In this show we discuss:

• Top shows of all time
  • What we see here is a rich diversity in what everyone has loved that goes beyond endurance training! Including shows with Lucho, Dr. Phil Maffetone, Dr. Steve Gangemi, Julie McClosky; some links to those shows:
    • Immune system series with Sock Doc, Part 1
    • Immune system series with Sock Doc, Part 2
    • HPN 14 with Julie McClosky on histamine intolerance, hair loss in women, food costs 
    • Dr. Phil Maffetone on seasonal allergies, sugar and more
    • ATC 302 with Lucho on marathon PRs, durability, achilles and calves and more
    • ATC 298 with Lucho on common injuries, MAF for health vs. performance
    • Mark Allen and Dr. Phil Maffetone on having a coach
• All of the affiliate and discount codes will still remain live so you can shop through the podcast and continue doing everything you’ve done, none of that is leaving. Head over to enduranceplanet.com/shop.
  • Your support helps us to keep all podcast episodes alive and available for anyone to hear.
• All episodes will still be available in the archives and on podcast platforms.
  • Website has all shows from all time; podcast apps have a limited amount of more recent episodes.
• John shares his takeaways from being part of EP for so long, as a listener, manager, and co-owner.
• Also some reflections:
  • Thoughts on functional medicine, for example.
    • It has its place. But sometimes it doesn’t. Tawnee shares how she has worked alongside many athletes over the years facilitating their testing, results analysis, health protocols. This can lead to great results, empowerment, more knowledge of self. But as mentioned in OMM 21 it can go to far for some of us where we need to take a step back and focus our efforts and our healing elsewhere, i.e. tapping more into our intuition, knowing of self, and finding more self-love and acceptance. Tawnee says, “I will help coach an athlete into the best decision based on their current season of life and sometimes that means doing the full load of testing and deep dives, and sometimes that means stepping away from more testing, protocols and supplements!”
  • You can follow something and still be critical of it.
• Finally, a reminder to always allow yourself to feel, process, grieve and more…

THANK YOU, EVERYONE!

For Part 1 click here.

For part 2 click here.

For part 3 click here.

For part 4 click here.

For part 5 click here.

For part 6 click here.

In this episode, Tawnee ties it all together with a pivotal moment in 2016 in which she rather suddenly fell ill with an autoimmune disease, which prompted her to take an even deeper dive into her healing, discovering even more roots of wellness and being free of dis-ease in the body. Her work put this condition into remission, for good. After wrapping up some races such at the Boston Marathon, and then getting married, so began a journey into fertility and pregnancy. After a brief struggle, she became pregnant in mid-2017 and had a wonderful, happy, healthy pregnancy, but it would end tragically two days before their baby’s due date…. We end with her closing thoughts on this series and a message to everyone out there.

Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

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As we announced recently, we are pausing the Endurance Planet podcast and this is the final episode of Ask the Coaches after more than 13+ years of Tawnee and Lucho at the mic together (this episode’s photo is them together for Ragnar in 2015). Join us for a moving, and inspiring conversation with some thoughts and tips we’ve put together that combines over a decade of research, podcasting, talking and working with athletes; these are the things that have a lot of power to help you and that you’ll want to consider incorporating into your training and life, including:

1. Use the MAF Method as a baseline in any plan
   1. Clearing up a critical mistake/incorrect statement we made on ATC 294, our MAF Method Guide episode (one of the most popular downloads of all time). The correct statement is that MAF HR using metabolic cart testing is determined with FATMAX not the crossover point.
   2. Why and how MAF works as part of any training plan.
   3. But also, maybe MAF is really about the intuitive nature and not so much lab testing and data collection.
2. Always strength train
   1. It can’t really hurt but it certainly can help; just don’t go crazy with it if lacking experience because then you might get hurt lol, seek professional guidance at first or as needed 
3. Your health has a direct correlation with performance
   1. You can do your thing with sub-par health and/or chronic health issues, but eventually it catches up and hinders performance and zest for life in some way so it behooves all of us to take charge of our wellbeing!
   2. And if you are really suffering, heal first then go get back to training and go for it—it’s very hard to do both at the same time, it’s ok to take a step back!
4. Intuitive training has a role in any training plan
   1. Do any training plan you desire, but always allow yourself those intuitive workouts or sessions where you can learn your body, listen to your body and honor your body’s needs without the data feedback.
5. “You can make incorrect training correct (if you use it correctly)”–Lucho
   1. Make it work for you and keeping you fulfilled. You don’t always have to fit in a box with training; e.g. if you want to make speed work apply to ultra running, it can be done. 
6. Have fun!
   1. If you’re not having fun why are you doing it?
   2. Ok, so maybe it’s not all fun, and some sessions have to be done, and boxes need to be checked, but overall ask yourself if there is that spark, that joy, that enjoyment? And if it’s not there, reevaluate what you might need.
7. It depends….

