CHEF: Be an ATHLETE

As a chef, you work ten, twelve, fourteen….sixteen….hour days? Let’s not pretend you’re not exhausted. The hard work and intensity in the kitchen have physical, mental and emotional impacts that compound when unaddressed.

There’s no faster way to burn out than to keep working year after year and not take care of your mind and body. It’s a lot harder when you work too many hours and you can’t find time to prioritize healthy habits for yourself. It can feel like a trap.

This is a systemic industry issue, and it even affects those at the highest levels: it’s not uncommon to hear of well-known or famous chefs who suffer breakdowns, go through rehab, and even die, because of failing to take proper care of their overall health. A simple Google search will show you proof of a decades old, negative paradigm.

Stress manifests itself in various way including physical aches and pains, depression, and even chronic illness. You can’t break yourself down and expect your body and mind to perform well, and you can only leverage your mind and body so long, until they start to fail you.

Thankfully, there are solutions that when prioritized, are effective in creating a stronger and healthier body and mind, so that you can be the best you can be. Professional kitchens are hard on the body and being a chef is much more like being an endurance athlete than anything else.

So, treat your body like an athlete...

Focus on nutrition:

Find time to eat whole foods every day. Many chefs skip most meals because they’re just too busy, so plan time to eat before you leave home, and consider taking something to work so that you can eat properly when you do have time. A quick smoothie, eggs or some granola in the morning, having some protein bars on hand during the day, and meal prepping batches of food you can quickly reheat for dinner after a long day can help make this easier.

Consider foundational supplementation:

As a supplement to your diet, to increase energy levels, strength and general wellbeing, consider supplementation with high quality protein powder, multivitamins, or whatever you need to fill nutrient gaps. It may be hard with too little time to consume all the nutrients you need to perform as a chef with food alone, so increasing your nutrient intake by increasing the nutrient density of your existing meals may help. Look for NSF Certified for Sport labels to ensure what you’re consuming doesn’t contain heavy metals and contains what is listed on the label.

Maintain daily hydration:

You work in a hot kitchen, and you’re moving constantly. Dehydration leaves you tired and weak. Drinking enough water is crucial. Aim for approximately half of your body weight in ounces each day. If you’re working stations and highly physically active, consider adding a clean electrolyte supplement to replenish what your body loses through sweating.

Prioritize 7-8 hours of sleep each night:

Consistent sleep each night is like a magic wand for your mental and physical health. Sleep is the core of recovery and a major factor in how good or bad you feel each day, which then determines all your decisions afterward, because your motivation and mindset are a result of how much energy you have, or don’t.

Limit alcohol:

Yes, it can make you feel good in the immediacy of drinking it, especially socially, but alcohol negatively impacts stress by raising cortisol and screwing up your sleep, among many other downsides. The post shift drink is commonplace in our profession, but be aware of the frequency and quantity.

Avoid energy drinks:

Cheap, fast, heart thumping energy often “wellness-washed” with poor quality B vitamins, dead probiotics and other performance enhancing substances, these glowing neon drinks are more akin to radioactive waste found at Chernobyl, than to anything considered ingestible. The aptly named “Monster” and “Bang!” are also great descriptors for the subsequent heart attack. Try having a double espresso instead.

Consider meditation: 

Meditation is proven to lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone that keeps you in fight or flight mode), and one highly effective, evidence-based technique is Transcendental Meditation (TM). Unlike other forms that require intense focus, TM is a simple, mantra-based practice that allows your mind to effortlessly settle into a state of deep rest and relaxation. It takes 20 minutes per day, is not religious, or whoo-whoo.

Consider strength training:

The suggestion is not to become Ronnie Coleman, but you can do basic strength training exercises that build lean muscle, which in the long term set you up to be able to do the heavy lifting and fast motions without over-straining, pulling a muscle or just generally making yourself unnecessarily tired, too fast. Even simple push ups and squats, which are free, would take you 20 minutes per day.

Foam Rolling: 

After spending 12 hours on your feet, your muscles are screaming for relief. A foam roller is your personal, deep-tissue masseuse that you can use at home. This practice breaks up the painful knots that build up in your legs, back, and shoulders from constant standing and repetitive motion. It increases blood flow, speeds up recovery, and can prevent the chronic pain that forces so many chefs out of the industry. Spending 10 minutes rolling out your tight spots after a long shift is one of the best investments you can make in your physical longevity. Buy a vibrating foam roller for the best benefits.

Health is a “Pay it forward” experience and it’s directly related to your career longevity and quality. Meaning you experience tomorrow what you do today. And the effects aren’t always immediate. It can take a few weeks, or months, to feel the impact of a change in habit. Your habits determine everything.

Lastly, for the “I can’t find time” excuse…understand that nobody owns you just because they pay you a salary. The ‘always on call’ and “can’t walk away” excuses needs to stop. It's not selfish to schedule time to take care of yourself if you’re doing your job to the best of your ability, thoughtfully, in an organized and effective way.

You deserve a great career, and a healthy life. Don’t ask for it, take time for yourself and know that it isn’t selfish.