While iron deficiency is a common problem among athletes, many athletes unnecessarily take an iron supplement. On the other hand, when iron supplements are actually needed, best practice protocols are not always followed. As a result, iron levels may not be increasing optimally despite taking a supplement. This blog covers Read more…
I had the privilege to be a co-author on a paper that audited the representation of females in scientific studies examining dietary supplements. This audit specifically examined dietary supplements that have good scientific evidence to enhance exercise performance, which included the following: 1) Beta-alanine 2) Caffeine 3) Creatine 4) Glycerol Read more…
I realize that I never officially announced a rather big life change- I’ve relocated to Australia. While it was about a year ago that I found out about this opportunity to move to the other side of the world, I was reluctant to share the news with too many people Read more…
Many endurance athletes eat too few carbohydrates. This often occurs unintentionally due to misconceptions of carbohydrate needs and what foods are high in carbohydrates as well as intentionally due to an unnecessary fear of carbohydrates. Yet, ensuring adequate carbohydrate intake is important for not only performance, but also health. In Read more…
I write a lot about lack of periods, which is known as amenorrhea, and nutrition strategies to restore the menstrual cycle (for more on that, click here), but how about nutrition for the female athlete with a regular menstrual cycle? Unlike males who have relatively stable levels of sex hormones, Read more…
We all know that exercise is good for us. Yet, despite the well-established health benefits of regular exercise, “the too much of a good thing” concept also applies to exercise. Too much exercise coupled with poor calorie intake can lead to a state of low energy availability. Low energy availability Read more…
How many calories should I eat in a day? This is one of the most common questions that I’m asked, and it’s also one of my least favourite. It’s extremely hard to determine energy requirements because calorie needs are influenced by numerous factors. Furthermore, when someone wants to know their Read more…
The weather is slowly getting warmer, which means cycling season is here. With cycling becoming increasing popular since the pandemic hit, I’ve had a ton of questions about fuelling during long rides. This is an important topic not just the new rider, but also for the veteran cyclist. Failing to Read more…
During and after exercise, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are created. This causes oxidative stress that can impair exercise performance, contribute to muscle damage and interfere with recovery. Our bodies have strategies to counteract this oxidative stress. This includes an “endogenous antioxidant defence mechanism,” which means this defence mechanism is Read more…