I feel like we have all had an experience or two where you’re out there having a great ride or run and suddenly, you’re out of energy, or feeling crampy and nauseous or in a worst-case scenario looking desperately for somewhere to go the bathroom wishing you had a roll of toilet paper in your pocket.
Fear of these scenarios happening can lead us to limiting how much we eat pre-workout as well as not taking in enough nutrition during our training sessions or race. This is so unfortunate because we know we need to nourish our bodies for the workout that we are doing but even more importantly to support our recovery so we can make the adaptations we are working so hard for as well as set ourselves up well for our next workout.
Training Your Gut for Athletic Performance
I feel like we have all had an experience or two where you’re out there having a great ride or run and suddenly, you’re out of energy, or feeling crampy and nauseous or in a worst-case scenario looking desperately for somewhere to go the bathroom wishing you had a roll of toilet paper in your pocket.
Fear of these scenarios happening can lead us to limiting how much we eat pre-workout as well as not taking in enough nutrition during our training sessions or race. This is so unfortunate because we know we need to nourish our bodies for the workout that we are doing but even more importantly to support our recovery so we can make the adaptations we are working so hard for as well as set ourselves up well for our next workout.
Metabolic Efficiency: How to Get There
Improving Metabolic Efficiency Series (PART 2) In my last post, part 1 of this series Metabolic Efficiency: Why You Should Care, I talked about what metabolic efficiency is, its benefits, how it’s related to our metabolism and how our body makes energy. Personally I’ve used metabolic efficiency to help me achieve my goals and perform well many times over – …
How to Train for a Half or Iron Distance Triathlon
As we start preparing for a new season of racing, I thought it would be a good idea to put together some thoughts on how to train for half and full distance triathlons. This should give you an idea of what is expected, what’s reasonable, and what’s necessary to get through your first half or full distance event.
Metabolic Efficiency: Why You Should Care
Improving Metabolic Efficiency Series (PART 1) I began talking about the importance of metabolic efficiency more than 5 years ago (back in 2017). At the time I held a number of workshops on the topic and planned to offer an online course that went into detail on how to become more metabolically efficient. Over the next few years, I went …
Using Your Cycle as a Guide for Sport Performance
Have you noticed that your menstrual cycle affects your workouts, your hunger levels, and your sleep? I sure have, and as an athlete and sports nutritionist, I wanted to understand how best to train and nourish my body during each phase to achieve optimal training results. Understanding your cycle will allow you to adapt your training and eating to support your sport and athletic performance. In this week’s blog post, I will discuss how to do this based on the role of each hormone and when it is dominant.
Strength Training for Performance Through Perimenopause and Beyond – Part 2
No matter where you are in your menopause journey, we can look at strength training in the same way. If you still have some hormones, even though they are fluctuating and declining [or perhaps you have chosen to use menopausal hormone therapy (MTH)] it is important to remember that you still need exercise stress and a protein to actually stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Let’s discuss how to utilize different training modalities to build and maintain lean muscle mass and bone density during perimenopause and beyond.
Practicing Nutrient Timing (part 3): After
Figuring out what to eat before, during and after workouts (and thus ensuring the proper practice of nutrient timing) can make the world of difference in our energy and recovery. What you eat (or don’t eat!) post-run plays a large role in determining how you’ll feel afterwards and how much energy you’ll have for your next workout – particularly if you’ll be working out again later that same …
Practicing Nutrient Timing (Part 2): During
In order to build a strong, healthy body it pretty much goes without saying that you must establish overall healthy nutritional habits that include plenty of antioxidant rich and anti-inflammatory foods (read: lots of leafy greens, veggies, fruits, herbs/spices and other nutrient dense real foods!). To really dial into performance nutrition however, a focus on what to eat immediately before, during and after each run becomes …
Practicing Nutrient Timing (Part 1): Before
It pretty much goes without saying that we are best off eating an overall healthy diet rich in fruits and veggies to build a strong, healthy body that will perform well for us. But if you really want to dial in, you might consider implementing solid nutrition routines before, during and after your run that will help to give you the cutting …