INTRA Performance Group

🎤 Celebrating Stormzy’s Men’s Health Cover Series When INTRA Managing Director, James Collins, started working with Stormzy 5 years ago, the initial mission was clear: He needed the energy to go from a 60-minute set to 90 minutes – and to look in the best shape possible. Since the Glasto headliner, the series of articles highlight Stormzy’s standards and attention to detail as an elite performer, in terms of his mindset, nutrition, and training over the last 5 years. Whether it's for global icons or elite athletes, INTRA's expertise lies in tailoring nutrition to meet the unique demands of high performance. 💡 Imagine what we could do for your team. #Stormzy #Performance #Nutrition #PerformanceNutritionist #PerformanceNutrition

INTRA Employee Nutrition & Performance Masterclass: Tool 8 How Do You Monitor Your Progress? When making changes to your nutrition and lifestyle – it’s important to see how these are affecting your brain & body. In 2024 we’re swimming in data (over 200 million fitness wearables were sold in 2021), within elite sports and now the public domain, almost everything is now tracked from training, sleep, nutrition, right through to body composition. But starting with 'first-principles' here is what really makes the difference: a simple weekly check-in. We're all busy, but 5 minutes each week is achievable to: • Reflect on the past week • Plan ahead for the challenges for the week ahead Whether you prefer a notebook, an app, or journaling. How has this week's changes affected you (e.g. adapting your lunch affecting PM energy levels)? As a progression, adding consistent subjective well-being scores (e.g. sleep, energy, muscle soreness) can also give you powerful insights, to refine your nutrition plan. Aim to make 1 change at a time and evaluate your progress. How do you track your progress? Let’s hear your favorite tools and tips below! #HumanPerformance #CorporateWellbeing #Employeewellbeing #EmployeeNutrition #PerformanceNutrition #Notjustforathletes

INTRA Employee Nutrition & Performance Masterclass: Tool 7 Prime your 'body clock' for a good night’s sleep and also to be most alert during the day. Why prioritise healthy sleep? Sleep underpins every biological process in our body: memory, decision-making, shot accuracy, even pain perception. And did you know? Poor sleep can disrupt appetite hormones, making you feel more hungry and increasing drive for high-calorie, sugary, or fatty foods - and can slow down your metabolism to conserve energy. Discover top tips to align your body clock and optimise your energy, focus, and sleep. #HumanPerformance #CorporateWellbeing #Employeewellbeing #EmployeeNutrition #PerformanceNutrition #Notjustforathletes #BodyClock #SleepHygiene

INTRA Employee Nutrition & Performance Masterclass: Tool 6 Getting sick can be a big issue. If you’re a headline musician or Hollywood actor – a sudden bout of illness and show cancellation can cost millions for production companies. The same if you are a star player missing the NBA Finals, or even not feeling 100% for the US Masters or Champions League final… Here we look at when you might be more susceptible to getting sick (e.g. an upper respiratory tract infection [URTI]) and some simple steps you can take towards more robust immune health! Here are 3 tips from our INTRA Employee Nutrition & Performance Masterclass. #HumanPerformance #CorporateWellbeing #Employeewellbeing #EmployeeNutrition #PerformanceNutrition #Notjustforathletes

Last week, our Managing Director, James N Collins, spoke at Mercer’s International Health and Wellbeing event, sharing insights about the often-overlooked topic: nutrition and performance in the workplace. He shared how INTRA uses its work in elite sports and entertainment to tackle the current lack of impact from nutrition offerings in the workplace, from the 5 different factors below: 1️⃣ No best-practice model: Workplace nutrition is still emerging - lagging behind areas like mental health, financial health or medical support, with no established best-practice model 2️⃣ General education: Most multi-disciplinary portals/apps lack evidence for driving engagement or long-term behaviour change in nutrition & performance 3️⃣ One-off talks: While common during ‘wellbeing weeks’, these fail to improve nutrition competences or productivity long term. 4️⃣ Insufficient expertise: Many providers lack suitably qualified/registered professionals or those experienced to work effectively with organisations. 5️⃣ Food provision: Finally, many companies now offer food, but food alone is not enough - if there are no clear direction/tools on how to personalise intake, employees aren't working towards their wellbeing/performance goals At INTRA, we partner with employers and employees to create meaningful solutions, starting with a clear understanding of where the industry stands today. Ready to rethink workplace nutrition? Let’s talk. #WorkplaceNutrition #WorkplacePerformance #PerformanceWellbeing #INTRA