For Part 1 click here.

For part 2 click here.

For part 3 click here.

For part 4 click here.

For part 5 click here.

In this episode, Tawnee comes off a season of revelations and enters a phase of inner conflict—she is finally pursuing deep, intentional healing but also finds it hard to let go of racing and the pace of life that she is used to pushing. Something has to change, and her mind and body need to come into alignment. She also needs to find the fun in it again!

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

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On this episode we have The Sock Doc, Dr. Steve Gangemi, joining us for one final episode as EP winds down. Steve is a natural health care doctor who founded and practices at Systems Health Care, an integrative wellness center in Chapel Hill, NC. Steve is also a longtime endurance athlete and is a wealth of knowledge for athletes looking to optimize wellness.

We are continuing our series, “When Things Don’t Go As Planned,” that dissects your health and injury issues that come up when you least want them and can negatively affect your training and race season–how to heal, prevent and overcome going forward of common (and not so common) issues that athletes face. Listen to No. 1 of the series here, and No. 2 here.

When Things Don’t Go As Planned

Part 1: Sciatica, Sciatic Pain—Or A Misdiagnosis?

• A lot of people think they have it but they really don’t.
• Pain in the glute or down hamstring doesn’t automatically mean sciatica.
• Sciatic nerve is really more from back of the knee down.
• Sensory innervations of the sciatic nerve is really only beyond the knee (distally–knee to foot), according to some research.
  • But this is debated and some disagree.
• Common to misdiagnose sciatic pain (when it’s in fact something else).
  • Sclerotogenous pain– this is a type of referred pain from lumbar spine/sacral area in the glute area or even hamstring that can get mixed up with sciatic pain.
  • Whereas sciatic pain is more like numbness, tingling, sharp-stinging-type pain all the way down into calf and foot
  • They both can come from lower back issues or piriformis, muscle imbalances, etc.
• If you do have sciatica—the #1 muscle involved is the piriformis muscle, in which the sciatic nerve can be in different places even going through this muscle in some people.
• Who is susceptible? What are contributing causes?
  • Whether it is sciatic or something else, a lot of the causes and treatments are similar; don’t get too wrapped up in terminology if the roots to healing are all similar.
  • Hormonal connection, i.e. sex hormones and stress hormones—muscles of pelvis can be affected when over-stressing the body in this way that leads to hormonal imbalances.
  • Those with better hormonal status have better core strength and thus likely to have better performance.
  • Or also an inflammatory condition or lack of offsetting inflammation in the body, including dietary stresses.
  • The role of biomechanics and form in all of this.
• Path to healing
  • Steps to healing will depend on the patient you may not need to dive into in-depth testing right away, and maybe you start with the mechanics and then see if influence with hormones.
  • Assess the person: some are more hormonal based and others more mechanic based.
  • Correlation between sciatica with menstrual cycle? Not so clear compared to hip pain for example.
• Trigger point therapy
  • No static stretching, usually just irritates things more (despite temporary pain relief).
  • Trigger point work in hip area: under the sacrum, piriformis muscle; this can even help balance things out for back pain relief.
  • Beyond that, depends on level of pain.
• Why is it sometimes we flare up and sometimes we’re not only fine but perform so well? Because there are a lot of things that go into this beyond the obvious, e.g. were we really stressed leading up to the issue/flare up?
• Piriformis or sciatic pain could also be an issue on the OPPOSITE side of where the pain is being felt—work on that opposite to relieve and relax the side in pain.
• Supplements
  • Healthy fats, animal-based fats.
  • Vitamin A & E—main precursors to reproductive hormones which inadvertently helps these issues.
    • Timestamp: starts at 28:00
    • Types and IU vs mcg of Vitamin A, conversions and confusion cleared!
    • Eg) 1,000 IU D is 25 mcg
    • Vitamin E is in milligrams, 400 IU of E is 268 mg
    • Vitamin A is RAE 2000 IU of A is 600 RAE (0.3 multiplication)
    • It’s also about building nutritional status over time
• Usually with sciatica it’s something brewing for a while, such as pelvic floor dysfunction, poor breathing technique (mouth/shallow breathing).

