Nub News gets UP CLOSE with Matt Rozier England rugby coach, referee and now a best-selling author who has made his Shotley grandparents very proud.

Most of us have, at one time or another have tried a diet, whether to lose weight, tone up or gain muscle, the vast majority of us ditch the diet because it was just not right for us. If only, in among the myriad of diet books, there was one that would show us how to get it right for us all as individuals.

Well, that is where Matt Rozier comes in and judging by the impressive start he made on Amazons best-selling list when his book 'Mindset Diet on Amazon. came out, he has hit the spot.

With an extensive background in sport and fitness Matt knows his stuff. He studied Sports Science at Essex University, owned his own fitness studio, is a rugby referee at national level, and is currently a rugby development coach with the England Rugby Football Union.

Mindset Diet came about during the first lockdown when Matt was furloughed by the RFU and found he had time to actually bring an earlier idea to fruition and by the time the second lockdown came in November, the book was ready to be published online.

"It became apparent to me that there is a lot of misinformation out there, particularly with people wanting to make money out of it," said Matt. "I got a bit frustrated by the misleading information that is out there.

"People also over-complicate things, probably for their own necessity. When I work with people I prefer to keep it simple, that gives them more freedom and flexibility.

"It also struck me about the negative loop of diet cycle and trying plans that were never right for them, then they give them up and blame themselves, especially over the past few years where we have struggled in general.

"So, if there is anyway I can help people to protect their mental well-being and make positive changes which would be life long then that is worth doing."

One of the themes Matt promotes is for individuals to take ownership of their own journey - step by achievable step.

He said: "It was more about people learning about putting a plan together for themselves. I could write someone's plan but it goes back to the psychology.

"The best way to be fully motivated is to be full invested in something and understanding how it best applies to you and what you are going to do about it and working through it.

"The idea of someone putting together plan for themselves is how you create that motivation because you are fully immersed in it and it belongs to you.

"For example, if I said 'go run a marathon' it would bring about absolute dread and fear but when it is broken down step by step, you can understand it and it is something you will see can be down."

Little wonder then that his grandparents Sylvia and Glenn Elliot from Shotley Gate are beaming with pride, although they are not wholly surprised at Matt's achievements.

Sylvia said: "I was slightly surprised that he decided to write the book, but having said that, anything Thaeus (the name he is known as in the family) decides to do he does well, so I was not surprised that it turned into a best seller.

"His early path in life wasn't the easiest, due to a couple of events in his childhood that wouldn't have been easy for him to cope with. However, it didn't take him long to set his goals and worked hard and showed a lot of resilience to achieve them, becoming a rugby referee was one of his first ambitions, which he soon realised.

"He is involved in so many projects, we have a job keeping up with them all. We are so proud to call him 'Our Grandson'."

Without going into detail, Matt admitted those early year experiences have helped him and he also pointed to Sylvia and Glenn as an inspiration.

"They were experiences that make me understand why and how people attach emotion to eating," said Matt. "That gives me a great basis and experience for writing the book, which is written from the heart without any pretence.

"The book is quite blunt at times, especially when I review popular current diets and its very honest and to the point. That is probably down to my grandparents because are so straight talking. I definitely inherited that trait."

With 10 years experience in health and fitness, Matt leads by example with his positive, and focussed approach.

After working as personal trainer while studying at Essex University in Wivenhoe, Matt set up his own studio in Harwich and combined officiating at rugby tournaments across the world, and coaching at his beloved Harwich & Dovercourt RFU, where he is now a head coach.

He joined England rugby in 2018 then went full time a year later and closed the studio as he became a community rugby coach with the RFU Following a restructure during first lockdown when some redundancies were made by the Twickenham HQ, Matt secured a position in coach development based in Essex.

Although currently online sessions, Matt develops coaching at a variety of clubs in the region, including Felixstowe, and Hadleigh and into Essex.

Matt said: "My role involves training delivery and mentoring rugby coaches across the game. It was a tough choice to close the studio after but when I did both it was so demanding on my time.

"I have played rugby since I was 11 and love the game. I have been fortunate to referee nationally and abroad but I had the idea for the book for a while.

"I started writing before joining England but had to stop. So when lockdown came I made made it my mission to get it finished.

"With the help of friends, family and studio guests it has done well and I was pleased to see it as a best seller. I just put it out there with no expectations really, I just wanted to see if I could help one person then it was worth it, and it also helped keep me sane and active. It has been amazing."

Having legendary coach Eddie Jones as his ultimate boss has not hurt Matt in the way he delivers his message.

"It is really useful being in an organisation with him at the helm because he is massive advocate for thinking about strategy," revealed Matt. "He is always delivering messages to the staff to keep us motivated and ready to go. Everything he says is considered and he is so switched on."

To think yourself better get Mindset Diet on Amazon. here now...