Daley - Toms Daily Plan

I dedicate this book to my dad, Rob.
It was always my mission in life to get him to exercise,
and although he succeeded in getting me to eat my veggies,
I never quite managed to get him to fall in love with exercise.
But maybe if he saw this book, he would give it a go.

CONTENTS

As an Olympian, its my job to know all about eating healthily as well as getting and staying! fit. I have learned a huge amount about food and nutrition and Ive spent a lot of time trying to learn about my body so I can perform to the best of my ability. But Ive also worked with a lot of experts on lifestyle factors, such as willpower, motivation, achieving a healthy work/life balance, and its amazing how much of a difference that can really make. I wanted to write this book so I could share some of these ideas, because I know they will work for you too.

My plan will show you how to eat well, build strength, tone up and train both your body and mind to reach your health and fitness goals in easy, accessible steps. The following pages feature more than 80 of my favourite recipes for quick, delicious and easy-to-prepare meals, home workouts for all fitness levels, and lifestyle tips to improve your overall performance. My aim is to help you achieve your best and feel amazing, all day, every day.

Whats the plan? Its simple, and I promise you dont have to follow my Olympic training schedule of five hours, six days a week!

EAT All my recipes are truly delicious. Mix and match the breakfasts, lunches and dinners that will work for your day, and dont be scared to add in a treat too.

MOVE Follow my customised fitness routines five days a week. These are QUICK and it doesnt matter how fit or not you are. Just 20 minutes a day will really help.

LIVE Make some you time with my daily life hacks. They are designed to keep you firmly on track with your new healthy, happier lifestyle.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

We all lead busy lives and its all too easy to fall into a pattern of grabbing unhealthy food on the go or trying the latest fad diets. These diets do not work and they go against the basic principles of nutrition and the way your body functions.

I love food and my food memories all involve great meals with my family. My mum always cooked for us when we were growing up and Sunday roast dinners were a real ritual with all the family, including my grandparents, sitting around the table talking and laughing.

I think making food a social occasion is really important, so rather than eating at your desk or in front of the TV, sit down at the table and create your own food rituals.

MY AIM IS TO HELP YOU BE YOUR BEST AND FEEL AMAZING, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY

I enjoy cooking and experimenting with new dishes and food is an important part of my social life; I often make dinner for my friends, and my fianc Lance and I always take time out to cook and eat a meal together.

MY RECIPES

The recipes in this book will give you a balance of nutritious foods, meaning you will never be hungry and they are so tasty, youll want to cook them time and time again. Most are easy to prepare youre not going to spend hours and hours in the kitchen chopping and stirring. I dont have time for that either!

All my recipes can be cooked on a budget; youll be able to buy the ingredients at your local shop or youll already have many of them your store cupboard. I promise you wont have to hunt down lots of strange-sounding items!

For me, breakfast is the most important meal of the day so Ive included all my favourite breakfast recipes and hope you enjoy them too. Then there are plenty of soups and salads, delicious supper dishes and some weekend specials even my mums Sunday roast! for days when you might have a little more time in the kitchen.

By the way, I do love chilli and I add it to quite a lot of dishes. If youre not a fan, just leave it out!

We all need to cut down on sugar and the less you eat, the less you will crave, but I had to feature a few treats! Most are sweetened with honey or maple syrup or using the natural sweetness of fruit. I never deny myself and think that its important to allow yourself the occasional treat.

Having regular snacks will ensure youre always energised. I like a snack right after training. While your body can store fat and carbohydrates, it does not store protein, so it has no reservoir to draw from when you are running low. After training is when muscle is sensitive to nutrients that it can use to repair and grow. Try the protein shakes or the power balls in the snacks chapter in this book they are delicious!

CALORIES IN, CALORIES OUT

For many people, losing weight and looking good is simplified into the equation of calories in versus calories out if you use up more calories through exercise than you eat, you will lose weight. In fact, its more complex than this and in order to fuel your mind and body properly, you should never deprive yourself of any food groups or deliberately go hungry.

The recipes in this book are not intended to be a calorie-counted regime, but they are well balanced and do not include empty calories in the form of refined carbs, or lots of salt or sugar. There is a calorie count for each one, should you want to know, plus there are full nutritional details for the recipes at the back of the book.

GET MOVING

Every person is unique and you will have individual energy demands, according to your age, weight, activity levels and so on. Whether you have a very active job, are on your feet all day running around after children, or you sit at a desk most of the time, its important to listen to your body and to eat foods that make you feel energised, nourished and strong, so you achieve the results you want.

My Daily Workouts are designed for time-poor people and require no extra equipment outside of what you already have at home. Ive designed 20-minute routines that can be adapted, depending on your ability, for five days of the week, with two rest days.

Alongside these workouts, the more exercise and activity you can build into your everyday life, the better. So whether its taking the stairs, cycling to work, dancing around the house or using the latest apps and technology to track your activity, every small change helps.

BOOST YOUR BRAIN

What you eat and drink is not only fuel for your body but also fuel for your brain. After the Olympic Games in 2012, I went through a phase of not eating as well as I should I was going out a lot and drinking too much. Soon I found that I wasnt performing well in the diving pool and I had no energy; my mood was low and I found myself caught up in negative thinking patterns. I knew there was no quick fix. I had to get back to focusing on what I was eating and making other changes, so I could start performing well again. Stress and tiredness make us crave unhealthy and sugary foods and its so easy to get stuck on what I call the sugar train starting the day with unhealthy sugar-packed cereal, which sets you on a cycle of blood sugar spike and then crash.