Part 2: Healthy Perimenopause and Menopause

• What is a normal age and timeframe for perimenopause/menopause?
  • Is it normal for someone in their late 30s early/ 40s to be experiencing this transition? Not so much.
  • 40-45 years old is too young to be starting to experience symptoms and changes in one’s menstruation.
  • Late 40s to 50 years old is about the normal time.
• Common and not-so-common symptoms & cycle changes
  • The biggest thing is that you don’t ideally want to experience drastic changes in how you feel, e.g.
    • Hot flashes, mood swings, body aches, low libido, vaginal dryness.
  • The problem is when one’s menstrual cycle changes ALONGSIDE these other symptoms, e.g. longer cycles or missed periods.
  • Often, worse symptoms are seen in those women who start this transition at an earlier age.
  • Possibly a stress correlation or some underlying
  • If there are menstrual cycle changes without (perimenopause-type) symptoms that could be something else.
• “Normal” perimenopause/menopause
  • Late 40s to early 50s
  • More often when self-care and overall health is present, this is when symptoms may be subtly present but not drastic, very manageable.
  • This also is usually when women start this transition later in life rather than too early and things tend to progress more smoothly, in his experience.
• Hormone levels (before and after)
  • You still make these sex hormones just less of them.
  • Health of adrenal glands through your cycling years can help determine how early or late you go through menopause and how you actually feel.
  • If your adrenal glands are stressed out and you’re burnt out this could make perimenopause/menopause feel much worse.
  • Progesterone/cortisol connection; relative estrogen dominance.
  • Estrogen & receptor issues.
    • May need to detoxify estrogen, may need to supplement with progesterone, balance takes time.
• Stalling or reversing perimenopause/menopause? Possible?
  • If you’re young and experiencing this you may be able to do something if you catch it very early and ease symptoms.
  • Hot flashes have to do with liver detox (1-3 AM timeframe).
  • Sulfation, glucuronidation
  • Estrobolome
    • Focus on gut health, nutrition, stress balance, supporting detox pathways, etc.
• Supplements
  • Vitex aka chaste tree berry for progesterone support and hormonal balancing.
  • Black cohosh (but NOT when pregnant).
  • Jerusalem Artichoke–break down estrogen, PMS, breast tenderness, prebiotics, no side effects, etc.
  • Cruciferous veggies, broccoli sprouts
  • But if you always have to take an herb, you’re not getting to root causes or via lifestyle and nutritional support.
  • Some people may just need extra nutritional support via diet, we’re all individuals!

Steve’s Top-3 All-Time Tips

1. Go barefoot
   1. Podcast with research that Tawnee mentions on minimalist shoes/barefoot with injury prevention and resilience.
   2. Not a fad! Being barefoot and comfortable without shoes or in minimalist footwear is a reflection of health and well-being (if it hurts that’s a red flag).
2. Don’t believe all the hype (that you read online or elsewhere)
   1. Don’t believe everything you see; we can’t always trust random stranger person who’s promoting x, y, z fads.
   2. Extremes usually aren’t all they are stacked up to be (e.g. zero sugar, zero caffeine).
   3. Striving for things that just aren’t possible and therefore it’s hard to sustain and we fail.
3. Consistency over time
   1. And keep it simple.
   2. Realistic goal-setting, lifestyle and nutritional approaches (moderation)—this lends to more consistency.
   3. Small changes over big overhauls (i.e. what toothpaste or bodywash are you using? Maybe a simple change there can be more realistic and beneficial over major biohacks.)
   4. Eating, sleeping, exercise are top here—be consistent!

For Part 1 click here.

For part 2 click here.

For part 3 click here.

For part 4 click here.

On this episode:

Tawnee chronicles years 2011-2013. It begins with meeting her future husband John, starting as host of the Endurance Planet podcast, befriending co-host Lucho (and hiring him as her coach) and more business success. All the while, she experiences a peak in her triathlon/endurance racing, followed by downfall(ish), something Dr. Phil Maffetone has alluded to as a red-flag warning sign of overtraining syndrome. In late 2013 she had a horrible race at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships followed by an Ironman DNF two weeks later at Lake Tahoe, and with the way she felt and symptoms she was experiencing, she saw the writing on the wall: It was time to commit to her healing and health above all.

