was taking longer than it should. I was getting injured more often, and each injury took longer to heal. That’s when I decided to consult a nutritionist. The improvements I experienced sparked my curiosity and became the beginning of my journey into understanding nutrition more deeply. I eventually chose to get certified so I could understand not just what works, but why it works.

The desire to solve an existing problem is the key to learning, and if the problem is in oneself, the learning accelerates. However, results are the test of patience and consistency. 

During my last marathon cycle, I started applying my learnings, and the biggest improvement was in recovery. I was able to hit my weekly mileage and also get on with my everyday work life. This was also getting evident in my paces and race results. 

Thus, a fellow runner got interested in nutrition consulting. They wanted to improve their pace and hit a few time goals. 

Adult learning is trust-based. Consistency is seen, and discipline shows in the work we put in. My mentee lost 5 kgs in 2 months, improved their pace and achieved their goal. 

In one of our meetings, I mentioned that they should stop my consulting, as they had achieved their goal and now knew the drill. They mentioned, “I know, now it’s no more about food, it’s about mindset”. I still need help with that. 

Mentoring is a constant learning; no 2 mentees are the same. Their goals are different. Nutrition for me is the start of the journey, and soon the conversations become a “food for thought”. 

This journey is also not forced; both the mentor and mentee are constantly evolving. 

As a runner myself, I keep reminding myself that I need to push my limits, and, in the same way, I need to push my mentees' mindsets and, one day, set them free.