Nutrition

The demands of training and the requirements of our sport means that we need to be more conscious of what we are eating, and perhaps more importantly, how much we are eating. Nutrition plays a key role in maximizing the training benefits and recovery of athletes at any level.
Woman cutting a pear in her kitchen

Exercise & Nutrition

Exercise intensity and duration are dependent on the levels of glucose your body has readily available. The intensity and duration also influence muscle glycogen use; the higher the intensity and the longer the session the faster glycogen and glucose are depleted.

A good nutritional plan for any athlete should include amounts of carbohydrates and protein. Carbs during the day’s prior to exercise has shown to maintain muscle glycogen and improve performance. Carbohydrate and protein combination was found to be the most beneficial for those with limited recovery time or those on a ketogenic diet.

Important Thing to Keep in Mind for Your Exercise Nutrition Plan

  1. Stay hydrated- Dehydration while working out will inhibit success and gains.
  2. An effective plan can have serious benefits including improved cardiovascular health, increased strength, improvements in blood pressure, and improved overall body composition.
  3. The best pre and post nutrition plans work when they boost energy for exercise and in your life overall, as well as results.
  4. Nutritional needs vary by individual and by workout plan. There are pre and post workout plans that cater to the “average” individual or athlete to achieve general gains and improvements.
    Anti-inflammatory diet
  5. Pre-Workout Meal Plan: Three to four hours before a HIIT workout, plan on moderate-to-high carbohydrate intake, and a moderately high intake of protein. Examples would be dried fruit, trail mix, and nuts, a Greek-yogurt smoothie with fruit in it, cottage cheese with trail mix or nuts, peanut butter with banana, or whole-wheat/grain toast with peanut butter.
  6. Post-workout Meal Plan: Within an hour of your HIIT workout, consume a snack that is high in carbohydrates.  Your post-workout meal plan is not dissimilar to your pre-workout meal plan. Make sure your intake is moderate to high in carbohydrates and moderate to high in protein. Avocados or guacamole with pita, pita and hummus, whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana, fruit, cheese, and crackers, or cereal that is high in carbohydrates with fruit and soy milk.
Woman athlete drinking coffee overlooking water

Caffeine May Help or Hinder Athletic Performance

Most people have heard that caffeine enhances athletic performance, in fact, current guidelines recommend ingesting 3-9mg/kg 60 minutes prior to exercise. However, if you have ever tried it for yourself you might have found that the effects are negligible for you whereas your friend is able to exercise harder for a longer period of time.

A Group of runners running in a running race

Can Intermittent Fasting and Exercise Prevent Cancer?

It could easily be argued that we are living in the best time in human history. In fact, many would state that it cannot really be argued – it is simply a fact. And really, you can see why. Global poverty is steadily declining, we have everything we could ever want at the touch of

Box full of vegetables.

How Long Does It Take To Reverse The Effects Of A Bad Diet?

Hunter Bennett You know that eating a good diet is important. But did you know that is one of the most important things you can do for your body, period? Well, it is. See, your diet can influence nearly every aspect of your health. It can impact your risk of developing heart disease and diabetes,

Woman eating chocolate bar.

Does Dark Chocolate Aid In Muscle Recovery?

Hunter Bennett What do exercise enthusiasts, elite athletes, and weekend warriors all have in common? They all exercise hard. This means that to get the best results from their training, they need to make certain that they recover appropriately. This often means making sure their diet is on point, getting massages if needed, and diving

People eating burgers

Processed vs. Unprocessed Foods

Hunter Bennett Over the last few years, we have seen a bit of a change in what many people would consider being a ‘healthy’ diet. This has revolved around moving away from bread, grains, and cereals, towards an increase in consumption of whole foods, such as meats, fruits, and vegetables. With this has come a

Man lifting weights

Regaining Homeostasis With Diet & Exercise

Hunter Bennett In scientific literature, health is often defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being – and not simply the absence of disease or infirmity. With this in mind, health is a state of optimal balance that ensures the individual can manage every aspect of their life effectively, without the disease,

men and women lifting weights in a gym

Fasted Weight Training: Does It Help With Fat Loss?

Hunter Bennett The last few years have seen the health and fitness landscape evolve in leaps and bounds. We have seen heavy strength training (and the many health benefits associated) introduced to the masses. We have realized that low-intensity cardio may not be the most effective option to boost health and enhance fat loss. And

man asleep on a bed with white sheets

How Intermittent Fasting Affects Sleep

Hunter Bennett Intermittent fasting has fast become one of the most popular dietary trends of this century. Suggested to improve health and enhance fat loss, it has been adopted by people across the globe – and often with great success, I should add. However, what is discussed less often is the impact that intermittent fasting

woman standing on a beach flexing both her arms

Prolonged Fasting for Health & Longevity

Hunter Bennett Throughout history, there has been one thing sought above all others. Something that has constantly re-appeared in a variety of different stories, religions, and mythologies. A thing that many have looked for, and none have found. Eternal life. Whether it be the fountain of youth, the philosophers stone, of the elixir of life,

Man lifting kettlebell

Intermittent Fasting For Weight Management & Health

Hunter Bennett Every single week there seems to be some brand new diet on the health scene that promises the world. In the end, it delivers very little. When a way of eating really sticks around, we start to take notice. Enter intermittent fasting. What is intermittent fasting? To put it simply, intermittent fasting describes

man stretching on a log

The Ketogenic Diet: How It Affects Athletic Performance

Hunter Bennett Every week a new way of eating hits the mainstream media. They are often described as a way to improve health and promote fat loss quickly and easily. Many of these diets are merely fads that have shown little value when finally placed under scrutiny by high-quality researchers. Which is why the ketogenic diet

Woman cutting a pear in her kitchen

Canadian Food Guide- A Dietary Guideline

Hunter Bennett The Canadian government made some rather large changes to their dietary guidelines. Like, some really large changes. These changes have created quite the stir across the health industry. Some professionals applauding them, others are going as far as to suggest that they will accelerate the nation’s growing obesity epidemic. So with all this controversy,