Links mentioned:

Tawnee’s (old-school) blog – tritawn.com

Ironman Lake Tahoe ’13 Race Report

Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

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On this episode of Ask The Coaches with Tawnee and Lucho, we have a special announcement for our fans and more.

Intro Banter

• Why Lucho doesn’t own a snow blower (yes, he was still under snow at time of this recording, in spring).
• The value of manual labor like shoveling your own snow.
• Lucho learns to snowboard… and also how he met and fell in love with his wife during an early-life era that involved skiing.
• Tawnee’s love for snowboarding.

End Of An Era

First, we announce the end of Endurance Planet, or, perhaps… a pause… for now. Tawnee shares her thoughts behind this difficult decision and what went into it. We also share our reflections as co-hosts of Ask The Coaches (and the multiple variations the show has had) for more than 13 years and what it’s meant to us. Stay tuned as Ask the Coaches #365 (the next show) will be our last and it’s a great show we have planned!

Also, the podcast episodes will still be up for our fans and audience to listen to and go back into the archives to re-listen to past shows or recommend them to people who you think may benefit.

If you have enjoyed this show, please leave us a positive review on the podcast app!

Also, on this episode we followup to our mental toughness question from the last show, ATC 363. We had a lot of great feedback, comments and thoughts from that episode so in this one we cover a couple questions/comments:

Anonymous Writes:

Is It Ego, Discipline or Mental Toughness That’s The Driving Force?

G’day Tawnee and Lucho,

Thanks for the great shows you guys put together. I loved the recent episode on mental toughness and have really appreciated Tawnee’s recent series on her life and eating disorder (note: OMM 15 was the first installment of this series for those interested). Thank you for being so open and vulnerable. One of my favourite shows was Lucho’s wrap up of his last Ironman. Amazing to hear both of you being so honest. On the mental toughness episode Lucho said pushing past pain was foolish but I seem to remember Lucho talking throughout ATC about running through plantar fasciitis pain and other niggles or injuries. Was this driven by ego or your need/want to race? Just wondering how you justified this at the time and if you’re opinion on it has changed. I agree that David Goggins probably shouldn’t have turned his knees into dust but there has to be some middle ground? I recently trained a lot of swimming and decided to see if i could do 25km in the pool, I’d only ever done 10km in the pool before this. About 7 hours into my 9.5 hour swim my shoulders started to hurt… I didn’t know it was possible for someone’s shoulders to feel like they did. I weighed it up and didn’t think i was doing permanent damage to my shoulders so kept going. Do you think this was my ego, discipline or  mental toughness ?

I don’t think i have a huge ego, I’ve never had any social media and usually keep goals/achievements just to my family but then again if i didn’t have an ego i wouldn’t have mentioned the swim above. Obviously i’d love to hear Lucho say “That’s awesome” or Tawnee say “Wow, that’s a great effort” I’ve completed a few ultra runs and have a couple of 100 mile runs completed in the “Last one standing” format. I often wonder what’s driving me, of course i like the challenge and i hope i can inspire my kids, and my niece and nephews but if i’m going to be honest it’s probably also about proving people wrong. I’ve got a significant vision impairment so sometimes i feel like i can’t do many things but i can do these endurance tests. Not sure if this is a long term fuel source and these feelings of insecurity probably have lead me to abusing alcohol in the past.

Anyway, just wanted to say I love these type of discussions from you two so please keep it up. Thanks again for the great shows, we really appreciate it.

What the Coaches say:

• Bringing vulnerability to this show and all the growth we can all gain from it.
• Why ego isn’t all evil and we can use it as an ally and channel it for good especially as athletes—something we discuss in detail with Jess Gumkowski in this episode.
• Context, nuance and experience when training or running through niggles. Ask: What do you have on the line? What’s the issue and how bad could it potentially get?
• Not pushing through something that you’re incapable of; still doing that which you’re capable of within your fitness realm.
• Seeking advice from professionals or experts.
• What Steve Magness suggests in his book.
• If a pursuit or goal is unfolding before you and looking unattainable, be willing to re-engage and modify for a new goal. Reassess and re-evaluate—that is mental toughness. Bring self-awareness to the situation.
• Revising goals on the fly.
• What are the thoughts, reasons, etc, that are driving behavior?
• Know your personal boundaries and limits.
• The only dumb workout is the one that gets you injured.
• Motivation from within vs seeking motivation from external factors. A healthy balance of ego vs internal factors not related to ego.
• David Goggins is in no way wrong but his approach may not be for everyone.
• For some of us, the mental toughness can be the ability to not do the “thing” and hold back to not overdo it.
• Embracing differences.
• So what was it for him? Depends on what was going through his mind at the time, i.e. his why… but, that said, probably a combo of ego and discipline.

