After the first three installments in this blog series, readers know about the importance of a well-balanced diet and adequate iron to fuel your performance for the Vancouver Sun Run. In this fourth and final installment, we'll delve into why calcium is indispensable for runners and how you can ensure you're getting enough of it to support your training and overall health. First things first, let's get acquainted with calcium. This mineral is the most abundant in the human body and is primarily stored in our bones and teeth. However calcium’s role extends far beyond just structural support; i ..read more

After the first two instalments in this blog series, readers can understand the importance of a well-balanced diet to fuel your performance for the Vancouver Sun Run. In addition, iron is an essential micronutrient that plays a pivotal role in ensuring optimal energy levels, endurance, and overall health for runners. Iron is a trace mineral that plays a critical role in various processes throughout the body, particularly those related to oxygen transport and utilisation which is especially important during exercise. For runners, the importance of iron lies in its role in the formation of hemo ..read more

Whether you're a seasoned marathoner or a casual jogger, what you eat after a run is crucial for recovery and performance. Post-running nutrition plays a vital role in replenishing depleted energy stores, repairing muscle damage, and supporting overall well-being. In this blog post, we will focus on what to eat after your run in order to maximize recovery, aid in muscle repair, and help reduce inflammation. After a run, your body undergoes several physiological changes that require proper nutrition to facilitate recovery: Glycogen Depletion: During exercise, your body uses glycogen, the store ..read more

As many runners know, nutrition plays a critical role in your athletic performance; you just can’t out-train a bad diet! Optimizing your nutrition before the Vancouver Sun Run can prevent fatigue, help you run longer and more intensely, and make your runs feel easier. Consuming the right foods and beverages at the right times will provide you with the energy you need to run your best. Timing Your pre-run meal or snack can be eaten anywhere from 1 to 4 hours before you start running. Your meal or snack can be larger the longer you wait to exercise because you will have more time for digestion.T ..read more

Zinc is a trace element our body needs in small amounts. Zinc is important for many biological processes in the body, and has many amazing benefits! It is an important factor for a healthy immune system, it aids in DNA production, cellular growth, protein synthesis, and repairing damaged cells and tissue! Because zinc plays such an important role in cellular growth, children, adolescents, and pregnant women must have adequate zinc intake for healthy growth! Benefits of Zinc Immune Health Over the years many studies have shown how important zinc is for the immune system. Zinc is needed for the ..read more

Iron is a micronutrient the body needs for proper functioning and development. It is an essential mineral that makes hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells. This protein helps blood carry oxygen to our lungs and to the rest of our body! Iron also helps the body make myoglobin, a protein that provides our muscles with oxygen. Iron in the body Iron can be found throughout the body, approximately 70% of our body's iron is found in hemoglobin (protein) in red blood cells. Another 25% of it is stored in ferritin, a protein in our cells and blood, and through different mechanisms in the bod ..read more

Vitamins are micronutrients that the body cannot produce therefore they must be derived from our diet or supplements. There are many different types of vitamins all with their specific roles in the body, but this article will focus on the role of vitamin D! Fat-Soluble Vitamin Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it is best absorbed with dietary fat, and then stored in the body's fatty tissues and the liver. As fat-soluble vitamins can be stored unlike water-soluble vitamins, they last longer in the body. Key roles of Vitamin D in the body Vitamin D has many roles in the body, it is ess ..read more

As plant-based diets continue to increase in popularity, many clients ask us about moving towards more plant-basted eating patterns. There are a wide variety of reasons why people choose to eat more plant-based, examples include; health benefits, environmental reasons, animal rights, religious beliefs, etc. A plant-based diet can consist of a wide range of healthy nutritious foods, but what an individual eats depends on the type of diet they are following. The following are diets that fall under a “plant-based diet”: • Lacto-vegetarian: excludes meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products such as mi ..read more

Sodium chloride, also known as salt, occurs naturally in food and is often added to enhance flavour, but too much can harm the body. The body needs sodium in small amounts to conduct nerve impulses, maintain the right balance between minerals and water, and contract and relax muscles. The recommended average daily nutrient intake level for sodium is 1,500 mg/day, although most Canadians are eating way more than that! Consuming too much salt can lead to high blood pressure which contributes to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Therefore, it is important to limit your ..read more

You may have heard the saying “Proteins are the building blocks of life”, but what does this mean? Well, when you think about what the human body comprises: tissues, organs, muscles, skin... this is all made from protein! What is Protein? Protein is one of the three macronutrients that give the body energy, the other being fat and carbohydrates. Proteins are made up of amino acids and the amino acid sequence determines the protein's function. It is estimated that the body contains 10,000 different proteins and they are present in every body part! More on Amino Acids To better understand what a ..read more