What Every Runner Needs to Know About Inflammation

woman running

Have you experienced inflammation as a runner?

It is a shared human experience, because if you have had a papercut you have seen inflammation first hand. It is a normal part of life and a normal part of endurance training and it’s not all bad.  It naturally occurs to help our body heal from a stressor – maybe a hard training session, a new training plan, or race day. So, here is what every runner needs to know about inflammation before their next race.

We want a certain amount of inflammation, but we don’t want too much or for it to hang around longer than it is making itself useful. An unruly inflammatory response can be a result of poor nutrition, inadequate recovery, ongoing injury, poor sleep, or genetic predisposition.

Why is too much inflammation bad for a runner?

In the short term it negatively impacts performance, compromises the immune system, increases aches and pains, causes hormone dysregulation, and can even result in weight gain.  Long term, chronic inflammation can lead to increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, dementia, skin conditions, and autoimmune disease.

What is unique about inflammation for the endurance athlete?

To perform your training and complete your race, you rely on oxygen use in skeletal muscle.  The oxidative nature of this training increases the production of free radicals and results in an inflammatory response to help protect your bodies tissues. This is a really good thing – temporarily.

In fact, you don’t want to load up on antioxidants or anti-inflammatories during or immediately following training. You want the inflammation to do its jobs so you don’t end up with an injury or tissue damage. But then, you want the inflammation to get out of there ASAP.

Anyone experienced upper respiratory symptoms post-race? It was thought to be an increased susceptibility to infection, but this is only about 5% of cases, 40% are actually caused by inflammation (the other 55% are asthma or allergies which can have connection to inflammation as well).

So we should probably take NSAIDS and knock out that inflammation right?   

NSAIDS like ibuprofen can decrease inflammation & pain, but cause gut damage, impair recovery, and harm performance. If you are a few weeks out from a race, using these medications could be one of the worse things you can do in order to get yourself to the starting line successfully or the finish line with a PR.

What should we do instead to overcome inflammation?

Take care of the main causes of prolonged inflammation. There will be tremendous health benefits long term, but also performance benefits as early as your next race.

1. Sleep

When you are in deep sleep, your body repairs, recovers, and removes excess inflammation.  The harder you train, you more rest you will need to recover.  If you are having trouble sleeping, reach out to our Integrative Health Coach for simple strategies.

2.Remove Inflammatory Foods

Foods can trigger our body to hold onto more inflammation.  The universal culprits are sugar and artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners.  The biggest culprits among runners are energy and hydration drinks.  Be sure yours is clear of the fake stuff.

3.Add Anti Inflammatory Foods

Incorporate real foods like berries, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and cruciferous vegetables to fight inflammation caused by your training.  An anti inflammatory supplement like vitamin C or turmeric should be taken at least 1 hour before or after training so you don’t disrupt the natural healing response.

4. Supplement for Nutritional Gaps

Probiotics, prebiotics, green tea, and omega 3 fish oil are all supplements that will support the inflammatory response and immune system when you are asking your body to work overtime.  Inquire at the link below to learn more our personalized supplementation programs to dial in exactly what your body needs more of.

5. Take Care of Injuries

Don’t let a nagging injury or flare up perpetuate inflammation in your body.  Our doctors of physical therapy can quickly help calm the discomfort and keep you on your training schedule.  In addition to our traditional hands on treatment techniques, we have modalities that help decrease localized inflammation and support lymphatic flush to keep it moving on out.

Expert Tip . . . Know your Genetics

Some of us have a genetic predisposition to increased levels of inflammation.  Knowing where you stand genetically lets you know how much you need to dial in each of these areas to prevent inflammation from limiting your performance.

In addition, not getting enough of what your body needs in terms of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients results in increased stress hormones and decreased energy production making your body unable to fight inflammation. Nutrition genetic testing allows us to dial in exactly what your body needs to thrive, most effectively produce energy, and conquer your race day goals.

Have questions about your inflammatory response, maximizing recovery, or fitness and nutrition genetic test? Click HERE to visit our website or just send an email directly to amanda@peakpotentialpt.com

 

10 Strategies for Increased Energy this Summer

revitalize your summer energy

Did you start the summer excited about all the things you would do in the warm, sunny weather? Or perhaps you have travel planned or are busy with a house full of kids out of school. The problem I am hearing now that we are about half way through the season, is that summer things take so much energy and many of us have run out.  So, let me give you some strategies to revitalize your summer with increased energy.