Masterclass: Tool 5 Your favourite coffee in the morning. One from the machine at work. A coffee with friends at the weekend in the city centre It's important to acknowledge the social culture around coffee and caffeinated drinks Caffeine-central nervous system stimulant well known for its effects on alertness It’s well known to have potent benefits for human performance (up to 8%) and is one the most used supplements with athletes and musicians alike Also, a placebo effect by having a cup of coffee (feel more alert) However, the response is highly individual which comes down to our genetics. Some are extremely sensitive to it, others can tolerate larger doses When we take too much, it increases heart rate and causes anxiety and often headaches How to personalise our intake? Type – there's a huge variation between different caffeinated drinks depending on how they are produced/brewed Timing – it takes around 45-60 min for caffeine to peak in the blood, so it's important to time before an important activity (e.g. musicians would have 45 min before going on stage, footballer pre-kick off) Use strategically. Practice your dose and timing, reducing later in afternoon. #HumanPerformance #CorporateWellbeing #Employeewellbeing #EmployeeNutrition #PerformanceNutrition #Notjustforathletes

Masterclass: Tool 4 Hydration is one of the most overlooked and poorly executed tools, in our INTRA Masterclass Toolbox Why should you care? Brain is ~80% water – and even a small amount of dehydration can affect cognitive function This might occur from: not hydrating following overnight losses whilst asleep, during a long day in the office or not replacing sweat losses during your workout Alongside helping to regulate your body (core) temperature, it helps with digestion and gut motility, to keep regular bowel motions, and avoid constipation (alongside a fibre-rich diet) Consider a 'Hydration Audit' to determine which actions can have the biggest impact on your daily wellbeing and productivity at work #HumanPerformance #CorporateWellbeing #Employeewellbeing #EmployeeNutrition #PerformanceNutrition #Notjustforathletes #Hydration

Masterclass: Tool 3 Everyone's week will look different and have its own unique context – for a Champions League footballer, the highest energy days are usually on a Saturday or Mid-week Wednesday match day It's performance day for a headline musician or an all-day action shoot for a Hollywood actor Fashion designers will be working around the clock towards London or NY Fashion Week Finance – working towards a big deadline (e.g. merger and acquisition) As a general rule, it's important to start adding in structure to support your highest energy days Here’s our simple planner or framework to plan and monitor your daily nutrition needs #HumanPerformance #CorporateWellbeing #Employeewellbeing #EmployeeNutrition #PerformanceNutrition #Notjustforathletes

Masterclass: Tool 2 Now we’ve looked at different fuels - it’s time to bring the science to life. We use simple process called ‘building a performance plate’ – and it’s one you can use too whether cooking at home, eating out or at work. There are two main type of plates that you will need within your daily routine. This is because what you eat should change depending on the demands of your day: 1. The Fuelling Plate The fuelling plate consists of: 1 portion of maintenance (protein), 1 portion of fuel (carbohydrate) and 1 portion of protection (vegetables, fruits and healthy fats) 2. The Maintenance Plate The Maintenance plate consists of 1.5 portions of maintenance (protein), 1.5 portions of protection (vegetables) and 1 portion of healthy fats. Building your performance plates are the foundation of your energy plan, to balance the fuels you require each meal, regulate appetite hormones, blood glucose and overall energy levels. #HumanPerformance #CorporateWellbeing #Employeewellbeing #EmployeeNutrition #PerformanceNutrition #Notjustforathletes

Masterclass: Tool 1 During November we are giving an insight into 9 tools from INTRA Nutrition & Performance Masterclass series. Let's start with the Engine & Fuels - The analogy of the car and human body is perfect – just as the engine uses fuel to power the cars movement, your metabolism is like your engine – breaking down food to supply energy for the body’s movement – and the growth and repair organs and cells. An important first step we take with our clients is classifying the key nutrients according to their function: Energy - Carbohydrates & Fats Maintenance - Protein Protection - Micronutrients Hydration - Fluids We believe on building an understanding on first-principles, before we dive into different foods! #HumanPerformance #CorporateWellbeing #Employeewellbeing #EmployeeNutrition #PerformanceNutrition #Notjustforathletes