Aileen Smith

She Runs Eats Performs

A Running , Sports and Health & Fitness podcast

About the show

Are you confused about the science around nutrition for runners? Listen in to learn about the WHY, HOW, WHAT, and WHEN of eating to fuel your running performance. We are here to help you translate sports nutritional science, into easy to apply tips and plans, helping you enjoy peak running performance. We focus on the FEMALE FACTORS every mid-life woman needs to know to be a healthy runner.

Newest episodes

Thank You, Farewell, and Best Wishes

Oct 14, 2023 18 min

We come together in this final episode to say THANK YOU and GOODBYE to all our dedicated listeners. Before we say farewell we wanted to remind you that She Runs Eats Performs Podcast will be hosted for another 12 months. Although we are not planning any new content after mid-October, we hope you'll take the opportunity to dip into our back catalogue whenever you need help with a particular topic. We also have a number of podcast playlists organised into "topic' areas: Nutrition For Running Performance Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Running with Underlying Health Conditions Spotlight on Nutrients Nutrition for Bone Health and Soft Tissue Injury FOOD for Running Getting Nutrition Foundations in Place Focus on Everyday Food Nutrition for Life Stage Listeners Nutrition Clinic a href="https://click.convertkit-mail2.com/n4uw3vev03ivh8rpzwki6h7mrlwgg/z2hghnh38mrv6vbp/aHR0cHM6Ly9wbGF5ZXIuY2FwdGl2YXRlLmZtL2NvbGxlY3Rpb24vYjhiN2M2N2ItOTc4ZC00NGNmLWI1MDctZTA0NzJkZTBiMTcz"...

Listeners Nutrition Clinic 7

Oct 12, 2023 31 min

Hitting the Wall and Time Restricted Eating are todays's topics. Alison and Janine get their questions answered! A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (03:00) Alison’s question is about TIME RESTRICTED EATING and fitting that in with her half marathon training. Alison, she is running her first half marathon next spring. She is an early morning runner and usually runs in the fasted state. Also she never eats before noon as she follows a time restricted eating plan where she only eats between noon and 8pm each day. She has been following this food plan approach for over 12 months and uses it to manage her weight. Alison knows she will have to make some adaptations for her training and for race day and is looking for some tips and advice. (04:14) An overview of approaches to training around Time Restricted Eating that Alison can consider are: · Plan her long run training to take place during her eating window · OR on her long run days change her eating pattern … maybe her eating window could still be 8 hours but earlier in the day or perhaps have a longer eating window. It would also be key to mirror the approximate timings for race day, by that we mean if the start time is early in race day, it would be good to practice fueling for training during a similar time frame. (06:05) Tips when practicing pre/during and post fueling and adapting to time restricted eating If you’re not used to eating early in the day, it’ll take your digestive system a little bit of time to get used to a change in eating patterns, so start trialing with small quantities of food and build up gradually. Alison has several months to practice her nutritional changes, so as long as she makes a plan and practices that’ll help everything go smoothly. We talk about Intermittent Fasting in Epiosde 18 It’s important to remember: Never run on empty i.e., fasted (unless it’s a...

My Journey To.....A Speedy Recovery

Oct 5, 2023 46 min

This is the third episode in our My Journey To.....series where Karen shares her experiences on her journey to recovery from a toe injury and hamstring tendonopathy. In this episode we hear about how Karen has totally changed her training and eating routine to support healing. We hope that by sharing Karen's experiences we will be helping you with recovery from injury either now or possibly in the future. A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (03:02) A quick reminder of the injuries that Karen has sustained: A chronic hamstring tendonopathy An acute injury of the big toe (04:22) An update on Karen’s progress overall before delving into the current treatment strategy she is on: Overall Karen is feeling VERY positive about her situation and the way her toe and tendonopathy are healing. Her current frustration is the pain she experiences in the hamstring tendon when she sits or drives for any length of time, however she has not yet addressed this with her Physiotherapist (09:09) Hamstring Tendonopathy: Karen experienced a setback recently when out on a run. This and her treatment are discussed (21:38) An outline of Karen’s current training plan and how it has changed since the previous episode (28:10) Discussing changes Karen has made to her approach to her food and nutrition routine plus a chat about a couple of the breakfast choices she has introduced to support injury healing NOTE: If you would like to receive these recipes, please contact us on: hello@runnershealthhub.com and we can add you to our mailing list where you will receive these recipes but many more as we send one out each Tuesday. (35:15) A quick review of Karen’s current supplement plan Karen states she has found a supplement routine that works for her and that she is being diligent and consistent in taking them!! (41:17) Looking at the emotional and psychological impact of Karen’s...

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All episodes

Thank You, Farewell, and Best Wishes

Oct 14, 2023 18 min

Listeners Nutrition Clinic 7

Oct 12, 2023 31 min

My Journey To.....A Speedy Recovery

Oct 5, 2023 46 min

FOOD For Beginner Runners

Sep 28, 2023 47 min

How to nail foundational nutrition for your easy short runs and for overall great health and well-being! Get this RIGHT and it’ll help you feel energetic and strong, get it WRONG and you may experience fatigue, poor recovery and be prone to injury. Listen today if you are beginner runner or if you are a beginner to nutrition for running. We are sharing some of the typical questions and the dilemmas that beginner runners face and will also give some foodie suggestions for meal plans too. We’ll be outlining some key nutrition advice and tips for easy short training runs. A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (3:56) Who is a beginner runner? They may be totally new to running or perhaps they’re building up to their first 5k or 10k race. This level of nutrition plan is great for any runner doing shorter duration runs of under 90 minutes. Every beginner runner has a different entry level when it comes to fitness, body composition, confidence and how they eat every day. Their goals for running, health, body composition and nutrition will vary too. (04:48) The KEY Nutrition Principles a beginner runner or a beginner to nutrition for running should consider: · Choose quality nutrient dense food and ingredients · Use our easy training athlete plate · Eating 3 meals a day at regular intervals and avoid grazing on snacks · Eating a rainbow of colourful of non-root starchy vegetables at each meal · Following this approach 80% of the week makes it a sustainable plan Download Athletes Easy Training Plate Graphic (07:22) The 2 Nutrition and fuelling mistakes that beginner runners make: · Under Eating · Over Eating Most people will unintentionally under eat … but if they do that over a period of time, they may experience fatigue, lack of energy during a run, poor recovery and also there is a potential for muscle loss. Those who ov...

Protein for Runners: Whey vs Casein

Sep 21, 2023 48 min

It is well documented that Whey is an excellent protein source for exercise performance...but what about Casein?? Which should you be taking? Should you be taking both? We aim to demystify the data and the 'media speak' on this subject so you as a runner can make an informed decision on which...if either...is best for your running goals. A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (06:14) Defining Whey and Casein and outlining their relevance to sports performance: Whey and Casein are the two types of protein found in milk with Casein making up 80% of the protein and Whey making up the other 20% (11:02) Considering whether Whey and Casein should be taken together or separately to gain optimal benefit from each (19:49) FEMALE FCTORS The ISSN (International society of sports nutrition) released a Position Stand earlier this year (2023) on the nutrition concerns of the female athlete, which contained excellent guidelines on protein intake around the menstrual cycle and peri/menopausal phases of life. Several highlights from this paper include: Peri and post-menopausal women, regardless of sport, should aim for the upper end of the range of current recommended guidelines which is 1.8 – 2.2g per Kg of body weight per dayThe ISSN suggest meals being moderate in protein (∼0.3 g protein per Kg of body weight) but eaten every 3 hours to maximise muscle protein repair and remodelling during prolonged (>24 h) recovery periodsEating protein rich foods as close to the end of exercise as possible will support muscle building. The ISSN suggest 6-10g protein per kg of body weight (25:27) Outlining additional protein recommendations for the mid-life female runner and highlighting protein rich foods with a high content of leucine (37:18) Emphasising what to consider when purchasing a whey or casein supplement powder including: The reasons for taking oneTaste Always read the...

IT Band Syndrome and Running

Sep 14, 2023 41 min

Is your knee pain due to IT Band Syndrome? For some runners the pain levels can be very high, causing them to stop running and obviously that is disruptive to training. IT Band Syndrome or to give the condition it’s full name … Iliotibial Band syndrome (ITBS) …. is one of the leading causes of lateral knee pain injuries in runners … estimated to be in the range of 5–14% prevalence of all running-related injuries. In this episode we’ll be describing IT BAND SYNDROME and the underlying causes. We won’t talk about the physical therapeutic treatments or preventative exercises (we’ll leave that for you to consult with your physio or sports therapist). However, as pain and inflammation are synonymous with IT Band Syndrome, we’ll cover … · The risks associated with chronic use of painkiller medication · Nutritional support for managing inflammation status A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (06:11) What is IT Band Syndrome? The IT band is a thickened band of tissue that runs all the way down the length of the outside of your thigh. The IT band works with your knee ligaments to help stabilise your knee joint. There are various theories around why ITB syndrome happens, but the common theory is that the condition is an overuse injury resulting from the IT band rubbing repeatedly against the lower end of your thigh bone as it joins your knee. This friction causes inflammation and pain. It’s also thought that other contributors are weak muscles in your hips or knees, or tightness in your IT band, and having slight differences in the length of your legs. (07:17) Why are runners at risk of developing IT Band Syndrome? ITBS is often described as an overuse injury, and it develops due to activities where you bend your knee like running. Some of the risk factors leading to ITBS include increased running distances, increased volumes of downhill running or...

