Electrolytes are minerals, primarily calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphate, and chloride, that conduct electrical charges in the body when mixed with water. Thanks to these minerals, our bodies can regulate the balance of hydration and blood pH levels, fire nerves, and contract muscles, but we are constantly losing electrolytes through sweat and waste products. Before reaching for a Gatorade or Nuun tablet, consider:

 

– Are you engaging in vigorous physical activity for longer than 60 minutes?

– Are you in a very hot environment?

– Are you consistently drinking 2-3L of water every day?

– Do you regularly eat a variety of nutrient dense foods?

 

Most moderately active people can maintain their electrolyte levels through regular hydration and a balanced diet, but if you’re exercising intensely in a hot environment for more than an hour, you may want to incorporate additional supplementation, whether that’s through an electrolyte tablet/drink or homemade beverage that might contain things like coconut water, fruit juice, salt, and/or ginger.

As always, the best way to obtain electrolytes (as well as other vitamins and minerals) is through food rather than supplements, such as:

– Calcium: dairy, salmon, spinach, kale

– Chloride: celery, lettuce, olives, tomatoes, table salt

– Magnesium: nuts, seeds, broccoli, spinach, salmon, legumes

– Phosphate: eggs, fish, legumes, nuts, seeds

– Potassium: leafy greens, potatoes, fruit, legumes

– Sodium: table sat, eggs, meat/seafood, pickles/fermented food, cottage cheese

 

 

A New Approach to Nutrition Coaching

 

Throughout my years helping others with their lifestyle and nutrition, I learned a lot about coaching, and a lot about myself. Last year I began exploring my relationship with food, body image, and how these beliefs influenced my clients, all of which led to a dramatic shift in my approach to coaching.  

When I started working as a nutrition coach, I expected all my clients to weigh themselves, measure their food, and log their calories and macros into MyFitnessPal. At the time, I thought of dieting as no more than a basic equation of calories in, calories out. After all, it worked for me and since most clients were focused on weight loss, this felt like a surefire path to success. And it worked—at least, for a while. 

After three years of nutrition coaching at GWA, I noticed many clients were going through multiple diet phases with me: they would lose 10-30lbs, gain some weight back during their maintenance phase, then start the weight loss process all over again. It’s not that these clients were doing anything wrong, but their bodies were famished from diets and eager to return to their set weight point. It seemed that the only way for them to maintain their lower weight would be to meticulously track their food and weight forever.

This created another problem: I started to see an increase in disordered eating patterns amongst some of my clients. They became preoccupied with their scales, felt terrible if they gained weight or ate a “bad” food, obsessively tracked everything they consumed, developed anxiety around social events and how they would eat out (or canceled plans completely to avoid “temptation”), and felt moody, tired, persistently sore and unable to recover from their workouts. While some of my clients were able to diet briefly and move on with their lives normally, there was enough of a damaging trend to be concerned. My intent was to always promote health by adding nutritious food into the diet with minimal restriction, but somewhere along the line healthy and disordered became blurred. 

By this point, I recognised that my own history of chronically dieting was catching up with me after fifteen years of weight cycling. I decided things needed to change to ensure my clients were nourishing their bodies properly so we could focus on performance, longevity, and confidence at any size. I started to research the health implications from dieting and weight stigma, sought treatment for my own eating disorder, and slowly began to shift to an anti-diet approach through intuitive eating.

While I respect that not everyone will be interested in an anti-diet approach, I feel I am on a new path that reduces the risk of potentially damaging someone’s relationship with food and their body. I believe I am finally promoting a healthy lifestyle that empowers clients with the knowledge to make nutritious choices while learning body acceptance, and I hope you’ll join me on this journey.

 

 

Book your complimentary, comprehensive nutrition assessment today. Fill out the form below, or email kate@groundworkathletics.ca to get started!

Fitbits, Apple Watches, Oura Rings—there’s no shortage of tech to track everything your body does, and
you may have noticed some people now sporting continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMs) on
their arms or abdomens to track their blood sugar. How beneficial is this technology?

If you are a type 1 or type 2 diabetic, CGMs like Freestyle Libres and Dexcoms are hugely beneficial for
staying on top of blood sugar control. These sensors insert a filament under the skin of the arm or
abdomen to quickly send your blood glucose level to your phone when you scan the device, which is
much more convenient and painless than regular finger poke tests to retrieve a blood sample. This
convenience; however, is leading to athletes, biohackers, and curious individuals to monitor their blood
glucose despite being non-diabetic.

CGMs are not cheap, with the cost usually hovering around $120 per sensor which lasts two weeks;
essentially, you could be spending thousands of dollars on these devices. Some companies recognize
they can grow their CGM sales further by marketing to those who feel they need to monitor their blood
sugar in the absence of diabetes, but in reality a non-diabetics’ blood glucose is pretty stable.

If you do not have diabetes, your blood sugar ranges from 4.0 to 5.9 mmol/L before eating, then rises
just below 8 mmol/L after food, signaling to your pancreas that it’s time to release insulin to lower your
blood sugar back to 4.0-5.9 mmol/L. Some food will raise your blood sugar more than others (carbs), but
ultimately your body will regulate back to normal. Wearing a CGM will only confirm this process.

If you have diabetes, your pancreas either does not produce insulin at all (type 1) or you are resistant to
insulin (type 2), so your glucose levels can fluctuate wildly without proper monitoring and
administration of injectable or oral insulin. CGMs help with this control and can save a life if blood sugar
drops or rises too fast.

