Let's talk about the reasons to build muscle first of all.....

REASONS TO BUILD MUSCLE //

In no particular order:
- Having sweet quads

- Quality of life
- Confidence
- Health
- Strength
- Longevity
- Bone health
- Having sweet quads

..but it’s really not that effective at burning extra calories.

People often talk about building more muscle for the purpose of ramping up their metabolism & burning more calories.

As with most fitness myths there is an element of truth to it. You do burn more calories but it’s really not going to change your life. If you manage to build 5kg of muscle (very impressive) you will burn at extra 50-75 calories as a result. That isn’t even a whole kitkat.

You should definitely build muscle but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t have a large effect on your energy expenditure.

Want to build muscle mass and get stronger without the excess fat gain?

It’s challenging, but NOT impossible. It takes a lot of time to put on muscle and the older you are, the longer you have been training, the longer it will take #newbiegains

Here’s how we should adapt our nutrition:

We need to SLIGHTLY increase the amount of food we are eating (for a consistent period) for both muscle gain and to fuel our performance. If you are training hard and want to get the most from your workouts, then you need to be eating ENOUGH. 

It’s all about finding the right balance of energy in vs energy out. If we want to gain lean muscle, then we don’t want to be in a huge calorie surplus, but a slight calorie surplus is necessary. 

It’s ideal to do this in line with a training block. For example, for weeks 1-4 consume 150-200kcal extra/ training day and eat at maintenance on rest days (amounting to a surplus of about 1200kcal/week). Then for 2 weeks, increase your calories again ever so slightly, this could be just adding 200kcals for 1-2 days a week (potentially on your toughest training days), which will support you through the hardest period of your training. The following week you can then look at adjusting your calories into a slight calorie deficit, to rid of any fluff or excess weight. Before then starting the cycle again.

TRUST THE PROCESS. Often people will reduce calories after the first two weeks, as they become too concerned about weight gain. Have some patience.

Eating more doesn’t mean simply eating BIGGER meals, we want to eat more FREQUENT meals, as regular meals have been proven to support muscle gain, specifically related to protein servings. 

So, let’s talk about protein. Protein is essential for muscle gain, but how much should we be consuming? 1.6-2.0g/kg is a good place to start and it is ESSENTIAL that this is distributed throughout the day, not only for optimal muscle gain but also for satiety and managing overall intake. (Think about it like your daily water intake, you don’t wake up and drink all 3 litres, you drink 50-400ml here and there throughout the day. You should do the same with your protein intake throughout the day. Your body will utilise this the best in this way.) 

The quality and quantity of food consumed needs to be taken into consideration to limit the amount of fat mass gained, whilst achieving muscle gain. Eating whole, unprocessed foods is the main goal and eating a large range of different foods I.e. grains, beans, legumes, fruit, veg etc.

Be sensible about what and when we are eating, try to eat most of your carbs after training and eat lower carbs/higher fats in other meals, ensuring we have a good source of protein with each meal and snack.

I should mention, that as we are aiming for muscle gain, so we should be training for muscle gain too. You can lose fat by walking, running, weight training etc. But the only way we can build muscle is by hypertrophy.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder of the bowel.

During April, Field Doctor are raising awareness for IBS. Due to added stress from the pandemic, 1 in 7 people now suffer with IBS. 

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms can include abdominal pain, bloating, increased flatulence, diarrhoea, constipation, mixed diarrhoea/constipation and passing mucus. Other symptoms include lethargy, nausea, backache and bladder symptoms. IBS is a very individual condition and symptoms will vary for each person.

CAUSES

There is no specific cause for IBS. But the most common risk factors are an attack of gastroenteritis, a traumatic or upsetting event or series of events, and courses of powerful antibiotics.

TRIGGERS

Triggers can be a combination of the food that we eat and the amount of stress in our lives. Eating foods high in fat, consuming alcohol, large portion sizes, eating too much fruit and vegetables, fizzy drinks, and high fibre foods may trigger IBS symptoms. Added to this, not getting enough sleep, eating on the go, rushing meals and having an erratic eating pattern will also pre-dispose someone to suffering an IBS flare up.

GET A DIAGNOSIS FROM A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL

If you are experiencing IBS symptoms, it’s important that you speak to your GP.

Do not start to treat what you think might be IBS before receiving a diagnosis, as you may be at risk of other conditions with similar symptoms, going undiagnosed.

If you are diagnosed with IBS, ask your doctor to refer you to a registered dietitian. Whilst waiting for your appointment, try to identify your triggers. The IBS Network has a 12-week wellness diary and online symptom tracker to help you identify and manage your symptoms.

