Michelin chef Paul Ainsworth says signing up for a triathlon 'changed my life'
Chef Paul Ainsworth is widely regarded as one of the UK’s greatest chefs, known for his warm demeanour and brilliant cuisine.
This year, Paul Ainsworth, the Michelin-starred chef and owner of No6 in Padstow, Cornwall, is busier than ever – from welcoming his second daughter with wife Emma Ainsworth to releasing his debut cookbook, For The Love Of Food. He also completed his first Ironman triathlon, raising £50,000 for the children’s cancer ward at Royal Cornwall Hospital in the process.
Yahoo UK sat down with Ainsworth to find out how the triathlon changed his life.
What sparked your interest in doing a triathlon?
The inspiration came from Gordon Ramsay, who I used to work for and is now a good friend and a great mentor. I read an interview in Men’s Health magazine a few years ago when Gordon entered his first triathlon at the age of 45 and was really inspired by him.
I knew I was overweight... My doctor said if I didn't make some changes I was on course to develop diabetes.
Then last year, I had a health check-up. I knew I was overweight and getting to a point in my life where I needed to make some changes. The doctor told me that there’s nothing to worry about now, but if I didn’t make some changes, I was on course for developing diabetes – that was a big wake up call.
Why take on such a gruelling challenge?
I needed something to get me away from work, which was starting to become all-consuming. I love my work, it’s a huge part of my life but I was in a position where I felt the businesses were running me instead of me running them.
I sat down with my mentor Derek Mapp during our yearly deep-dive and he could see that I needed something other than being consumed with work day in, day out. I knew exactly what that something was. A triathlon would really challenge me, test me, take me away from the day-to-day of everything and it had to be something intense like Ironman. So I decided to really commit to it and it’s changed my life.
Who pushed you the hardest?
The first thing I did was research a coach and I gave Chris Dominey, a performance coach specialising in triathlon training, a call. He told me it was entirely down to me and there was only so long he would put up with me not turning up or cancelling sessions, because I’ve been down that road before.
I wanted to train hard – there were days my alarm clock was going off at 4.30am.
I wanted to turn up for Chris, I wanted to train hard. He really got the best out of me. There were days my alarm clock was going off at 4.30am. There were double-session days. We just had to find the time, whether it was really early or later in the evening.
How did training impact your mental health?
I was feeling really burnt out before I started training. I really care about people, not just my family and friends, but the people I work with. But that also means I’ve spent so long always caring for others and putting everyone else first. It came to a point when I realised I had to change and look after myself, because if I don’t, what good am I to all the people I’m trying to look after?
Training became like therapy for me, it transformed my mental health. It also showed me that I was way more capable than I ever thought. There were several times I doubted myself, wondered if I could really fit it all into my busy schedule. But when you start to see and feel the difference, it's a huge motivator.
Did you change your eating habits?
My diet, before I started training for Ironman, didn’t involve junk food, really. But I was drinking black coffee all day long, getting home late at night and just starving hungry. All I’d eat was a sandwich made from whatever’s in the fridge, and that was my routine for a long, long time. But that’s not a healthy diet at all.
Training became like therapy for me, it transformed my mental health.
I wanted to keep things simple rather than get lost in all the conflicting advice online, and decided that what I was cooking at work was what I needed to be eating at home. At work, we cook with whole ingredients. So at home, I completely removed anything processed.
My typical meals were roasted chicken with new potatoes and a salad with cucumber, tomato and feta cheese, or lots of steak and eggs. If I knew I had a big swim session in the morning, I’d come home and cut myself a nice slice of sourdough bread with five or six fried eggs cooked in good quality, grass-fed cow’s butter.
What surprised you the most about your new diet?
The most surprising thing was that I was eating so much more than what I normally eat, but my clothes fit better and my belt notches were going down. It’s crazy because I wasn’t cutting out carbohydrates or anything.
I made a really conscious effort to make time to eat a proper meal more regularly rather than something quick, easy and processed. I didn’t see it as a diet, because everything I was eating was just delicious.
I am also way more hydrated now. Before this, the first thing I would drink when I wake up was coffee. Now, I go for an electrolyte drink or water with a bit of salt in it, which has been a game changer, and I don’t have a coffee for about an hour and a half after waking.
Are you going to stick with your new lifestyle?
In the beginning, it was all about the training. But as the journey progressed, I realised this is the new me. There’s so much more to this than just the race day – this is longevity, this is the rest of my life.
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