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Sports Nutrition Advice No 2: How to recover from your sport or training performance

Posted on | by Ash Cooney
More Sports Nutrition advice on how to recover from your sport or training performance

Part 2 Post – Exercise Nutrition

Today we look at how best to refuel your body for recovery after your sports or training event with advice from Jordan Morrison, Senior Dietitian and Nutritionist   The four main goals of post exercise fuelling include re-fuel, re-build, re-hydrate and re-vitalize (the 4Rs)  

Re-fuel

To replenish carbohydrate stores (especially for high intensity sessions!) opt for good quality carbohydrates such as  whole grain wraps/toast/crackers, oats, sweet potato, corn, brown rice, quinoa, legumes, beans or fruit  

Re-build

Amino acids in proteins assist in muscle repair and recovery after training which is  important for lean mass maintenance or anabolism goals. Lean proteins, ideally fast-digesting, are your best options so think about milk, high protein yogurt, milk-containing coffee, chicken, lean meat, salmon, tuna, eggs, tofu or whey protein powder. In terms of timing, for most individuals, aim to time a protein-rich meal or snack within 60 minutes of training. How much is enough? Aim for 20-40g of total protein per meal or 0.4-0.5g of protein per kilogram body weight (both for pre-exercise meal and post exercise meal/snack). An example of this would be a 70kg individual would aim for 28-35g protein in both their pre and post exercise meals.  

Re-hydrate

To replenish fluids we lose through sweat: think  water, water, water!  For high performance athletes using electrolytes combined with  sodium-rich snacks will assist this process. Ideally we would be aiming to replace 125-150% of fluid deficit in a 2-4 hrs post exercise window.  

Re-vitalize

To support your immune’s function and reduce free radical damage associated with exercise, look for vitamins, minerals and antioxidants from a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables.   Needs some meal inspiration? Here are some recommended options, however please note the portions should be individualised:
  • Veggie omelette whole grain toast with a milk-coffee
  • Smoothie (milk, high protein yogurt, oats, fruit, peanut butter)
  • Overnight oats (rolled oats, chia seeds, fruit, high protein yogurt)
  • Chicken/tuna, salad and avocado whole grain wrap/sandwich
  • Salmon fillet or grilled fish with baked potato and salad
  • Smoked salmon, tomato, rocket and cottage cheese on multigrain Vita Weats/Ryvitas
  • Homemade sweet potato, veggie & cottage cheese frittata + salad
Next week we will look at the role of supplements in recovery and training performance. If you would like more advice or support please get in touch getfixed@healthfix.com.au

Sports Nutrition advice on how to prepare for your best sports performance

Posted on | by Ash Cooney

Part 1 Pre- Exercise Nutrition

We get loads of questions from our clients about how to prepare their body for a sports or training event. Today we share some advice from our Senior Dietitian and Nutritionist Jordan Morrison on fuelling your body to achieve for your personal best sports performance.

Goals of Pre-exercise Fuelling

  • Fuel and hydrate body and brain for exercise session ahead
  • Provides carbohydrates in blood and in storage, to be used as body’s ideal energy source
  • Avoid distracting hunger pangs during session, unwanted stomach discomfort / trips to bathroom
  • Maximise training performance + optimise adaptations

When to fuel and when not to fuel

When training first thing in the morning: Prioritise pre-training meal/snack for:
  • High intensity workouts
  • Resistance training
  • Events/games/testing days ie. anything performance based
  • Training requires high concentration/technique/learning (remember your brain needs carbs for fuel too!)
Not required (but if preferred, would still recommend) for:
  • Lower intensity workouts e.g. light run/walk/cycle; yoga; low intensity pilates (note: some types may require fuelling)
When training later in the day:
  • Firstly, try to plan regular meals/snacks around your training
  • Then consider if you need to include an extra snack for pre/post training nutrition

What food protocol can you follow?