Is it even possible? Absolutely. We just need to regroup and refocus on our needs so we have the ability to do all the other things.  Consider these 10 strategies to attain and maintain increased energy so you can make the most of your summer with family and friends.

1. Take Care of Your Emotional Needs

Physical Energy will flow when you satisfy your emotional needs. You are the only person who knows exactly what you require for this, so plan time to do what is necessary to ensure you are feeling contentment. It’s easy to let these things slide when making summer fun for everyone else.

2. Up Your Antioxidant Intake

Antioxidants help the body create energy at the cellular level. Including antioxidant rich foods like berries, cherries, artichoke, asparagus, and dark leafy greens can give you increased energy, allow your muscles to perform better, and may even improve your mood.

3. Get More B Vitamins

Like antioxidants, B vitamins (primarily found in meat, fish, poultry, and dairy) are necessary for the body to produce energy. You may need a B vitamin supplement if you eat a vegan diet, are depleted due to certain medications (like hormonal birth control), or have an increased genetic requirement.

4. Avoid Heavy Foods

Eating especially rich foods prepares you well for a Netflix marathon, but not for hiking with friends or running through the sprinkler with your kids. Fill most of your plate this season with lean meats and fiber rich vegetables. You will be fueled and ready with increased energy when adventure calls.

5. Use Caffeine to Your Advantage

Caffeine increases alertness, so having a coffee can sharpen your mind. However, to get the energizing effects, you have to get just enough but not too much. It can cause insomnia, when consumed in excess or too late in the day. Knowing your genetic response to caffeine can be a game changer.

6. Sleep Well

Getting restful, deep sleep is necessary for your physical and mental health. In order to have plenty of energy during these active summer days, you’ll need plenty of deep sleep to give your body time to rejuvenate. Aim for 7-8 hours and work on improving the quality, not just quantity.

7. Plan Ahead

To keep yourself from feeling stressed out, have an idea of what you want to do over the next 3 or 4 days. Making a note of what you both have to do and hope to do means you can also plan to achieve balance regarding your activity, rest, and rejuvenation.

8. Be Active

Sit less and move more. Whether you’re at the park with kids, working from home, or on vacation, get up and move.  Take a walk, jump on your bike, push kids on the swing, toss around the football – the active doesn’t matter, but the movement does.

9. Vary Your Activities

Even if you love playing golf, a change of pace can revitalize you. Try something new like pickleball, join the kids in their backyard soccer game, swim laps, or take advantage of a guest pass at a local gym.  Challenging your body and mind can bring about a renewed spirit.

10. Pace Yourself

Allow blocks of time to rest, read, stretch, or listen to your favorite music.  Recovering sufficiently from summer activities will give you more energy to keep up with the activities you love most.

There’s no big secret to revitalization. Try the tips above to stay engaged both physically and mentally and energy will be more available to you.

If you need help identifying if you have nutrient deficiencies leaving you sluggish or need strategies to get more sleep or destress from work so you can enjoy your family time more, I would love to help you strategize a plan for more energy.

As a Functional Nutrition Specialist and Integrative Health Coach, I help those at midlife feeling fatigued and frustrated with their health discover vibrant energy and confidence in their body again.  Schedule a Free Discovery Call to Discover your next best step toward optimal health.

Get started today and pump up your vitality this summer!

Top 10 Foods For Exercise Recovery

Man and Woman Sitting, Talking at the Gym

A little soreness with a workout is bearable. . . maybe even pleasant if it’s a reminder of how hard you worked the day before.  However, some aches and pains that are more intense or don’t seem to go away quickly enough. This can limit both your ability and motivation to train.

Many clients tell us they don’t take pain medication because of the side effects, they don’t have time for a massage, and the ice bath that the trainer recommended is just unbearable.  So, the question that follows is . . . how else can I help my body recover after I exercise so I feel my best and reach my goals?

The answer may be found in your refrigerator . . .  the foods you eat.

Not just post workout, but how you fuel your body on a regular basis. Your muscles and immune system must be ready to take the hit of training and bounce back with ease.

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Do I Really Need to Stretch After My Workout?

I know we are all short on time and taking 10 minutes to stretch at the end of a gym session, long walk, or tennis game can seem like a waste.
We believe the gains made to improve our cardiovascular system, muscular strength, and agility are during the workout . . . right?
The truth is, strength and performance gains are made during recovery as your body rebuilds what was broken down during your workout.
And stretching is an integral part of the recovery process.
It improves blood circulation to deliver nutrients to the muscles that “feed” them as they recover.

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