DARREN BERRECLOTH- DISCUSSING HIS SECRETS OF INJURY RECOVERY
HEAL LIKE A TEENAGER
HEAL LIKE A TEENAGERInjury recovery with the “Claw”
Have you ever gazed upon a beautiful cliff and mountainside, admiring its beauty and splendour? Well, when someone like Darren Berrecloth looks, he doesn’t just see the drops, dips, valleys and crevices; he sees lines. As in how can he ride from the top down to the bottom. I’m not like that, my job doesn’t depend on it. My performance isn’t graded on how steep the slope is, how risky the landing. Not even how fast I can sprint or how far I can run. My job is measured in how many words I type a minute, and the fewer errors the better. The opportunity to dive into the mind and listen to someone who relies on their body in a totally different way intrigued me. (I’m the girl who doesn’t like to ski or snowboard because the thought of riding the chairlift scares me…)
The love for what you do!
The hills Darren rides his bike down well, let’s just say there’s definitely no chairlifts or easy way up. What do you do when this is your job, and more than that, this is something you LOVE. Downhill Mountain Bike Riding is not a sport for the faint of heart, and it definitely is one that is tough on the body. As you can imagine hurtling down a hill that most people would have difficulty climbing even with gear can cause an unimaginable amount of pressure on the body. Remember though, these tricks and moves are not learned on the first go. The greatest source of ‘wear and tear’ comes not through major events but training. The daily grind literally, where there’s bumps, ridges, drops and flips that the body just soaks up. It wasn’t that long ago when Darren first met his current personal trainer. (A man who could inspire many, and leave those half his age in his dust.) Through this trainer, he found Avena Originals products.
I asked Darren: how long have you been using Avena’s products?
I started out trying a couple of products here and there, that must be about four years ago. It was really about two years ago that I became more and more on board and started using the products on a very regular (daily basis).
More than that, he found that all those doctor visits and trainers before had never told him the basics of nutrition and lifestyle. When it first came to Avena products and the healthy lifestyle that we support and encourage, I asked Darren if there was anything that surprised him.
It wasn’t so much of a singular product as it was the lack of what I knew. I was amazed at how little time I’d invested and lacking the information on nutrition was out there. Here I was, a pro athlete for 10 years and was just finding out things about my body and different means of nutrition that blew me away. One of the biggest issues that stand out even today is the importance of pH and how it impacts our bodies. Foods that are acidic and heavy just wear your body down from the inside out. One of the first things I remember was finding out about the bodies pH and how that impacts your health and recovery. I felt like, why am I just learning about this now? I’ve been a pro athlete for over 10 years. It really just opened my eyes that I knew nothing about my health, wellness or how foods impacted my performance.
I had noted that just recently Darren has had surgery on his shoulder and I asked him about that.
Yeah, there’s a great doctor down in California that I like to go to. He did the surgery and the follow-ups. He’s remarked before that my healing is always nice and speedy. Two things that are of big importance when that can mean sitting out the next competition or riding.
I am of the impression that all athletes are competitive. They all have gotten to where they are from a mixture of love of their sport and determination. Nothing can hamper that more than injury. Imagine training for months riding regularly only to find yourself sidelined and watching the action. In the world of an athlete, an injury is hard. The key is to not get sidelined, through practice, diligence, luck and a little bit of knowledge. Darren is not unfamiliar with this pain as he’s been an athlete reliant on his body for his entire career. For him, injury can be devastating. Particularly in a sport like MTB where one wrong move, one bad landing doesn’t just mean a sprained finger, or bruised rib it can be cracked and broken bones, concussions and road burn that covers your body.
Darren since you’ve been taking Avena for awhile now, any favourite products, ones you don’t leave home without?
First off travel is always tricky. Especially when it comes to eating healthy and having good access to food. I’ve travelled to some places where it’s just local fare that has no name and some water. For light packing, I’ve gone with little ziplock bags mixed with Enzymes and probiotics and just grab a few out of the bag each day (like Kameron uses when he visits out here). I’ll do the same with the RP3 and E-Fusion. The RP3 especially is awesome, because as long as I have access to water I know there’s’ at least something I can have (mixing water & rp3). Often I’ve just grabbed a container dumped some stuff in it with water and slammed it.
That brings me to my favourite product; the RP3, I take it every day. I Make smoothies for myself regularly and always toss in The RP3 and E-Fusion. It’s awesome. I like it so much because it has everything right there that you need (the enzymes and protein)
I guess, at the end of the day, no matter who you are or what you do for a living any type of injury that will ‘sideline’ you don’t have to be seen as the end; merely a bump in the road. The body will heal, it’s divine by design.
Avena Product Guide
Protein content, while providing 21grams of the highest absorbable proteins by combining protease enzymes and probiotics with the protein. Try using two servings per day.
Magnesium is an athlete’s best friend, it allows for the muscle to relax and heal, avoid cramps, and is used by over 300 processes in your liver. Under stress your body uses up magnesium rapidly, often leaving us deficient. PIN Magnesium does what no other magnesium can do! It delivers the highest amount of magnesium directly into the cells through its unique ionic cellular absorption. Try using one mini bottle of PIN each day.
Avena’s enzymes are known as the best in the world and for good reason, they have a long track record of exceeding expectations. Darren uses enzymes with every meal as he understands the enzymes are missing in the food he is eating.
Try taking 5 with each meal.
He combines the E-Fusion with the RP3 to really boost his natural healing abilities. Vitamin E is a fantastic healing powerhouse for anyone who is under stress, both physically or emotionally. Try three rounded tablespoons twice per day.
Darren has expressed his love for these probiotics many times. Healthy bacteria is an instrument of an alkaline body and making sure you keep your gut healthy. Try taking 5 capsules before bed.