While it is always best to individualise an eating plan for you, there are some general recommendations that you can follow are: Main meal
  • 2-4 hours before, to avoid stomach upset
  • Balanced meal (healthy plate model)
  • Complex, high fibre carbohydrate (1/4-1/3 plate)
  • Lean protein (¼ plate)
  • Veggies (1/2 plate
  • Thumb size healthy fats
Pre-training/performance snack
  • 45-60 minutes before
  • Carbohydrate-rich
  • Low in fibre
  • Easy to digest – avoid high fat + high protein foods
  • Familiar foods so don’t try anything new on event / testing day!. Some examples would be: Small bowl cereal/muesli with fruit, milk/yogurt, Crumpets/bagel with sliced banana + honey, Small bowl pasta w tomato based sauce, Fruit smoothie, Raisin toast with jam or Creamed rice w fruit
Examples for very early risers who don’t like to eat before:
  • ½-1 banana
  • 2 Medjool dates
  • Coffee + an orange
  • 150-200ml OJ + water to dilute

Hydration and why it is important 

The main reason we look to ensure adequate hydration is to avoid negative impacts of dehydration, which may include:
  • Physical and mental performance decreases
  • Exercise feels harder (especially in the heat)
  • Impaired skill level and decision making
  • Poor concentration and mental fatigue
  • Increased risk of nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea
How much is enough? This dependent on  fluid loss, so consider sweating; weather; intensity/duration of exercise; sweat test. The general rules are to sip fluid in the hours leading into exercise rather than having large volumes just before commencing exercise What type is best? For hydration and to minimise dehydration options include water or electrolytes (e.g. hydralyte) which is adequate for the majority of people. For fuel source during exercise you can utilise sports drinks e.g. powerade which is beneficial  for athletes in particular high-duration events. In our next blog we will continue this theme and look at post training and recovery as well as the role of supplements. Stay tuned for more to come and if you need more individualised help, please reach out to our expert team getfixed@healthfix.com.au

Spring into Action – 6 week Fitness and Weight Loss Challenge

Posted on | by Ash Cooney

Spring into Action!

Six weeks to set you up for your fittest summer yet!   Spring has arrived and with it comes the best time in the year for new beginnings.  We see this in nature where everything comes to life, there is renewal, vitality and abundance all around us. It is the perfect time to start something new especially when it comes to your health and fitness goals.   As human beings we are creatures of habit and routine, and often we don’t realise when we develop a pattern of behaviour that doesn’t serve our long term health, it simply becomes the new normal of what we accept. Whether it be ageing, injury or lifestyle related, to help us create change we need to make the actions required super simple and super effective.  We find that most people have an idea of what they want when it comes to their health and fitness, they just need help with “the how”.   We have made this easy for you : Our Spring Fit promotion gives you unbeatable value. What you get:
  1. PT IntroFix – Initial 60mins
  2. 3x follow up PT sessions
  3. Diet Seminar: Fat Loss – 1 hour
  4. 5 x 30min Nutrition Classes
  5. Unlimited Group Classes
  6. Unlimited Gym Access
  7. Expert team and support on your journey
All for just $590 (Valued at $1,030)   * Bonus DEXA scan at BODYMEASURE before and after your challenge for an additional $150     Limited spaces available so please register your interest to getfixed@healthfix.com.au before 30th September.  

Young Athlete Development

Posted on | by Ash Cooney 
Written by Caitlan Skillicorn, Senior Physiotherapist
M.Sports Medicine (completion date 2022) M. Physio, & B. Ex. and Sport Sc. Head of Performance at Gladesville Ravens.   High performance sport is becoming increasingly important in our world and as a result, stakeholders are making large financial investments to develop strategic and systematic approaches to developing athletes. This is pushing talent identification earlier and earlier. So, to keep up with this development programs now occur at youth levels. Children are not mini adults and therefore maturation status must be accounted for when planning a program and pathway to elite athlete status. Gold standard programming must include the unique variables and understanding of:
  1. Physical development relative to age and training history
  2. Nutrition relative to education and performance level
  3. Injury risk relative to age-related changes and training demands
At Healthfix in our gym in North Sydney, we understand these underlying principles and have systemised programs to give our athlete’s the best chance of making their dreams come true. An integral part of any high performance program is strength and conditioning. The development of not only a player’s technical ability but their physical capabilities has become increasingly important, with players who can out run, out jump and dominant their opposition on the ball have increased their selection chances and decreased their injury risk. Not only do we teach our athletes the correct movement patterns and improve their confidence in the gym environment but also development their athletic potential, giving the best chance to be the best athlete they can be. Who would benefit from a Youth Athlete development program?
  • School aged youth 10-17 ·
  • Youth athletes looking for that extra edge over their competitors
  • Want to enhance performance characteristics related to their sport
  • Need a more robust gym program to supplement their sport
If you are interested in more information on our Young Guns Program please get in touch  getfixed@healthfix.com.au

