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Why hydration is so important

There’s been more than one occasion when I’ve had a client sitting with me in clinic who tells me they don’t drink water. Their beverages range from coffee, black tea, juice, soft drink, and maybe a glass or two of water. When I ask why they don’t drink water, the replies range from “I forget”, “I’m not thirsty” or, “I don’t like water”.

Then there’s the opposite end of the spectrum; clients who tell me they’re drinking about four litres a day.  Yes, if you’re doing a lot of exercising or spendin…

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How Much Protein Do You Need Every Day?

One of the questions I get over and over is, "How much protein do you need every day?"

And as with most things, the answer is - it depends. Many factors play into how much you will need, including your age, your training level, and more.

So I was happy to be featured recently on the Wellness by Designs podcast, where we chatted about this very topic.

In this episode, we discussed the needs of different patient groups, as well as:
  • RDAs of protein
  • Absorption issues
  • Requirements across differen…

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Everything You Need to Know About Snacking

I have seen many a weightless plan be completely unhinged due to sneaky snack calories. On the flip side, I have also seen many training athletes lose strength and endurance from not having enough snacks. Today I want to talk to the psychology of snacking, as well as the physiology. Hopefully with this insight you can determine whether you should be snacking or not.

So, why do we snack? Usually, your reason will fall into one of two camps; you have a physiological need that’s not being met, or yo…

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The Foundations of Nutrition Application

I was so pleased to recently be a guest on Leila Lutz's podcast, The Body Never Lies.

You can listen here or visit Leila's website here.



In this episode, we covered a lot of ground, including:
  • How is nutrition research done and what are its limitations
  • How do you look at research and translate it
  • How much study is done on women
  • Who is research done on
  • Research in practice in the clinic
  • Genetic predisposition for body types
  • The importance of lifestyle factors
  • Treating the whole per…

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Does Exercise Help The Immune System?

Today I'd like to answer the question, does exercise help the immune system?

I recently wrote a blog on training, exercise, and being sick. You can find my guide on how to gauge if you should train or compete while sick here.

I’ve had a lot of feedback from peeps saying it’s a quick and easy way to help them decide if they should skip a day or not.

And what I heard from a lot of you is that at times, there's a lot of pressure to “show up.” Some of you DM’d or emailed me saying you had a sense of re…

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Why You Shouldn't Train When You're Sick

The days are shorter, the nights are colder, and there is a crisp chill in the air.  This means that down here in the Southern Hemisphere, cold and flu season is here. This begs the question - should you exercise when sick?

Now, before I tell you all about my top nutrients for immune support (stay tuned for a later blog), I want to talk about the second most popular question my athletic and sporty clients ask me at this time of year ...
“Can I train if I’m sick with...?”
Often, I’ve got an athlet…

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How Safe Is Exercise While Fasting?

I was recently a guest on the Run Smarter Podcast, where we talked all about exercising while fasting.

In this discussion I talk about:

🏃‍♀️ The benefits and misconceptions of fasting. 🏃‍♂️ Intermittent fasting for runners. 🏃‍♀️ The positive effects exercising has in a fasted state. 🏃‍♂️ The fat-burning benefits of fasting. 🏃‍♀️ Eating after exercise post-fasting. ⠀ 🏃‍♂️ The misconceptions around fasting. 🏃‍♀️ The mistakes I see athletes make with fasting. 🏃‍♂️ The consequences of misusing the fas…

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What to Eat (and Not Eat) to Lose Weight

Today, let's talk about what to eat to lose weight. And just as important - what not to eat.

I get a lot of clients coming in wanting to shift a little weight, lean down, or tone up. And, as I mentioned in my last post, there’s a whole lot more to weight loss than just what’s on your plate.

Now, don’t get me wrong - WHAT we eat is so important from an energy and nutrient perspective. There are just many other factors that affect our digestion, absorption, assimilation of foods - and therefore our …

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The 5 Ws of Weight Loss (aka Food Habits)

Let’s open the can. Let’s talk about the proverbial elephant in the room. Something which, in the day of self-love and banishing the body shame, has become a bit of a dirty word. Let’s talk about weight loss and the food habits that support - or inhibit - them.

I’d be lying if I said weight loss isn’t one of the top five concerns I see in my private practice. And I’m not just talking about folks who are obese and need to lose weight to reduce their risks of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. I’m …

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Understanding Dietary Fats Benefits, Functions, Diet Types and Portions for Meal Planning

What are dietary fats?

Dietary fats are one of the three macronutrients. Of the three macronutrients, fats are the most energy dense.

While protein and carbohydrates each give us 17kj per gram, fats give us 37kj per gram; this is part of the reason why dietary fats are often blamed for excess body weight and obesity.

When we eat dietary fats, they are in a form called triglycerides.  As the name suggests, a triglyceride is three fatty acids linked to a glycerol molecule. The fatty acids are links …

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