A Q&A with Olympic diving medallist, Leon Taylor
On how to function and feel better
- Interviewed by Lisa Horgan
After sustaining serious injuries throughout his career, including four shoulder surgeries and a worn disc in his lower back, Leon knows a thing or two about suffering with pain, both physical and emotional.
In May 2008, Leon had no choice but to retire from his extraordinarily successful diving career, but he still enjoys involvement with elite sport. A commentator for the BBC, a mentor for the likes of Tom Daley, among others. A successful executive coach and now a renowned speaker and mental health advocate. Leon delivered a highly popular TedX talk entitled How to manage your mental health which currently has over 1 million views on Youtube.
No doubt about it, Leon is on a quest to help you think better, move better and ultimately feel better.
After finding out that he’s a big fan of our supplements, we got a chance to sit down with him and ask a few questions.
Did you know as a child what you wanted to be when you grew up, and how did your childhood experiences shape your destiny to become an olympic athlete?
I watched the Olympic games when I was six years old. On the TV obviously! I remember being totally mesmerised by the action, all the different sports and athletes from over 200 different countries. It was rare for me to sit down for very long because of my endless amounts of energy, I was quite the hyperactive child.
When I watched Daley Thompson receive his Olympic gold medal things changed for me. I was so inspired, mainly by the fact that he was so happy he was actually crying. At that moment I told my dad that I wanted to go to the Olympic games. That statement was more than a ‘want’ it was a committed decision because my behaviour completely changed from that point onwards.
I started to focus on all of my sporting endeavours trying many different sports and eventually found Diving. My first Olympic Games was at the age of 18 in 1996. And then standing on the podium pretty much 20 years to the date From watching those Olympic Games in 1984 on the TV with my dad.
We know you’ve sustained a lot of pain and injuries throughout your career, do you have any tips for pain management and recovery?
My main tip is to be gentle and kind to yourself. I didn’t do this when I was an athlete, always rushing back to training and continuously ignoring pain. I do not recommend that!
My current approach is much kinder. It’s all about reducing inflammation. These days I focus all of my energy on recovery, getting good quality sleep, regular yoga practice and high quality supplementation.
I’m a big fan of Truth supplements especially the Liquid curcumin for inflammation and recovery. I’ve tried many Turmeric and Curcumin supplements in the past and felt no benefit at all. You can really tell the difference with a high quality supplement and being in liquid form is so much more potent.
I’m also really into cold water (ice baths or cold showers or getting in sea) also for recovery among many other physical and emotional benefits.
What importance do you give to diet and supplementation? And has your diet changed over the years?
One of my favourite quotes by Michael Pollan is :
“Eat food, not too much and mostly plants”
This is where I’m at. I also feel any supplementation should be of the highest quality possible.
My approach to nutrition and diet has changed many times over the years. It seems when it comes to nutrition there are always conflicting opinions. We can easily get lost in this. After years of experimentation I have fine tuned what works for me and I encourage others to do the same. Another quote I often remind myself of is :
“If you can’t change your mind, you can’t change anything!”
What importance do you give to diet and supplementation? And has your diet changed over the years?
One of my favourite quotes by Michael Pollan is :
“Eat food, not too much and mostly plants”
This is where I’m at. I also feel any supplementation should be of the highest quality possible.
My approach to nutrition and diet has changed many times over the years. It seems when it comes to nutrition there are always conflicting opinions. We can easily get lost in this. After years of experimentation I have fine tuned what works for me and I encourage others to do the same. Another quote I often remind myself of is :
“If you can’t change your mind, you can’t change anything!”
2020 has been crazy for us all. How has COVID impacted your life?
It’s had a huge impact on my day to day activities and my life as most of the work I was involved in were live events with large groups of people in close proximity. Having everything postponed or cancelled was a huge shock and impacted my mental health, as it did for many many people.
I had to accept the circumstances (as difficult as they were) and take action. I decided to take what I could online: coaching and mentoring via zoom.
I also created Mindset and Movement. The session brings together my two passions - movement, and mindset coaching - to create a shared experience aimed at improving people’s health, happiness and performance. Open to all levels of fitness and the whole household! I run public classes 3 times per week and it’s donation based so everyone can attend.
My intention is to support as many people as possible through this storm, from both a physical and mental health standpoint.
How do you manage your own mental and physical health?
I move every day. Movement is my medicine. This could be walking my dog out for a stroll with my son Ziggy in his pushchair, a yoga practice, a high intensity interval training class, cycling, swimming in the sea or lifting weights at the gym when they’re open!
I also have a daily meditation practice. I use the app Headspace (spoiler alert I am Headspace move mode coach so appear in the app) which is great. I also have a coach. I think all coaches should have a coach!
What things are you doing to stay sane during lockdown?
Jumping in the sea everyday. Practising yoga every day. Playing with my son every day as he grows and learns and develops. Getting outside as much as possible - rain or shine. Staying in contact with friends and family. Remember we are socially distanced not emotionally distanced!
What’s the one thing for you that’s made the biggest positive impact on your mental health?
Wim Hof inspired cold water therapy.
And finally, do you have any parting words of wisdom for people struggling with their mental health at this time?
What has happened is uncontrollable. What you decide to do now changes everything. Start small and find consistency. Maybe it’s a slight change to your diet maybe a slight change to how much movement you do, maybe you start increasing the amount of time you sit quietly following your breath. You could choose to reduce the amount of time you spend on social media and news feeds, and whatever you decide to do - take small steps and do it consistently.
Thank you Leon for your words of wisdom - we are certainly inspired! Want to learn more? You can connect with Leon here.
Read our most recent blogs:
LIKE THESE ARTICLES?
STAY UP-TO-DATE
Join the Truth Origins club to stay up-to-date on our latest articles, blog posts, updates and exclusive discounts. You'll also receive 10% OFF your first purchase for joining.