Melissa Smith Total Wellbeing

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

One thing I think sport nutrition has made unnecessarily confusing for parents lately is the whole “wholefoods vs proces...
17/05/2026

One thing I think sport nutrition has made unnecessarily confusing for parents lately is the whole “wholefoods vs processed foods” conversation.

When it comes to fuelling young athletes, it’s usually not that black and white.

The snack ideas in this post all provide quick carbohydrate options that can be useful around training:
🍌 some are more wholefood based
🍬 some are more processed
⛽ some are easy petrol station finds
🚗 some are practical grab-and-go options

They can all have a place.

As a performance nutritionist and sports parent, I care far more about whether an athlete is fuelling consistently than whether every snack is considered “perfect”. Because training nutrition and general healthy eating are not always the same thing.

Before and during training, athletes often need:
⚡ quick energy
⚡ easy digestion
⚡ convenience
⚡ foods they’ll actually eat consistently

Not always the most nutrient-dense option possible.

Meanwhile, underfuelling is often the much bigger issue.

I see so many young athletes:
🚫 skipping breakfast
🚫 going hours without eating
🚫 turning up to training underfuelled

…while parents are stressing about whether a snack is “processed”.

Of course overall nutrition matters too. Balanced meals, fruit, vegetables, quality protein and wholefoods absolutely matter across the day.

But around training? Context matters.

Sometimes the “best” option is simply:
✔️ the one that gets eaten
✔️ the one that works for the athlete’s gut
✔️ the one that fits busy schedules

Because eating enough consistently is the foundation 🙌🏼

As parents of 3 children ourselves, we know how hard it can be to fit exercise in around young kids. While children are ...
07/05/2026

As parents of 3 children ourselves, we know how hard it can be to fit exercise in around young kids.

While children are welcome in our gym spaces (provided they are either young enough to safely stay restrained in a pram/capsule, or old enough to understand they must stay off the gym floor and remain quietly in the waiting area), we also know this isn’t always practical or relaxing for parents trying to train.

So, we’re exploring the opportunity to offer a Parents Hour/s at both the Oamaru Rowing Club Gym and Athlete Foundry for our members.

In collaboration with the Oamaru Kindergarten Association, we’re looking at creating dedicated times where parents can train while their children are cared for nearby by trained kindergarten staff.

The idea would be:
• The same session times running across both gyms
• Childcare based at the Oamaru Kindergarten Head Office
• Care provided by trained Kindergarten staff with a 1:4 ratio
• A small fee per session

At this stage, we’re wanting to gauge interest and find the best days/times for parents in our community.
If this is something you’d love to see, please fill out the survey below so we can see whether it’s a viable option 🤍

https://forms.gle/1HEw2o57GMJzVQcc7

We spent a long time trying to change the conversation around bodies. Moving away from the idea that smaller is always b...
05/05/2026

We spent a long time trying to change the conversation around bodies. Moving away from the idea that smaller is always better, and towards something more meaningful. Being strong, healthy, and confident in your body for what it can do, not just how it looks.

Lately though, it feels like things are starting to shift again. What I’m starting to see creep back in is that familiar focus on getting smaller, faster. When that becomes the goal, we can very quickly lose sight of what actually supports health long term.

Not everyone I work with is trying to lose weight, but when they are, I encourage the focus to not just be about the number on the scale. It’s about how they’re feeling, their energy, how they’re performing, and their body composition, losing fat while maintaining or building muscle.

When weight loss becomes too aggressive, too fast, or is driven by eating as little as possible, you don’t just lose body fat, you lose muscle too. That’s often when people don’t feel or look how they expected, even if the scale is lower. Muscle is what gives your body shape, strength, and that “toned” look people are often chasing. It also plays a big role in your metabolism, your energy, and your long term health.

With young athletes, this matters even more. You don’t perform well in sport by trying to be as small as possible. You perform well when you’re strong, well fuelled, and able to train consistently. Undereating, chasing weight loss, or constantly trying to shrink your body doesn’t support that. It limits it.

This becomes even more important as we age. From our 30s onwards, we naturally start to lose muscle if we’re not training for it, and that impacts everything from metabolism and insulin sensitivity through to strength, energy, and resilience.

