RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport)

 

RED-S can occur in both recreational and competitive athletes who either intentionally or unintentionally consume too few calories for their energy output. As a result, performance and daily functions decline leading to symptoms such as:

• Low energy and fatigue
• Chronic injuries and illness
• Amenorrhea in females (this symptom can go unnoticed if on hormonal contraceptives)
• Low libido
• Iron deficiency and malnutrition
• Low heart rate
• Hair loss
• Difficulty focusing
• Struggling to stay warm
• Irritability, anxiety, and/or depression

RED-S can affect any athlete regardless of age, gender, participation level, or body size, though endurance athletes and sports that favour leaner bodies are at greater risk, such as marathon runners, gymnasts, swimmers, dancers, and cyclists.

Since exercise suppresses appetite, it’s not uncommon for these athletes to miss hunger cues during long and intense training days, so pre- and post-workout nutrition, along with regular meal timing, will be essential for staying adequately fueled. A nutrition coach can be a helpful guide to ensure you are not inadvertently underestimating your caloric needs.

Other individuals may deliberately restrict food to meet the pressures of maintaining a particular body type that they believe will give them an advantage in their sport, in which case treatment with a Sports Medicine Doctor, registered dietitian, and/or therapist may be needed.

Either way, RED-S is reversible with the right support! If you notice a decline in your training, feel tired all the time, or other symptoms of RED-S, seek help from the appropriate professionals to get your performance and health back on track.

 

Sleep Hygiene

 

Sleep hygiene refers to the habits and practices that promote healthy and restful sleep. By adopting good sleep hygiene practices, people can improve their sleep quality and quantity, leading to many improvements in their health and fitness.

 

Why is it important?

Good sleep hygiene is important because it promotes healthy and restful sleep, which is essential for our physical and mental health. Improving your quality and quantity of sleep can provide numerous benefits such as:

– Improved physical health by allowing the body to repair and regenerate

– Enhanced mental health by regulating mood, emotions, and cognitive functioning

– Increased performance and productivity in daily activities such as work, school, and sports

– Reduced risk of accidents, particularly those involving driving or operating heavy machinery

– Improved immune function by helping to maintain a healthy immune system

 

What are the impacts of poor sleep hygiene on fitness?

Not catching enough quality Zs can have a number of negative impacts on fitness. During sleep, the body produces growth hormone, which is essential for building and repairing muscle tissue. Without adequate sleep, the body may not have enough time to repair damaged muscle tissue, leading to slower recovery times and increased soreness. In addition to this, being sleep-deprived can also increase your risk of injury, reduce your endurance, and impaired hormonal balance.

 

How can I improve it?

In many instances, people have trouble sleeping for one reason or another. This could be difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep. Here are 5 ways you can try to improve your sleep:

1. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps regulate your body’s internal clock and can improve the quality of your sleep.
2. Create a sleep-friendly environment: Make your bedroom a comfortable, quiet, and cool place for sleep. Use comfortable bedding, reduce noise and light, and keep the room relatively cool.
3. Avoid stimulating activities before bedtime: Avoid using electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops, for at least an hour before bed. It’s also a good idea to regulate caffeine consumption, cutting it off early in the afternoon. Furthermore, alcohol and nicotine may interfere with your sleep too.
4. Exercise regularly: Regular exercise and daily activity can improve sleep quality and help you fall asleep faster.
5. Practice relaxation techniques: Try relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga before bed to help you wind down and prepare for bedtime. These techniques may offer reduced stress and anxiety, which can disrupt your sleep.

If, despite your best efforts, you consistently have trouble getting enough rest – consider consulting with your primary care provider.

Eating disorders are common in the athletic and fitness community, take many forms, and can
affect any age, gender, and body size. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health
Disorders include a few clinical eating disorders such as:

•  Anorexia Nervosa – a life-threatening mental illness characterized by difficulty
  maintaining weight, calorie restriction, body dysmorphia, and intense fear of gaining
  weight.
• Bulimia Nervosa – a life-threatening mental illness that involves binging on large portions
  of food in a short amount of time while experiencing a sense of loss of control. Purging
  through over-exercise, severe calorie restriction, vomiting or laxatives occur after the
  binge.
• Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder – usually developed in childhood, this
  condition involves avoidance of specific foods due to either texture/colour that may be
  linked to a traumatic experience, such as illness, vomiting, etc. This can result in weight
  loss, malnutrition, and develop into anorexia or bulimia in adulthood.
• Binge Eating Disorder – similar to bulimia in that there is a binge, but purging may not
  occur afterwards.

