{"id":502783,"date":"2026-06-16T16:33:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T16:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/502783\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T16:33:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T16:33:08","slug":"i-didnt-want-to-spend-my-life-counting-calories-sally-gunnell-transformed-her-nutrition-at-59-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/502783\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I didn\u2019t want to spend my life counting calories\u2019: Sally Gunnell transformed her nutrition at 59 \u2013 here\u2019s how"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell<\/a> reached her 50s, she found that her usual approach to fitness simply stopped working. And once she\u2019d got her exercise<\/a> dialled in, nutrition was next on her list. <\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019d spent years being incredibly disciplined as an athlete,\u2019 she says. \u2018I didn\u2019t want to spend the rest of my life counting every calorie or saying no to celebrations. I wanted balance. <\/p>\n

\u2018Before I made changes, my routine looked very familiar to a lot of women. I\u2019d often skip breakfast because I wasn\u2019t hungry. I\u2019d have a light lunch, maybe some soup, then go out for a run. By four o\u2019clock, I\u2019d be starving and start picking at food. I\u2019d eat whole bags of nuts because I thought they were healthy. I\u2019d have a glass of wine and crisps while cooking dinner, then eat whatever the family was having.<\/p>\n

\u2018I thought I was eating healthily, but I wasn\u2019t actually eating enough. I wasn\u2019t getting enough vegetables, fruit, protein or proper nourishment.\u2019<\/p>\n

The nutrition changes that made the biggest difference<\/p>\n

For Sally, one of the biggest shifts was simply eating breakfast. \u2018I also started prioritising protein at every meal,\u2019 she says. \u2018Rather than obsessing over calories, I ask myself: \u201cWhere is my protein coming from?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"tasty<\/p>\n

Adobe Stock<\/p>\n

\u2018After a workout, I might have a smoothie with protein powder, kefir, berries, chia seeds and a few walnuts. Other days, I\u2019ll have eggs or porridge with additional protein. Focusing on protein helped keep me fuller for longer and stopped the constant snacking that had become a habit. Then I fill the rest of my plate with vegetables and fruit.\u2019<\/p>\n

The result? \u2018I feel satisfied, energised and much more in control of my eating. But so much of this journey is about mindset. People often fall into an all-or-nothing approach. They eat one biscuit, think they\u2019ve ruined everything, and then decide they\u2019ll start again tomorrow.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sound nutrition advice and changing mindset around food is something that Sally works on with clients in her Life\u2019s Hurdle<\/a> programme. \u2018The reality is that perfection doesn\u2019t work. I still enjoy crisps. I still eat chocolate. I still have a glass of wine when I want one. The difference is moderation. If you go all-in on a diet or exercise plan, you might last three or four weeks. Sustainable change comes from building habits you can actually maintain.\u2019<\/p>\n

Catch Sally’s podcast series Life\u2019s Hurdles from June 25 on all platforms and YouTube<\/p>\n