Christopher Bergström is more than just a nutrition expert, and he has a holistic view when it comes to other peoples’ well-being.

“Proper eating habits are important, of course, but they are only one of many components. You won’t be able to reach your goals by just eating nutritional food and working out if everything else isn’t in place,” says Christopher.

His company is called Athletic Nutrition, and his clients consist of athletes who are experts in their respective fields.

“Being one of the best athletes in the world means that you’re competing at an almost unfathomably high level. Your rivals are spending every waking hour trying to find ways to beat you. Every little detail has to be perfect; otherwise you’ll never win that gold medal. And there’ll always be someone else out there that will improve small details that you may have missed. Athletic competitions at the highest level are so close that even the smallest advantage can mean the difference between failure and success.”

Total Gains

So how can you achieve improved results for someone who has spent all of their life trying to get better? There’s a concept called “aggregated marginal gains”, where you first break everything down into as small components as possible. Then the goal is to improve each component with 1 percent. This might not sound like much, but every improvement adds up and becomes very noticeable in the end result.

The concept was initially developed for cyclists, but is nowadays used by athletes and businesses in equal measures.

Christopher has used this approach long before it even had a proper name. He used to wonder if all of those small details he kept improving really mattered. Would his extreme attention to detail yield any results?

Thankfully, any doubts he may have had vanished completely when the results came in. Laboratory analyses and competition results both showed that it definitely was worth paying attention to these details. When put together, each small improvement meant the difference between winning a gold medal and not even getting a medal at all.

“They say that athletes used to win the Swedish championships in football during the summer and bandy during the winter. But in this day and age it’s not enough to just be talented, athletic and eat properly. The competition is far too stiff if you want to beat all the other elite athletes out there—no matter the sport. And for each year that passes, there are more and more specialized ways of training. Nothing can be left to chance any more if you want to be the best.”

We Base Our Solutions Around Your Life

The goal for skiers is to cut off a hundredth of a second from their time. NHL players need to quickly get to their positions during the entire game, without running out of steam. And even though each individual athlete has different goals, Christopher always has to do the same thing; and that’s getting his clients to maximize their performance when it’s needed the most.

“Advanced laboratory analyses, DNA profiling and other tools are naturally part of my initial setup, but the thing that really sets my work apart from my competitors is that I really base my solutions around the athlete’s life—and not vice versa. This is actually more unique than it might sound like. There aren’t many people out there with such a holistic approach to their clients’ well-being, and who take all of these factors into account. In order to optimize each and every one of them I require a complete insight into my clients’ lives, meaning that I work very closely with them.

Many athletes travel a lot, resulting in them suffering from jetlag due to frequent time zone changes. And this can be very strenuous for their bodies. It would be next to useless for me to just give static nutritional advice in situations like these and not take everything else into consideration.

Maximize Performances When They Are Needed the Most

“You have to maximize your performance if you want to win. There’s no other way. And if you also want to achieve optimal results each time you compete throughout the season, there are many other things to take into account. For example, you need to improve your sleep and recovery, and also lower your stress levels. No human being can stay at their peak during all times. Instead, the goal is to always be at your best when it’s actually needed. By doing so, you can focus on helping your body maximize its performance during your next competition.”

Christopher’s background is as a personal trainer. He noticed immediate results with his clients early on when he started working with both nutrition and training. But this in itself wasn’t enough. In order for him to maximize his clients’ performances, he had to look at their entire life.

This has led to him working very closely with his clients. For example, he has joined them in their travels all over the globe, spending entire days and nights with them. He has attended their training sessions and competitions, and has also been with them during their free time. He maps out any situation that increases their stress-levels and sees how effective their recovery is.

“Being able to live so close to elite athletes from time to time has given me unique insights into the challenges they face. This has helped me to change small things in their lives that I never would have noticed if I’d just made nutritional tables based on my analyses back at the office.”

Bespoke Lifestyle Choices

Today, Christopher creates bespoke lifestyle choices for several of his customers. They feel safe knowing that an expert goes through their entire day in order to find an optimal solution for them alone.

“This makes me a kind of health concierge, which is what I call myself nowadays. I think I must be the only person with that title,” Christopher says with a laugh.

The French word concierge relates to a person, e.g. at a hotel, who book tickets to shows, makes dinner reservations and recommends activities to his or her clients. Simply put, the concierge gives a helping hand and fulfils the guests’ needs. Christopher says that this is what his daily work looks like,

“I often get requests to join them when they travel all over the world, so that I can answer all their dietary and nutritional questions. And when I arrive in a new city I conduct my research by trying out restaurants and checking the stock in nearby grocery stores. I also look up the best physical therapists and find the best juice bars. This may not be an everyday occurrence, but it still shows how versatile my approach to health is”, Christopher adds.