Your body’s building blocks (January 26th 2023)
It is becoming the norm to eat more refined carbohydrate and consume less protein and healthy fat. We tend to pile up our plates with much larger portions of carbohydrate than we did in the past and our snack choices also revolve around refined carbohydrates high in sugar and poor-quality fat.
This increased intake of carbohydrate often comes with a corresponding reduction in protective fat and protein consumption.
When we eat protein, our body’s digestion process breaks it down to amino acids. The amino acids then combine to form proteins that the body can use as building blocks to create and repair muscle tissue, skin, bones and cartilage.
There are 21 different amino acids and nine of these cannot be synthesized by your cells meaning we need to absorb them from our diet. Adequate protein intake combined with resistance training is crucial when it comes to maintaining lean muscle mass and functional capacity.
With increased protein intake, you tend to feel nutritionally satisfied much sooner. This is because protein strongly suppresses our hunger hormone ghrelin, so we feel fuller quicker. This can also reduce the urge to snack and overeat, helping you maintain a healthy weight or help lose it.
How much protein should you be eating? Everyone will have different requirements due to weight and activity levels. Most people need around 0.8 grams of protein for each kilogram of body weight but those who lead active lifestyles can increase that requirement to 1.3 – 1.6 grams.
Interestingly, a study conducted in 2016 found this higher intake of protein can promote healthy aging by reducing age-related sarcopenia. This is a loss of muscle mass, strength and power that predisposes older adults causing frailty, disability and loss of independence.
A balanced diet is the way forward. Cutting some carbohydrates or unhealthy fats can help with weight loss but extremely low carb and fat diets can lead to nutrient deficiencies and health problems. Alternatively, high intake of full fat dairy foods and red meat can lead to cardiovascular disease due to unhealthy levels of saturated fat consumption.
One of the best ways to increase protein intake is by eating a mixture of fish and poultry. White meat, like chicken or turkey, provides a high level of protein without accompanying fat.
Fish should be eaten at least twice per week with oily fish providing protective fatty acids and vitamin D which have anti-inflammatory properties and enhance cardiovascular health reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Meat is not the only way of adding protein to your diet. Plant-based protein tends to be healthier because of the amount of nutrients and vitamins they include. There are plenty plant-based options that will allow you to meet your daily intake. One of the best sources is seitan which is made from the gluten of wheat and contains around 25 grams of protein per 100 grams. Other plant-based options include tofu, chickpeas, seeds, nuts and beans.
If you would like nutritional guidance or pointers on how you can maintain your lean muscle tissue, self-refer to Healthy Options Thrive by visiting our website www.lornhealthyoptions.co.uk.
Cameron Johnson
Exercise ProfessionalTime to get back on track (January 19th 2023)
By the time this article is published, the festive break will be a distant memory, but for many the inevitable breakdown of routine can last for a considerable time despite the best intended new year’s resolutions.
When it comes to physical health, mental health and general resilience routine is a key component of our defensive guard. Not so long ago, a global pandemic turned our lives upside down and with it our routines suffered significantly causing a corresponding mental health tsunami.
Repetition and predictability help us feel safe and in control but we also crave a little variety and adventure. Routine is good for us but we also like to break those routines occasionally with something pleasurable, meaningful or exciting.
Holiday periods such as Christmas can provide this welcome break from the norm but that short term change to our habits can become detrimental to our health in the long term if left unchecked. It is vital to get back on track with the processes that nurture and promote our wellbeing.
Christmas holidays can often encourage us to stay up later watching television which affects our sleep patterns and energy levels the following day. This may mean you miss your normal morning walk or choose poor food choices to reduce your feelings of fatigue.
Suddenly you realise you have barely left the house in days and spent most of your time seated and eating high calorie food.
We all deserve to let our hair down a little at Christmas and it’s an important time for so many to bond with family and friends. We just need to be careful these damaging habits don’t persist into the early months of the year where their momentum can be hard to redress.
Some of us will act on new year’s resolutions from January 1 but many others will struggle to re-orientate themselves back into their old healthy behaviours.
Are you still going to bed a bit later than normal? Are you staying in bed later in the morning to compensate? Are you drinking a little extra coffee and alcohol and less water? Are you less active than before? Are you still trying to finish all those boxes of chocolates before you start your new routine?
If this sounds familiar perhaps it’s time for an immediate re-set? Not tomorrow, not next week and certainly not next month. Lock the chocolates away out of view, ask your new Alexa – everyone I know seems to have got one for Christmas – to remind you to go to bed earlier and waken you up a little earlier so you can make the most of the shorter winter days.
You may find even this minor change transforms your energy levels and motivation, which will hopefully lead to a more active existence and healthier nutrition.
What about that unpredictability and variety we crave? What about starting an active hobby or join some already established groups and try something new? Active hobbies have obvious physical benefits but any new pastime can have a huge beneficial impact on our mental health and if it involves social interaction then all the better.
If you are looking for a safe and guided way to increase your activity levels and meet like-minded people from your community, why not self-refer to our Thrive programme at www.lornhealthyoptions.co.uk.
If you come along and find it’s not for you, what have you lost? But what if it turned out to be a new year, a new approach, a new you?
We hope to see you soon.
Rob Graham
Lead Exercise Professional
About 20 years ago I was walking and running a lot. January 5th 2023
I had just changed my trainers and was breaking in the new ones when I developed uncomfortable foot pain. The pain gradually increased in both feet, spreading from mid foot to heel and was at its worst when just getting out of bed in the morning. I had developed plantar fasciitis in both feet and it wasn’t fun.
Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of a dense band of connective tissue on the underside of the foot which helps maintain the arch of the feet and will store and release energy as you walk.
Overload of this area can cause micro damage and pain especially when we walk or run. This is often exacerbated in the first few steps after periods of non-activity, such as getting out of bed or after sitting for some time. Prolonged walking or running can become excruciating painful when this condition is at its worst and obviously this can have a profound impact on activity level and general mobility.
Plantar fasciitis accounts for 11 to 15 per cent of all foot complaints which require professional treatment and occurs in about eight to ten per cent of regular runners.
At Healthy Options, we regularly see people suffering with this foot condition. It can develop without an obvious cause but the primary risk factors include age – most common in people aged between 40 and 60, excess body weight, poor footwear and exercising on hard surfaces.
Activities that place a lot of stress on your heel and attached tissue, such as distance running or power walking on the road, can contribute to the onset of plantar fasciitis. Occupations that require workers to stand for prolonged periods of time, such as shop workers, hairdressers or teachers, increase the risk of painful symptoms.
Other contributing factors include tight calves, hamstrings and glutes along with reduced ankle dorsiflexion – the ability to raise the toes towards the body.
In the early stages, pain may disappear with warm up but as the condition progresses it can be challenging to even walk short distances. In most cases, plantar fasciitis should resolve after a period of rest and ice treatment but any rehabilitation should focus on stretching the hamstrings, calf muscles and foot arches. Long term remedies include maintaining a healthy weight and investing in good quality supportive footwear. Trying to get extra use out of those old and worn trainers can be a false and painful economy.
I clearly remember how compromising and painful it was to live with plantar fasciitis and at that time I was a little lost as to the best way to resolve the issue. Therefore, if you have been diagnosed with this condition or the information above sounds familiar, perhaps your next step should be a self-referral to Healthy Options Thrive programme by visiting www.lornhealthyoptions.co.uk.
Ian Milarvie