Melissa Smith Total Wellbeing

Melissa Smith Total Wellbeing Registered Nutritionist and Registered Personal Trainer. Health, nutrition, sport, exercise, energy.

Loved working with the Oamaru Swim Club yesterday alongside Craig Smith Coaching, who led a great session on age-appropr...
23/02/2026

Loved working with the Oamaru Swim Club yesterday alongside Craig Smith Coaching, who led a great session on age-appropriate strength and conditioning for young swimmers.

I focused on the nutrition side – how to fuel properly for training and swim meets.

We focused on what makes swimming unique:

🏊Early mornings and long sessions
🏊High energy demand
🏊Being in water can mask how much you’re actually sweating and thirst cues

We unpacked the 4 key elements young swimmers need every day: carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats and colour (fruit & vegetables).

We also covered:

🏊 Everyday carbs vs performance carbs
🏊 How fuelling changes the closer you get to racing
🏊 How to fuel across a swim meet (short gaps vs long gaps)
🏊Why vitamin D and calcium matter in an indoor, non-weight bearing sport for growing athletes

The big takeaway? Fuel for your everyday first. Performance follows.

Always great working with young athletes and their parents who are keen to learn how to fuel their growing bodies!

If your club or team would like a nutrition session, feel free to reach out.

Huge congratulations to my PT client Ricky Hutchinson on completing the iconic two day Coast to Coast individual race th...
16/02/2026

Huge congratulations to my PT client Ricky Hutchinson on completing the iconic two day Coast to Coast individual race this weekend! 👏

This event demands enormous physical and mental resilience, and Ricky delivered from start to finish.

After months of committed training across running, cycling and kayaking, supported by weekly strength sessions, he crossed the finish line in an outstanding 15:53:02, competing in the 40 to 49 category.

As training demands increased, Ricky also prioritised his fuelling to match. Supporting the body with the right intake meant he could adapt to the workload, recover well, arrive at the start line prepared, finish strongly, and remain injury free throughout the build.

Results like this are never accidental. They are built through consistency, discipline, smart training and a willingness to do the little things well.

An incredible achievement and a performance he should be extremely proud of.

I'm delighted to have supporting us! Kyle is the creative mind behind our social media graphics, helping bring our bran...
09/02/2026

I'm delighted to have supporting us!

Kyle is the creative mind behind our social media graphics, helping bring our brand to life and connect with our community.

Great to have you on board Kyle! 🙌

Strength for LifeOver 60s Strength & Mobility – 6 Week Pilot ProgrammeI’m looking to pilot a small group Strength for Li...
03/02/2026

Strength for Life
Over 60s Strength & Mobility – 6 Week Pilot Programme

I’m looking to pilot a small group Strength for Life class at the Oamaru Rowing Club gym, designed for adults who want to stay strong, move well, and protect their bodies for the years ahead.

From our 30s onwards, we naturally start to lose muscle mass, bone density, and strength if we don’t actively work to maintain them. This is where the phrase “use it or lose it” really applies. The good news is, it is never too late to start, and the body responds incredibly well to strength training at any age.

Strength training as we get older is one of the most powerful tools we have to support long-term health and independence. It has been shown to help maintain muscle and bone strength, slow age-related muscle loss, improve balance and joint health, reduce fall risk, and keep everyday tasks feeling easier and more confident.

This class is suitable for a wide range of abilities. Whether you already walk regularly and feel pretty good, or you’re wanting to be more proactive about your long-term health, this programme is about future-proofing your body in a friendly, supportive environment.

Pilot details:
• 6 week pilot programme
• Wednesdays at 10am
• Location: Oamaru Rowing Club
• $15 per class
• No gym experience needed

At this stage I’m opening a Register Your Interest list to gauge numbers before confirming the group.
If this sounds like you, or someone you know who wants to stay strong and capable as they age, please register your interest via the link below.

https://forms.gle/STrtW2aiEA4k55RT8

*Places will be limited and offered first in, first served once the pilot is confirmed.

01/02/2026

Sport Academy Welcome Day highlights.

Supporting young athletes to fuel well, train well, and perform at their best.

We’re helping spread the word about an upcoming youth sport talk being held in Oamaru with Dr Craig Harrison , and it’s ...
28/01/2026

We’re helping spread the word about an upcoming youth sport talk being held in Oamaru with Dr Craig Harrison , and it’s one that many parents, coaches, and young athletes in our community would really benefit from.