My Journey To....Recovery Foundations

Sep 7, 2023 55 min

This is the second episode in our "My Journey To...." series where we are chatting about Karen's Journey to Recovery from Injuries. In this episode she updates us on her progress with an emphasis on her current: Treatment PlanNutrition Plan Training Plan The BIG question is.....is she back running?? Listen in to find out more! We hope that by sharing Karen’s journey, if you ever have to face a similar dilemma you’ll be able to tap into our advice to help your recovery. A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (03:05) A recap on the injuries Karen is recovering from before moving on to discuss her current treatment plan. The two injuries are: 1. A chronic hamstring tendinopathy, which has been an issue for approximately two to three years 2. An acute big toe injury. This injury occurred in the late stages of a 20 mile and very hilly trail event Big toe injury diagnosis and treatment: An acute arthritic flare-up was diagnosed and the treatment plan includes: shockwave therapy and targeted exercises (08:47) An update on the hamstring tendonopathy treatment: Several new targeted exercises hare been prescribed Another session of shockwave therapy Heat therapy for 20mins twice daily (19:29) An update on Karen’s current nutrition plan including: Reducing coffee intake Being mindful of portion sizes at mealtimes Changing up breakfast Time restricted eating (TRE) Exercising BEFORE breakfast (30:16) The big question answered…… is, Karen back running? YES or NO!! before moving on to discuss Karen’s current nutritional supplement plan including: An exploration of the ones she is currently takingHas she experienced any side effects from taking them?Has she made any adjustments to her intake?Has she removed or included any new supplements and if so…WHY?? (42:43) Looking at how Karen is dealing emotionally with her current journey to recovery from injury with a...

Bananas for Running

Aug 31, 2023 41 min

Are Bananas a helpful food? Or are we eating them because our running buddy said so? Bananas are an easy everyday food and runners seem to love them. You’ll see them being eaten in abundance and the start of many races! But why are they the pre-race snack of choice? Today we are shining a light on their nutritional properties and discover how they can pre/during and post fuelling: 1. The nutritional properties and health benefits of a banana 2. A look at how bananas can be used for pre/during/post fuelling 3. Foodie suggestions for eating bananas – over and above the simple approach of just peeling one and eating it whole! A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (03:56) Bananas are a Real Food Option for Runners. An encouraging move towards a FOOD FIRST approach is highlighted in a recent study published in 2023. Many athletes are interested in a food first approach, because food is seen to be a more cost-effective choice than sports products, and carbohydrate whole foods offer wider nutritional benefits, as they include other nutrients e.g., vitamins, minerals and fibre. READ MORE … Carbohydrates and Endurance Exercise: A Narrative Review of a Food First Approach (05:23) Nutritional properties of a banana. Most runners would know that a banana contains Carbohydrate and Potassium. However they also contain other vitamins and minerals An average medium-large banana according to the USDA weighs approx. 118g and contains approx 30g CHO and includes a combination of glucose/fructose/sucrose Nutrient Value of 100g Banana More about bananas (07:37) GL Rating of a Banana (09:51) Green bananas vs ripe yellow bananas (10:49) Carbohydrate and sugar content of a banana. (12:40) Potassium An average banana contains 400-420mg of potassium which is approx. 9-12% of the recommended daily intake of potassium which ranges from 3500-4700mg per day for an adult....

Female Athlete Triad in Runners

Aug 24, 2023 50 min

Female Athlete Triad (FAT)….do you know what it is or what the potential health and running performance implications are of this syndrome? You are not alone…many runners, and athletes in general, have very little knowledge of FAT and how nutrition and energy availability may impact its development. So, here we update you on the current research into FAT syndrome and outline some recommended nutritional approaches to help reduce the risk of it becoming a concern for you! A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (04:03) Outlining WHY we are talking about this subject: FAT is a syndrome that is known to be prevalent in runnersTo educate our listeners and followers on this condition and the signs and symptoms to observe for, in themselves or in fellow runners, so they can take actionFAT focuses on JUST the female athlete…therefore research is carried out on female athletes only, which is rareTo highlight a 2022 research paper, which focuses on aspects of FAT in RECREATIONAL female runners, which is also rare! (06:29) Defining FAT, which is a syndrome that was first acknowledged in 1992. At this time, it was understood to be a condition found in girls and women and consisting of THREE interrelated conditions (10:27) Outlining some of the key findings from recent research into FAT Syndrome. Some of the observations include: Low energy availability could occur intentionally or unintentionallyEarly recognition of LEA in female athletes and an understanding of FAT syndrome and its progression is really paramount in preventing the short- and longer-term health consequences of itOnly one component of the Female Athlete Triad needs to be evident in order for FAT to be established (15:54) Outlining the highlights from a 2022 research paper looking at FAT in recreational runners, all of which were related to menstruation. The researchers found that female recreational...

We'll be back next week

Aug 17, 2023 1 min

Hello, just dropping by to remind you we are on week 2 of a seasonal break. We’ll be back with a fresh new episode next Thursday 24th August. So, Karen and I thought we could make a recommendation for you this week, we thought you may like to listen to Episode 108 Avoiding Muscle Cramps we shared that episode in August 2022. A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com We’ve had feedback from many listeners saying that you tend to miss episodes if you’re busy with work or holidays. So what we’ve decided to do is to take a 2 week pause every 10-12 weeks which gives us and you a breathing space to catch up, but for the majority of the year we’ll continue with our weekly show every Thursday. Many of you are regular listeners but you also like to dip into our back catalogue, we are really pleased to hear that as much of our content is evergreen and that it is there for you whenever you need it. RECOMMENDATION: Episode 108 Avoiding Muscle Cramps Muscle Cramping can be unpredictable, painful and can last for several minutes. We talk about what causes them and why do they affect some runners and not others?? No runner wants them so we are hoping this will be a helpful refresher for you. The link to this episode is in the show notes for this message or you can scroll through episodes on apple or spotify or wherever you listen to us. We’ll be back with a new episode on 24th August, … until then have a great week and don’t let nutrition be the limiting factor in your running performance. Download our FREE E book TOP Running Snacks and Nutrient Timing to Fuel Peak Performance Disclaimer: The suggestions we make during this episode are for guidance and advice only, and are not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. If you have any concerns regarding your health, please contact your healthcare professional for advice as soon as possible. A BIG thank you to our Show Sponso...

Season Announcement 2023 (1)

Aug 10, 2023 1 min

Hello, we just wanted to let you know we are pausing episodes for a 2-week break, we did a Listeners survey recently and lots of you said you tend to miss episodes if you’re busy with work or holidays. So what we’ve decided to do is to take a 2 week pause every 10-12 weeks which gives us and you a breathing space to catch up, but for the majority of the year we’ll continue with our weekly show every Thursday. So Karen and I thought we could make a recommendation for you this week. Since we are mid-August we thought you may like to listen to Episode 59 FOOD For SUMMER RUNNING we shared that back in the summer of 2021. We look at 4 delicious summer foods and talk about how the nutrients in those foods may support your health and running performance and we give our suggestions for a 1-day food plan. So if you’d like to get a little foodie inspiration for NEW POTATOES, TOMATOES, WATERMELON and Radishes this would be a great episode for you. A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com Many of you are regular listeners but you also like to dip into our back catalogue, we are really pleased to hear that as much of our content is evergreen and that it is there for you whenever you need it. We’ll be back with a new episode on 24th August, but we’ll pop back next Thursday with another episode suggestion … until then have a great week and remember don’t let nutrition be the limiting factor in your running performance! Download our FREE E book TOP Running Snacks and Nutrient Timing to Fuel Peak Performance FOOD FOR SUMMER RUNNING Disclaimer: The suggestions we make during this episode are for guidance and advice only, and are not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. If you have any concerns regarding your health, please contact your healthcare professional for advice as soon as possible. A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount...

My Journey To Recovery From Injury

Aug 3, 2023 53 min

This is the first episode of our new series titled: "A Journey To...." Over the coming weeks we will be tracking Karen's Journey to....Recovery From Injury and she will update us on treatment, training and nutrition. We hope by sharing Karen's journey you, if you find you are injured, will be able to tap into our advice to help your recovery. In this episode Karen outlines where she is on her journey. She will share: Her programme of rehabilitation and treatment Her current nutrition and supplement plan for recovery What her current training status is How she is feeling emotionally and psychologically What her next goals are with regards her recovery A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (06:14) Outlining Karen’s injury: A chronic hamstring tendon injury and an acute big toe injury (13:38) Enquiring into Karen’s treatment strategy including: Acupuncture Sports Physiotherapy Shockwave Therapy Muscle Massage Gun (25:11) Focussing on the physical activity Karen CAN do whilst she cannot run including: CyclingSwimmingStrength and Conditioning Moving on to highlight the adjustments Karen has made to her meal plan to support recovery. The principal adjustments she has made to her food plan to-date are linked to: Coffee intake Portion sizes at mealtimes (34:53) Delving into Karen’s current nutritional supplement intake to support recovery. The nutritional supplements Karen is taking are mostly Turmeric-based due to the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, the bioactive component of turmeric. These supplements include: Rhythm Nutrition Turmeric liquidFEEL Joint Support capsulesPulsin Curcumin and Black Pepper powder – this also doubles up as a protein powder because it contains 16g of protein per serving Additional anti-inflammatory and joint/soft tissue nutritional supplements Karen is taking including: Terra Nova Glucosami...

HWHR Is Menobrain affecting your running?

Jul 27, 2023 33 min

Menobrain symptoms can disrupt your run training and take away the joy of being active. The good news is Nutrition and lifestyle can help to minimise Menobrain symptoms. Join us today and we’ll share some nutritional strategies to support you. Negative peri menopausal or menopausal symptoms have the potential to disrupt your run training and your energy, recovery and motivation. When we say menobrain we are talking about a collection of medically recognised cognitive symptoms. These symptoms are commonly experienced during the menopause transition … and can severely affect your quality of life. Mind and mood symptoms are commonly experienced by women going through the menopause transition. A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (03:15) Definition of Menopause brainfog. Women may say: They are losing their mindThey can’t remember or recall things – like names, words, numbers or work informationThey lose their chain of thoughtThey feel forgetful, they forget appointments or events or why they’ve gone into a room!They talk about fogginess, lack of concentration or focusWomen make jokes … oh it’s just my menobrain! Often women who have always felt they have a balanced mind/mood suddenly feel “different”, and during peri menopause start to experience low mood, which may feel as severe as depression and one aspect of this is brain fogginess/forgetfulness and lack of focus and concentration. (04:40) The connection between sex hormonal fluctuations and neurotransmitters Oestrogen has an important role in brain function. It’s a growth promoting hormone and can promote the growth of nerve cells in the brain and can stimulate neurotransmitter pathways. Progesterone is also involved in serotonin and GABA pathways. Key brain neurotransmitters are serotonin (the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter), GABA (the ‘calming’ neurotransmitter) and dopamine (the ‘pleasure’ neuro...