Most people do not instantaneously develop an eating disorder, but may demonstrate
characteristics of disordered eating first. While the two categories intersect, key differences
between an eating disorder and disordered eating are severity and frequency. Some signs of
disordered eating include:

• Obsession with weight and the fear of gaining weight
• Rigid routines, food rules, and fixation on tracking calories/macros/measurements/weight
•  Chronic dieting, long periods of fasting, skipping meals, etc
• Anxiety around eating different foods/social eating/new dining environments
• Eating in secret
• Preoccupied with thoughts of food throughout the day
• Exercising to compensate for food
• Moralizing of food (good vs bad, clean vs junk)

Unfortunately, a lot of these behaviours are normalized in health and fitness for the pursuit of
thinness, and while some people may demonstrate these characteristics short-term and move
on, others may be silently trapped for years by their obsession with food, dieting, and over-
exercising without anyone even being aware.

While a nutrition coach cannot diagnose or treat an eating disorder, they can certainly assist
with connecting you to the correct practitioner and work alongside them in your recovery. If you
believe you or a loved one may be struggling with an eating disorder, visit nedic.ca to access
their online helpline, or call 1-866-NEDIC-20.

Why You Don’t Need to Count Calories

 

While it is helpful to be aware of the nutritional content of your food by reading food labels, many assume the only way to accurately fuel the body for performance or improve aesthetics is through tracking calories and/or macros. While this method works for some, it is but one tool in the toolbox that is usually too time consuming for most to adhere to, not to mention counting calories is not as simple as calories in/calories out:

 

• Food labels can legally be inaccurate by up to 20%.

• Nutritional estimates from restaurants are just that—estimates.

• Not all the calories we consume are used. Some aren’t absorbed in the gut and others are burned off from the thermic effect of food.

• Most calorie databases, like MyFitnessPal, are created by users rather than from a bomb calorimeter (the only instrument that accurately counts calories).

• It’s impossible, or at least unhealthy, to weigh and measure everything you eat in order to track as accurately as possible (you don’t want to be the person who travels with a food scale).

• Unless done in a lab setting, calorie recommendations are from equations that estimate your total daily energy expenditure based on imprecise self-reported numbers regarding age, weight, height, and activity levels; most people inadvertently overestimate their activity range.

 

So what can you do instead to ensure you’re properly nourished if you’re not hyperfixating on numbers?

 

• Tune into your hunger fullness scale (see our January 11th post if you’re unfamiliar)

• Eat approximately every four hours

• Sip water throughout the day and increase around activity

• Use a hand portion control guide (search Precision Nutrition’s portion control guide for an example) or aim for balanced plate that contains protein, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats

• Enjoy tasty, fun food without guilt or shame

 

If this sounds stupidly simple, that’s the point. Trust your body; it will do what it’s supposed to do to operate optimally without your continuous monitoring and false control if you allow it.

Protein Intake

A lot of people can become hyper-focused about consuming more protein when they start going to the
gym, and you may have heard of a few recommendations out there:

• 1g per pound of bodyweight
• 0.8g per kg of bodyweight
• 1.6g per kg of bodyweight
• 10-35% daily calories from protein

It’s enough to confuse anyone and send people scrambling for their food scales and macro calculators,
but it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Rather than focusing on the numbers, look at the big picture:

1. Are you eating at least three meals a day approximately every four hours?
2. In at least two of those meals, are you eating 1-2 palms of protein per meal (approximately 20-
30g of protein)?
3. Are you adding in multiple protein options into a meal, especially if you’re vegetarian or vegan?
Consider combining things like dairy, soy, whole grains, legumes, and seeds to get a bit more
protein in a meal.
4. Can you add a bit of protein into your snacks? Rather than just eating an apple, pair it with a
glass of milk/peanut butter/cheese/pepperoni stick, etc.
5. Could you make a protein shake if you don’t have time to eat, even if it’s just powder mixed with
water or milk, or a to-go protein drink like Gud, Core Power, Fairlife Nutrition, etc?

Based off a 2020 meta-analysis published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, protein intakes ranging from
0.5 to 3.5g per kg of body weight can lead to increases in muscle mass. That’s a big range! Essentially,
any kind of additional protein intake can help with your gains, so don’t sweat the numbers and just eat
consistent, balanced meals.

Body Acceptance

Most people start going to the gym or begin a diet because they’re unhappy with their current body. We believe a transformation will make us happier, more confident, feel better, and look better, and while investing in self-improvement is certainly beneficial, it may not be the fix-all solution.

All bodies deserve respect and dignity, and that includes your own. You can be happy, confident, and look good in your current body if you’re willing to train your brain to appreciate it. How would you feel if you stopped focusing on the number on the scale and instead dedicated yourself to implementing healthy habits and behaviours? How liberating would it feel to stop comparing yourself to others and finally feel like you’re enough?

 

Admittedly, it sounds like a bit of a pipe dream, and going on the diet or training rigorously may actually be easier than reframing the way you think about yourself, and it’s fine if that’s the route you choose. Someday, however, you have to make peace with the fact that our bodies are always changing, and you might not be able to always stay thin, muscular, athletic, etc. How will you then feel about yourself? Can you still respect your body, feel good, look good, and be confident?

