Evidence Based Advice
The Mood and Food Connection
Do you feel like your moods, anxiety and stress are impacting your life? Anxiety, low mood and stress can make life feel like an uphill battle. These feelings can drain you of energy and motivation, making your day-to-day life harder to handle. When you are not balanced and grounded life’s challenges can seem impossible to overcome, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and defeated.
Probiotics, kombucha and gut health
A hot topic at the moment, optimal gut function is the foundation to all health. However there is a lot of misinformation out there, so in this blog I hope to provide some new insights for you.
The importance of glute activation
Your ‘glutes’ or your ‘gluteal muscles’ refer to the muscles in your bum. They comprise of three major muscles: Gluteus Maximus (the large main one that shapes your backside), Gluteus Medius and Gluteus Minimus (the two smaller muscles that assist your Gluteus Maximus in moving your body).
Sleep Nutrition - how can you get a better nights sleep?
"Dear 3am, we have got to stop meeting this way. I'd much rather sleep with you." Author unknown. Put your hand up if you wrote this.
Supplements: Are they necessary and should I be taking them?
The supplement industry in Australia has a net worth of over 16 billion dollars! And whilst I do often prescribe supplements to my clients, I do believe we have an unhealthy obsession with supplements generally. For many, its become the 'healthy' equivalent to the quick fix pill to cure all ails.
Protein powders and exercising: what is best?
When considering supplements to aid exercise regimes, protein powder seems to gain the biggest airtime. This baffles me greatly, until I remind myself of the multi-billion dollar industry backing its success. Protein powder is at the end of the day a highly processed, unnecessary substance (for most people) that has been VERY well marketed.
Are food allergies and intolerances getting you down?
Allergies are considered one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in Australia. More than 20% of the population in industrialised countries suffer from food intolerance or food allergy. Symptoms range from hay fever, digestive disorders to eczema and asthma, or life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Recovering from exercise: post workout nutrition advice
From a nutritional perspective, it is important post workout to refuel as soon as possible. Ideally this would be within 30 minutes of your session ending. This can be in the form of a snack or your next meal, depending on what time of day you train. As far as specific nutrients, the most important is carbohydrates.
The coffee debate
The world is in love with coffee. One of my friends daughter trains at the AIS and I recently had a chat to her about what she takes before they race...it was buffers and yes you guessed it - shots of coffee! It sure does get that blood pumping!