Fuelled by Fruit – an interview with Lucy Wood

Lucy Woods with LoveTaste.Co

Lucy Wood isn’t your average 21-year-old, she is a feisty powerhouse of skill and determination with a very bright future ahead of her.

Always a sporty child, Lucy could have gone far in both football and hockey showing a phenomenal talent in both sports and playing at academy level.

But when she got chosen for the England Under 16s her choice became clear and despite injuries that have taken her away from the games for months at a time, she has never looked back.

Having the support of her twin and older sisters has always been important to Lucy, especially as they also played hockey before hitting university and changing direction.

And now Lucy says it is the support of both her family and team mates that spur her on and help her during the hard times, like when she tore a ligament in her knee and was out of action for a whole year.

Lucy’s Journey

“I got into the U18 squad a year early which was amazing but when I turned 18 I tore a ligament in my knee and was out for a year, I missed the Youth Olympics and the Junior World Championships,” said Lucy.

“It was awful but I spent the year getting strong and doing what I could do get back on the pitch.”

But after returning to the sport disaster struck again when Lucy broke a bone in her hand during just her second game back, putting her out for another three months.

Back and Better than Ever

Frustrated but undeterred Lucy was soon back doing what she loved and this time with such enthusiasm after a forced absence that she scored four goals in three games during the Test Series against Wales. Immediately came the call up to the Commonwealth Games squad.

She has since won Gold in her debut at Olympic Park and silver at Glasgow in the Commonwealth Games – despite leading by 1-0, Australia equalised with just 11 seconds to go and went on to win on penalties.

Now a fully-fledged member of the GB Squad Lucy is playing hockey full-time, spending her days on the pitch and in the gym at Bisham Abbey.

Lucy Woods and Nutrition

Nutrition has become a huge part of her life and she spends a lot of time talking to the team nutritionist to understand what she is eating – information she then passes on as her part-time job as a personal trainer!

“We have to be so conscious of what we eat, we work with a nutritionist and have to be very strict with our diet,” she says.

Lucy’s Love for Smoothies

“But Love Smoothies are perfect and fit so well into our diet, the smoothies give me the nutritional value I need both pre and post workout.

“I usually make them with apple and mango juice but sometimes add chocolate protein powder and almond milk. They are great because they give me a base and I can add in whatever I need, depending on what I am doing that day.

“But I love them on their own too, especially the fruit ones. I like them in the morning before my first session because of the natural sugars in the fruit, they give me a lot of energy.”

Lucy admits to being a bit of a fruity and wasn’t keen on the thought of vegetables in smoothies but now she is hooked.

“I love vegetables but I didn’t fancy them blended up at first but I talked to the guys at Love Smoothies and they suggested I tried The Hulk first to see what it was like. Actually they are really lovely.”