Hi, I’m Matt Aldridge, Olympic medalist and World Champion rower.
Sport has always played a massive and important role in my life. I got into sport mostly as a way of dealing with my ADHD and anger problems as a child, and soon fell in love with being active and all things sporty. I began rowing when I was 12 following in the footsteps of my dad who was a coach at my local club, Christchurch Rowing Club.
My love for sport only grew as I got older, resulting in International representation at age group level. I joined the British senior national team in 2022, won my first World championship in 2023, before being selected to represent Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winning a Bronze medal. I am back with the senior national team pushing myself for a chance to go to the LA 2028 Olympic Games and try to win a gold medal.
As an athlete I have to eat a large amount of food to meet my nutritional needs, so the sustainability of what I’m eating, along with the quality of the produce is incredibly important. Edenmoor play a huge role in that for me, knowing I can get high quality produce that is sustainably sourced and gives back to British farming is a huge positive in my opinion.
Life as an Olympic rower
A normal day for me consists of waking up and having my two slices of toast with jam for the first breakfast, which I usually end up sharing with my border collie Winnie. I then drive to our national training centre to meet up with my team mates and debrief the events of the day before whilst stretching and warming up in the gym.
We head out onto the water for our first session of the day which lasts for about 90 minutes. After a quick shower we are in for our second proper breakfast consisting of 3 poached eggs, baked beans and two bagels. Between the first and second session we optimize recovery as best we can, either by heading for a nap in the sleep den, challenging each other to games of chess or simply by catching up on some seriously overdue life admin.
Much sooner than anyone would probably like we are down into the weights gym for our second session of the day. Just over an hour later we are back in the showers, enviably complaining about how sore our legs are and how tired we are before getting ready for lunch. We are fortunate enough to have an on site chef, who looks after our nutritional needs and ensures we are well fed at breakfast and lunch.
After lunch has settled we start to warm up for our third session of the day. Onto the rowing machines for another good dose of cardio to improve our fitness and build up our engines.
Why nutrition is as important as training - Choosing food with purpose
Fuelling my body as an elite athlete is incredibly important.
After completing our training for the day it is likely that I will have burnt approximately 6000kcal, over three times the daily amount for a typical adult male.
Due to the high demand of calories required it feels as if I am constantly eating throughout the day and always emptying the fridge and pestering my wife to help me make more food! To combat this and in an attempt to be more sustainable in my eating habits, I have taken to growing my own potatoes in buckets in the garden, to use as my primary source of carbohydrates in my meals.
But mainly because deep down I’ve always wanted to be a farmer and this is as close as I can get for now!
The enjoyment I get of watching the cows and the admiration of the hard work, care and dedication the farmer puts into his herd makes me really appreciate the largely unsung work British farmers do.
Which is why I like the approach of Edenmoor ensuring farmers are paid a fair price, the welfare of the animals is top priority, and the pastures in which the animals are reared in are nurtured just as well as the animals. Resulting in Nutrient dense food, that even with my below average culinary skills, I know will not only taste amazing but fuel me properly in my pursuit of Olympic gold.
Besides carbs, protein plays a huge role in recovery and refuelling, allowing muscles to repair and Besides carbs, protein plays a huge role in recovery and refuelling, allowing muscles to repair and hopefully grow stronger. So I am always on the hunt to find the best sources of protein, with grass fed, sustainably sourced meat being my gold standard. As an athlete knowing where the food I’m eating and putting into my body comes from is a massive benefit as I can be confident it is the best for me. This is why Edenmoor has been such a beneficial game changer for me. Knowing that the produce I am eating is nutrient dense but most importantly, sustainable, Means that along with growing my potatoes and other vegetables in my garden, I can have a real impact at having a positive effect on sustainability and doing my part to restore the balance of this world.
"You wouldn’t fill your petrol engine with diesel, so why would I fill up my engine with food that has little to no nutritional benefit and has been packaged and processed within an inch of its life until you aren’t even sure what you're eating anymore!"
Lessons From an Elite Sports person anyone can take home
I gave a speech recently at my old school about putting myself out of my comfort zone and taking risks, a sentiment I try to live up to everyday. Which leads me onto my first quote I would like to share with you. Something that has stuck with me since the first moment I heard it and I’ve applied to not just my sporting life but also my day today existence:
“the universe rewards courage not credentials”
To me that means not being afraid to take risks, not being worried how others may perceive you, have the courage to put your hand up and say yes!
I’m sure many of you reading this have a wide range of credentials, knowledge and life experience - don’t be afraid to boast about them! Have the confidence to go into the world and show how amazing you are. Sometimes, no matter how awkward or uncomfortable it may be, you have to be the one to bang your own drum.
My next message although applicable to everyone I aim mainly at the sportsmen who maybe reading. This saying has helped me at all points in my sporting career, from when I began to sitting on the start line at an Olympic Games...
“nothing changes if nothing changes”
I feel this is invaluable information, you may have the best routine or race plan laid out before you but sometimes you have to take a risk and try something new, it might work or it might not.
But don’t be scared to try something different in the pursuit of betterment, don’t limit yourself just because of that fear of the unknown. Good luck, enjoy the journey and all of the challenges along the way, some call it a village, others like me call it a team, others call it friends.
But whatever it is you call it don’t be afraid to lean on your support network and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