Laura Writes:

Discipline vs. Mental Toughness From a Behavioral Analyst

I am Tawnee’s single mama with two kids who also stroller runs friend. I found the conversation on mental toughness very interesting and while I thought you both made good points, I wanted to give my perspective being a behavior analyst and studying behavior for over 20 years.  But first here is my conclusion from your conversation.

When you have a choice, it’s discipline, when you have no choice it’s mental toughness.

Here’s why.

Behavior is a product of its function meaning everything learned is for a reason. Simplified those reasons are either the behavior is  met with intrinsic reinforcement meaning it feels good to us OR its met with extrinsic reinforcement meaning it is socially validated. Additionally, there are setting events or what I call motivating operations involved in one’s decision to engage or not engage in a behavior. A motivating operation is a circumstance that either increases or decreases the effect of the reinforcer (satiation and deprivation).

When it comes to endurance events and training it is ALWAYS a choice. Each of my choices will result in either punishment or reinforcers both intrinsically and extrinsically. The environment that is existing at the time of my choice is purley a setting event that its going to increase or decrease the value of the reinforcer. If I have to go out and run 20 miles in the pouring rain (environment) and I do it (choice) I will be met with a high level of intrinsic reinforcement. If I do it and I do it faster than anticipated or I get a strava segment I now have extrinsic reinforcement piled on which is what creates runners high. I have made these choices because im disciplined and motivated by either positive reinforcement which is the addition of a stimulus that increase the future likelihood of behavior ( faster time, did something hard, strata segment) or negative reinforcement which is the removal of a stimulus which increase future behavior (escaping self doubt and self punishment for not doing the activity)

If its pouring down rain (envornment) and I dont run (choice) I could be met with punishment (negative self talk, negative coaching feedback) that will make me not skip a run in the future or reinforcement (nice cozy bed and sleep) which will make me likely to skip runs in the future. Its simply the choices we make based on environmental factors and the consequences of those choices. Im not taking away from the difficulties of the completing the choice but thats where discipline is different then mental toughness in my option.

Now, take away the watch, the data, the race, the coach, social validation, social media, all of it. you’re left if solely intrinsic motivation. This in itself can fuel behavior or choices for certain people but not all people. Again, discipline. there is always a choice. If I do it im great and feel good (positive reinforcement) if I dont do it and feel shitty about myself (negative reinforcement)

But what about when you have no choice and this concept expands far outside of endurance racing and training. You must engage in the behavior because you have to there is not choice. Things that may seem minimal like having to wake up 5 times a night every night for months to feed my son and doing it while also maintaining a household and working full time with no other help. Losing a family member and still showing up for the others, All the way to soldiers being forced to fight in war and coming home where they are required to function like a normal human being. All circumstances where we have no choice and the people that prevail, in my opinion demonstrate mental toughness.

To me, this is my experience with mental toughness verses discipline. In my past life, I was disciplined when I was trying o qualify for world championships. I did all the hard training, I did multiple workouts a day, I trained as hard as I could and guess what I qualified. That was also met with a lot of social validation and reinforcement. It filled my bucket. I was very disciplined and it paid off. In my current life, I have not slept more than 2.5 hours at a time for 9 weeks now, I still have to be a parent, go to work, cook all the meals, clean the house, do all the things. Im so sleep deprived that I dont think straight. But, I dont have a choice. doing all of this with a smile on face and in hindsight, loving every minute is mental toughness. I want to be angry in the middle of the night but I can’t. I want to lose patience but I can’t. I want to sleep until I wake up but I can’t. Mental toughness.

What the Coaches say:

• A fresh, concise, educational perspective on these terms.
• Empowering to better understand ourselves and how we tick and how we can thrive.
• Learning these things helps us gain better inner control and thus have the potential for better race outcomes with more self-awareness.
• No regrets, but reflecting back on what was possibly going through our minds during certain race experiences in the past and with what we know now how we could have done things differently, perhaps, using mental toughness and wisdom that we’ve gained through the years.
• Mistakes make us better coaches.

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

---

We are excited to welcome back Jess Gumkowski to the show, with a profoundly impactful conversation exploring what it is to live as an Awake Athlete. Jess is head yogi, wellness coach and podcaster over at YogiTriathelte along with her husband BJ, and has years of experience in endurance sports, meditation, yoga, teaching and much more. She authored the book, Awake Athlete: When Mastery Is Your Only Option, which was published in 2023 and is part memoir part guide through life, its struggles and its beauty.

