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 …
How to Fuel your Run
As a sports nutritionist who works primarily with runners, one of the most common questions I get asked is what to eat before running. You’d think by now I’d have a short, quick answer because I’ve now worked with so many runners, teach sports nutrition at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition as well as workshops on the subject, continue to read …
Carb-Load Correctly in 3 Easy Steps
If you are participating in an endurance event lasting longer than 90 minutes you stand to benefit from carb-loading and thereby increase your performance by 2-3%¹. The longer the event you’re signed up for, the more important it becomes to ensure your glycogen stores are full (and therefore you are fully carb-loaded). If you’re getting ready to run a half marathon (depending …
Fat-Loading for Race Performance (part 3)
There are many ergogenic aides available to runners to help them achieve optimal performance on race day. For those participating in endurance events lasting longer than 2 hours, one such technique you may wish to try is fat-loading. The purpose of fat-loading is to teach the body to burn its own fatty acids as fuel (to a greater extent than it already …
Fat-Loading for Race Performance (part 2)
Last year I began to explore the topic of fat-loading, a method used to enhance ones running performance in endurance events lasting longer than 2 hours. The purpose of fat-loading is to teach the body to burn its own fatty acids as fuel (to a greater extent than it already does), thereby conserving glycogen stores. Conserving glycogen stores as much as possible will …
Fat-Loading for Race Performance (part 1)
I’ve put off writing about fat-loading for some time now because each time I’ve gone to blog on it, the topic felt too large. Instead of continuing to sidestep it, I’ve decided to write about it in 3 parts: first, why you’d want to fat-load; second, the science behind fat-loading; and finally, how to fat-load. I first learned of “fat-loading” …