Listeners Nutrition Clinic 6 - Confused about protein and carbs?

Jul 20, 2023 36 min

Questions around eating protein and carbs may sound basic however it’s key you get it right! Interestingly the two of the most common questions we receive from listeners are: 1. How do I eat enough protein? 2. What should my carb intake be? Join us today as a refresher on these two important macronutrients. If you have any questions you would like us to answer/discuss in this space then please get in touch with us at hello@runnershealthhub.com. A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (05:20) Why is protein important for a mid-life female runner? When we exercise, muscle tissue breaks down and then the body activates muscle protein synthesis (MPS) to repair muscle. The ratio of MPS to MPB (breakdown) determines whether muscle tissues are built or lost. If MPS is higher than MP Breakdown, muscle growth is achieved. If MPB is higher than MPS, the opposite occurs. When we eat protein, it’s digested and broken down into amino acids which are used for many functions including muscle rebuilding. (06:25) How much protein should mid-life women eat on a daily basis? Midlife women have specific requirements for protein intake. Research indicates that protein intake for women in this group is between 1.2g – 1.6g/kg/BW per day. We may not digest and absorb protein optimally as we age and ageing skeletal muscle has a reduced ability to respond to amino acid levels so that’s why we require to consume more protein daily than younger women. As an example for a woman weighing 70kg – her daily protein requirements would be between 84g – 112g of protein per day. If you don’t want to calculate your protein intake per day in grams then an easy approach is to have ¼ plate of protein at every meal so 3 times per day plus protein based snacks. (07:37) Should you eat all your protein in one meal or spread it across the day? There is conflicting research regarding whe...

My Journey to....Introduction to NEW Series

Jul 13, 2023 22 min

Running is a journey….a journey that takes us to many places both physically and metaphorically. In this episode we introduce you to a new series we are launching titled “A Journey to…….” It is a series where Karen or Aileen will share a journey we are on. Through sharing our experiences and journeys we aim to help you travel your own road knowing that you are not alone. Hopefully our guidance and the information we share will support you on your running journey. In this introductory episode we outline: 1. Why we decided on this idea 2. What the first My Journey to…series will be about 3. What to expect from each episode A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (05:26) Outlining WHY we decided to start this ‘Journey’ series including: Feedback from our listeners telling us they like it when we share personal experiences We feel that when someone shares their personal story many people can relate to what they are experiencing. This can help validate the listener’s feelings and emotions around their encounter. Also, the person sharing their story can then empathise with the listener’s personal struggles, whatever they may be. For example: training struggles, nutrition struggles, injury struggles. When struggling with a situation, be it training, injury, or health conditions one can feel very alone with it. It helps when you hear about someone facing a similar dilemma We aim to give guidance and information to you, our listeners, through sharing our experiences so your journey may be easier, quicker and more manageable Finally, we are introducing a ‘My Journey…’ series to show everyone that we can all go through highs and lows as a runner for many different reasons….even us!! But ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ (09:35) Introducing the FIRST ‘My Journey….’ of the new series The first ‘My Journey to….’ Will be Karen’s journey to recover...

REAL FOOD During an Ultra

Jul 6, 2023 44 min

Ultra-distance running is becoming more and more popular, however there is limited information on what to eat to fuel these distances. Do you struggle to eat ENOUGH for your ultra training? The food and nutrition needs of an ultra-runner DURING training and in-event is going to be different from other endurance runners….even marathon runners. So, in this episode we: 1. Outline some Core Eating Habits for an ultra-runner to consider 2. Highlight some REAL FOOD ideas for ‘eating on the run’ 3. Give some practical solutions on how to include these foods during YOUR ultra-distance run training and events A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (05:33) Outlining the FIVE core eating habits of an ultra runner as proposed by the American sports nutritionist and author Matt Fitzgerald: These core eating habits are: 1. Eat everything 2. Eat Quality 3. Eat Carb Centred 4. Eat Enough 5. Eat Individually (14:42) Highlighting some REAL FOOD ideas to eat during the long hours of training or the long hours of running in an event including: Pizza BreadTofu ‘cheese’ sandwichTrial wrap with a filling of hummus and olives (21:03) Sharing some of Aileen’s REAL FOOD ideas that she takes with her on her long hikes including: Plant-based burgers in a bunRice cakes Salty foods Sweet potato wedges (30:03) Considering some of the practical issues an ultra runner might have to overcome when determining which foods to take on a long run: How to carry the food Accessibility of food What foods are available at the checkpoint stations during an event Always have a nutrition back-up plan (40:23) KEY TAKEAWAYS 1) Remember to think about putting in place Matt Fitzgerald’s FIVE CORE HABITS: · Eat everything · Eat Quality · Eat Carb Centred · Eat Enough · Eat Individually 2) As distances increase, surviving on bars, gels an...

Food Mapping Alongside Run Training

Jun 29, 2023 32 min

Knowing how to plan your everyday meals around run training is tricky! Today we are sharing our tips and planning techniques to help you plan to eat the correct foods at the correct times in the correct amounts to fuel training. This becomes increasingly important as a runner increases their training load. Very few people have the same daily routine so it’s helpful to be able to be flexible with your food choices as well as your training schedule. If you eat at the same food at the same time every day, regardless of your run training that can result in hunger, cravings, and low energy and poor recovery. Today we are going to cover: 1. What to consider when syncing your training and food plan to support you 2. Planning your food around morning run training 3. Planning your food around evening run training A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (04:26) Where to start when synchronising food plans with training. Consider: Training plans/intentions - consider distance, type of training, timing of training, and then start planning out your training “on paper” so you can factor food into your plan. Ideally map out one week so you can see at a glance what training you’ll be doing and at what time. On training days it’s key to ask yourself what your requirements are for pre/during and post fuelling and what athlete plate should you be following i.e. for easy or moderate or hard training. It’s also important to consider what you have been eating and drinking before your run and that may include the day before your training run. (10:11) Pros and Cons of being an early Morning Runner Positives: Fasted state running – if you are planning an easy run of less than 90 minutes in duration you may run in a fasted state – so no food, only water. Fasted state running will support fat metabolismEnergy boost before work – gets the endorphins active Cons: Waking early – make...

DOMS Revisited

Jun 22, 2023 51 min

Have you ever suffered from DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)? If so, you will know how sore and debilitating it can be. Most runners will have suffered from it at some point… but may have just accepted it as a “side-effect of running” BUT, if not addressed, DOMS may lead to severe EIMD (exercise-induced muscle damage), and time out from training. So….we are going to revisit the research and give you some nutrition and lifestyle tips and tools to help you recover effectively from DOMS. If you are currently experiencing DOMS, or experience it regularly and find it frustrating and debilitating, then definitely listen in to find out more about the emerging nutritional approaches to support you. We will: Recap on the definition of DOMS and highlight the typical signs and symptoms of its developmentOutline the current evidence-based nutritional approaches to supporting recovery from DOMSDiscuss how to put these nutritional recommendations into practice A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (05:15) Defining DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) as: A symptom of EIMD (Exercise-Induced Muscle Soreness) and is associated with a perception of severe soreness and discomfort. DOMS typically occurs 24 –72 h after unaccustomed and/or high-intensity eccentric muscle contractions e.g. running downhill. Signs and symptoms a runner may experience that would suggest DOMS as an issue include: · Inflammation · Pain · Swelling · Decreased muscle function · Muscles that feel tender to the touch · Reduced range of motion · Muscle fatigue (08:37) Outlining some potential risk factors in the development of DOMS including: · Being new to running · Overtraining (can produce skeletal muscle cell breakdown creating DOMS) · Age · Gender · Nutrition and Hydration status (12:38) FEMALE FACTORS: Research is...

Results of Listener Survey 2023 and Winner Announcement

Jun 15, 2023 6 min

A big THANK YOU to everyone who listens to She Runs Eats Performs and also a thank you to those of you who took part in our 2023 Listener Survey. We really appreciate your feedback as it helps us create the best podcast possible, with topics you’ll love and to help grow our listener community. Today we'd like to share the key results of our listener survey and also announce the winner of our free prize draw. Key results of the survey: 1. You like episodes to be between 30 and 60 minutes long – so we will do our best not to go over 60 minutes 2 You are interested in nutrition for: a. Fuelling your running – pre/during and post training b. Injury Prevention and Bone Health c. Menopause and post menopause d. Digestive Health e. Managing body composition f. Fuelling longer distances like ULTRAS g. Everyday family friendly food ideas We are always looking for topic suggestions so if you have an idea drop us a line at hello@runnershealthhub.com Many of you are regular listeners but you also like to dip into our back catalogue and search for topics relevant to you at the present moment – we are really pleased to hear that much of our content is evergreen and that it is there for you whenever you need it. Lots of you said you tend to miss episodes if you’re busy with work or holidays, so what we’ve decided to do is to take a 2 week pause every 10-12 weeks which gives us and you a breathing space to catch up, but for the majority of the year we’ll continue with our weekly show every Thursday. It's been really interesting to find out what aspects of the show are important to you which are: · We share real food menu and food examples · The information we share is evidence based nutrition · You like our tips to fit in with a busy lifestyle · Our advice is tailored to midlife female runners · You like the KEY Takeaways at the end of each episode · And it’s important to you that we are both qualified nutriti...

