Alive & Kicking, WAKO British Champion Nadia Griva

Nadia Griva is ranked number 1 by the International Kickboxing Federation, is the current WAKO British champion, and has a successful career as a Psychology lecturer. We asked her how she manages to fit it all in.

I have always been very active – I started with tae-kwon-do as a kid but gave it up when I started university. I still kept busy though, working out on a regular basis. But I grew bored of regular fitness classes so I decided to try something different. It took just one kickboxing class to get me hooked.

Getting into the ring and fighting is a big step, and took almost a year of training seriously. The training is the hardest part of competing - the fight is the easy part. If you believe that you've put your heart and soul into your training you should never be disappointed. My biggest achievement was when I won the WAKO British full contact title in 2004, after 9 months off due to torn ligaments and knee reconstruction surgery.

I usually train 6 days a week mainly in the early morning as that is the only time I can train consistently. I generally focus on cardiovascular training. My evening sessions tend to be more specific to kickboxing. I also train with weights twice a week.

"I believe that diet and nutrition is vital not just for elite athletes but for general health and well being. I simply feel better when I eat a healthy balanced diet"

It is not easy to juggle work commitments with my kickboxing training so careful planning is essential. The general rule is to set the goal, plan the training for the week ahead and then stick to the plan no matter what.

It has taught me discipline and focus and I am a stronger person – it's also a great help as a stress buster!

I believe that diet and nutrition is vital, not just for elite athletes, but for general health and well being. I simply feel better when I eat a healthy balanced diet – my body and brain work better and I feel happier.

My active life means that I am away from home most of day, which makes it really hard to meet my daily dietary requirements. I could never sustain my routine of working and training without Maximuscle products – they ensure I am getting the right nutrients to fuel my workouts and aid fast recovery.

I use Promax daily – I love all the flavours, so I tend to mix and match depending on my taste. I normally mix it with porridge in the morning or have it as a post workout snack to repair muscle and boost recovery. I also take Viper Extreme before a strenuous cardio session. It tastes fantastic and mixes so easily with water. If I feel like a treat, I may have a Viper Extreme bar which is absolutely delicious – hard to believe that this is healthy bar and not a naughty treat.

I would like to try out some endurance races such as triathlons or extreme races in adverse terrains that tax the body and mind alike. This type of activity would appeal to my competitive, restless and adventurous nature and my innate need to push myself and strive for the best.