Physio Near Me Blog Series Introduction

Posted on | by Sean

The popularity of “physio near me” and is it a good thing?

 

So the old word of mouth isn’t quite what it used to be hey? Now, instead of going a great job, or in the case of physio helping someone to a great outcome, and knowing that that person will tell friends, family and work colleagues it seems it can be easier to be funny or interesting on social media instead to grab people’s attention.

I’m not so sure.

We use SEO help at Healthfix, I know not all local health clinics do. We grew massively through word of mouth in the early phases of Healthfix and as we opened more clinics and had team members progress from physio’s to leadership positions we started using SEO in order to get our message across to larger and larger audiences. At the moment, I have our main SEO man saying that you need to use more content talking about “physio near me”. I’m always happy to trust a fellow professional so I thought I’d at least make it educational.

I’ll do a 3 part series to talk about “physio near me” and when it could be good and when it might not work out for you.

In the first part I’ll talk about the conventional method of physio growth and how it used to be before Google and social media had their ways.

In the second section, I’ll talk about when a “physio near me” search is a good thing.

Finally, I’ll give my thoughts on when using a “physio near me” might not work and what you need to consider instead.

Setting up for success for 100+ years and Sean off to NSW Institute of Sport

Posted on | by Sean
Healthfix North Sydney Gym Success
Ash and Sean. Healthfix North Sydney

Setting up for success for 100 years and beyond.

Strange to think that the same time last year we were enduring a fairly hard lock down. It affected everyone in different ways. As a team at Healthfix we committed to sticking to what we do best. We had rallied through the first lockdown well as a group and we knew that if we continued to look out for one another as a team and focused on helping our clients with their health needs that we would get through the second one too.

What it also did was give us the time and space to plan for the future; a 100 years and beyond to be exact. We did a lot of reading, workshops with the team and the leadership group, and we reaffirmed our vision, our values and our current mission.

It reaffirmed to us that Healthfix exists to empower lives.

With firm plans in place, we set up for –

  • Ash to evolve her directors’ role into managing all operations – to ensure consistency in our performance as a group
  • Bladen was promoted to Professional Services Manager – ensuring quality care through to discharging clients as what we call Empowered Health Experts.
  • Sarah was promoted to Club Manager – ensuring a quality experience for all and supporting our membership functions that helps people get a more cost effect result in a timely manner.
  • Me / Sean – to continue focusing on the future of Healthfix as an industry leader.

Sean joins the NSW Institute of Sport as their Head of Performance Health

What this meant for me became clearer over time and it was that we needed to be more set up like an institute of sport to truly serve our communities in a sustainable way. As the institute describes it, they turn World Class into World’s Best. The institute combines the best in research, coaching, high performance exercise and health care together to lead innovative ways in achieving elite performance. In a move that our new young gun strength and conditioning coach Brad Williams described as “you’re never too old (thanks mate) to keep learning and take on new challenges”, I have signed on as the new Head of Performance Health at the NSW Institute of Sport. Here I will lead the team of sports physios, sports doctors and soft tissue therapists and work collaboratively with our other department heads (high performance, coaches, athletes, sports managers and national and regional NSWIS partners) to turn NSW athletes into international medal winners.

The appointment has filled me with confidence that our systems and structures at Healthfix are of a high calibre and that our internal leadership and development programs as effective as well. The role is a credit to what Healthfix stands for, what we have been able to create as a team, and I am personally excited to joining the high achieving team at NSWIS. I’m sure it goes without saying to those who know me well that it also feels strange to be shifting such a large part of my focus to athletes winning medals as for so long if it hadn’t been a focus on winning for Healthfix I was either with my family, or surfing, or both!

