Smooth(ie) Passage to Rio

London 2012

The clock has been ticking since the closing ceremony in London back in 2012 – a halcyon four-year period in which Britain revelled in its record 65-medal haul.

Remember Mo’s magnificence? Greg’s giant leap? Jessica’s stunning solo show? How could you forget.

Rio 2016

But now it starts afresh, with Rio about to get the 2016 Olympics underway with a sea of colour and ceremony on August 5.

Olympic Smoothies

While you’ll know the big name stars, what you may not know is the role Love Smoothies has had to play in this summer’s sporting spectacular.

Our smoothies have been used in training by Britain’s best paddlers, meaning the likes of Joe Clarke and Angela Hannah will be going for gold with a little bit of help from us.

We’ve been involved with British Canoeing for more than a year now, working closely with their training team and in particular nutritionist David Dunne.

David works with everyone from Team Wiggins to Harlequins rugby and has adapted our smoothies to ensure all the athletes get exactly what’s right whether they’re refuelling after a training session or to give them the energy they need to hit their training hard.

Sporting Spectacular Smoothies

“I would say each and every athlete is completely different from the next and so we have to work on different things,” he explains. “A canoeist is an upside down version of a cyclist – small legs and massive upper body while a cyclist is the other way around. My job is to make sure they have an adequate supply of micro-nutrients to recover from training sessions. Their diet needs to be balanced regardless of the sport but obviously anyone going to the Olympics has to be in the absolute peak of physical fitness.”

Being inventive is also important so athletes don’t get bored by the same routine or flavours.

“We have to mix it up a bit so there are lots of ways in which we work Love Smoothies into their diet. In some instances we add whey protein or extra berries or greek yoghurt.

“The athletes get veg based smoothies first thing in the morning, like Kale Kick, probably alongside something like an omelette. We tend not to blend with apple juice for these as they will only need to replenish energy levels after a training session, so we’ll blend with water or coconut water.”

Getting to the Olympics is just the beginning. The next bit is getting onto the podium – just a tiny percentage of those who attend.

Let’s raise a glass to Team GB this summer and keep our fingers crossed for another record haul. And if the canoeists perform well, we might have an extra glass or two in celebration. Smoothies of course!