Tag Archives: exercise

Runner’s Trots Anyone??

Ashley Charlebois - DietitianThat’s right… I said it. I mentioned the unmentionables. As a dietitian specializing in digestive health issues and sports nutrition, this is merely a common topic that falls under both of my areas of specialty.

What is it? Those of you who experience it, know it well. It’s when runners have diarrhea during or immediately after a run, or feel an Ashley Charlebois - Dietitianurgency to have a bowel movement during exercise. The cause for it is still questionable, but there are a few existing scientific theories. One is that there is ischemia, or limited blood flow and required oxygen, to the arteries that supply the small and large intestines. Symptoms of this include abdominal pain and diarrhea. The other most common theory is mechanical trauma, which is simply the fact that running creates more movement of the GI tract – potentially speeding up the transit time of bowel movements and leading to urgency and diarrhea.

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Spring into Fall!

Ashley Charlebois - DietitianThe summer months are sadly coming to an end! Soon, the leaves will start changing and fall will be here. The beginning of a new season is often a great time to make a healthy change. Vacations, dinner parties, socializing on a patio or at a barbeque, and drinks in the sun often make up a large part of our summers. Fall is a good opportunity to get back to our healthier ways.

People often think dieting or doing a cleanse are the best ways to kick some unhealthy habits and turn over a new leaf. However, if you take a closer look – is the diet or cleanse you’re interested in something that you think you will be able to sustain for the long term? Often, fad diets and cleanses offer a quick fix instead of a sustainable lifestyle change. Yes, you may be able to shed a few pounds but is it fat that you’re losing or muscle mass? Losing weight too quickly is often times both fat AND muscle mass that you’re losing, in addition to a ton of body water. Not to mention the lack of nutrients in most fad diets and cleanses which would leave you feeling tired, fatigued, and at risk for nutrient deficiencies leading to health problems in the future.

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What’s the Deal with Sports Supplements?

Ashley Charlebois - DietitianEveryone’s doing it – protein shakes, energy bars, sports gels, fat burning supplements, creatine, energy drinks… the list goes on. So why shouldn’t you? If this thought has crossed your mind, or if you’re already consuming any of these supplements, you should know the truth behind supplements before you fully buy into them.

I was recently interviewed very briefly by a student reporter on CBC news who did a story all about “exercise supplements”. Watch the short clip here. I would like to clarify a couple things they misquoted me on:

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Backcountry Nutrition

I did my first avalanche safety training course this weekend just north of Vancouver so that I can start doing more backcountry snowboarding trips — preferably without ever getting caught in an avalanche. First things first, all you skiers out there are probably mocking the fact that I snowboard right now. You know what? Nothing feels better than riding through fresh powder and feeling like you’re surfing on water. However, I do realize that, especially for backcountry, skiing just might have more advantages (i.e. more efficient ways to hike up without the use of snowshoes)… I still like snowboarding better. Now that we’ve cleared that up… onto more important things! This dietitian is once again talking about nutrition. More precisely, how to properly fuel and hydrate in the backcountry.

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Make 2012 Your Healthiest Year Yet!

Happy Belated New Year! After the holiday season of over-indulging passed, it became the perfect time for New Year’s resolutions focusing on healthy eating and exercise. A chance to set out and accomplish goals we’ve always talked about but maybe gave up on doing in 2011. Not this year!!

Ashley Charlebois - DietitianIf you’ve made New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of the month with diet in mind, now is a good time to re-evaluate. Were this year’s resolutions realistic? Achievable? Sustainable? And most importantly, did they focus primarily on good health instead of a desperate attempt to lose/gain weight in the short term while potentially being detrimental on your long-term health? If your New Year’s resolutions involve anything on the “Don’ts” list below, you may want to consider tweaking them so they look more like what I’ve listed on the “Do’s” list. This will help ensure you put your health first, while realistically achieving the goals you set out to accomplish this year.

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