Racing in a different TIME ZONE

Jun 15, 2023 35 min

Time Zone changes and flights prior to a race can “upset your biology” and this adds a few more considerations to take when preparing for race day. Listen today so you may be fully prepared and avoid problems which any affect your race day plan. Today we are going to talk about: 1. Tips for staying healthy on a flight 2. Planning ahead before you leave home 3. Some real food suggestions to help you at your destination A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (03:17) The aspects of health may be affected by travelling to a different time zone are energy, digestion, immune system and sleep patterns. We talk about why it's important to avoid issues so you are race ready. (04:08) One of the most important things to do is to plan to arrive at your destination a 2 or more of days before your race so your body has time to get in sync with the local time. (06:23) Tips to minimise the impact of a long-haul flight. · Eat an easy to digest satisfying meal when you arrive at the airport · Stay away from caffeine and alcohol · Take your own healthy snacks and teabags for the flight · On the flight drink water only and aim to sleep · Avoid stimulating your mind with the inflight entertainment or music. · Promote sleep by using an eye mask, noise cancelling ear buds and inhale relaxing essential oils to help you relax and sleep · After take-off change your watch to your destination time zone – it may help get your brain in sync with local time When you arrive at your destination, do your best to immediately sync with local time. So, if it’s daytime stay awake until local bedtime and if it is night-time, then go to bed and set an alarm to wake up at local morning time. That’ll help get your sleep patterns regulated. (10:26) Tips to alleviate travelers’ constipation and bloating include: · drink plenty of water during the flight (avoiding...

Half Marathon Nutritional Milestones

Jun 8, 2023 52 min

Don't relegate your half marathon nutrition to race day! Practice fuelling early in training. If you pay attention to nutrition during training you'll be energised, recover well and also prevent injuries. Today we are going to talk about the key nutritional milestones to support half marathon training. Milestone 1 – up to 90 minutes easy runningMilestone 2 - Beyond 90 minutes – pre/during and post fuellingMilestone 3 – What to eat on a day when you have a long training run when you are getting up to half marathon distance A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (04:58) Milestone 1- up to 90 minutes easy running The guidelines are simple … running distances up to 90 minutes in duration for most runners there is no need to add in sports nutrition by that I mean pre/during/post nutrition to support your running and recovery. However good foundational everyday nutrition for easy running is important. (05:54) A reminder of the key things to consider for foundational nutrition (07:59) A reminder of foundational hydration. (10:21) Running in a FASTED STATE. This means going out for your run following an overnight fast, so no food after your evening meal and before eating breakfast. The benefit of running in a fasted state allows for higher levels of fat oxidation (so using fat as fuel) BUT this is only beneficial during exercise performed at low-to-moderate intensity … and should only be done 2-3 times a week. So, it’s for easy run days. Also, overtime, exercising in the fasted state can help increase the relative intensity at which maximal fat oxidation occurs and as we know, efficient use of fat as fuel could help support optimal body composition, but could also help preserve glycogen stores, which is especially important in endurance running. (12:52) Tips for planning food around running at different times of day. Schedule your pre run meal, whether that i...

Race Day Rituals

Jun 1, 2023 37 min

Do you have any race day rituals?? Race day can be a time of heightened anxiety with imposter syndrome emerging and psychosomatic symptoms developing, all of which can potentially lead to a negative mindset before you even reach the start line!! So, today we are going to chat about how having Race Day Rituals in place may help minimise any angst and help maintain confidence as YOU step up to the start line. We will; Discuss why Race Day Rituals are Valuable and what these rituals may includeGive hints and tips on putting rituals in place A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (04:17) Aileen and Karen share their Race Day Rituals including: AILEEN: The day before the race Aileen lays out everything she will need for day. For example; clothes, food and drinks On the morning of the race Aileen gets up early and goes downstairs to have ‘me time’ before everyone else gets up. She has tea, breakfast then a shower…in that order!!Aileen listens to the SAME music before every race. She finds it motivates and energises her before the gun fires!! KAREN: On the morning of race day Karen eats breakfast as soon as she wakens. It is ALWAYS the same breakfast of overnight oats soaked in yogurt with a little more yogurt added in the morning accompanied by a glass of waterKaren ALWAYS has a shower before a race BUT not before a training run!!Karen has “race attire - outfits she wears on race day ONLY! (10:32) Considering WHY rituals may be a valuable tool for a runner on race day. It is thought that rituals may help a runner (or any athlete) on race day because rituals help establish a sense of purpose and control at a time when a runner may feel out of control. (15:35) Highlighting some Rituals carried out by professional athletes including: A female distance runner who straightens her hair at the start line just before the gun fires Another athlete who lies i...

Fine Tuning Food and Lifestyle before a Race

May 25, 2023 44 min

How do you keep fit and healthy in the 3-4 weeks leading up to a race? Your number ONE priority must be to avoid a cold or infection of minor injury. Fine tuning your food and lifestyle will promote immune health and energy production to build nutritional resilience and enable you to bounce back quickly if you are unlucky and catch a cold or pick up an injury. Often runners will think about their race day food plan which may include the week leading up to the race, which is great, however there are benefits to fine tuning food and lifestyle in the 3-4 weeks leading up to a race. Mostly it’s taking a “protective approach” if you’ve been training for an important race event then you’ll want to perform at your best on the day and the last thing you want is your preparations to be derailed by illness, infections, injuries or low energy. Today we are focusing on keeping you fit and healthy in the 3-4 weeks leading up to race day. We’re talking about: 1. Building nutritional resilience to support our immune system and energy production cycle 2. How optimising rest/sleep and minimising stress will support you 3. What to add in and take out in the 3-4 weeks leading up to race day A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (03:15) What is nutritional resilience and why is it important? Use the time when you’ll be “tapering your training” to focus on taking care of your health (through nutrition and lifestyle upgrades) will help you get to the start line in the best possible shape. (07:12) A focus on supporting immune health and energy production. (08:40) Nutritional foundations and how to enhance them in the 3-4 weeks leading up to a race, especially focusing on key vitamins and minerals i.e., Vitamin C, B Vitamins and Magnesium. (11:19) Food Sources of Vitamin C include: · Citrus fruits: Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon, lime Berries: Black Currant, Strawb...

Introducing Amazing Jane ACTIVEWEAR

May 22, 2023 1 min

A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com Amazing Jane ACTIVEWEAR … for women’s changing bodies …. Recommended as "Best Leggings for Running", by Women's Fitness Magazine … We think they have everything a female runner needs … first of all …. they are high compression to support your legs and bum … and they have a deep waistband … so they stay up and don’t move about when you run. There’s a handy left leg pocket for your phone and a zip pocket on the waistband great for your keys or a card. They also have a small hidden ‘TrackHer’ pocket, for storing a GPS tracking device – this is a unique safety feature. All Amazing Jane designs, including tanks and tops, are cut to skim not cling, giving you confidence to look and feel great and focus on performance. We have been trialling wearing their range for a few months and we can happily recommend them. If you’d like to try Amazing Jane ACTIVEWEAR please use our LISTENERS special discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL Purchases at www.amazingjane.com Amazing Jane ship around the world – please check their website for details. Thanks again to Amazing Jane ACTIVEWEAR for being our show sponsor and sharing discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL Read our review A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com Also, when you're ready, here are FOUR ways that we can help you: 1) Join Easy Nutrition For Healthy Runners HUB. Please join our FREE private facebook group for education, tips, inspiration with like- minded female runners. 2) Get our Easy Nutrition For Healthy Runners Online Programme. As a THANK YOU, please use COUPON CODE POD to get 33% discount off the full price which brings the price to £199. 3)Find out if you are the right fit for our Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Programme. Please book a free Discovery Call. 4) If you lov...

Micro Needs of a Runner

May 18, 2023 43 min

Micronutrients play an important role in Running performance….but how many of us consider what vitamins and minerals we require for our training? We tend to focus on our macronutrient needs…esp the need for protein and carbohydrates BUT…did you know….we need the micronutrients for the metabolism of the macronutrients….as well as for much much more!! So, if you are a runner who tends to neglect your micronutrient intake then listen in for some enlightening and useful information. A BIG thank you to our Show Sponsor AMAZING JANE ACTIVE WEAR. Please use discount code RHH10 for 10% off ALL purchases at www.amazingjane.com SHOW NOTES (05:34) Defining what micronutrients are and why they are important for general health but also for run training. (10:14) Outlining situations when a runner may require micronutrient supplementation including when they: Restrict energy intake Remove food groups from the diet. For example: vegans, vegetarians and runners following a raw diet or a keto/paleo style dietConsume a high carbohydrate diet without consideration for other important nutrients (14:44) FEMALE FACTORS Older athletes (both male and female) are more likely to take micronutrient supplements than their younger counterparts due to the various challenges that occur with ageing and recoveryThe prevalence of supplement use among female athletes tends to be similar to males, however their reasons for supplementing tend to be differFemales tend to introduce supplementation to support bone health and increase energy (no data on the reasons why males may supplement) (15:43) Highlighting some micronutrients that are important for a runner including: Calcium and Magnesium – needed in the muscle contraction cycle The B-vit complex, Vit C and iron (also magnesium) - required in the metabolism of the macronutrients to produce energy Iron - required for the transport of oxygen to the cells for energy production (30:35) Food recommendations containing the key micronutrients discussed...

HWHR Hormone Reset

May 11, 2023 28 min

Why would completing a Hormone Reset Food Plan help you with menopausal symptoms which may be affecting your running? Today we are going to give you a snap-shot of …. of the Hormone Reset Module which is part of our Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method We are going to talk about: 1. What the Hormone Reset is and why we included it as part of the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method 2. An overview of the 4 phases of the Hormone Reset 3. What are the mindset barriers to overcome when approaching the Hormone Reset If you would like to find out more about our Healthy Woman Healthy runner Programme please book a FREE Discovery Call Book your place on our next FREE TRAINING: Learn all about our Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method. You can choose either 12 noon or at 6pm (BST), whichever best suits your lifestyle. Book for 12 noon GMT, 19:00 AWST, 21:00 ACST HERE Book for 18:00 GMT, 13:00 ET, 10:00 PT HERE We love podcasting but we love being with you LIVE even more so we can’t wait to meet you in our ZOOM ROOM! SHOW NOTES (02:18) What is the Hormone Reset? The Hormone Reset is module 3 in the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner programme the aim of the Hormone Reset is to help balance key female hormones and support management of hormonal symptoms including heavy or erratic periods, irregular temperature control/hot flushes, mind/mood symptoms, body composition changes and poor quality of sleep. The 4 pillars of hormonal balance being blood sugar balance, optimal digestion and liver health and management of adrenal stress hormones. Everything we do in the programme is built around supporting these pillars of hormonal health. (04:15) Why is the 14-day Hormone Reset Food Plan an important part of the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method and Programme? The midlife female runners we are supporting, are at various stages of the menopause transition – if peri menopausal, their female sex hormones are in a state of flux leading to disruptive symptoms like the ones we mentione...

