Part 2 -How to find the ultimate pre-workout snack that works for you

Let’s look at how to compose the perfect snack that does not leave you with an energy low soon after. Every meal and snack must contain, protein, fat and carbohydrates in the ratios that work best for your metabolic type….why we need to eat fat, meat and a researched-backed reason why carbs are kind of unnecessary. Do you know if you are deficient in any vital nutrients, vitamins or minerals? If you observe your body closely you can quickly learn when you may be missing something. For example it is common for vegetarians to be deficient in Vit B12.

Continue reading

Part 1 -How to find the ultimate pre-workout snack that works for you

The pre-workout snack does not fuel the workout. Every meal, every day is about fuelling your workouts. It takes many hours to refill your muscle and liver glycogen stores, so until a meal has been processed your body has to rely on existing fat and glycogen reserves to power the workout. If you eat proteins, healthy natural fats and good carbohydrates such as vegetables and some fruits and the occasional white rice or sweet potato you will have plenty of muscle glycogen to fuel your activities. Run your own experiment…

Continue reading

How the wrong shoe can cost you power, stability and increase risk of injury

You have probably seen and heard of minimalist trainers or barefoot shoes. They have been around for a while now. I’d like to explain to you why wearing barefoot shoes is not just a trend or fad but something that you should explore yourself if you care for the health of your feet and anything that lives above them i.e. ankles, knees, hips and spine. All of us have made some bad shoe choices at some point in our life. For some it has grater repercussions than just brief foot pain and blisters. Let’s get to the point looking at the different factors that need to be considered when choosing shoes for activity and fitness in particular although this post should give you enough food for thought to also re-think how you treat your feet outside the gym.

Continue reading

PART-2, tried and tested tips for getting restful sleep and reducing morning stiffness when living with ankylosing spondylitis

Why we need to work on getting better sleep For people with AS it is even more important to be able to sleep because the body needs the time between 10pm/ 2am to repair physically and to sort out thoughts and emotions between 2am and 6am. I generally do not advocate taking any medications, but when things get really bad, an aspirin can save the night allowing a fresh start the next day.

Continue reading

3 things you can try to ease muscle pain

Whether your muscle pain has been caused by a strenuous workout, a strain, by bad posture, sitting at a desk all day or by a chronic inflammatory condition such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) below are 3 non-invasive things that can easily give you relief without breaking the bank.

Continue reading