Now that the colder months are upon us, it’s time to be proactive with our nutrition for the best immune system defence.

For active people, immune function plays a role not only in fighting off infections but also in promoting tissue repair to recover from exercise and injury (1). To function properly, the immune system requires lots of nutrients – both macro and micronutrients. For an athlete under heavy training load, requirements are even higher putting you at risk of a suppressed immune system if you’re not meeting your needs.

To help you stay well over the colder months, we’ve put together a few key points to keep you firing on all cylinders this winter!

1. Rest and Recovery is Key

Regardless of the type or intensity, exercise places stress on the body – meaning your immune system has to work harder to build and repair damaged tissue (1). Moderate training loads can be protective against illness. Whereas heavy training loads, particularly with...

 
I never thought I’d do an Ironman. Triathlon was just another way to challenge myself – except my challenges just kept getting bigger and bigger! I believe that every race is a learning experience and I try to find new ways to improve when I reflect post-race. Now that I have 2 Ironman’s (IM) under my belt, here are the Top Three things I learnt from and changed between Ironman 1 in Cairns 2017 and Ironman 2 for Ironman Australia in Port Macquarie 2018.

1. Fuel Your Body – In the lead up to IM Cairns, I was not consuming enough food during training to fuel my everyday needs, cue falling asleep at 2 pm during work and lots of hangry moments. IM Australia was much more organised. I followed a periodised nutrition plan from Dietitian Approved to ensure there was...

What is the difference between Nutritionists vs Dietitians in Australia?

We constantly get asked to explain the difference between a Dietitian and Nutritionist. Yes, they’re different and yes we will always correct you when you call us a Nutritionist. Read on to find out why we get slightly offended

Australia currently does not regulate the professional titles ‘nutritionist’ or ‘dietitian’, leaving a wide market for misinformation if you do not do your own research. The media also tends to use the two terms interchangeably, making distinctions between qualifications increasingly difficult.

Read on as we break down the differences between these professions, their relevant qualifications, what they can do for you and what to look for when looking for a professional to help you.

Nutritionist

This term can be the most confusing of the three as there are varying levels of qualifications that result in the title ‘nutritionist’. Nutrition is a...

Intermittent Fasting; the latest in diet trends. Claiming health benefits from weight loss to prevention of chronic disease. Is it really the answer to the world’s health problems? We take a look at the evidence…

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting encompasses several different dietary behaviours, all of which focus on controlling the period in which food is consumed. These behaviours dictate a fasting and feeding schedule of various lengths. However, there isn’t a restriction placed on the TYPES of foods consumed during feeding times.

Different Types of Intermittent Fasting:

The three most popular methods that are circulating the health and fitness industry are:

• Time-Restricted Feeding
  Daily fasting for a minimum of 12 hours (the most common fast is 16 hours, with 8 hours during the day to eat, for example only eating between 11am and 7pm).
  
  
• Alternate Day Fasting
  Involves cycling between one day of “fasting” and one day of consuming your...

Sleep is essential for general health and wellbeing.

The more we learn, the more we realise that increased sleep duration and quality is associated with better performance in sport and life. The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep each day for optimal health (1). But it’s not clear exactly how much sleep athletes need. It’s been suggested athletes require more – closer to 9-10 hours (2). But duration is not the only factor – sleep quality is also important. Getting the right amount of good quality sleep has some incredible benefits for athletic performance. Let’s take a deeper look…

Recovery

For an athlete, sleep is the ultimate form of recovery. It’s like a big sponge that soaks up fatigue overnight. This sponge assists with the recovery process so we can adapt from and absorb hard training. The bigger the sponge (sleep duration), the more water (fatigue) it can soak up.

Introducing Sarah!

Sarah came to see us in August 2017 with the primary goal to get off the couch and keep Hubby happy on the weekends after big training sessions. She’s gone from strength to strength and is gearing up for her Ironman debut at Port Macq in a few weeks time. We’re excited to share her story with you and can’t wait to see her become an IronWoman next month.

Name: Sarah Leuenberger

Current home location (where you live): Brisvegas

Profession background:  Assistant bean counter studying to be an official bean counter (accounting)

Sport of Choice: Triathlon

How many years have you been training and competing in your sport? 3 years since my first triathlon

What got you into it in the first place? 
I have always been interested in triathlon but was never brave enough to try one (plus I couldn’t run down the street even if a pack of wolves were chasing me :).  My work offered free entry to a friendly...