Running Injuries: Food Planning for Prevention

May 4, 2023 42 min

Probably most of us have experienced an injury at some point!! And when you have been injured…and then recovered….you just don’t want to go there again!! because it is frustrating and debilitating…and painful of course!! AND more often than not, it takes you away from your running for a period of time, which means that you have to go “back to the beginning” when returning to training. Most of us will have heard the phrase “Prevention is better than cure” So, if you have been injured in the past and want to limit the risk of getting injured again…or maybe you haven’t ever been injured and want to optimise your food plan so it doesn’t ever happen…listen in because we will be chatting about: What you need to think about when considering a food plan to support injury prevention Our suggestions for meals and snacks to help prevent injuryA one-day meal plan for you to introduce to your food plan to get you started Is there anything we can do to improve your experience of She Runs Eats Performs? We'd love to hear from you at our 3 minute LISTENERS SURVEY OR If you would you be open to chatting for a few minutes please book a 15-minute feedback call (zoom) here. SHOW NOTES (05:26) Introducing the fundamental food and dietary considerations when thinking about injury prevention including the Mediterranean Diet (MD). Outlining what it contains and what it omits to support health and wellbeing (10:14) Outlining some additional dietary fundamentals to consider to help prevent a running injury occurring including: Eating strategically (food timing) Appropriate Eating – not too much and not too little (13:30) Introducing the KEY nutrients required to help prevent a running injury occurring including: Carbohydrate – as the principal nutrient for energy production Protein – to maintain muscle mass and support muscle repair, recovery and remodelling from training Fats – the essential fats for their anti-inflammatory properties Calcium – in tandem with Vit D for promoting bone he...

Listeners Nutrition Clinic 5

Apr 27, 2023 45 min

This is the 5th of our Listeners Nutrition Clinic episodes. These are episodes dedicated to answering questions we have received from YOU, our listeners. They are questions linked to YOUR nutrition for your running, performance and personal goals. We host these episodes every few weeks so, if you have any questions you would like us to answer/discuss in this space then please get in touch with us at hello@runnershealthhub.com. We have TWO interesting questions to discuss today and they are: Q1. How do I overcome anxiety under race conditions, which leads to poor performance? Q2. How do I manage low ferritin levels post-menopause? Download our FREE E book TOP Running Snacks and Nutrient Timing to Fuel Peak Performance SHOW NOTES (07:16) Q1. How do I overcome anxiety under race conditions, which leads to poor performance? Giving some background and context to the question received from one of our listeners and outlining some potential psychological and physical reasons for her race-anxiety. (13:43) Outlining some TIPS to help alleviate race-anxiety including: Focus on completing a negative split in-race and during trainingUse a positive mantra Focussing on running the whole distance (21:27) Q2. How do I manage low ferritin levels post-menopause? Giving some background and context to the question received from another of our listeners and outlining WHY it is important to test for both Hemoglobin and Ferritin when completing a blood panel test. (24:42) Highlighting some of typical symptoms associated with iron insufficiency/deficiency including: Tiredness/fatigue/lethargyPale skin of inner mouth/nails, Pale on inner lining of eyesThin, brittle, pale, spoon shaped nailsBrittle hair (26:37) Outlining potential causes and risk factors for low iron/ferritin status including: Reduced iron intake Reduced iron absorptionIncreased iron requirementsIncreased iron loss (31:59) Highlighting iron rich foods to consider to help support iron storage as ferritin. Iron rich food...

Athletes Plates in Practice

Apr 20, 2023 43 min

How do you know which athlete plate to choose for your run training? When we refer to athlete’s plates, we are talking about using a nutritional tool which helps you decide what and how much food should be on your plate, related to your training and everyday activities. We use athlete plate graphics with our clients to help them plan their food on a day-to-day basis and we often refer to everyday plate balance and athlete plate balance during our conversations on the podcast. Today we’d like to share a little more about the background to the development of the athlete plate concept and explain how you can use them to support your run fueling so you have a sound nutrition foundation for every level of running. This will help your performance, your recovery and support injury prevention. Often people aren’t sure which athlete plate to choose so we aim to help you with that today. The key areas we are going to talk are: 1. Why were athlete plates created and how using them as a nutritional tool may be supportive to your nutrition and running goals and performance? 2. Our interpretation of athlete plates and how we use them with our clients. 3. An example of how a runner training for a marathon uses athlete plates for fueling training. Download our FREE E book TOP Running Snacks and Nutrient Timing to Fuel Peak Performance SHOW NOTES (05:11) Who created Athlete Plates and why? Athlete Plates were designed as a visual tool by the UCCS - University of Colorado/Colorado Springs (UCCS') Sport Nutrition Graduate Program led by a research scientist Nanna Meyer in collaboration with the US Olympic Committee's (USOC) Food and Nutrition Services. Their aim was to help sports dieticians and athletes to adjust their nutrition to variable training loads when following a periodised training and competition plan. They developed and designed athletes plate graphics for EASY/MODERATE and HARD TRAINING. https://swell.uccs.edu/theathletesplate More recently they have developed...

Celebrating Thanks to YOU

Apr 19, 2023 4 min

We are celebrating passing the 3rd Anniversary of She Runs Eats Performs and we wanted to say a big thank you for joining us for some or maybe all our episodes. We are really excited to reach this milestone and we get a thrill every time we publish an episode and discover that you are out there listening to us. We love it when we hear from you … it means so much when we get an email or a review or a comment on social media. We still pinch ourselves when we check on podcast downloads and discover where our listeners are in the world. As well as creating the episodes for the podcast we have free resources and paid for programmes and services at our website www.runnershealthhub.com LISTENERS SURVEY We also wanted to ask a favour … we wanted to find out if there is anything we can do to improve your experience of She Runs Eats Performs, so we have created a short listener survey to get your feedback. Just click the survey link here and it’ll take you to the survey … there are only 8 questions and it’ll take 3 minutes to complete. Your answers will help us create the best podcast possible, with topics you’ll love and to help grow our listener community. FREE PRIZE DRAW If you complete the Listener Survey by 31st May 2023 and we’ll enter you into a FREE PRIZE DRAW to win a 1:1 Food Diary Review (30-minute) Zoom Consultation which will help you fine tune your personal runner’s food plan to help you achieve your health and running goals. PODCAST FEEDBACK CALL We’d love to follow up with a few people personally… to learn a little more about your individual situation. If you would you be open to chatting for a few minutes there is an option to send us your email address and we’ll be in touch with a call booking link so you can schedule a short chat with us at a time which suits your diary. Book a Podcast Feedback Call here. THANK YOU So, thanks again from both of us, our show is dedicated to YOU … a midlife female runner who wants to enhance your health and running...

Nutritional Needs of an Ultra Runner

Apr 13, 2023 53 min

Nutritional Needs of an Ultra Runner Ultra-distance running is becoming more and more popular, however there is currently limited information on the specific nutritional needs of an ultra runner. So, if you are an ultra runner...or you are considering moving into ultra distance running then you are in the right place because we will: Highlight the rewards and health risks associated with ultra-distance running Discuss the key nutrients to focus on for this distance Give TIPS on FOOD to eat to fuel your ultra-running Download our FREE E book TOP Running Snacks and Nutrient Timing to Fuel Peak Performance SHOW NOTES (04:29) Outlining the definition of ultra-distance (or ultra-marathon) running and highlighting several famous ultra-events. (10:09) Discussing some of the rewards from running ultra-distances. The rewards from running these distances are both emotional/psychological and physical. (13:47) Delving into the potential risks from running ultra-marathons including: Macronutrient and/or micronutrient depletionDehydration and electrolyte imbalanceMuscle damage Oxidative stress – from metabolic/ biological processes occurring during running (16:51) Considering the KEY nutrients required for running ultra-distances: Carbohydrates and Electrolytes/Hydration, as well as outlining important factors affecting the total daily energy intake requirements of an ultra-runner (26:17) Focussing on Hydration and the ultra-runner and why a targeted hydration strategy is required (33:02) FEMALE FACTORS When comparing food choices between male and female distance runners the NURMI-Study (Nutrition and Running High Mileage - International) 2019 found that female athletes: Have a greater prevalence of unintentional calorie imbalance than males in order to reach and maintain the appropriate body composition required for an optimal endurance performance Were generally more health conscious than malesMade “healthier” food choices than males with a greater intake of foods includin...

Runners Toilet Troubles

Apr 6, 2023 40 min

Digestive distress or Runners Gut affects many endurance runners. Inconsistent digestive health can be a major disruptor to run training and races. It can lead to anxiety, poor performance and impact on our enjoyment of running. You may be someone with no history of digestive problems, but something may have triggered change, which results in the disruptive digestive symptoms. Runners may be regularly experiencing constipation or diarrhoea and loose stools or perhaps having urgency to go. Symptoms may be due to underlying health issues, nutrition or aggravated and triggered by running. Often people make jokes about this topic, perhaps as a defence mechanism, but it’s really no joking matter, and there are ways you can resolve underlying digestive issues. If you’ve been putting up with digestive issues and managing symptoms around your run training, it’s worth considering how you may take action to help alleviate those symptoms and disruptions. Endurance running alone may contribute to digestive distress, however if you have poor gut health in general then it’s likely that endurance running will exacerbate symptoms so our aim today is to help you understand why you may have a problem and what you may do to get to the root of the problem and take action to resolve it. We’ll talk about: 1. How and Why Endurance Running Affects Digestive Health 2. Constipation and diarrhoea – what may be contributing to it and how you can alleviate these digestive issues 3. Managing food triggers Download our FREE E book TOP Running Snacks and Nutrient Timing to Fuel Peak Performance SHOW NOTES (06:06) We are all aware the endurance running creates a physical stress on the body and that includes the digestive system. The areas to consider are physiological and mechanical: • Physiological – we must consider the impact of stress hormones and reduced blood flow to the Gastrointestinal tract • Mechanical – bouncing effect of running and how that affects the digestive system in particul...

