Wal Herring: Feed Your Potential: Concussion, Womans high performance and Personalized Nutrition

Coaching Culture with Ben Herring

If you want to book Wal for your team you can reach her here: [email protected]

or check out her womans wellness programs here: Walherring.com

What if everything you see on your body was made from what you ate at some point? This profound insight from sports nutritionist Wal Herring serves as the foundation for a revolutionary approach to nutrition and wellness. Drawing from her extensive experience with elite teams like Leicester Tigers and the English Rugby League, Wal shares how nutrition isn't just about physical performance but affects our mental clarity and emotional stability too.
The conversation takes a deeply personal turn when discussing concussion recovery, as Wal explains how she helped her husband Ben overcome debilitating symptoms through targeted nutritional interventions. Rather than simply resting, she reveals how certain foods either feed inflammation ("adding oxygen to the flame") or help reduce it, offering hope to athletes dealing with brain injuries. Her practical advice on avoiding alcohol, processed foods, and sugar while increasing omega-3s and creatine provides actionable strategies for healing.
Female athletes receive special attention as Wal explains how women's hormonal cycles significantly impact performance, recovery, and injury risk. For coaches working with women, understanding these physiological differences proves crucial for preventing ACL injuries and optimizing training schedules. The outdated approach of training women "like little men" fails to account for these important biological variations that affect everything from strength gains to emotional processing.
Throughout the episode, Wal emphasizes individualization over rigid protocols. She challenges common practices like calorie counting, suggesting we focus instead on energy levels and overall wellbeing as better indicators of nutritional success. This perspective shifts nutrition from a numbers game to a personalized journey of discovering what works for your unique body.
Ready to take control of what you can actually change in your health journey? Listen now to discover how small nutritional adjustments might unlock your full potential, whether you're a competitive athlete or simply seeking to improve your everyday wellbeing.

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Chapters

1. Introduction to Wol Herring (00:00:00)

2. Nutrition Philosophy and Personal Responsibility (00:04:21)

3. Individualized Nutrition and Client Empowerment (00:18:42)

4. Concussion Recovery and Nutritional Intervention (00:25:20)

5. Understanding Women's Cycles in Sport (00:41:02)

6. Calorie Counting vs. Nutritional Awareness (00:55:31)

7. Key Takeaways and Closing Thoughts (01:10:57)