WHILE Carlos Yulo polished his every move for the Paris Olympics men's gymnastics competition, a familiar face calculated his calorie intake every single meal.
Jeaneth Aro, a vital part of Hidilyn Diaz’s Team HD when the Filipina weightlifter won her historic gold in the 2020 Tokyo Games, was also the nutritionist who carefully watched what Yulo ate before and during the Paris Games.
Diet is usually a tricky part of any athlete's training - a push and pull that Aro has grown used to. But it wasn't as hard, she swore, when you're dealing with a supreme, well-disciplined athlete like Yulo.
“Napakadaling client ni Caloy kasi sanay na sanay siya mag-isa or independent. I just provide him with guidance,” Aro shared with SPIN.ph. "And klaro sa kanya ‘yung relationship namin na ig-guide ko siya on his food intake."
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Coach Jeaneth worked closely with Caloy’s other coaches in gymnastics and strength and conditioning, supplementing the Filipino gymnastics star's preparation by customizing every single meal to his daily activities.
“’Yung nutrition na lang kasi ‘yung fine tuning na kailangan niya sa preparation. The fundamentals were already provided by his gymnastics and conditioning coaches,” Aro said.
Aro and Yulo only met face-to-face inside the Athlete's Village due to the imited access accorded by Aro's accreditation. But that didn't stop her from overseeing what Yulo takes in for the whole day, which is dictated by the intensity of his training.
Even the small snacks and meals that Yulo brought to training and competition were guided by Aro.
She said: “’Yung design ng program ni Caloy, nagiiba depende sa routine niya for the day and sa intensity ng gagawin niya. The coach will inform me [of] their plan and I will adjust Caloy’s diet depending on that, in order for his body to sustain the physical activity he’ll do.”
After Yulo made history by becoming the country's first double-gold winner at the Olympics, a post by Aro showing her behind the golden boy as he devours a meal consisting of eggs, meat and a generous serving of rice surprised not a few people.
LOOK:
She captioned her post: “Tell me now that carbohydrates is not important for the elite-level athletes. Different sports, different fueling strategies.”
Asked to explain, Aro said the dreaded carbohydrates, the infamous sugar-molecule nutrient, is still an essential part of the diet of a world-class athlete like Yulo.
In Yulo’s case, the computed carbohydrate was necessary to keep his energy up on a long day since the men’s gymnastics competition in Paris was held late in the afternoon.
“It is a balance of carbs and protein and some fat," Aro said. "'Yung kinain niya is the balance that his body will need throughout the day, kasi late in the afternoon pa yung competition, and that meal was around 10:30 or 11 AM.
"The rationale behind it is to provide him with sufficient carbohydrate so that his energy level within the competition phase will remain stable,” she explained.
Well, it turned out to be the breakfast of champions.
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