Designing Your Race Day Nutrition Plan

Mar 30, 2023 49 min

Race Day Nutrition is often overlooked leading to running on empty, an under-par performance, experiencing fatigue during the race and sometimes unpleasant symptoms. All of which can be distracting to say the least. On the plus side – get it right and we’ll perform, recover, and feel better and potentially have the edge – it’s a WIN-WIN and our mantra is “don’t let nutrition be the limiting factor in your running performance”. Today we are going to talk about: 1. Your Race Day Nutrition Timeline 2. Our Real Food suggestions for what and when to eat 3. Finally … our personal Race Day Nutrition non-negotiables Download our FREE E book TOP Running Snacks and Nutrient Timing to Fuel Peak Performance SHOW NOTES (03:35) What NOT to do! Aileen and Karen share their experiences. One of the cardinal rules is that on race day you NEVER EAT OR DRINK anything you haven’t practiced in training. (05:54) Our approach to designing your race day timeline to include nutrition and key timings. Email us at hello@runnershealthhub.com if you’d like our template. (12:18) What and when to eat for your pre-race meal. Suggestions for eating at home and for some ideas if you are eating whilst travelling. (20:42) Should I drink coffee pre-race? (22:19) Quick tips on pre-race hydration and electrolytes. There are many different brands of electrolytes out there but one we like and recommend are Elete Electrolyte because they are easy to use, easy to carry and mostly tasteless…just a hint of sodium in your water. We both use ELETE and we’ve set up a special offer for you to try them out – you’ll get all the details on our website – go to SHOP and look at our FAVOURITE Supplements page – you’ll find ELETE Drops with discount CODE RHH15 which will give you 15% discount, please feel free to share with your running friends. (23:52) Pre- Race Real Food snacks containing quick release carbohydrates. (24:46) During race fuelling – what and when? (27:29) Simple real food suggestions and hy...

Runners Immune Health: A New Perspective

Mar 23, 2023 41 min

Many runners experience illness and infection, especially upper respiratory tract infections and digestive illness and concerns. These issues can lead to time away from running, or at least a reduced training load until fully recovered, which can be frustrating. There appears to be significant developments in the approach to supporting an athlete's immune health nutritionally, so here we outline the current scientific thinking on this subject. We give you: 1. An overview of the potential paradigm shift in optimising an athlete’s immune health 2. An introduction to the nutritional influence in supporting this paradigm shift 3. Some ideas of how to introduce the nutritional recommendations into your meal plan Download our FREE E book TOP Running Snacks and Nutrient Timing to Fuel Peak Performance SHOW NOTES (05:23) Outlining the key paradigm shift with regards to immune health and athletes and discussing the new and current scientific thinking. The paradigm shift involves the concept of immune reset resistance versus immune tolerance (11:16) FEMALE FACTORS: Two recent studies carried out on female athletes showed that approximately HALF of them were classified as having low energy availability (LEA). This LEA appeared to be associated with a 4-8 times higher risk of developing an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). It must be stressed that it was an association with, rather than a causation of an URTI. BUT it does suggest that LEA may be a risk factor for reduced immunity and infection. (12:38) Delving into the nutritional influence in supporting this paradigm shift in immune health of athletes. The key nutrients of interest include: ProteinProbioticsVitamin C Vitamin D (28:22) TIPS on introducing Probiotics and Vitamin C into a regular meal plan (37:09) Giving advice regarding testing Vitamin D levels (38:18) KEY TAKEAWAYS The current scientific thinking about immune health in athletes is shifting from the concept of immune resistance to the idea of immun...

HWHR Boosting Brassicas for Hormonal Health

Mar 16, 2023 29 min

Support balancing female hormones with brassica vegetables as part of your food plan. To help you choose natural plant foods to support your mid-life symptoms we are going to give you a snap-shot of … Boosting Brassicas for Hormonal Health … we’ll talk about: · Why Brassicas are supportive of health, especially hormonal health · How you can maximise their nutritional properties to get the best from them · Ideas for your food plan If you would like to find out more about our Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Programme please book a FREE Discovery Call Book your place on our next FREE TRAINING: Learn all about our Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method. You can choose either 12 noon or at 6pm (BST), whichever best suits your lifestyle. Book for 12 noon GMT, 19:00 AWST, 21:00 ACST HERE Book for 18:00 GMT, 13:00 ET, 10:00 PT HERE We love podcasting but we love being with you LIVE even more so we can’t wait to meet you in our ZOOM ROOM! SHOW NOTES (01:38) Brassicas - people either love them or hate them as they sometimes have a slightly bitter taste. There’s lots you can do to make them palatable and easy to include in your food plan, and it’s worth it as there are so many health benefits from eating them. (04:13) Nutrient Value of Brassicas include Vitamin C, K, A, B9 (folate) as well as being rich sources of potassium and phosphorus and contains smaller amounts of calcium, magnesium iron and zinc. Brassicas are a good source of FIBRE which is important for the digestive system and will help you have regular bowel movements which is important for many reasons but will help with the elimination of excess hormones. The Brassicas – An Undervalued Nutritional and Health Beneficial Plant Family a joint publication from The James Hutton Institute, Dundee and Herriot Watt University in Edinburgh. At the end of the pdf you’ll find some tables which list nutrient content of the different vegetables in this category. (06:09) What is it about brassica vegetables that is...

Hamstring Injury: Nutrition for Fast Recovery

Mar 9, 2023 44 min

Hamstring Injury: Nutrition for Fast Recovery Have you ever suffered from a hamstring injury? Did you know…. it is thought to be one of the most frequent injuries experienced by athletes? If you have ever experienced a hamstring injury, you will know how painful it can be…and if severe enough, it can take you away from your run training for quite some time. So, the aim of this discussion, is to ensure that by the end of the episode you feel more informed on signs and symptoms to observe for and what to do nutritionally and around training if any “niggles” are experienced. So, we…… Give an overview of the mechanisms and risk factors associated with Hamstring Injuries Outline some exercises and training considerations to help prevent and speed up recovery from injury Discuss nutrition to help prevent and speed up recovery from a hamstring injury SHOW NOTES (04:13) What are the hamstrings? The commonly known Hamstrings refers to a group of 3 muscles that run along the back of the thigh, from the hip to just below the knee. What causes a hamstring injury? It is thought that most hamstring injuries occur during sprinting due to excessive muscle strain caused by eccentric contraction during the late swing phase of the running gait cycle” (07:45) What are the risk factors for the development of a hamstring injury? There are many potential risk factors when considering the potential for one to occur. These risks include: Previous hamstring injury - especially if a runner has returned to training BEFORE the injury has healed completely Age -.risk of injury increases as we age Inadequate warm-up before exercise and lack of stretching following exercise are known to be contributing factors A pro-inflammatory diet may influence the development of a hamstring injury due to chronic low-grade inflammation And many more that we discuss (12:03) FEMALE FACTORS Females are known to have a lower risk of hamstring injuries than males. This is thought to be related to oe...

Bone Building Food Plan for Runners

Mar 2, 2023 44 min

Make Bone Building part of your food plan. Endurance runners are at risk of bone stress injuries, and a high percentage of midlife females are also at less a risk of losing bone mineral density, leading to a risk osteopenia or osteoporosis, which in turn increases the risk of bone injuries. Women should be concerned about bone health at every stage of life … what you do now will pay dividends in older age. Today we’ll share our suggestions for a bone building food plan which can become part of your everyday nutrition. The KEY Imbalances which drive Bone Mineral Density loss are inflammation, low protein intake, poor glycaemic control, hormonal imbalance (stress hormones/sex hormones) and compromised digestion, so following food plan to support these imbalances is key. We’ll cover: 1. What you need to consider for an optimal bone building food plan 2. Our suggestions for meals and snacks 3. Tips to ensure you promote optimal absorption of structural bone building nutrients SHOW NOTES (03:02) What is the personal motivation to include bone building nutrients into our food plans. (04:25) How a LOW GL and anti-inflammatory food plan including bone building nutrients support the underlying reasons for poor bone health. (06:51) Following a healthy everyday nutrition balance plate will support a low GL food plan which may be enhanced by choosing foods containing bone building nutrients. (08:47) Protein requirements for mid-life women. Ideally being 1.2g-1.6g protein/kg/body weight per day. You do not need to calculate every gram of protein but please ensure you eat adequate protein at every meal and snack and it’s best to spread your protein intake across the day. Our MANTRA is “eat protein with every meal and snack”. Another tip would be to add a protein shake into your daily plan to help you hit your protein targets. (09:54) Requirements for Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin D. (11:52) Tips on how to assess your food intake of key bone building nutrients. (14:28...

Listeners Nutrition Clinic 4

Feb 23, 2023 43 min

Listeners Nutrition Clinic 4 This is the 4th of our Listeners Nutrition Clinic episodes. These are episodes dedicated to answering questions we have received from YOU, our listeners. They are questions linked to YOUR nutrition for your running, performance and personal goals We host these episodes every few weeks so, if you have any questions you would like us to answer/discuss in this space then please get in touch with us at hello@runnershealthhub.com. Hopefully the hints and tips we give will help support the individual posing the question…but also give you all some food for thought! The 3 questions we are discussing today are: What should I eat prior to a FAST 5K race?What is the difference between raisins and sultanas and which should I choose for my run training?What food/snacks should I eat DURING my forthcoming 70K ultra run? SHOW NOTES: (04:39) Q1. What should I eat prior to a FAST 5K race? Outlining some recommendations for someone completing a 5K training run at an easy pace including: Follow an everyday healthy meal plan CONSISTENTLYEnsure a BALANCED intake of complex carbohydrate and protein rich foods and 7-9 portions vegetables DAILYRun a 5K (easy pace) in the fasted state to encourage efficient use of fat as fuel (10:00) Discussing what to eat prior to a 5K race being run at pace: What to eat and how much to eat will depend on the amount of time lapsing between rising and racingIf travel time is to be included (2hrs+ between rising and racing) then a balanced breakfast including complex carbohydrate and protein would be importantEating enough to feel satisfied but not full would be recommendedHaving an additional quick release carbohydrate snack approx. 30-60mins before the race begins would also be recommended to top up blood glucose levelsIf minimal time is available between rising and racing then quick release carbohydrate food choices need to be considered Foods to consider approx. 2hrs pre-race: Nutrient dense smoothie containing oats, pro...

