‘A Day in the Life’ with professional rugby player, Jimmy Gopperth
From easing inflammation to helping soothe sore throats, there are many ways Manuka Honey may benefit wellness. We asked professional rugby player Jimmy Gopperth, from premiership team Wasps Rugby, to share the typical ways he uses Manuka Honey within his daily wellness routines.
So, Jimmy, why do you use Manuka Honey?
Well as many people have experienced, my life has taken a big shift in the last year or so, due to Covid-19. I have been lucky enough to continue to play rugby during this time but as you can imagine, I have had to take even more notice of my general health and wellness.
I train several times a week and to help with this training, I need to be looking at what goes into my body and ensuring I am looking after myself.
For me, Manuka Honey is an easy way to help my wellness, without having to do to much thinking. It can be incorporated into routines easily, whether I have a day at home with the family or am looking for a simple solution before a weekend game.
With benefits of Manuka Honey potentially including soothing sore and aching throats, supporting digestive health and easing inflammation, it’s not only an obvious product to use daily for me, but for my wife and children also. Plus, it tastes delicious so doesn’t feel as if you’re compromising on things you enjoy to help your wellness!
What are some of the ways you enjoy using Manuka Honey? How do you use it within your routines throughout the week?
One of my favourite times to use Manuka Honey is breakfast time for sure. My go to pre-training breakfast is Weetabix with berries, topped with Egmont Honey. It’s not only tasty but keeps me fuelled for several hours also. It’s also tasty on a bagel!
I also use Egmont Honey post-training. A quick and easy way to help replenish my body after a hard day of training is with a protein packed smoothie. I mix my protein powder with milk and then add frozen berries, a banana and a tablespoon of Egmont Honey. Inflammation affects our overall health and may prevent healing after training, by potentially damaging tissue in the body. Research shows that Manuka Honey may help with easing inflammation thanks to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties within the honey[1]. Or as the weather turns colder, I enjoy mixing it into my hot drink, like a green tea.
It's important to say however, that sometimes the best way for me to enjoy Egmont Honey is simply by taking a teaspoon of it each morning. This take two seconds and is an easy way to ensure I am helping to support my wellness.
Why Egmont Honey?
Firstly, it’s a family run business which I have known for a while. I went to school with Co-Founder James Annabell and I know it’s a business which is run with passion and expertise.
I am from New Zealand myself, so I know that for Manuka Honey to be top quality, it needs to come from New Zealand and be produced by people who really care about the environment they are working in.
Egmont Honey are committed to not only creating authentic Manuka Honey, but also to looking after the bees that help them create it. In fact, Egmont’s bees are left in remote rainforests all year round, meaning the Manuka Honey is some of the purest in the world, and a share of their proceeds go back into increasing bee populations – which is a big draw for me.
The fact also that every jar of Egmont Honey is independently tested and certified means it’s a product I can trust as well.
Any other top tips for using Manuka Honey?
As well as eating it, it’s also great to use on your skin if you experience acne or eczema, as it may help aid any issues linked to this. Alternatively, it can be a good way to keep skin moisturised and is as simple as smearing direct onto your skin and / or any sore spots you may have. This is particularly good for me when training or playing outside in the winter months, as my skin is open to all weather conditions and can dry out.