On this episode, Tawnee and Jess take a deep dive on several related topics, though this does not make up or substitute the rich content found in her book.

Our Brain & Meditation

• Thoughts, and their relationship to the brain;
• Monkey mind
• Chimp vs professor brain (a la Dr. Simon Marshall)
• Limbic (instinctive), prefrontal cortex (conscious), and neocortex (unconscious) brain
• Why there’s no substitute for sitting in silence
• Walking meditations, etc, have their place but not the same as quiet, stillness in a sitting meditation
• Helpful tips for when you’re down on your pace, performance, training, etc
• Using MAF training as an example here
• Visualization and imagining the athlete you want to be
• Being present and at peace with what is

Ego Is Not the Enemy

• How to direct it from a small and limiting reality to assisting in positive change 
• Identity: ego and identity also go hand in hand, how to have a healthy approach to this
• Leverage your ego toward your performance goals and away from the pain and suffering and fear that ego and cause us
• Considering our identity as an athlete

Karma & Mistakes

• Fulfilling our personal karma, the good and the bad
• Everything is here to help you (also a book by Matt Kahn that is titled the same)
• Finding the lessons and gifts in EVERYTHING

Emoting and Feelings

• Clinging to joy
• Clinging to really anything and why this does not serve our wellbeing
• Things like nostalgia and the familiar make us feel good so we gravitate toward that
• Moving away from reactionary emotions, and toward more calm temperament
• The Ho’Oponopono prayer to make things right

And much more!

For Part 1 click here.

For part 2 click here.

For part 3 click here.

On this episode:

The years 2008-2010, when Tawnee stepped it up in the world of triathlon and endurance sports, chose a new career path in fitness & endurance coaching—which began with a grad school program—and more work. This, all while she was racing more frequently, longer distances and relentless training, plus involvement in the tri scene. In this phase she was very much past the worst of her eating disorder but still had demons of disordered eating, and a new slew of health issues involving gut, hormones, and more. She did what many 20-somethings do: burn the candle at all ends and “ignore” one’s true needs, and in this show she reflects on the intensity of her life at that time and also the many flaws in her mindset and approach back then.

Link for ATC show referenced.

Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

---

Lucho and Tawnee are back on for Ask the Coaches episode 363.

Anonymous asks:

Mental Toughness 101

How would you define toughness? (Admittedly, this is inspired by my recent start to reading Steve Magness’ book Do Hard Things).

What the coaches say:

Listen to OMM 17 in which Tawnee outlines how mental toughness can certainly be a great thing; however, it can also be tricky and certain types of toughness can even do more harm than good in certain cases like those with eating disorders who may also be “good athletes,” which is highlighted in a landmark study here.

We also reference Steve Magness’ new book Do Hard Things which has some amazing and refreshing insight on the topic of mental toughness, redefining what we’ve always thought toughness to be.

Tawnee also wrote an article on this topic way back in 2016, below are some quoted highlights from that piece, which intertwine with our answer on this show:

“Many experts and articles will tell you mental toughness is about going outside your comfort zone. I agree, and at some point I’ll recommend this for you, but it doesn’t always start with that act alone. Of course, doing those uncomfortable acts contribute to building a strong mind—no one will deny that—but, sorry, it doesn’t automatically mean you’re a mental badass. Mental toughness starts from within with self-confidence. Before you even do the physical acts that build mental strength, first you have to get real with yourself and take control of your mind. Don’t worry if you had it backwards. I did too.

“For as long as I can remember, I have always been a tough person starting when I was that little tomboy who kept up with the neighborhood boys when other girls wouldn’t even dare. Into adulthood, I’ve always been willing and able to do things that put me outside my comfort zone, whether toeing the line in a freezing cold triathlon, bombing down a black diamond on my snowboard or the scariest of all: public speaking. I may come across as very mentally tough because I’m able to push myself into these uncomfortable situations, but there’s another side to it—a side of me that ignored what mental toughness really meant for all too long.

