England rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson shares his five tips to help ANYONE achieve their fitness goals

For rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson, his epic battle against injury is almost as famous as his breathtaking performance that led England to the 2003 Rugby World Cup victory.

But now the former fly-half, who stuck to a military-style fitness regimen without being hampered by frustrating setbacks, shares his tips to help anyone get fitter.

The 43-year-old has detailed his approach to training with MailOnline, including how to ‘train like a pro’.

In partnership with David Lloyd Clubs, Wilkinson shared his top tips on how to embrace holistic fitness and wellness.

Become an all-around athlete

It’s not just about having the biggest muscles or the best abs, says Wilkinson.

He emphasized that staying flexible and maintaining your stamina will benefit your overall performance.

“For me, it’s really important to train all of your systems, speed, strength, power, flexibility, and endurance — everything,” he says.

“Try to become an all-around athlete. Strength is very important for your stability and your grounding, while your flexibility and looseness is your spontaneity.

“You may lose what you don’t use, so take good care of everything.”

Take care of your body

It’s not just about the actual workout – what you put into your body and how your nutrition affects your progress.

Wilkinson, who now owns the No 1 Living kombucha brand, says, “Eat well, hydrate well, take care of your body.

“It’s the most amazing intelligent machine in the world, so respect it, honor it and it will take care of you.”

Making sure you eat enough carbs, protein and fat is essential on your fitness journey.

Carbohydrates nourish the body, while protein helps build and maintain muscle, fat acts as a cushion for joints and helps absorb nutrients.

When you exercise, you sweat, so drinking water is paramount to replace those fluids. Water is needed to maintain body temperature and lubricate joints.

And Wilkinson claims that keeping your food gut-friendly and nutritious will help you succeed.

Follow your passions

Research has shown that the more passion you have for something, the more likely you are to perform well at it.

And Wilkinson says enjoying your workout will help keep you going.

“Work on your skills, exercise, challenge yourself, just have fun,” he says.

“Follow your passions – where there is excitement and opportunity, keep doing it.”

Rest and recovery

Wilkinson says you won’t reap the benefits of your exercise regimen unless rest and recovery take place.

Rest periods are of utmost importance as they give your body enough time to replenish your energy stores and allow your damaged muscles to recover.

And Wilkinson says it’s also important to completely forgo your workout and give yourself time to focus on other things.

“Find a way to relax and let go whenever and wherever you can,” he adds.

Wilkinson, who now owns kombucha brand No 1 Living (pictured), says, “Eat right, hydrate right, take care of your body.”

Accept and love yourself

Pushing yourself is important, but you should not forget to be kind to yourself as well.

“Setting small goals for yourself is very important,” says Wilkinson. ‘But competing, comparing and checking all the time is not going to bring that peace and freedom.’

He recommends learning how to accept and love yourself just the way you are “because chronic stress destroys performance, it destroys relationships and health and well-being.”

Wilkinson says, “To be strong, healthy, and at peak performance both physically and mentally, we need to take care of ourselves from the inside out.”

A 2009 study by University of Toronto scientist Vicki LeBlanc found that elevated stress levels can hinder performance on tasks that require divided attention, working memory, information retrieval from memory, and decision making.