She Runs Eats Performs

Food For ... Summer Running It’s time to add some summer sunshine into your food plan so today we are talking about some summer foods which are not only delicious but will also support your running performance during the summer time. We are looking at 4 different summertime foods and outline the nutritional properties of each and then consider how they could be added as part of your meal plan with...

FOCUS ON....Magnesium Introduction: Magnesium is an essential mineral (i.e. it MUST be provided from our diet as the body is unable to synthesise it) and is known as the “universal mineral” because it plays an important role in so many metabolic reactions (over 300) both as a mineral and a co-factor for enzymatic reactions.  The adult human body contains about 25 grams of magnesium of which:...

Alcohol and Running – is it a good idea? Most people enjoy a social drink and runners are no exception. During the summer months there are lots of socialising opportunities and holidays, when we may drink more alcohol than usual which may affect running performance. Today we are going to talk about: 1.    Health and Performance effects of chronic consumption of alcohol on an en...

Heart Healthy Running Running is well known for its health benefits to the heart….but in what way? We explore this question whilst also acknowledging that running could be detrimental to heart health under certain conditions. There are also many risk factors for heart dysfunction including: Diet Smoking Stress Age Gender We delve into these before moving on to address the ones that are within our...

Focus on Eggs For Runners Eggs contain and impressive array of nutrients. They are are powerhouse of protein including branched chain amino acids, healthy fats and are packed with micronutrients. We discuss 4 Nutrients found in Eggs and talk about how they may support your nutrient status and running performance. The 4 nutrients we discuss are: 1.    Protein 2.  &nbsp...

Eating Enough to Run? Low energy availability for performance is something that many athletes may suffer from. It may be as a result of trying to lose a little weight or trying to maintain a low weight for your sport. It may happen consciously or it may be that an athlete’s slips into this state without an understanding of what is occurring. In this episode we are going to delve into the health an...

Painkillers for Running? We feel it’s important to bring about awareness about the potential health risks associated with chronic use of painkillers by endurance runners.  Some runners are using painkillers (paracetamol and non-steroidal anti inflammatories known as NSAIDS such as aspirin and ibuprofen) as a tool to over-ride symptoms of aches, sore muscles and injuries to help them continue...

Focus on Calcium We all know that calcium is good for our bones, but have you ever considered other ways this mineral may help support your running?  In this episode we delve into the consequences of suboptimal calcium status on running performance with a particular focus on muscle contraction. We also consider some of the risk factors for poor calcium status before highlighting several key d...

Running with Hay Fever Hay fever is a seasonal condition which affects many runners ranging from an irritation to a major disruption in run training and races and enjoyment of running. Around 25% of the UK population is affected by hay fever and there are lots of online articles outlining advice for runners, so we thought we’d talk about current lifestyle advice and add our own advice on what you...

Eat Sleep Run Have you ever considered The Performance Triangle for your running performance? It is made up of three  EQUAL sides consisting of Nutrition, Sleep (and rest) and Training,  BUT  how many of you give  ALL  three sides equal priority? Here we discuss the interconnections of all three aspects of the Performance Triangle. We outline how neglecting one side of the...

HWHR Macros for Midlife Have you ever considered what YOUR protein, carbohydrate, and fat needs are as you move into midlife?  In this episode we explore some of the natural physiological changes of ageing and how these changes may impact on a female runner and her macronutrient needs.  We delve into the loss of lean body mass and the increase in fat mass and their impact on running perf...

Food Planning Tips for Busy Runners We are going to give you a snap-shot of Food Planning Tips for Busy Runners which we look at in the Eat For Running Results part of the Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method. We will be talking about:  1.    What do you need to think about when creating your runners food plan? 2.    Planning your Food Plate to meet your...

FOOD FOR.....Spring Running Spring is in the air and the new season’s fruits and vegetables are ready to pick and enjoy…but have you ever considered how these delicious and healthy foods may support your running training and performance? In this episode we delve into the nutritional properties of FOUR seasonal foods and outline how they may support YOUR running performance. The foods discussed are...

