Namita Nayyar:
You must have a Coach who has been a catalyst who helped you pave the way to rise in your career with discipline and a never stopping attitude. Elaborate about his/her influence on your professional life?
Michaela Blyde:
Two Coaches have been a massive influence on my 7s career, Alan Bunting (who was head coach from 2016-2021) and Cory Sweeney (assistant coach from 2016-2021, head coach 2021-present). These 2 made me see the potential that was deep inside of me that I couldn’t quite see alone. They had true belief in me to be a frequently starting winger after the Rio Olympics (which I was travelling reserve at so missed out), and pushed me to extend my limits and push harder in my trainings. Their love for the game and our squad helped our team culture thrive into great places, without our culture, we wouldn’t be able to perform the way we do. That allowed me to also be confident in who I am as a woman and not hide from my authentic self.
Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you may wish to share?
Michaela Blyde:
7s rugby is a sport where if you lack something, you will struggle to play at the top level. You have to have endurance, but not just running endurance, the ability to make multiple tackles in a row, and then chase back, then run with the ball, then get off the ground. It’s grueling but it truly separates the best players from the rest. You have to have speed as there is so much ground to cover with only 14 players on the rugby field, so defensively you have to stop others from running around you. On the flip side you have to be fast enough to run around your opponents. To top it off you have to be strong, to be able to take a tackle, fend people and throw them off you so gym work is very important. We train all components while also fitting rugby skills in there. It truly is a sport that showcases all types of athletes.
Namita Nayyar:
How do you train your abs? One secret to your toned body.
Michaela Blyde:
Believe it or not, we don’t overly do specific core exercises as a lot of our gym work uses our core while doing upper body or sprint work. But if I wanted to add core into my gym work I love doing the basic sit ups and prone holds with weights. I always make sure I have engaged core when we are doing big lifts as this helps with stability and speed on the field. I am however very proud of my upper body strength, I’m not the tallest rugby player and is probably more on the “small” side, but I have shoulders that can tackle hard.
Namita Nayyar:
Do you take a special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Michaela Blyde:
Rugby requires you to be strong, but also lean enough to run fast. So it’s important we are taking in a lot of protein to keep our strength, and carbs to fuel our body for endurance work. Lacking in any of those nutrients in our sport can lead to injuries. I take Athena Protein every day after my trainings because it’s delicious and easy on the tummy. I’m a proud ambassador for Athena and they have provided myself and some of my team mates amazing protein that caters for active females needs like extra iron and collagen. The Athena protein is taken with water rather than milk so it’s not heavy on the tummy after a hard training.
I love baked beans for breakfast in the morning with hard boiled eggs and toast, it’s been my go to breakfast for the last 12 years, and it never fails me. I try to aim for 5 meals a day (3 big, 2 major snacks) to keep my body fuelled and protected from injuries. I’m also someone who just enjoys being healthy and understands the benefits of eating good food to stay fit so I would only eat takeaways on special occasions. My work on is more water intake, I get so busy that sometimes I forget to continue taking sips of water throughout the day! So drink your water, people!
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