 

If this post resonates with you and you’re struggling with body acceptance and image, nutrition coaching can help! Complete the form below to book a free assessment and learn more about how to shift to an anti-diet approach that seeks to nourish and improve your relationship with food and your body.

Post-Workout Nutrition – What Should I Eat and When?

 

If you’re new to training, or starting to kick your workouts into the next gear, you may be curious about the best way to refuel your body after a challenging workout. With lots of differing opinions and theories out there, it can be easy to get a little lost in the weeds or decide to chug a protein shake, perhaps a hefty smoothie, immediately after your training session. Here’s our take on it:

 

When Should I Eat?

Post-workout nutrition is more straightforward than it may initially seem. You might have heard of something called “the anabolic window”, which is the idea that your body has a finite amount of time to optimize post-workout recovery. While there is an element of truth to this, it’s definitely not as finite as some would have you believe. 

 

After your workout, when you and your muscles are hungry for fuel, blood flow is increased to deliver nutrients more efficiently for up to an hour, so it is theorized that this is the best time to recover. In reality, it’s not that clear cut and there is lacking evidence to indicate when exactly post workout meals are best. For most people, waiting until your next meal is just fine, and post-workout meal timing isn’t a crucial component to your diet or fitness success. However, if you are a high level athlete, training for several hours at a time or multiple times per day; being more diligent and strategic with your nutrient timing will help you sustain energy and promote recovery from one training session to the next.

 

What Should I Eat?

As far as balancing your post-workout meal, prioritize carbohydrates and protein. Working out requires your body to use its glycogen stores (glucose stored in the muscles) for energy, and the fastest way to replenish these stores post-workout are with carbohydrates. Along with the glucose, your muscles will draw in water and other nutrients (such as protein) that improve your recovery. Pairing your carbohydrates with protein helps the body absorb more of the amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) to repair the typical, minor wear and tear on the muscles that occurs during training.

 

With all that being said, keep in mind that for most people, your calorie and macronutrient intake  over the course of the day is far more impactful to your fitness goals than specific post-workout meals. In most cases, a healthy and balanced meal after the gym is sufficient to replenish your body.

 

Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health Report

Recently, Canada replaced its 2011 Low-Risk Guidelines (LRDGs) with new recommendations for alcohol
consumption based off the latest research. The original LRDGs suggested:

• Drinking no more than 10 standard drinks a week for women, with no more than two drinks a
  day most days
• 15 standard drinks a week for men, with no more than two drinks a day most days.
• No more than three standard drinks for women or four standard drinks for men on any single
  occasion.

To refresh your memory, a standard drink serving size is as follows:

• Notes on a Standard Drink In Canada, a standard drink is 17.05 millilitres or 13.45 grams of pure
  alcohol, which is the equivalent of:
  – A bottle of beer (12 oz., 341 ml, 5% alcohol)
  – A bottle of cider (12 oz., 341 ml, 5% alcohol)
  – A glass of wine (5 oz., 142 ml, 12% alcohol)
  – A shot glass of spirits (1.5 oz., 43 ml, 40% alcohol)

The new alcohol and health report, however, offers a drastically reduced amount of drinks, and state
that the risk of harm from alcohol is:

• Low for individuals who consume 2 standard drinks or less per week;
•  Moderate for those who consume between 3 and 6 standard drinks per week; and
• Increasingly high for those who consume 7 standard drinks or more per week.

Other key points of the report include:

• Consuming more than 2 standard drinks per drinking occasion is associated with an increased
  risk of harms to self and others, including injuries and violence
• Above the upper limit of the moderate risk zone for alcohol consumption, the health risks
  increase more steeply for females than males
• Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more standard drinks in one setting for men, or
  four or more standard drinks in one setting for women
• Men drink more alcohol than women and are more likely to drink in excess. Consequently, they
  are more likely to be involved in alcohol-impaired driving collisions, to be treated in hospitals
  and hospitalized for alcohol-related medical emergencies and health problems, to be diagnosed
  with an alcohol use disorder and to die from alcohol-related causes
• Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of death, disability and social problems, including certain
  cancers (particularly breast and colon cancers), cardiovascular disease (contrary to popular
  belief that red wine is good for the heart), liver disease, unintentional injuries and violence
• You can read the full report here

These new guidelines may be upsetting to some; like food, alcohol is a social connector as it brings us
together, helps us celebrate, loosens us up, facilitates socializing, etc. It can be difficult to give up
something we enjoy, but the point of this report is to create awareness around the risks we choose to
take.