Announcement: Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Programme Opens Soon

Feb 23, 2023 1 min

Have you hears the news? Our Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Programme is opening soon and we'd love you to join us. The doors open on 27th March 2023 ... not long now! BOOK A free DISCOVERY CALL to find out more. The Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method and Programme came about because we felt there was a NEED for a simple approach which solved the challenges that many midlife female runners face. We hear all the time about the challenges mid-life women face: · Tiredness · Body shape changes and loss of muscle tone · Irregular/heavy periods · Poor sleep · A busy lifestyle When we designed the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner METHOD we were mindful of all these challenges, and we are totally focused on how we can help you resolve them. It’s safe to say, we have both walked in your steps when it comes to experiencing these mid-life challenges … we understand what you are going through and how transformational it can be to use nutrition to support and minimise the impact of these challenges. We are on a mission to help mid-life women who value their health and want to enjoy their running by making simple and targeted nutrition and lifestyle changes. If you are interested in joining us or finding out if you are a good fit for the HWHR programme, the next step is to book a Discovery Call with us. It’s a short informal call, we want to make sure you are the best fit for the programme – we don’t want you investing in the programme if it isn’t the right fit for you or us. Booking a Discovery Call doesn’t mean you are committed to buying the programme, it just gives you an opportunity to find out more and have any of your questions answered, and if the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner programme is for you, then we can make the arrangements to get you booked onto the programme. We’ll put the booking link onto our show notes and it’s on our website too. If you’re in a different time zone just let us know as we can accommodate you both for a discovery call...

Nutrition for Strength Training

Feb 16, 2023 41 min

Nutrition for Strength Training Gone are the days when runners just go out and run…. most runners tend to include many different training approaches BUT…do you consider what to eat for the different styles of training you do? There is a lot to cover so in this episode we talk about WHAT and WHEN and HOW MUCH to eat for your STRENGTH TRAINING days. We: Give an overview of strength training and how it is thought to support runningFocus on some food and nutrition recommendations to support strength trainingDiscuss how to put the recommendations into practice for YOUR training SHOW NOTES (06:13) Outlining various ways in which strength training is thought to support running performance including: Running Economy - the amount of oxygen (O2) the body uses to maintain a certain paceSprint speedLean muscle massPower Also, DID YOU KNOW….. Heavy resistance training (HRT) and plyometric training (PLY) are the most common strength training methods used by distance runners apparently…..Plyometrics being the jumping action during exercise for example jump squats. (10:37) Discussing the TWO key macronutrients known to support strength training. Namely: CarbohydratesProtein Concentrating on Carbohydrate and its influence on strength training including: Maintaining training performance Helping recovery post-trainingFacilitating glycogen replenishment for future training sessions NOTE: It is recommended that when completing strength training no more than 4g/Kg/Body Weight per day (BW/d) should be consumed to help optimise training performance and adaptations. BUT…it is still important to ensure adequate energy intake overall. REMEMBER…if/when in energy deficit the body will breakdown muscle to use the protein for energy production!! So any strength training efforts could be in vain!! (13:58) Concentrating on Protein and its influence on strength training including: Increasing muscle mass (hypertrophy)Limiting risk of muscle injuryMuscle repair Muscle remodelling NOTE: An intake of...

Healthy Bones for Female Runners

Feb 9, 2023 48 min

Endurance Runners are at a high risk of Bone Stress Injuries. Being aware of the risk factors and having a strategy to help prevent bone stress injuries or fractures is vital. Today we’ll share why being a runner puts you at risk, what key nutrients are vital for bone health and some training hacks to help you have good bone health and avoid an injury which may take you out of training for a long time! Today we are going to talk about: 1. Why are endurance runners at risk of bone stress injuries 2. What are the key nutrients for bone building 3. How to approach your run training plan to promote healthy bones SHOW NOTES (02:41) Why bone health is so important for mid-life female runners. Endurance runners are at risk of bone stress injuries, and a high percentage of midlife females are also at less a risk of losing bone mineral density, which increases their risk of bone injuries. (05:21) Bone Stress Injuries – intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors (06:08) Underlying health factors for Bone Stress Injuries in runners may include: health conditions that reduce bone density (such as osteoporosis)poor nutrient status which underpins poor bone healthprior stress injury to the bonetraining related– duration/distance/rest & recovery or perhaps poor biomechanics or running technique. (07:48) Bone re modelling and which groups of runners may be at risk of bone stress injuries due to their training approach: · All year-round runners: the serious recreational runners, who run long distances week in and out, without rest days or scheduled rest weeks. So, there is the potential for repetitive over loading. · Seasonal recreational runners: they take on a challenge and ramp up their training too quickly. Rapid increases in training loads may increase the risk of running injuries. · Runners who ignore niggly injuries which develop into BSI’s. BSI’s typically occur 3-4 weeks after a major workload error – we may not even realise we have an injury or...

Nutrition Trends for Runners in 2023

Feb 2, 2023 46 min

There is SO much information in the media and in magazines about what to eat to enhance running performance….but how much of it is actually evidence-based and factual rather than just being sensationalist?? This plethora of information can lead to confusion for many runners on what to eat to fulfil their running goals. Karen, one of your Podcast hosts, attended the ISENC (International Sports and exercise Nutrition Conference) in Manchester in December. This conference is dedicated to outlining and discussing the most up to date science and research in the world of sport and exercise nutrition. So, in this episode we share some of that information with you so you feel informed when making YOUR food and nutrition choices to support your run training. The two principle topics we focus on are: Overtraining Syndrome and Relative Energy Deficit in Sport and how they potentially overlapDietary Fibre and its potential role in sports performance SHOW NOTES (07:13) Defining Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S): Overtraining syndrome: is viewed as a condition associated with a long-term imbalance between training and recovery and is generally characterized by: Reduced sports performance FatigueMood disturbances It is thought to affect between 20% and 60% of athletes throughout their careers. It is grouped in with functional and non-functional overreaching, but compared to these conditions OTS is the most severe and reflects a chronic accumulation of training and non-training stressors that can take months to years to fully recover from. Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport: In 2014 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) defined RED-S as: “….a syndrome resulting from relative energy deficiency that affects many aspects of physiological function…..” and this is thought to be as a result of inadequate energy intake (EI) compared to energy expenditure of exercise (EEE) and daily living, resulting in poor health and reduced sporti...

HWHR Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method

Jan 26, 2023 32 min

How do you navigate the menopause transition and enjoy your running? We designed the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method as a way of helping midlife females manage the menopause transition whilst enjoying their running. If you're finding that your usual way of eating and training isn't giving you the results you desire, and that the menopause is getting in the way of you enjoying your running, in this episode we share a snap-shot of our method with you. We truly believe that you can’t be a good runner without being a healthy woman and in our experience midlife health changes and symptoms can be a limiting factor if not managed effectively. We don’t want women to suffer the experiences we had going through peri menopause and post menopause – so that was our driving force. If you would like to find out more about our Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Programme please book a FREE Discovery Call Book your place on our next FREE TRAINING: Learn all about our Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method. You can choose either 12 noon or at 6pm (BST), whichever best suits your lifestyle. Book for 12 noon GMT, 19:00 AWST, 21:00 ACST HERE Book for 18:00 GMT, 13:00 ET, 10:00 PT HERE We love podcasting but we love being with you LIVE even more so we can’t wait to meet you in our ZOOM ROOM! SHOW NOTES (02:22) What led us to developing the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method. We noticed that there were some common problems, frustrations and challenges that the women who work with us were experiencing. Women tell us that peri-menopausal symptoms get in the way of them enjoying their running and indeed can affect their running performance too. Typically, they notice a change in body composition. They may gain weight or notice there is a change in body composition i.e., more fat and less muscle – they feel flabby. They may also be noticing more aches, pains and niggly injuries. They feel tired all the time and their sleep may be affected by night sweats and hot flushes. They may also be...

Kickstart Your Runners Healthy Eating Plan for 2023

Jan 19, 2023 34 min

To set yourself up for success, we take you through shaping up your mindset and environment before adding some simple food foundations, and it's all about creating space for magic. Over the years we’ve noticed lots of people embarking on REGIMES or CHALLENGES, only to give up a few days or weeks into the New Year. For several years now, we’ve been advocating a GENTLE JANUARY, we believe it’s a time to nurture yourself, but it can also be a great time to start to get new habits and routines into place. Perhaps using January as a stepping-stone to better health would be best at this time of year. No one wants to feature in the New Year statistics of “tried but failed on the new year diet plan”. The key is setting yourself up for success so you can turn your running and nutrition goals into a reality. Today we are going to talk about: 1. Setting a positive mindset to help you make a good start 2. Creating the foundations for a healthy kitchen environment 3. A few simple Habits which will underpin your healthy food plans for the year SHOW NOTES (02:15) Why are we talking about kickstarting healthy eating mid-January and not on New Year’s Day? (04:28) Mindset is the starting point with getting you on track, that goes along with setting an intention to help focus on the change that we want to make. Getting into a positive mindset usually means that you're more likely to follow through with positive actions. (06:03) Thinking about the 3 words which you may use to describe how you want to feel this year with regards to your health, and what do you want to do or experience or be great at with your health this year. Doing this will help you get into the right mindset to approach kickstarting your healthy eating plan. (07:44) Decluttering and cleansing your mind of negative self-talk and reframing into positive phrases. it’s also important to consider our vision … “in our wildest dreams how we will be – what will achieving our goals deliver and then we put toget...

