Proper nutrition is a cornerstone of athletic success, vital for optimal recovery and performance. For athletes, balancing the demands of training, competition, and personal life can make achieving dietary goals challenging. This struggle is especially true for National Rugby League Women’s (NRLW) athletes, many of whom juggle careers, motherhood, and their rigorous sporting commitments. To simplify this aspect of their lives, an increasing number of these athletes are turning to Lite n’ Easy, a service providing dietitian-designed, chef-prepared meals that support their high-performance lifestyles.
Lite n’ Easy’s approach offers convenience without compromising nutritional quality, freeing up valuable time for athletes to focus on their training and recovery. Here’s how three NRLW stars are leveraging this service to stay at the top of their game.
The Rising Star: “I Need to Gain Weight and Muscle”
Montaya Hudson, an 18-year-old rising star with the Brisbane Broncos, is living her childhood dream of playing professional rugby. Despite her youth, Hudson understands the critical role that proper nutrition plays in her development as an athlete.
“I’m not the biggest person – I need to gain weight and muscle,” says Hudson, who relies on Lite n’ Easy to meet her nutritional needs. She consumes four to five meals a day from the service, ensuring she gets the right balance of macronutrients without the hassle of meal prep.
“Cooking four or five different meals a day – each with the macros just right – would be a huge time drain,” Hudson notes. “Lite n’ Easy takes that job off my plate. I can focus on training, knowing that my meals are ready and waiting for me when I get home.”
The Coach: “What You’re Fuelling Your Body with Is Massively Important”
Karyn Murphy, a decorated former player and current coach for the Gold Coast Titans, has seen the evolution of nutritional support in rugby league. Now an NRL Hall of Fame inductee, Murphy emphasizes the importance of nutrition for her team’s performance.
“When I played, we never had the support of someone like Lite n’ Easy to help with nutrition. It was definitely something we would have appreciated,” Murphy says.
As a coach, she has made nutritional simplicity a priority for her players, many of whom have demanding schedules. “All of the team members are working during the day, then coming into training late afternoon, and not finishing until 8 PM. Some, like a young mother who travels hours back to Toowoomba at night, need quick and healthy meal options.”
Murphy highlights how Lite n’ Easy has become a game changer for her team. “Getting them on Lite n’ Easy has been massive. It’s about making it easy for them to be consistent with nutrition, so they can maintain their energy levels and recover properly.”
The Veteran Player: “Nutrition Is Huge – It All Comes into Recovery”
Tamika Upton, a seasoned player currently with the Newcastle Knights, is in her sixth year of NRLW competition. For Upton, nutrition is a crucial part of her recovery process.
“Because we train in the afternoons, into the night, I think food is one of the biggest parts of recovery that we’ve been missing in the past few years,” Upton explains. “Lite n’ Easy means the girls can eat before they head home, and that part of recovery is ticked off.”
Upton, who is balancing her professional and personal life after recently moving out of home, finds Lite n’ Easy indispensable. “I like the convenience of it. The days are pretty busy with work, training, and other commitments. I’m not the best planner and not the best cook, so it’s actually very convenient.”
Through the support of Lite n’ Easy, these NRLW athletes are finding it easier to manage their nutritional needs, allowing them to focus more on their performance and recovery. As they continue to strive for excellence on the field, having a reliable nutritional partner makes all the difference.