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Dan Churchill’s Nutrition And Power Plan

The celebrity chef refuses to look at a plate of food and see a chemistry lesson. Credit: Jeremy Shaw

Stand-up paddle boarding is an awesome total-body workout that I prefer to do early so I get a sunrise into the bargain.

I grew up on Sydney’s northern beaches as one of three brothers, so getting outside and being active was the most natural thing in the world.

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I played rugby from the age of six, got into all the summer sports and I was a Nipper, but if you were to ask me what my go-to exercise is nowadays then the answer’s weight training – specifically, the big, old-school moves.

I’m a very competitive guy and I’m usually pushed for time, so where that leads me is into super-intense sessions where I’m moving a lot of weight in a short period.

I love squats. Well, I don’t love them, but I love their output. Go hard with them using perfect form and you get maximum return on your investment. Thrusters are another favourite, as are the Olympic lifts. They’re not easy to do properly but once you master the technique you’re blasting pretty much every muscle you have. I’ll walk out of the gym tired - spent, actually - but also pumped. Sprinting - and I mean all-out – is something else I do to push myself and feel great afterwards.

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The other element for me is stand-up paddle boarding. It’s an awesome total-body workout that I prefer to do early so I get a sunrise into the bargain.

Despite the knowledge I have about nutrition, I deliberately take the science out of eating. By that I mean that I refuse to look at a plate of food and see a chemistry lesson. You destroy the joy of eating if you get obsessed with that kind of stuff. The one concession I make post-workout is that I will eat something for the purpose of repair in the next half hour. I’ll put together a colourful plate of wholefoods, confident it will give my body everything it needs.