Despite the mixed emotions, I look forward to offering all our members and clients an even better offering as we continue to grow and I look forward to either seeing you for a physio consult (hope not, as it’ll mean that you’re injured) or in one of our awesome group fitness classes as I’ll still be training daily at Healthfix.

Fitness Exercise setup in Healthfix

Discover the healthier you starting with a free 7 day trial!

Posted on | by Ash Cooney
Healthfix specialises in long term results. If you’re after a workout that works your whole body and is shared with a bunch of awesome members working hard but not taking themselves too seriously, then you must come a give us a try. We have the team that can take you wherever you want to go with our training programs that are designed by elite strength and conditioning coaches and physiotherapists – so you know that are safe AND super effective. What you get on a Healthfix membership: Unlimited Group Classes Meet new people, have fun and get in an amazing workout in one of our awesome group classes. Our classes include Pilates, Strength & Fitness, Total Strength, Vitaliy Fix & Cardio Hit! Our pilates and lunchtime classes are also streamed over zoom, so there’s no reason not to get your daily workout in 😉 Check out our class timetable here. Social Events We love getting our community together to have some fun and expand their mind. Every couple of months we host events with the goal of giving you the tools to live a holistically healthy lifestyle. Bonus Free Initial Consult For New Members  If you love your free trial week, we know that you will love our membership packages! Our members are achieving great things in our Health Cub and we think you should be one of them. To kick start your goal achieving journey, all members who sign up to our blue membership receive a free initial consult with one of our Physiotherapists, Dietitians, Exercise Physiologists, Personal Trainers or Mindset Coaches! For more information on our membership packages, click here. Ready to jump into our free trial week? Fill in this form to get started today!
 
health club memberships Blog featured image

Experience Total Integration: Elevate Your Health with Healthfix’s Physiotherapy and Health Club Membership

Posted on | by Ash Cooney
At Healthfix, we believe in the power of integration—a holistic approach to your well-being. We don’t rely on gurus; instead, we provide you with a well-coordinated team to help you achieve your health goals. Integrated healthcare teams have traditionally been confined to hospitals and elite athletic institutes, but we’re here to change that. We bring this principle to your everyday life! Our Health Club Memberships offer a seamless integration of our Physiotherapy, Dietetics, Exercise Physiology, Personal Training services, and exclusive access to our world-class gym and group classes. As a member, you’ll also have a dedicated Mindset Coach to assist you in planning and coordinating your health and fitness journey, empowering you to achieve any goal you set your mind to! Wondering how our membership differs from standard care? Standard care often addresses a single issue and may work for those who are consistently active, eating well, and free from chronic health or medical conditions. However, this doesn’t cover everyone’s needs. That’s where our Membership Program shines. It provides you with regular exercise options tailored to your level, along with discounted sessions to consult with the right health professional at the right time. These professionals collaborate seamlessly to ensure you receive the best care and experience possible. Additionally, we organize health-related events and nutrition courses led by industry leaders to enhance your health literacy and foster a sense of belonging to a healthy community. By embracing integration and becoming a member, you’ll be on the path to a long and healthy life. If you’re eager to discover how our membership can specifically benefit you, please fill out the form below, and our team will reach out to you!
Healthfix trainer writing her goal on the fix guide paper

