Day in the Life - Laura Warren, Nutritionist

Laura Warren from Inistioge, Co Kilkenny is the Director of Elite Living Nutrition and is a Multi-Award-Winning Health and Nutrition Professional with an infectious passion for health, fitness, and nutrition.

She was named as the Best Nutritionist Ireland 2023 and has been involved in the health and beauty industry for 15 years and she believes the two go hand in hand.

Laura has over 110,000 followers on Instagram who she shows daily nutrition and recipe plans. Laura’s aim is to empower people all over the world to really improve their health. And that, she believes, is a marathon, not a sprint.

She also keeps her audience entertained with her travels around Ireland, with lots of Sunday drives accompanied by her beloved French bulldog Homer and her English bulldogs Harry and Monkey.

If you are interested in a new year, a new you, please read on…

Laura you are an award-winning naturopathic nutritionist. What is that exactly? 

A Naturopathic Nutritionist advocates the importance of using whole and organic foods as medicine, which are integral for healing within the human body.

In terms of my approach, I educate clients in the art of self-care and the steps they need to take to achieve optimal health.

Each person is an individual, and one size does not fit all with nutrition; we all have different likes, dislikes, intolerances, and allergies and so on.

My 30-Day Sculpt & Shred programme teaches people how to accept greater responsibility for their own health care, and how to use the principles of nutrition to transform their lifestyle.

You say a healthy outside starts from the inside. What is the biggest obstacle that your clients find when it comes to changing their bad eating habits? 

Often, the biggest obstacle my clients face when it comes to changing and developing new habits is usually related to a combination of motivation, willpower, and the ability to sustain behaviour change over time.

Breaking old habits can be challenging, as people often have deeply ingrained patterns of behaviour which are difficult to change.

External factors such as environmental influences, social pressures, and conflicting priorities can also hinder the process of habit change. So, in many cases, this is why clients engage in my services; to get the awareness, guidance and support to overcome these obstacles.

What are the key components of your morning routine as a nutritionist?

My typical working day starts with the alarm clock at 7am, if the dogs haven’t woken me sooner!

Once they’ve been let out to do their bit of business, I can tend to mine…I log on to my Elite Nutrition app and check all my clients’ progress: their food intake; weight progress; any particular comments or problems they are having.

As I mentioned, all my clients’ nutrition plans are individually tailored to suit their needs, and they require individual care and responses. Once I’ve gone through the morning plans, I tend to my own health, and this is usually a 5km hike or a one-hour workout.

Afterwards, a late, healthy breakfast which includes a balance of protein, health fats, carbs, and fibre to provide sustained energy and support over the day. I like to incorporate physical exercise into my morning routine, which in turn boosts my energy levels and gets those good endorphins flowing!

What is your new year's resolution? 

Honestly, I don’t personally believe in New Year’s resolutions. This may sound strange coming from a person whose business is busiest at this time of year, but the fact is that anybody can hit the reset button on their lives at any moment they choose.

It’s also why I reject yo-yo dieting and short-term weight loss programmes; they’re all just fads and have no benefit long-term. If you want to improve your nutritional health and to lose weight, you must find a sustainable programme that educates you on how to find the best version of yourself.

The problem for many people is often simply not knowing where to start. But the good news is that, with a little bit of education, you can achieve a healthy nutritional balance without punishing yourself or your body, which I completely reject.

A good nutrition plan should not leave you feeling hungry; you should feel energetic throughout your day and not starved.

First-time clients on my 30-Day Sculpt & Shred programme are initially amazed by the amount of food they can eat, while getting the results they need to get in the best shape of their life. Follow the science, not the fads!

What daily habits should we try to incorporate for 2024? 

Start simple; incorporate more fruits and vegetables in your diet and gradually reduce your portion size.

Once you are feeding your body with the right macronutrients, the right amount of carbs, protein, fats and fibre, your body will tell you when you have eaten enough.

Also, do an exercise you actually enjoy doing. For example, I rotate my exercise days; one day I walk and the following day I do my strength and conditioning or HIIT classes. This works for me but, again, we are all unique. The important thing is to move with purpose every day to build a strong mind and body.

You have built a huge following spread over Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X and Tik Tok. This must take a lot of time and effort. 

Yes, building a business certainly takes time; and it has taken me 26 years to harness all the skills and education I’ve had since leaving school, but I’m still not finished!

I’ve done several courses across a wide variety of disciplines, but I have always had a huge interest in health, fitness, food, and nutrition.

Thankfully, I’ve always been fascinated by social media and how engaging content can connect with particular audiences, and this has been a key factor in the growth of my business.

Is maintaining an active presence on your social platforms a draining experience?

I don’t necessarily find it ‘draining’ – if I did, I’d probably be better off doing something else – but it is important to find a balance.

Yes, managing my social media platforms does require a significant investment of my time and energy, but thankfully I very much enjoy this part of the job!

Creating and curating content and staying up to date with trends can be demanding, but I’m naturally interested in all of this anyway, so most of the time it doesn’t really feel like work.

As long as I manage to take my head out of the phone and social media land for important moments such as meals, playing with the dogs, having a laugh with my husband … it doesn’t become too all-encompassing!

If you could sit down with 17-year-old Laura, what would you say to her?  

Embrace your uniqueness and understand that challenges and setbacks are all opportunities for growth.

The Stoics understood (and I certainly did not until I was much older!) that there are many things in life that we cannot control; but how we respond to the challenges we face – in business and in our personal lives - makes us the people we are.

So, I would tell my younger self to embrace all challenges as learning experiences, especially the mistakes that will help develop resilience and strength. I would tell her to always stay curious and open minded, don’t be afraid of new ideas and never stop learning!

You can follow Laura on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Tik Tok & X her handle is Elite Living Nutrition or on www.elitelivingnutrition.com