Team GB member Evie Richards is a cross-country mountain bike World Champion and Commonwealth Games gold medal-winner. Find out how Healthspan Elite sports nutrition has helped her on her way.
🕒 3 min read
Q. Why did you choose Healthspan Elite for your supplements?
A. For me the most important thing is that my supplements are checked for banned substances, and also that the quality is super-high.
With Healthspan Elite I know I can be confident because they're all certified by Informed Sport and made for athletes. They're also made in the UK, so I just know that when I'm using them I can be confident that they've been checked and that I'm using the highest-quality supplements.
Q. On a typical training day, what supplements do you take and when?
A. When I wake up I take my probiotic and my Vitamin D Spray. I've always liked to take these on an empty stomach.
Then when I'm training, I tend to take one of the Hydrate tablets in my bottle. Even if it's not super warm I'll still take one of these. It might just be a half tablet, just to make sure that the water I'm drinking is hydrating me properly.
I follow my ride with normal food, and then at the end of the day I'll take my iron, omega 3 and multivitamin supplements. I like to take these last thing before I go to bed; I'm not eating anything after that, so I think they have the best chance of absorbing through the night.
Q. Why do you take each supplement, and how does it help your training?
A. I take my Omega 3. This is really good for your cells and your heart, and I've always taken it since I was a kid. It's one of my non-negotiables – even if I wasn't racing or competing I'd still take Omega 3.
High Strength Omega 3 1,000mg
1,000mg Fish Oil Concentrate with increased levels omega 3 fatty acids, providing 230mg DHA and 520mg EPA
- 230mg DHA and 520mg EPA per capsule
- Supports brain, heart and eye health
- Highly distilled and sustainably sourced
I take my probiotic to make sure I've got really good gut bacteria and to reduce the chances of getting sick. I take my vitamin D because I've got vitamin D deficiency, and you just don't want to have any low vitamin levels when you're training so hard.
It's the same with my iron levels, too – I make sure I'm not low before I've already started training. Just taking these vitamins reduces my chances of getting sick, and means I can train really hard and don't miss so many training days.
Q. Do you take any supplements due to dietary requirements or preferences?
A. I'd say the only supplement I take for dietary requirements, when I'm away and I can't always get the fruit and veg I want, is the Performance Greens.
On a lot of days we can be travelling for eight hours on the road, and maybe if we're getting a service station lunch it's not really got the nutrients and minerals I want, so that's definitely when I'll take Performance Greens.
There's also days with long flights or if I just feel like I need a bit of kick because I've been run down or lacking sleep.
Q. Which supplement could you not do without?
A. I was always really against taking iron, as I always thought I could get it through my diet. After a few blood tests this year I realised I actually couldn't get enough from food, and now I feel like I've trained really well with consistent iron levels this year, so couldn't do without my iron supplement.
Iron Complex
Stomach-friendly Iron Bisglycinate with B Vitamins, Vitamin C and Copper
- 14mg of stomach-friendly iron bisglycinate (100% iron NRV)
- B vitamins to support red blood cell formation
- Copper and vitamin C to aid iron absorption into the body
I also can't do without my probiotic. If I don't have this I panic a bit, as I think I've always had really bad skin and I know my skin's worse when my gut's not got as much bacteria. Even when I'm holiday I make sure I have my probiotic with me.