Setting YOUR Nutrition and Running Goals 2023

Jan 12, 2023 40 min

New Year, new health and fitness goals. A time when runners feel inspired to make changes but don't know how to make them ACHIEVABLE. A New Year tends to be a time when people set new intentions…a time for looking forward…not back. So, this episode is for you if you are considering new goals but just don’t know how to start….the motivation is there….BUT…how do you make your goals doable and achievable??? We give you some ideas of how to approach goal setting so you can ACHIEVE your 2023 nutrition and performance aspirations…so listen in for some great ideas…it is better than trying to “go it alone” and potentially failing!! We talk about WHY setting goals is important in creating change Introduce the BIG ROCK theory then look atLook at HOW to implement the BIG ROCK theory to help you achieve YOUR goals SHOW NOTES (04:34) Introducing you to some reasons WHY setting goals is important in creating change. We believe it is best to start by thinking about your TOP desire or achievement for 2023. Is it linked to your: Running goals – for example: attaining a PB, entering an iconic race, becoming a trail runner Nutrition goals – for example: fuelling effectively for training and races, following a ‘real food’ plan CONSISTENTLY (09:12) Outlining how setting goals could be helpful to you in achieving your 2023 nutrition and running goals. Goal setting may: Provide short-term motivation for your long-term vision or goalGuide your focus and keep you on trackCreate accountability to yourself but also to others if you choose to share your aspirations The SMART approach to goal setting is well-recognised and helps individuals ACHIEVE! We introduce you to this SMART concept: Specific - what is it you want to achieve? Eg. distance, time (BP), run an iconic race Measurable - how will you monitor your progress? Achievable - in the time frame you have Realistic - what could get in the way? Eg. work, family Timely - when do you want to achieve it by? (16:24) Telling the BIG ROCK...

Runners FOOD FOR Winter

Jan 5, 2023 29 min

Winter health aims for runners: protect against winter infections, support the immune function and promote circulation and blood flow in the cold weather. In this episode we focus on 4 seasonal fruits and vegetables to support health and running performance during the winter months. We outline the nutritional properties of each and consider how they can form part of your meal plan with some menu ideas. Finally, we share an example 1-day meal plan using these 4 winter foods. The 4 foods we discuss are; Butternut Squash, Cranberries, Pears and Beetroot Nutritional Properties of Butternut Squash – a great source of carbohydrate, Vitamin C, and B vitamins – supportive of immune system, energy production and soft tissue support. Nutritional Properties of Cranberries – packed full of phytonutrients, in particular proanthocyanidin (PAC) helpful to prevent and treat infections. Many studies highlight positive effect on urinary tract infections. The key mechanism being that PACs inhibit the adhesion of bacteria to the wall of the urinary tract. Nutritional Properties of Pears – contain the phytonutrient epicatechin, a compound thought to be involved in the contraction and relaxation of arteries, so supportive of our cardiac cardiac health. Nutritional Properties of Beetroot – contain nitrates which help promote blood flow and they have been shown to help dilate blood vessels. This helps to enable an increase and efficient flow of oxygen through the blood vessels, which clearly is going to provide us with more energy and for our running. Beet greens are also nutrient dense providing calcium, iron and vitamin C. KEY TAKE AWAYS: 1.Butternut Squash for carbohydrate, vitamin C, and B vitamins for fuel, energy and supporting your immune system 2.Cranberries for Proanthocyanidin (PAC) to support immune system, protect against infections, especially urinary tract infections 3.Pears for Epicatechin to support blood flow and contraction and relaxation of arteries 4.Beetroot for nit...

Winter Proof Your Running

Dec 29, 2022 43 min

Looking after your immune system during the winter we share practical tips to help keep you safe and warm. Do you ever consider your nutrition for your winter running? As the nights draw in, the mornings get darker and the days get colder do you think about what foods and nutrients you may need to keep you healthy as you run through the winter months? In this episode we look at some key nutrients for you to consider, helping keep your immune system in Optimal Health. The nutrients we discuss are: Vitamin CVitamin DMagnesiumOmega 3Beta-glucans But as well as the nutrients you may wish to consider, we also give you some practical tips to help keep you safe and warm as you head out the door on those cold winter mornings including: Remaining visibleFoot wearLayering upOmitting risk KEY TAKEAWAYS: 1.There are many nutrients to consider to help keep you healthy during the winter months, however our 5 principal ones are: Vitamin C and D, Magnesium, Omega-3 and Beta-Glucans. 2.These 5 key nutrients have many diverse roles in health and wellbeing, but they are all important in supporting immune health 3.Remember that women are more susceptible to autoimmune conditions. So a good reason to try and maintain optimal immune health all year round, but especially during the winter months. 4.There are daily Recommended Nutrition Intake levels for most nutrients set out by UK govt bodies, however these are set at levels known to prevent illness in the majority of people, they are not recommended optimal intake levels. 5.Remember that certain nutrients can be lost from food through exposure to air, cooking methods and other factors so be mindful of this when considering your daily intake of key nutrients for your winter running. 6.Moving away from food and nutrients and thinking about the practicalities of winter running. It is important that we take extra precautions when running outside, both for our safety and for our health. 7.Ensure you can see and bee seen. Run in well-lit...

Be a Healthy Festive Runner

Dec 22, 2022 52 min

How to avoid totally derailing your runners healthy food and training plan and still have some festive treats. Christmas is almost upon us and with it comes more eating, drinking, partying and celebrating. Christmas is a time of celebration so it is important to embrace it and have fun. BUT, it is also a time when many people abandon their healthy eating and exercise routines, which could lead to weight gain, poor energy, sluggishness and ultimately poor running performance. So, here we give some HINTS and TIPS on 3 key areas of health to help keep you running into and through Christmas. Eating Hints and tips: Did you know that over half of the increase in body weight during adulthood is thought to take place during the Christmas holiday period. 1.Follow the 80:20 rule: eat healthy 80% of the time and indulge in something you enjoy 20% of the time. Now this could be observed on a daily basis, so having a small amount of a “Christmas food” that you like each day. 2.Manage portion size: remember plate balance – ¼ plate protein, ¼ plate CHO, ½ plate vegetables. This is a very simple but essential and effective way of helping manage weight gain over the Christmas period. 3.Make your own food – by making your own foods you can manage what ingredients you use. You can also adapt recipes and substitute certain ingredients for healthier option for example replacing white sugar with coconut sugar or honey 4.Avoid Grazing – try to influence when you will have meals or healthier snacks. This may help manage blood sugar levels and appetite 5.Share or give away the foods that you want to avoid – if you find it difficult to ration yourself with chocolates, cakes etc then share them with friends and neighbours. Or if you know of people who are happy to eat these foods on an odd occasion, give them the ones you can’t resist. 6.Freeze left over or excess food – generally we always over buy at Christmas time therefore we are left with SO much food once the guests have left. As a...

Our Christmas Message 2022

Dec 19, 2022 2 min

Our Christmas Message wishing you ALL a very Happy Christmas and to say "thank you" for being with us for another year Also, we are publishing 3 bonus episodes to support you through the festive period and to help get you set up for YOUR winter running. The episodes are repeats from previous winters but they are still relevant so we feel they’ll be helpful for you. Finally....enjoy some family time and take the time to re energise for the New year. When we return in January we look forward to hearing all about your health and training plans for 2023!! Best wishes and a very Happy Christmas to you Karen and Aileen Disclaimer: The suggestions we make during this episode are for guidance and advice only, and are not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. If you have any concerns regarding your health, please contact your healthcare professional for advice as soon as possible. Aileen Smith and Karen Campbell host RUNNERS HEALTH HUB. A place for like-minded female runners who are looking for simple ways to support running performance, energy, endurance, and general great health. if this is your first time your show and you’d like to know more about us and She Runs Eats Performs please check out our TRAILER. If you're ready to make learn more about how you may introduce easy nutrition into your running and training plan join our Easy Nutrition For Healthy Runners Online Programme for short videos, recipes, downloads and LIVE training and Q&A. As a THANK YOU to you as one of our valued listeners, we have a special offer for you use COUPON CODE POD to get 33% discount off the full price which brings the price to £199. If you’d like help from Karen and Aileen to design a personalised sports nutrition plan for your running - please contact us at hello@runnershealthhub.com Happy Running! Aileen and Karen www.runnershealthhub.com

On a Runner's Plate at Christmas

Dec 15, 2022 1 hr 2 min

How do you manage your running performance and body composition when there are so many festive foods and drinks on offer? There is a potential to overindulge at Christmas time, when what you really want to do is retain your healthy eating and training plan to maintain your running performance and/or body composition. Maybe you have a race early in the new year and you don’t want to be “knocked off plan”? If so, then this episode is for you! We will share our kitchen tips and plans for a healthy and active Christmas/holiday time to help inspire you to “stay on track”. SHOW NOTES (05:33) Introducing the topic and outlining WHY we have chosen this topic to discuss: For many runners the festive season can bring with it FEAR….fear of making poor food choices leading to body composition and training becoming compromised. This may be an especially real fear (or at least a concern) for any runner having a race or event in the calendar early in the New Year. So, the principal aim of this episode is to try and alleviate the fear and potential anxiety around Christmas eating by giving some of our food (and drinks) ideas to help you stay on track. (10:00) Thinking about ideas of how to keep family and guests happy when entertaining at Christmas time. Everyone has their own ideas around food and have their own food preferences. So what do you do to ensure everyone enjoys what you cook whilst still ensuring it is healthy, nutritious and will support YOUR run training? · Ensure there is lots of choice · Hide vegetables in a soup as a starter · Include a rainbow of vegetables alongside the main course · Have a sweet potato mash as well as traditional roast potatoes on the table · Include a vegetarian/vegan choice….just in case!! · Pair dessert with some Greek yogurt instead of cream · Have a cheese board OR a dessert….do you really need both?? · Include mocktails, kombucha and WATER as alcohol alternatives (18:24) Explaining what...

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Podcast details

Created by: Aileen Smith
Status: Inactive
Latest episode: Oct 14, 2023
Episodes: 196
Release period: Weekly
Avg. episode length: 44 min
Explicit: No
Language: English

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