IS THERE A CURE

There is no cure for IBS and no one treatment that works for everyone. The key to living well with IBS is self-management. Once you have a better understanding of what is happening in your body and have identified your triggers, you will be able to explore what treatments work best for you.

TREATMENTS

Treatments include dietary and lifestyle changes; psychological therapies (talking therapies); and medications (see your GP, pharmacist or The IBS Network for advice). These may be used together or on their own depending on the possible cause and severity of your IBS.  

DIETARY AND LIFESTYLE GUIDANCE

Here are some changes you could try, one change at a time.

• Reduce high fat, processed and reheated foods, such as chocolate, butter, cream, cheese, fried foods, cakes, pizza and burgers.

• Increase your fluid intake – try to drink between 1.5 and 2 litres of fluid a day. All fluid intake apart from alcohol counts.

• Reduce caffeine intake found in coffee, tea, chocolate, fizzy drinks and some medications. Exchange for decaffeinated drinks or try herbal teas.

• Chewing gum could contribute to extra wind/bloating. It may also contain sweeteners such as sorbitol which may have a laxative effect.

• Limit high fibre foods, such as wholemeal bread, whole-wheat cereals, brown rice and pasta.

• Reduce gassy bloating foods such as sprouts, cauliflower, onions, garlic beans pulses and fizzy drinks.

• Limit fruit to three portions a day.

• Adding up to a tablespoon of linseed a day to your food (yoghurt, cereals) drinking extra water with it (150ml) may help to soften your stools.

• Probiotics – try one for four to six weeks and if you see an improvement continue to take.

• Eat regular meals – don’t leave large gaps between meals and make time to eat.

• Take time to relax.

• Increase your activity levels, such as going for a brisk walk. 

THE IBS NETWORK

The IBS Network is the national charity for people living with IBS. The charity helps people with IBS to live better with the condition through effective self-care. For more information contact www.theibsnetwork.org.

Want to build muscle mass and get stronger without the excess fat gain?

It’s challenging, but NOT impossible. It takes a lot of time to put on muscle and the older you are, longer you have been training, the longer it will take.

Here’s how we should adapt our nutrition:

We need to SLIGHTLY increase the amount of food we are eating (for a consistent period) for both muscle gain and to fuel our performance. If you are training hard and want to get the most from your workouts, then you need to be eating ENOUGH. 

It’s all about finding the right balance of energy in vs energy out. If we want to gain lean muscle, then we don’t want to be in a HUGE calorie surplus, but a slight calorie surplus is NECESSARY. 

It’s ideal to do this inline with a training block. For example, for weeks 1-4 consume 150-200kcal extra/ training day and eat at maintenance on rest days (amounting to a surplus of about 1200kcal/week). Then for 2 weeks, increase your calories again ever so slightly, this could be just adding 200kcals for 1-2 days a week (potentially on your toughest training days), which will support you through the hardest period of your training. The following week you can then look at adjusting your calories into a slight calorie deficit, to rid of any fluff or excess weight. Before then starting the cycle again.

TRUST THE PROCESS. Often people will reduce calories after the first two weeks, as they become too concerned about weight gain. Have some patience.

Eating more doesn’t mean simply eating BIGGER meals, we want to eat more FREQUENT meals, as regular meals have been proven to support muscle gain, specifically related to protein servings. 

So, let’s talk protein. Protein is essential for muscle gain, but how much should we be consuming? 1.6-2.0g/kg is a good place to start and it is ESSENTIAL that this is distributed throughout the day, not only for optimal muscle gain, but also for satiety and managing overall intake. (Think about it like your daily water intake, you don’t wake up and drink all 3 litres, you drink 50-400ml here and there throughout the day. You should do the same with your protein intake throughout the day. Your body will utilise this the best in this way.) 

The quality and quantity of food consumed needs to be taken into consideration to limit the amount of fat mass gained, whilst achieving muscle gain. Eating whole, unprocessed foods is the main goal and eating a large range of different foods I.e. grains, beans, legumes, fruit, veg etc.

Be sensible about what and when we are eating, try to eat most of your carbs after training and eat lower carbs/higher fats in other meals, ensuring we have a good source of protein with each meal and snack.

I should mention, that as we are aiming for muscle gain, so we should be training for muscle gain too. You can lose fat by walking, running, weight training etc. But the only way we can build muscle is by hypertrophy.

Sleep is such an important element to achieving pretty much any goal relating to nutrition and fitness.

