Sunday Spotlight - Paul May

Welcome back to the U Perform Social Hub and another edition of our Sunday Spotlight and this week we stopping by to say hello to one of our newest ambassadors, Paul May. Triathlete and Dad, Paul expertly balances over 15 hours of training with a full time job and parenting duties. Let’s find out how he does it. Over to you Paul…

 

Paul: Hi, I’m Paul, I am 41 years old and a proud father of two daughters Nyah, 14 and Ciara, 12 and I am engaged to my partner Lisa.

This year sees my 20 year anniversary working at Coca-Cola European Partners in which I work on the brand development of our Energy brands, namely Monster Energy.

My passion outside of family and work is the multi-sport of Triathlon in which I’m coming into my 9th year in the sport. I did my first Ironman at Bolton back in 2012 and have been hooked since.

Triathlon has become a way of life and as a result my 2 daughters have already completed 40 triathlons between then. We are an active family and you can be sure to always find us doing some kind of challenge and if not, we are planning one!

In recent years, I have taken my triathlon and as a result my lifestyle journey more seriously. It can be a real balance managing family, full time work, health and balancing a 15 hour triathlon schedule but I love the lifestyle, the continuous journey of trying to improve my performance across each of the three disciplines and the challenge of getting the most out of the week I can and working towards my goals.

This has resulted in me qualifying and competing for the Team GB Age Group at triathlon at the European Championships in Ibiza in which I finished 10th in my AG. Next stop, podium at the World Championships in Almere, Amsterdam in 2021!

U Perform: You are the perfect example of how triathletes, multi-sporters and any non-professional athletes really are the kings and queens of spinning the many plates of a busy and active lifestyle.

We work with so many fitness enthusiasts and athletes like you Paul and it is truly inspiring to see you working hard day in day out to achieve your goals no matter what challenges lie in front of you.

Part of this journey is about balancing performance and recovery every day and when you are training across 3 sports week in week out this can have a massive impact on the body’s ability to recover each day.

We know from research and experience that daily collagen supplementation can be a game changer for performance, recovery and even reducing our risk of injury too. Why did you choose U Perform to help support you on this journey?

Paul: I chose to work with U Perform after trying their collagen supplements and seeing and feeling the difference for myself. I have a better understanding of the difference and types of collagen supplements and more importantly the quality of the ingredients that are used to make them.

I have a training plan that covers my swim, bike and run including my strength and conditioning and I was looking to partner with a brand that would support me in getting the most out of this and U Perform does exactly that!

U Perform: You’ve hit the nail on the head there Paul. We are science-led, performance-driven in everything we do and that means delivery only the best ingredients and formulations to our U Perform family.

We’re so excited that you are starting your collagen journey with us too!

Ok, so this next part might be tricky. If you had to choose a favourite U Perform product, what would it be?

Paul: My favourite U Perform product is the active collagen gel. One of the best things is that it can be taken anytime to suit your lifestyle, routine or training plan. And the bonus is that it tastes great too!

Whilst the gels are a great post-workout supplement, the vitamin C enriched active collagen can be most effective when taken 1 hour prior to exercise.

U Perform: A popular choice for sure so you are not alone with that one. On to the fun part now. What fun fact about yourself would you like to share with everyone?

Paul: As part of my fundraising efforts I was nominated to run with the Olympic Torch in 2012 which I did and I was also lucky enough to be given the Olympic Torch I ran with.

U Perform: Wow! What an incredible story, you’ll have to send us pictures of that!

Drawing near to the end, we like to find out a little more about our ambassadors’ motivations and inspiration. Do you have a favourite motivational quote and who inspires you the most?

Paul: That’s an easy one…

“Nothing good in life comes easy, you have to make the right choices, work hard and never give up.”

My family inspires me the most, setting a positive example and showing them to set big goals, don’t limit yourself and have a strong work ethic will allow you to achieve anything you put your mind to.

U Perform: Excellent motivations there Paul! Looking ahead, what have you got planned this year and next?

Paul: My 2021/22 goals are to achieve Age Group podium places at the World Championship event in Almere, Netherlands and also Ironman 70.3 Venice but the ultimate goal is qualify for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships and Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

If you would like to follow Paul’s journey and see what he gets up to in training why not check out his Instagram

 

Thanks for checking in for this week’s Sunday Spotlight. See you next week for another. We have so many more athletes and ambassadors that we just cannot wait for you to meet!

Do you think you have what it takes to be a U Perform Ambassador? Are you:

AN ATHLETE

A PERSONAL TRAINER

A NUTRITIONIST

A FITNESS EXPERT (COACH, TRAINER)

A PHYSIOTHERAPIST

A HOLISTIC HEALTH EXPERT (YOGA INSTRUCTOR)

A MINDSET COACH

A HEALTH & WELLNESS BLOGGER

Are you influential in your niche, passionate about health & wellness, loves sport & exercise, into personal growth, trustworthy, knowledgeable, personable and active on social media, a real conversation starter, vibrant and healthy?

Yes to any or all of the above? Then we want to hear from you. Just head over to ‘Become an Ambassador’ on our website, fill in your application and get ready to start your U Perform Ambassador journey.

We cannot wait to have you on the team!!!