Unfortunately, the demand for CGMs by non-diabetics creates a shortage for those who need this
critical device. If you do not have diabetes, wearing a CGM is not going to give you a competitive
advantage, teach you what/when to eat or not eat, or make you healthier; like most wearable tracking
tech, it only gives you the illusion of control, unless you happen to have diabetes.

From the Gym to the Boardroom: How Regular Exercise Boosts Productivity and Creativity in Business

Physical fitness plays a crucial role in achieving business success. Regular exercise not only benefits one’s health but also enhances productivity and creativity in the workplace. In this article, we will explore the connection between physical fitness and business success, backed by studies and personal experience.

The Link Between Physical Fitness and Productivity

One of the most significant benefits of physical fitness in the workplace is an increase in productivity. Exercise has been proven to increase blood flow to the brain, which improves cognitive function, focus, and memory retention. It also increases energy levels and reduces stress, leading to a more focused and productive workday.

A study conducted by the University of Bristol found that employees who exercised before work or during lunch breaks reported a 15% increase in productivity compared to those who didn’t exercise. By making physical activity a priority, entrepreneurs can experience a similar boost in productivity.

The Relationship Between Physical Fitness and Creativity

In addition to improving productivity, physical fitness has also been shown to enhance creativity in the workplace. Exercise promotes the release of endorphins, which improve mood and reduce stress levels. It also stimulates the brain’s hippocampus, which is responsible for creativity and imagination.

A study by Stanford University found that participants who engaged in a simple walking routine improved their creativity by 60%. By incorporating regular physical activity into their routine, entrepreneurs can experience similar benefits in terms of creativity and innovation.

The Benefits of Working with a Personal Trainer

While physical fitness is essential, achieving fitness goals can be challenging, especially for busy entrepreneurs. This is where personal trainers come in. Personal trainers provide customized fitness plans and offer guidance and support to help entrepreneurs reach their goals.

A study by the International Journal of Sports Science found that working with a personal trainer can increase fitness levels by up to 30% compared to working out alone. Personal trainers can also help entrepreneurs integrate fitness into their busy schedules and establish a fitness routine that works with their schedule.

The Role of Physical Fitness in Work-Life Balance

As entrepreneurs, it’s easy to get consumed by work-related tasks, leaving little time for self-care. However, by prioritizing physical fitness, entrepreneurs can achieve a better work-life balance. Regular exercise can help reduce stress levels and improve overall health, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Additionally, physical activity can serve as an outlet for stress, allowing entrepreneurs to clear their minds and come back to work with a renewed focus. By incorporating physical activity into their routine, entrepreneurs can achieve a better balance between work and personal life.

The Importance of a Holistic Approach to Success

Ultimately, physical fitness is just one aspect of a holistic approach to success. To achieve long-term success, entrepreneurs must prioritize all aspects of their lives, including their physical, emotional, and mental health. By prioritizing self-care, entrepreneurs can achieve a more balanced and fulfilling life, which can ultimately lead to greater success in their business endeavors.

To sum up, physical fitness is crucial to achieving success in the business world. Regular exercise not only improves health but also boosts productivity and creativity. Working with a personal trainer can help entrepreneurs achieve their fitness goals and ultimately lead to greater success in their business endeavors. By prioritizing physical fitness and taking a holistic approach to success, entrepreneurs can achieve a more balanced and fulfilling life.

 

About the Author:
Glen Hopkins is a successful entrepreneur and fitness enthusiast. He is a local, South Surrey Realtor and self-employed for 24 years and counting. In his free time, Glen enjoys hiking, cycling, tennis, and weight training.

Meet Day Nutrition & Hydration

 

Recently we had a couple of members from our Powerlifting team compete at the BCPA Winter Open. One of the topics discussed in the lead up to this meet was how to properly nourish yourself on the day of the meet. Here are a few of coach Mitch’s basic tips for optimizing your nutrition for a powerlifting meet!

 

For this particular post, we’re going to treat this as your first meet. As such, no water cuts, no fasting. We’re strictly covering some basic nutrition principles to consider before stepping on the platform. With that being said, here are some simple, general guidelines for having a successful meet day with regards to your nutrition and hydration:

 

• Eat a well balanced breakfast. Prioritize protein and carbohydrates, and stick to foods that you would normally eat.
• Keep water on hand, all day. STAY HYDRATED.
• Now is not the time to experiment with new foods. This includes supplements, new protein snacks etc. Stick with foods that you know your body can digest well.
• It’s a long and exhausting day, steadily sipping on Gatorade, Powerade, or Pedialyte can go a long way.
• Plan a lunch that is an APPROPRIATE size. Do not use this as an excuse to overload on food. At this point, it will be more of a hindrance than a help.
• Snack on simple carbohydrates in between meals. The most opportune times will be between attempts, just not immediately before one!
• Only eat to your comfort level. If you feel bloated or over-stuffed, this will likely impact your performance. 
• Your meet day nutrition should not look too drastically different from your regular training day nutrition

When it comes to putting in a good performance on the platform, whether it’s your first meet or your fifth meet, preparation is paramount. This means trusting the hard work you’ve put in leading up to meet day, having your paperwork ready to go and, most importantly, having food, snacks and drinks planned out. If you’re interested in learning more about powerlifting, in or out of competition, email mitchell@groundworkathletics.ca today to book your free Intro to Powerlifting session!

 

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.