The good news is every drink counts, so any kind of reduction will be helpful, particularly if you’re in the
high risk range. You can reduce your consumption by:

• Alternating alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic drinks, especially water
• Set days of the week as dry days to limit consumption
• Drink slowly and mindfully; avoid shots
• Don’t keep alcohol in the house
• Organize social gatherings and events that are not based on drinking/eating at a licensed
  restaurant
• Ensure you’re measuring your drinks to the standard serving size
• Consume a meal before, during, or after drinking alcohol

As we approach the end of January, we wanted to keep the momentum going with our goals for this year. We checked in with some of our trainers to see what their goals are, and how they plan to make them happen this year. Everyone gave one fitness/performance related goal, and one non-fitness related! We appreciate all of our trainers keeping it real and being open about their goals!

Kate:

– Learn to accept my body at any size in order to maximize performance in my Olympic lifts. I’m working with an Registered Dietitian and counsellor on body image while eating more to feel fueled for all my workouts.

– Journal every night. I use an app called Habit to remind me to journal every night at 10pm, close to my bedtime to help me do a brain dump before sleep.

Calum:

– Train to reach the point that I’m able to comfortably run again so I can play in a local lacrosse league. My biggest problem here will be accepting the need to prioritize myself.

– On the same vain, reframing how I look at Vancouver as more than where I live but rather my home. Joining the lacrosse league would be a step towards this.

Dayton:

– I would like to get consistent again with doing proper rehab for injuries that have been limiting my running, and to get to a point where I don’t dread the out coming workout worrying if I’ll injure myself again.

– Make time to prioritize my health in other aspects of life by writing a list down and making sure I tick on thing of a week

Nicole:

– Incorporate more outdoor running into my fitness routine. Starting by doing more running in general at my own gym or at Orangetheory.

– To establish a sense of self worth through internal means such as finding and prioritizing happiness, my interactions with loved ones and my mental health rather than external factors such as physical accomplishments in the gym, my body image and and in my career. I’m doing this by working with a counsellor regularly.

Nathan:

– Compete at a high level at powerlifting with a goal of being more competitive at my respective weight class nationally. I will attempt to do this by keeping the consistency in my training and trusting the process. I work with a nutritionist and a coach to ensure this is also feasible. Long term goal is to maybe represent Team Canada one day.

– Establishing a good work/life balance especially with the introduction of my amazing daughter in my life. I will do this by capping the hours of work I will do weekly in order to spend more time with my family.

Mitchell:

– Compete in my first Provincial level Powerlifting meet. The goal is to get a feel for competing at a level higher than local meets, and enjoy the process of doing so. I will continue to work with my coach to keep pushing my strength without injury, and execute a solid game plan on the day.

– Develop systems and strategies/behaviours and routines to help me maintain focus and prioritise tasks in a more efficient manner. To do this I am setting and maintaining firmer boundaries with my work/life balance (not biting off more than I can chew), and continuing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy every 2 weeks.

Alejandra:

-Increase the frequency with which a I work on my overall mobility to help with my longevity in olympic weightlifting. I’ll achieve this by converting one of my weightlifting training days  to mobility focused days.

– Keep in touch with my parents in Honduras more often, and improve the quality of our relationship by setting time aside on the weekends to have longer, and more in-depth conversations.

Transformation Photos

 

With the approach of January comes New Year Resolutions, and you might start to see more and more body transformation photos online to promote change. On the surface transformation photos may seem harmless; what’s there to hate about celebrating another person’s accomplishments? 

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with sharing your victory, consider these points as well when posting or viewing transformation photos:

• Businesses use transformation photos to sell you their memberships and programs (yes, even personal training and nutrition coaching!). Sometimes these photos don’t even reflect an actual change, but instead the pictures may have been altered and/or staged with better lighting and posing.
• Some people are blessed with amazing genetics, and their three month transformation does not necessarily mean you will get the same results.
• We don’t know what kind of methods the person used to get their results. Was it slow, consistent weight loss or was it a crash diet that ruined their physical, social, and mental health; were the means worth the result?
• Transformation photos idolize thinness/weight loss and muscularity which promotes weight stigma by suggesting your body only has worth and value if it meets the ideal beauty standard: your fat body was “bad”, your new thinner body is “good”, but then what happens if you regain the weight as most dieters do?
• Viewers of the photo may feel inferior, shame about their own body, play the comparison game, or trigger relapse in those with eating disorders.

So if you do want to post a transformation photo to celebrate your accomplishments, perhaps consider sharing a photo of you setting a PR instead, or at least talk about what you had to sacrifice in order to get results (no one ever seems to mention the missed social events, mood swings, lethargy, and restriction that come with dieting). 

At the very least, do not disassociate yourself from the old photo and speak compassionately about that body. You may have changed but that “before body” is still you, and one day, for whatever reason, you might find yourself back in it. Should that happen, you haven’t failed, you don’t lack willpower or motivation, and you still have self-worth. It’s just normal for bodies to fluctuate and change.