Fighting Fit with Sarah-Jayne Farthing

Sarah-Jayne Farthing is a Welsh Taekwondo champion and winner of the 2014 Welsh Open Championships, she is current Wales number one in the under 49kg category. Sarah-Jayne is a huge Ufit fan and we wanted to learn a bit about her, her sport and how protein is important to helping her stay fighting fit and on top of her health! Why and how did you get into Taekwondo? I was watching the London 2012 Olympics and I saw Olympic style taekwondo for the first time. I thought it looked fast, dynamic and exciting and decided to try it myself. What does it give you in terms of fitness, socially and mentally? The main thing taekwondo gives me is a mental focus. Before I took up the sport I was going out two or three times a week and eating and drinking rubbish - looking back it was probably out of boredom. I now have events and competitions to look forward to and I am constantly striving to improve myself. I have lost over 2 stone since I started training so have noticed huge benefits in fitness. How important is protein your day to day life? I have to ensure I don't eat too much sugary or processed foods. If I eat balanced meals which are high in protein I feel my training benefits greatly. Protein helps me manage my weight for competitions and keep me lean which is essential in taekwondo. The aim is to be as lean and fast as possible without losing strength. UFIT protein shakes have truly helped me manage my day to day eating and meal praparation more. If I am in a rush in the mornings I can just grab a breakfast shake which is extremely convenient and not to mention super delicious. Sarah’s typical meal plan for a day looks like this: Breakfast UFIT breakfast protein shake. Lunch Stir fry or home made chilli with lots of veg. Dinner Another UFIT protein shake and a chicken salad. Between meal snacks Cashew nuts, almonds, berries, yogurt. The Ufit shakes not only help me to keep my protein levels up but also help with muscle recovery after hard training sessions which is critical when you spend as much time training as I do. It would be really difficult for me to train as regularly as I do without the adequate muscle and health support to get me from one session to the next. I have also started making smoothies and special shakes with UFIT drinks, I blend spinach, a Ufit shake and some berries. Tastes amazing and packs a real nutritional punch!