“You see, outwardly I have always done ‘badass’ feats. But internally, I was living distressed for many years due to a faulty mindset. I lacked self-confidence and self-love, and never bothered to develop these things properly, instead choosing just to “be tough.” My exterior appeared tough indeed, but on the inside there was turmoil, anxiety and (irrational) fear. What you didn’t see were all those panic attacks I had and a life consumed by worrisome thoughts. Choosing to be tough on the outside doesn’t make these underlying issues just disappear. I put on façade to fool myself, and others. A life of going hard and “no pain no gain” was the easy part. But getting real with myself? Not so much. It took years.”

“Question 1: Do you feel reoccurring anxiety, worry and fear even over the smallest things?

“Eventually I realized worry, panicky feelings and fear had crept into my daily life and I’d be full of anxiety at the drop of a dime, no chance to react any differently because I didn’t know any differently. It led to many unhealthy habits and behaviors. Finally I realized my definition of mental toughness was missing a huge component: self-confidence and self-love. Truthfully, anyone can figure out how to race a marathon (or replace that with anything that makes you uncomfortable). But often, this is not the solution to our problems; rather, it’s an escape for what really needs to be addressed—our mindset and our relationship with ourselves.

“So while having the mental ability to go outside your comfort zone can be a very positive trait, it can also be used for ‘evil’ against yourself and doesn’t always get you closer to self-actualization and mental toughness.

“Question 2: Is it easier for you to push hard in a workout rather than sit down and get real with your emotions or personal issues?

“What about fear? Fear is tricky. On one hand, it’s totally ok to be afraid when you’re doing crazy things and admit your fears! Fear is a normal, healthy feeling, and nothing over which to be ashamed. Ask big wave surfers, for example. The best ones will fully admit they have fear, but they also have immense power over their minds and can channel that fear into focus, resiliency and respect for the situation allowing them to do the impossible. The fear response is there for our survival and can kick us into proper action. However, fear can become irrational and for those of us who lack a healthy relationship with fear we may mentally lose it in those pressing times. In other words, if we let our mind run amuck, it will. We have to learn to reel it in.

“Other things to ask yourself and consider in your healing and development of mental toughness:

“Question 3: Do you avoid uncomfortable situations?

“Question 4: Do you go outside your comfort zone but experience panic attacks or freeze in the process?

“Question 5: Have you ever allowed a behavior to continue chronically even though you know deep down it wasn’t the healthiest for you?

“Question 6: Have you ever lost control over an unhealthy habit and let it rule your life in some way and cloud your mental space? (i.e. food logging, overtraining?)

“There’s a difference between rational fear and irrational fear. Irrational fear can drive irrational thoughts and behavior. There are many manifestations. Some may avoid the uncomfortable situations all together and develop fear avoidance. Not me. Personally, my irrational fears were a motivating force that drove me to push myself very hard in a multitude of ways. I had an attitude of “no pain, no gain.” I’ve done “amazing” things but not necessarily with the healthiest mindset. I was not addressing nor solving some bigger underlying issues. I was just running from those things—literally and metaphorically. I’m sure many athletes can relate.

“Question 7: Do you exercise/train or do your sport for stress relief or to avoid a problem in your life?

“This “no pain no gain” ignores our true needs and puts our external image at the forefront (i.e. what we want others to see and perceive of us). In fact, “no pain no gain” is actually the epitome of mental weakness in my opinion because it is an example of succumbing to social stressors and following the “herd.” It’s our way to try and gain acceptance and prove to others we are tough. “No pain no gain” is a cop-out in my opinion and it doesn’t solve any problems; rather, it’s an easy way to run away from your issues without fully addressing them and just jump on a bandwagon. Eventually it all catches up to where you simply can’t push like that anymore. In my own case, ultimately I had to take a step back to work on me because I wasn’t being true nor kind to myself. Yes, there is some pain involved in that process, but it’s not defined by this “no pain no gain” mantra.

“Question 8: Do you post your workout stats (mileage, volume/time, intensity, etc.) on social media?

Maybe you’re like me: You think doing the act is enough to be mentally tough. I had not problem putting myself out there, and building an impressive resume of accomplishments. But on the inside? Anxiety, fear, worry all dominated. I’ve had my share of breakdowns where my mind just wasn’t strong enough to prevail: panic attacks, doubt and worry for days on end, or pushing myself so hard that it had a negative effect on my physical wellbeing and health. Mental toughness means knowing the right things to do for your own wellbeing, thus being “tough enough” to rest for example. Most athletes will relate: It’s easy to train day in and day out, it’s the rest days that are the hardest.

Question 9: Do you workout even when you’re physically exhausted and sore? If you have a coach, do you “fib” to show you’re more recovered than you really are?