Stick to your plan! Fix Guides & Cancellation Policy

Posted on | by Ash Cooney
If you’ve been to Healthfix before, you may have heard about our Fix Guide and innovative cancellation policy. The Fix Guide and cancellation policy are tools that our therapists utilise you ensure we are creating a plan that works for you and holds you accountable for achieving your goals. Healthfix’s mission is to empower everyone who walks through our doors to become the Health Expert of their life and these tools help us get you there! If you’re curious, here’s some more information on what these tools are. The Fix Guide The Fix Guide is a planning tool our therapists have been using for the past 10 years that we’ve been in business. This document encompasses your goals, your current condition and what actions we need to complete to get you feeling amazing. We’ve found by giving clients a tangible plan that they can refer back to, can keep them on track in achieving their goals. Make sure you pop your fix guide on your fridge or door so you see it and are a reminder to complete your actions every day! Our Cancellation Policy  Put simply, if you cancel your sessions within 24 hrs we charge 50% of your session fee or if you miss your session completely, we charge 100% of the appointment cost. We aren’t interested in making money from this policy so we donate this income to charity! Of course, we don’t charge this fee if you’ve had an emergency and we always give you a reminder. But here is why we charge it:
  1. We’re a results-based business. Missing appointments can disrupt your progress and final outcome and we’re only in this business to help you get the result you want to achieve.
  2. We have really busy practitioners, so there is a good chance someone else really wanted to book the time we put aside for you.
  3. It should deter you from re-booking if you can’t keep appointments. We don’t want you wasting your money on sporadic treatment and cancellation fees. If life is too busy right now and you can’t stick to our rehab plan, maybe it is better to try another time where we can deliver the FIX we’ve promised you.
If you have any questions or comments about these planning tools, don’t hesitate to chat with our friendly team or discuss them with your therapist! We look forward to seeing you in the Health Club soon.
Goa: Smash 5 Work outs each week with man smashing

How to build up to 5 exercise classes a week!

Posted on | by Ash Cooney
Is your 2022 goal to exercise consistently each week? This goal may sound simple on paper but we find that many of our members struggle with getting in the activity levels recommended by the World Health Organisation. Missing workouts happen for a multitude of reasons, but some of the most common reasons to miss a workout (that you can control) are:
  • Lack of motivation or excitement to exercise
  • A busy schedule prevents you from exercising
  • Feeling sore from previous workouts
Combatting these common barriers are key to achieving your goals and being strong enough to handle your lifestyle. So here are our top tips on how to build up to 5 exercise sessions a week and be consistent in your training!
  • Understand and implement the WHO recommendations of physical activity

Current guidelines on physical activity for Australian adults are:

    • 2.5-5 hours per week of moderate-intensity exercise
    • 1.25-2.5 hours per week of vigorous-intensity exercise
    • Or a combination equivalent to the above
    • At least 2 days of strength training
    • Activity on all days
    • Sit less and move more!

By using these recommendations as a guideline to build your training schedule, you’ll easily hit your activity goals. Achieving the recommended activity guidelines will enable you to live a long & healthy lifestyle.

  • Find an exercise that you love! 

If you’re going to be exercising for over 7 hours a week, it better be something that you enjoy doing otherwise you’re not going to do it! Finding movement that you enjoy is half the battle and requires some trial and error. By being a Health Club Member, you have a variety of group classes available to you,  so you can easily trial different types of exercises. Your Health Mentor can also guide you to work out what sort of movement your body enjoys. Our only recommendation is to make sure there is an element of strength training in your routine to hit that WHO recommendation!

  • Don’t go from 0-100 too quickly. Take your time and build up your exercise regime!

When you’re commencing an exercise program, we recommend utilising an exercise professional to help plan your training loads to maintain your motivation and prevent injury. This could initially look like: 1 PT session and a couple of group classes or independent training sessions each week.

Then once you start to feel comfortable, start to incorporate more classes or training sessions gradually. Try adding 1 extra workout in each week over a month to get up to 5 exercise sessions. When you’re at this stage of exercising, it’s important to balance your training loads to avoid injury and severe muscle soreness. A balanced exercise regime can look like 3x intense sessions (e.g. strength class, HIIT, long run) and 2x restorative sessions (e.g. pilates, yoga, bush walks). As your fitness levels increase you can include more intense sessions as long as your recovery is on point!

  • Prioritise your recovery! 

Your recovery post-exercise is just as important as your actual training session. By recovering effectively, you’ll be able to consistently train every day without severe muscle soreness or injury getting in the way! If you’re participating in group classes, we always recommend staying for the cool down component of the class to calm down your breathing and stretch out your muscles before going about your busy day.

Sleep, nutrition and stress are also things that can impact your exercise recovery. We recommended working with a Dietitian and your Mentor for advice on how to manage these factors to improve your performance and achieve your goals!

We hope you found this blog helpful in guiding you to achieve your 2022 goals. Feel free to chat about this with your Mentor and any of our team members. See you in the gym soon!