A calm head and a sharp knife
Meditation, breathwork, books and a growing obsession with nutrition and the brain: how I try to keep my head as sharp as my knives.
Mind & Body
Sharp mind. Strong body.
Training, cold water, sauna, a calm head and food as fuel: how I look after the body and head behind the knife.
I’ve worked in professional kitchens since my teens, and long services teach you something simple: the cook needs looking after as much as the knife. So I lift in the gym, take cold-water dips, sit in the sauna and make room for meditation, breathwork and books. I’m also a proper nerd about nutrition and neuroscience. Here I share what I do and what I’m learning along the way. I’m a chef, not a doctor, so this is what I do, not advice.
Start here
- Why a chef lifts: strength training and long days in the kitchen.
- Cold water and sauna, the Nordic way: why I love it, and how to stay safe.
- A calm head and a sharp knife: meditation, breathwork, books, and what I’m learning about nutrition and the brain.
If you have a health condition, talk to your doctor before you try any of this.
Four pillars
-
Train
Strength training in the gym, because long days on your feet need a body that can take it.
-
Cold & heat
Cold-water bathing and sauna, the Nordic way. I love the shock of the cold and the slow, deep heat.
-
Calm
Meditation, breathwork and a good book. Same rule as at the chopping board: one thing at a time, done properly.
-
Fuel & brain
I’m a chef, so food comes first, as fuel and as joy. I’m also a proper nerd about nutrition and neuroscience.
Note
I’m a chef, not a doctor. This is what I do, not advice. If you have a health condition, talk to your doctor first.
Latest from Mind & Body
-
#01Self 
-
#02Self 
Cold water and sauna, the Nordic way
Cold water, a hot sauna and good company: why I love this very Nordic habit, and how to stay safe if you want to…
-
#03Self 
Why a chef lifts
Kitchen work is physical work. Here's why I lift, and why the gym runs on the same rules as a good kitchen.