UNDER PRESSURE: How to Thrive in a Hyper-Competitive Youth Sport World

Youth sport today asks more of young people than ever before. Expectations are higher, competition is deeper, and pressure shows up earlier. This evening session explores what’s really happening under pressure, and how young people can build the skills to respond to it with confidence, resilience, and adaptability.

This talk is for:
• Parents supporting youth athletes
• Coaches working with young people
• Teen athletes navigating performance environments

🗓 Thursday 19 February 2026
⏰ 6:45pm–8:30pm
📍 Oamaru Opera House

Craig is the mentor for our Youth Athlete Development Programme, and we’re pleased to help share this opportunity with the wider Oamaru community.

🎟 Tickets available here: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2026/under-pressure-how-to-thrive-in-hyper-competitive-youth-sport-world/oamaru

If you’re involved in youth sport in any way, this is a really valuable conversation to be part of.

FULL FOR TERM 1 ✅We’re officially full for our Term 1 Youth Athlete Development Programme.A huge thank you to all the fa...
28/01/2026

FULL FOR TERM 1 ✅

We’re officially full for our Term 1 Youth Athlete Development Programme.

A huge thank you to all the families who registered and trusted us with your young athletes. We’re really looking forward to working with this group and continuing to build strong foundations for confidence, movement, and long-term athletic development.

Our first session kicks off this Friday, and we can’t wait to get started.

Keep an eye out over the term as we share highlights from some of our sessions. We’ll be showing what youth athlete development can look like, and why this approach is so important in supporting young people as they grow, develop, and move through their sporting years.

Let’s go, Term 1 👊

Sport Academy 2026 Welcome Day ✅We loved bringing our Sport Academy athletes together for our 2026 Welcome Day to kick o...
26/01/2026

Sport Academy 2026 Welcome Day ✅

We loved bringing our Sport Academy athletes together for our 2026 Welcome Day to kick off the year and give everyone a clear picture of what the programme will look like.

The day included:

✅ Group introduction and programme overview

✅ Fitness testing – for some athletes this was their first ever testing experience, while others are now on their second, third or even fourth round. Every athlete is at a different stage of development, which means they each now have their own data to track progress and individual change over time.

✅ A nutrition workshop – introducing key fuelling concepts for new athletes and revisiting and extending these with our returning athletes to support their goals this year.

✅ Recovery snacks after testing – putting good recovery nutrition into practice straight away.

✅ A chance for athletes to vote on the mental skills topics they’d like covered this year.

We’re very fortunate to have Dr. Scott Pierce, Professor at Illinois State University in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation, supporting our mental skills programme, bringing extensive research and experience in athlete psychological development and personal development through sport. Former Otago cricketer and Black Cap Shayne O’Connor will also be supporting this space, delivering workshops focused on areas such as leadership and accountability.

We were lucky to have Otago Cricket captain Luke Georgeson join us on the day. Luke shared his journey to becoming a professional cricketer and spent time with the athletes thinking about their short, medium and long-term goals for the year ahead, which we’ll continue to build on through individual catch-ups.

A big thank you to Luke for giving up his time to come and speak with the athletes, and to all our athletes and families for being part of such a positive start to the year.

👉 Photos and footage coming soon!

Fuelled bodies. Smarter athletes. More confident kids. 🎾Loved working with the North Otago Tennis athletes on Wednesday...
24/01/2026

Fuelled bodies. Smarter athletes. More confident kids. 🎾

Loved working with the North Otago Tennis athletes on Wednesday, delivering a fun, interactive nutrition session focused on helping young players understand how food supports their energy, focus, growth and recovery.

We covered:
✅ How food gives you energy to play better
✅ Building a strong tennis breakfast
✅ Everyday snacks vs smart snack choices for tennis days
✅ Drinking enough for training and tournaments
✅ How to refuel after tennis

It was awesome to have Craig deliver a strength & conditioning session the day before, introducing the kids to the physical side of tennis performance. Speed, power, strength, coordination and lots of movement-based games to make it fun and engaging.

These early years are such an important time to build strong foundations around food and movement. It is a privilege to help young athletes learn what supports their bodies to feel and perform better.

Thanks North Otago Tennis for having us. Awesome group of young athletes! 👏

Address

Oamaru Rowing Club
Oamaru
9400

Opening Hours

Monday 6:30pm - 8pm
Tuesday 10:15am - 1:30pm
6:30pm - 8pm
Wednesday 10:45am - 1:30pm
Thursday 10:15am - 1:30pm

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