To eat or not to eat before bed….this is a question often thrown around.

So, let’s get into the nitty gritty.

Making a few simple lifestyle changes with the focus on your diet, for example, adjusting the timing of your meals and avoiding certain foods close to bedtime can make a huge difference to the quality of your sleep.

The first step towards better sleep is eating a balance of nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day. If you eat too little during the day, you’ll likely overfill yourself in the evening, leading to a bad night’s sleep, along with indigestion. If you eat too little for your evening meal, you may find that you end up making unnecessary trips to the fridge or the cupboard before bed.

We’re often told that eating before bed will make you fat because you are consuming excess calories that won’t be burned off as you are simply sleeping, therefore your body will store this energy as fat.

This is a MYTH! If we are fuelling correctly in the evening this can help us to reach our goals more efficiently.

Fat-loss specific

Eating late in the evening if you are trying to lose weight has often been discouraged. Eating before bed can aid sleep, and better sleep means better weight management. So as long as your overall intake is on point (keeping you in a calorie deficit), adding a pre-bed snack or eating later in the evening is fine.

Muscle gain specific

There is a spike in growth hormone in the first 30 mins of sleep, this is where the body repairs and regenerates. If you provide some protein along with some carbs and fats, you are giving the body exactly what it needs to grow. 

Some key tips: 

·      Don’t eat right before bed. Eating right before you hop into bed causes issues with the quantity and quality of sleep. Try to ensure you eat at least an hour before bed.

·      Overall intake is most important. 

·      Consistent food intake over the day. A regular pattern of eating over the day helps to manage hunger, balances energy levels and supports hormonal function leading to better overall sleep.

A little bit on hormones

Hormones are surprisingly important when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep - they help to maintain our sleep-wake cycle, therefore making us feel sleepy in the evening and waking us up in the morning.

Melatonin

Melatonin controls our response to stress and is essential for a healthy sleep cycle. It is produced when it becomes dark, making us sleepy (a good reason to get blackout blinds). Often those who experience sleeplessness and insomnia are melatonin deficient.

Some foods that help with our melatonin levels are oats, milk, bananas, cherries and walnuts. Eating these regularly can be useful for stabilising your sleep cycle.

Serotonin

Serotonin is not found in food; it is a hormone only produced in the body. It regulates mood, appetite and sleep. Low serotonin levels are linked with anxiety, low mood and depression. This is where exercise can be a great tool to increase our serotonin levels naturally.

Cortisol

This is probably the most commonly heard of hormone. Cortisol plays an important role in a number of things your body does, for example:

• Manages how your body uses carbohydrates, fats, and proteins

• Keeps inflammation down

• Controls your sleep/wake cycle

• Boosts energy so you can handle stress and restores balance afterward

Cortisol levels are usually high in the morning and decrease as the day goes on.  High cortisol levels can have an effect on our food preferences, making us crave foods higher in sugar and fat.

At FFN we encourage our clients to practice some kind of mindfulness/meditation 1-2 times a day to balance out our cortisol levels.

Foods to avoid before bedtime

Simple carbohydrates (such as cakes, sweets, cookies, white bread and pasta) – these are quickly broken down into sugar which can have a big effect on blood glucose levels. This is a negative as high blood sugar levels can make you feel too warm and may even increase the need to go to the loo.

Processed meats – these are high in sodium (salt) and can disrupt sleep by raising your blood pressure and making you really thirsty, potentially waking you in the night.

Caffeine (tea, coffee, energy drinks, chocolate) – Caffeine stimulates your nervous system and blocks the effects of other signals within the body, therefore not telling you that it is time to rest. Caffeine has a half-life of 12 hours, so if you drink your last coffee at 12pm, at 12am you will have half the caffeine still circulating your system.

I want to use nutrition to keep my clients away from illness and push them towards fitness.

It’s not only about how much weight they put on the barbell or how many kilos they may have lost in January.

I want every single individual that works with me at FenFit Nutrition to not only perform well and look great but to FEEL GREAT too.

So many people are under the misconception that you need to spend lots of money on expensive supplements and superfoods.

WRONG!

Wellness is not expensive in terms of money or time if you do it in the correct way.

Illness IS.

Take a look at the diagrams below.

Where do you feel like you sit? 

Do you feel like you want to change that?

What are you going to do about changing it? 

I strive to provide all of my clients with education, I simplify the confusing world of nutrition so it can become a lifestyle. If you do this, you will reach optimal wellness.

It’s all about helping you be better.

Simplicity. Consistency. Enjoy the process. Whilst learning along the way.