Learning about the connection between our body and mind is so important, no less for professional sports stars like Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu. We had the pleasure of sitting down with the West Brom player and entrepreneur, for an episode of our Take Regular Breaks podcast, to discuss the power of nutrition and a positive mindset in keeping us fit and healthy.
Thomas’ early footballing career
Thomas started his career at the age of 15, playing at academy level for both Arsenal and Reading. It was during his time at the Reading football academy that he signed a professional contract and began his journey to becoming a Premier League and International footballer. However, Thomas’ journey was not as smooth as expected. “I ruptured a ligament in my knee twice over the course of two years, leaving me unable to play for a huge portion of my younger years. After two intense knee surgeries and months of rehabilitation, I was keen to get back to playing football and working towards getting my career back on track.”
Unfortunately, due to the nature of his injury, doctors warned Thomas that he may experience pain and restriction in his knee for the rest of his life, which meant his dream of playing professional football might never happen. “Despite the warnings, I was committed to resume training and playing football after my second surgery and recovery period. My club physios at the time recommended anti-inflammatory medication which helped to reduce the pain in my knee and kept me in the game.”
The importance of nutrition
Thomas was month or so into taking anti-inflammatory medication when he started to notice that, while they were taking the edge off the pain, they were also causing adverse effects to his body. “I began to experience trouble sleeping, nausea, headaches and blurred vision, which led me to stop taking the medication all together.”
Thomas continues, “It was then that I, with the support of my family, started researching natural and nutritional remedies for pain relief. After weeks of researching, my dad and I noticed a pattern of ingredients that were used in many studies to help recover the body from injuries, including pomegranate, pineapple, ginger, and turmeric.”
At the age of 17, Thomas started to create blends of these raw ingredients and after six weeks, he started to notice the positive effects on his body. He credits the nutritional value of these ingredients for curing his knee injury and taking him from a passionate, young player to the international sportsman he is today.
“The importance of nutrition and using natural blend of ingredients to help recover our bodies and give our health a boost was the inspiration behind my business, The Turmeric Co., a nutritional company selling natural ingredients such as turmeric in shot form.”
Practising gratitude in high pressure situations
Along with nutrition, Thomas credits his success to keeping a positive mindset on and off the pitch. While many footballers are vocal about keeping their body fit, Thomas believes the mental side of football to be one of the most under explored areas in sport.
With huge pressures from teammates, fans and managers, Thomas believes it’s so important to have pre-match rituals which allow you to deal with those pressures and channel them into something positive. “Practising gratitude is something I do before each game to help bring me back to the present state and live in the moment.”
Thomas goes on to say, “With so much to think about, from the response of the crowd to anticipating feedback from your manager, the fans, and individuals on social media, it can be difficult to focus on gratitude. However, in a situation where you are bombarded with information, I believe that being able to practise gratitude is key your performance and staying grouned.”
Building a strong mental resilience
As a professional athlete, dealing with criticism is something that Thomas deals with from time to time. While focusing on gratitude is important for bringing him back into the present moment, Thomas also believes that building a strong mental resilience has enabled him to remain focused throughout his career.
When Thomas faces criticism or differing opinions on his performance from fans across the world, Thomas believes it’s important to not take things personally and instead, choose acceptance. “I credit fans for their passion and understand that having those opinions, however unfavourable they might be sometimes, is down to their commitment to the game and my team.”
He continues, “While it’s not always nice to hear negative feedback, I choose to focus on understanding that some things, like the opinions of others, are out of my control. Instead, I focus on what is in my control, which is how I receive and respond to that feedback. Rather than looking for and consuming negativity, I accept that it is part and parcel of my career, and I use that self-awareness to give my best performance.”
A healthy body and a healthy mind
Learning about the functional benefits of natural ingredients and how these contribute to our overall health was the lightbulb moment for Thomas, that not only led to his all-important recovery but ultimately, to his inspiring and hugely successful career as a professional footballer. While a focus on nutrition enabled him to kickstart his career, he credits a strong and positive mindset to his ongoing success and continues to practise gratitude and acceptance to nurture good mental health.
You can listen to Thomas’ full story on Episode 15 of our Take Regular Breaks podcast and learn more about the nutritional benefits of turmeric by visiting The Turmeric Co.’s website.
Join Founder of Calmer, Tania Diggory and Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu on 19th April for a special, live online event on the importance of, and connection between mental health, nutrition, and physical wellbeing. Find out more about the event here.