Luxurious Magazine’s Sabi Phagura speaks to Blue Fuel Brand Ambassador Lee Bell to find out more about the personalised expert sports nutrition service.
As we all try to stay fit to combat COVID-19, there can be a minefield of products and information to do so. During the lockdown, some experts have been taking nutrition seriously and have developed a new product called Blue Fuel, a sports nutrition service developed in conjunction with Chelsea Football Club in London.
The aim is to pave the way for amateur sports enthusiasts to gain access to the expertise they see in pro sports.
Luxurious Magazine: Tell us about why Blue Fuel has been launched now during a worldwide pandemic?
Lee Bell: COVID-19 has hugely impacted the way athletes train all over the world, meaning they need products more than ever that can be personalised to their own needs and the changes that they have gone through. That’s why it’s the perfect time to launch Blue Fuel, an expert sports nutrition service tailored to your fitness levels and activity needs.
With gyms having re-opened across the UK now, and as teams start to train once more, Blue Fuel aims to help athletes prepare for their comeback when their sport is back up and running again. A huge part of team or solo sports is the preparation element, and Blue Fuel believes there’s no better time than now to provide guidance to athletes on their nutrition to help them be the best version of themselves before they are able to go back to playing their sport regularly.
LM: This has been marketed for team sports. Can individual sports enthusiasts also benefit from Blue Fuel?
LB: Although Blue Fuel is designed for team sport athletes, the unique nutrition products have been created for use before, during and after intense exercise and so can indeed be used for individual sports. For example, I have used Blue Fuel during my own personal programme for cycling, as I am preparing for a long-distance cycle sportive, cycling from London to Paris later this year. It’s allowed me to fully personalise the service to suit my schedule and training frequency, which is fully adaptable using the Blue Fuel app.
Blue Fuel is accessible to anyone. We’re all fuelled by different things – our sport, our performance, our goals. It’s why Blue Fuel has taken the personal approach to nutrition, by creating an expert sports nutrition service that can be personalised to all athletes.
LM: What sets Blue Fuel apart from the other nutrition already available on the market?
LB: In spite of the nutrition market growing exponentially over the last few years, most sports nutrition brands are created with the gym or endurance in mind, leaving team sport athletes who want portion-controlled nutrition that caters to their activity requirements, with nowhere to go. Blue Fuel is developed with the nutrition experts at Chelsea FC.
As nutrition is a key part of the overall performance regime for players, the club spent many months in discussions around the products they used and what they would change given the opportunity. It became apparent that there was a gap in the market for an expert sports nutrition service.
LM: Talk us through the different products available in the Blue Fuel range?
LB: Whether you’re off-season or in season, the Blue Fuel product range is designed to hit the following main need states in sports: hydration, rebuild, recover and energy. The Hydration Sachets have key electrolytes and are ideal for training and are available in orange or lemon flavours. The Protein Bars provide a 20g protein top-up and come in white chocolate raspberry crisp or milk chocolate cookies & cream flavours, making them the perfect post-match fuel or for those rest days where preparation is key.
The milk-based Protein Powders are key products for the rebuild and recover stages, providing the right combination of carbohydrates and protein, and are available in chocolate or strawberry flavours. And finally, the pocket-sized Blue Fuel Energy Gummies are designed to give that pre-game or half time boost of energy, available in red berry or cola caffeine flavour. Each of the five sports supplements has been created to be easily built into an athlete’s nutrition plan so that they deliver their best performance.
LM: How does the Blue Fuel nutrition package work?
LB: Athletes complete a basic questionnaire on the website, www.bluefuel.com or on the app, where they fill in what sport they play, how they train, how often they do it, their personal details and their fitness goal, and they are then recommended a monthly box of specially-designed sport supplement products tailored to them. Once you have subscribed, you then gain access to the Blue Fuel app, which is where they receive tailored guidance, personalised meal plans and performance recipes to help boost their performance.
This can then be updated on a month-by-month basis depending on their goals for that month and activity levels etc. So, it’s not like those other subscriptions where you’ll be sent boxes upon boxes of supplements no matter how much you’re training. If you’re on a rest period, for instance, you can pause your subscription, so you’re not inundated with packages when you don’t need them.
LM: How easy is it to navigate around the app?
LB: Super easy! The Blue Fuel app is designed to be your fitness companion and to help you achieve your fitness goals. It tells you which Blue Fuel products to use before, during and after training sessions and competitive sports, as well as performance recipes, which is really useful.
LM: Can you buy the products individually?
LB: Not at the moment. Blue Fuel products are part of a carefully calculated nutrition plan that also includes specific recipes for you and your sport. If you’re a Blue Fuel subscriber, you can always add more products to your order on the website or on the app.
For example, when I upped my training after lockdown eased, I made the changes to my profile in the app so that I was properly fuelled during this period. However, when going away on holiday, I paused the subscription so I wouldn’t get extra supplements sent that I didn’t need.
LM: With so many people having dietary requirements, does the range cater for vegetarians, vegans or gluten-free clients?
LB: Currently, not all of Blue Fuel products are suitable for vegans and vegetarians. The Hydration Sachets and Energy Gummies are vegan-friendly; the Recovery and Rebuild protein power blends are milk-based so are suitable for vegetarians. The Blue Fuel app provides a wide range of performance recipes for vegan and vegetarian subscribers, which form part of each athlete’s personalised nutrition plan to help them hit their goals.
Blue Fuel – Where and How?
For more information on Blue Fuel and to learn more about Lee Bell, visit www.bluefuel.com.
Read more exclusive interviews in our dedicated section here.