Restorative Rituals for Runners Women and in particular mid-life women often feel they just don’t have enough energy …. they are spread thinly and running on empty. Female runners want to run more often and for longer distances, train more, be faster, get a PB, cook healthy meals, focus on nutrition for running performance, look after their families, have time to socialise and do their jobs well....

Ketogenic Diet and Exercise Performance The Ketogenic diet is well known as an approach for weight loss, at least in the short term, and has been used as an adjunct treatment for epilepsy and other neurological conditions.  BUT, is it an appropriate diet for endurance athletes? In this episode we explore what the ketogenic diet is and our current understanding of its use as an approach t...

Perimenopause and Performance Perimenopause is a natural life phase, however it’s one where female hormones (especially oestrogen) are fluctuating and that can lead to wide ranging symptoms which may be erratic and even dramatic. We talk about: Perimenopausal challenges female runners experience and how it impacts on their running What is driving all of these changes in a women’s body and our rec...

Does Dehydration Impair Exercise Performance? Do you pay attention to your fluid intake? Do you find you sometimes forget to drink? Have you ever thought about what impact your hydration levels may have on your running performance?  In this episode we explore all these questions and more. We delve into the scientific research to gain an understanding of the current thinking around hydration a...

Love Your Liver There is much more to liver function than just processing alcohol and storing glycogen. The liver metabolises alcohol and medication, it makes fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K), it helps to safely eliminate fat soluble toxins such as pesticides and environmental chemicals, it produces bile which is vital for fat digestions and crucially it play a vital role in excreting excess hormone...

TRE and running performance Time-Restricted Eating (TRE) is well known for promoting general health and wellbeing, but have you ever considered introducing it to support your running performance? In this episode we delve into the science behind time-restricted eating before discussing the potential PROS and CONS of time-restricted eating for sports performance. We also outline some questions you s...

Healthy Fast Food For Runners Runners often feel they don’t have TIME to prepare and cook. We really understand how frustrating this is and we’d love you to have a healthy food plan to support energy and recovery for your running and racing and keep you well fed! The focus of today’s discussion is how to make some FAST Healthy Food – that you can cook and eat very quickly. We are going to chat abo...

Food For.....Hormonal Balance and Running Hormonal balance may reduce both PMS and menstrual symptoms at any life phase of a woman which includes peri menopause and menopause – and as runners that’s all about ensuring we have the energy and motivation to enjoy our running every day and not be limited by female hormonal symptoms. We will focus on 3 food strategies to support Female Hormones and Run...

The WHY of Sports Nutrition Do you ever ask yourself the question “Why do I need to bother about Sports Nutrition for my running?”  Do you ever think about what you eat and if it is helping or hindering your running performance? In this episode we help answer these questions. We focus on the benefits of running specific nutrition such as: Energy to fuel our running Reduced risk of running inj...

Blood Sugar Balance for Female Runners Blood Sugar Balance is a foundational part of great health and if not in balance may lead towards many healthy concerns. As female runners there are 3 areas which potentially can affect any of us if blood sugar balance is out of sync i.e. ENERGY DIPS – feeling that we haven’t got the energy we require to enjoy our running WEIGHT GAIN especially around the mid...

Beetroot for Running Performance Do you like beetroot? Have you thought about using it strategically to enhance your running performance?  In today’s episode we discuss the nitrate compounds within beetroot (and other foods) and how they could potentially support your running training as well as keep your heart healthy.   We begin by determining what nitrates are, how they work with...

Managing Menstrual Cycle and YOUR Running Performance As female runners if we understand what is happening in each of menstrual phases during each month, we can adapt and adjust our training plans and food plans to support our hormonal balance and our overall running performance.  Show Notes  (4:00) Outlining our discussion areas regarding managing menstrual cycle and running performance Outline...