When the conversation shifts back to “how do I get smaller,” we’re missing a big part of the picture. Regardless of whether someone is trying to lose weight or just improve their health, the foundations still matter. And that means coming back to what actually supports your body day to day.

I know I bang on about strength training a lot, but it really is one of the most important things you can do for your health and for building and maintaining muscle. Eating enough protein helps protect it, and building sustainable habits around food, training, and recovery is what actually supports long term health, whether that’s on its own or alongside medication for those who need extra support.

Fuelling for your needs is so important, for performance in sport and in life. It's also important to understand that if...
03/05/2026

Fuelling for your needs is so important, for performance in sport and in life. It's also important to understand that if you're not eating enough for your needs, it doesn’t just show up as “being hungry.”

It shows up as:
👀thinking about food all the time
👀feeling flat in training
👀losing control around food
👀low energy, dizziness, poor recovery

This isn’t a discipline issue. It’s your body doing exactly what it’s designed to do — keep you alive. If you’re underfuelled, your body will push back.

The goal isn’t to ignore those signals, it’s to listen to them and respond appropriately.

Fuel well → feel well → perform well 👊

Most young athletes simply aren’t eating enough.What people often forget is that sport is only one part of the picture.T...
01/05/2026

Most young athletes simply aren’t eating enough.

What people often forget is that sport is only one part of the picture.

These kids need energy for:
• growing bodies
• school + concentration
• everyday life
• AND training on top

So yes… they often need more food than you expect.

A few things we see all the time:
• skipping breakfast
• going to training under-fuelled
• relying on dinner to “cover it”
• not eating after training

And then wondering why they’re tired, getting sick, not recovering, or losing their spark for sport.

A simple place to start:
• 3 meals + 2–3 snacks daily
• simple carbs before training
• something after training (even if dinner is soon after)

If you want to improve nutrition but don’t know where to start, don’t overcomplicate it.

Start with consistency: regular meals, regular snacks, and don’t let them go into or finish training underfuelled.

Supporting athletes is a huge part of what we do. If you'd like nutrition support for your athlete please get in touch!

One of the things I talk about a lot with clients, and also shared at the Women in Business event recently, is starting ...
28/04/2026

One of the things I talk about a lot with clients, and also shared at the Women in Business event recently, is starting the day with a well balanced meal.

Aiming for a balanced breakfast with around 25 to 40g of protein is a good place to start, depending on the person. A lot of people either skip breakfast altogether, grab something small that doesn’t keep them going, or rely on coffee to get through the morning. But skipping meals is a missed opportunity to fuel both your body and your brain.

You don’t need to eat the minute you wake up. It depends on your routine and whether you’re training early. But for most people, aiming to have a balanced breakfast by around 10am is a good guide.

For me, this often looks like keeping it really simple. I tend to have a similar breakfast most days and prep it the night before. It takes the thinking out of it in the morning and makes it much easier to be consistent.

A balanced breakfast can help with:

✨ more stable energy and clearer thinking for busy days
✨ supporting muscle and appetite as we move through different life stages
✨ giving young people the fuel they need to learn and concentrate
✨ helping athletes get enough total energy and protein in across the day

Protein in the morning also helps with satiety, more stable energy, and spreading intake across the day rather than trying to play catch up later.

Some simple options:

🍵 Greek yoghurt + protein powder + berries + nuts/seeds
🍵 Three eggs, or eggs plus extra egg whites, on toast with tomato and spinach
🍵 A smoothie with milk, berries, frozen veges and protein powder
🍵 Overnight oats with milk, protein powder, berries and nuts/seeds

If you have three meals and a couple of snacks each day, that’s around 35 eating opportunities across the week to nourish yourself. You don’t need to nail all 35 - no one does (not even nutritionists!) If you want to improve your nutrition but don’t know where to start, start with breakfast. Be consistent with that, and you’re already setting yourself up well for the rest of the day.

What's your go-to breakfast that helps you feel fuelled and satisfied through the morning?

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

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Melissa Smith Total Wellbeing posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Melissa Smith Total Wellbeing:

Shortcuts

Share

Category