Olympic champion and presenter Dame Denise Lewis invited us into her home to follow her healthy-gut morning routine. Find out why she’s obsessed with her daily shot of Symprove, meet her beloved dog (and star of the show) Bailey and discover why routine is so important to her.
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How did you hear about Symprove and how long have you been taking it?
I’d seen a few people on Instagram taking Symprove who I knew had gut problems. It seemed a no-brainer to me to try it to help my process. I’ve been drinking my morning shot for well over six months now.
At the crux of taking symprove is a greater end goal - the discipline it gives you via the daily routine feeds into the same logic of why we athletes train all the days and weeks of the year: both allow you to have a better outcome at the end of the day.
What motivated you to get involved with Symprove?
That morning shot, for me, reminds me of life as an athlete. The discipline, the maintenance of it. It has been a game changer for me so I’m now keen to learn more about gut health and help spread the word.
What does your morning routine look like?
My morning routine kickstarts with a shot of Symprove at about 7.30am. While Symprove is getting to work, I do too! Usually by putting a load of washing on or emptying the dishwasher, as with three boys at home there’s always something to do.
At 7.45am it’s time to turn my attention to feeding my youngest son, followed by breakfast for the dog. By this time, the billions of bacteria have started doing their work in my gut, and I’m ready for my first cuppa (a homemade matcha latte *see below for my recipe). I then head upstairs to get my son ready for school.
By 9.15am I’m ready for a piece of toast and some eggs, then I head to the gym. Mind and body set, ready for the day ahead…
Where did your interest in gut health start?
It’s really staggering how we really don’t feel comfortable talking about gut issues. Over 13 million people in the UK suffer from IBS but one in five don’t even want to talk to their GP. I was one of those people in my early days. Now I want to learn as much as I can and talk about it with anyone who’ll listen.
Top tips for looking after physical health?
I've got four children, so it’s all about fitting everything in. As an athlete, you live a very selfish life – competition is your entire purpose. And then, once you start having a family, you realise it's not all about you. It's great if I can do three mornings of gym time a week – plus I walk my dog, and that makes me feel good. I am quite a conscious eater and love to eat the rainbow. It’s left over from my athlete days. I only have around two cups of coffee a day, and I rarely drink.
And your mental health?
I’m a big fan of the Calm app – I probably only use it for about ten minutes a day, but I find it very balancing.
Why should people care about Symprove?
It’s just easy. It slots into my routine and routine has been good for me because I’ve been an athlete for so many years. And Symprove just works.
Original, Mango and Passion Fruit or Strawberry and Raspberry?
Mango and Passion Fruit.
Describe Symprove in 3 words…
Total game changer.
Thanks, Denise!
*Denise's matcha latte recipe
Ingredients
1 aerolatte (handheld milk frother)
1/2 teaspoon of OMGTea AAA+ matcha
1 small sieve
1 bamboo whisk
Method
Sieve matcha into cup, and use bamboo whisk to break down any bigger particles. Stir in a small amount of your favourite milk to make a paste. Then add another 1/2 a cup of milk and use the aerolatte to froth.
I like to add a small amount of boiling water then finish with more milk.
(Ideally you would froth your milk if you have the fancy gadgets - but this works just fine for me!)
And if you want to feature in our new content series ‘Wake up with Symprove’, we’d love to see your morning routine. Simply pop us an email at social@symprove.com to find out more.