“The point is: Our mental toughness starts with gaining control over our minds; it’s not defined by how hard we can push or how often we can go outside the comfort zone. Those latter variables are important, but if the foundation is lacking—control over our minds—the end goals won’t be actualized.

“I see many people who have the physical strength and talent to execute amazing feats but they’re a wreck on the inside. I empathize and am not bashing, but rather want to provide another solution. Instead of signing up for a 100-mile race as the answer, how about working on YOU first.

“I am certain that I never got to my potential in triathlon because I lacked proper mental toughness and confidence, and was often fueled by fear of failing (or what I perceived as failure) and what others would think of me. In the sports psych world, we talk about motivation and there are two main motivators: 1) motivation to succeed even at the risk of failure, aka the “need to achieve,” or 2) motivation to avoid failure, aka the “need to avoid failure,” with failure often defined by extrinsic variables. The former are more task-oriented and are motivated based on their own achievements, i.e. setting personal bests. The latter, on the other hand, usually related to ego-oriented people who measure success based on rankings and comparisons to others. It probably is not rocket science that the latter—the need to avoid failure—is what we want to avoid. If you’re motivated to beat someone else or to avoid failing, it will certainly result in disaster at some point, even if that means living in mental angst.

“Meanwhile, don’t feel like you’re either one or the other. You may have intrinsic and extrinsic motivations—I was motivated intrinsically and extrinsically. But for a long time I let the ego rule, and that kept me training in a state of fear because god forbid I lose my competitive edge in the field.

“Question 10: Do you consider your ranking and/or end result in a race or competition as main driving factor?

“Furthermore, this doesn’t have to just be about sport, it can be anything in your life. Another common example is body composition. Are you motivated intrinsically to build a health body no matter what that ends up looking like as long as you know you’re super healthy inside? Or are you motivated to build a body that can be categorized under this idea of aesthetic perfection—in other words, do you define your satisfaction with your body based on other “fit” bodies you see?

“Question 11: Have you ever restricted your eating to control the “shape” of your body?

“Question 12: Do you feel better about yourself the leaner or ‘more fit’ you are?

“I say screw society’s standards and be true to yourself. Build health not aesthetics. Same for sport: Build fitness appropriate to what’s right and healthy for you—whether that puts you in the front, middle or back of the pack.

“Use these questions above to be introspective about where you’re at and what you may need to nourish your well-being and true mental toughness!”

Lastly some definitions from the research:

You would think that mental toughness is pretty simple to define and figure out, but in reality it’s not. Even research shows that mental toughness is one of the most overused yet misunderstood elements in sport.

From researchers Graham Jones, Sheldon Hanton, and Declan Connaughton:

“Mental toughness is having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables mentally tough performers to:

• Generally, cope better than your opponents with the many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that sport places on a performer
• Specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, and in control under pressure.”

Jones et al., also researched the common personality traits among those who were considered mentally tough: 

12 traits that are found in those who are mentally tough:

1. Having an unshakable self-belief in your ability to achieve your competition goals.
2. Bouncing back from performance setbacks as a result of increased determination to succeed.
3. Having an unshakable self-belief that you possess unique qualities and abilities that make you better than your opponents.
4. Having an insatiable desire and internalized motives to succeed.
5. Thriving on the pressure of competition.
6. Accepting that competition anxiety is inevitable and knowing that you can cope with it.
7. Not being adversely affected by others’ good and bad performances.
8. Remaining fully focused in the face of personal life distractions.
9. Switching a sport focus on and off as required.
10. Remaining fully focused on the task at hand in the face of competition-specific distractions.
11. Pushing back the boundaries of physical and emotional pain, while still maintaining technique and effort under distress (in training and competition).
12. Regaining psychological control following unexpected, uncontrollable events.

Research by Clough, Earle and Sewell also simplified mental toughness into a model consisting of four categories denoting personality traits:

1. Confidence
2. Challenge
3. Control
4. Commitment

Additionally, Clough et al., created the following brief list of traits and behaviors associated with mental toughness (you will see overlap with the 12 traits listed above):

1. Persistence
2. Self-belief
3. Insatiable desire to succeed
4. Ability to remain focused
5. Pushes self to the limit
6. Handles pressure
7. Maintains emotional control
8. Involves self at all times
9. Influential among team

So, now think about yourself. Do you possess any, most or all of these traits listed above? Make a list of traits you already believe you have, and make a list of traits you desire to have!

The post ATC 363: Foundations of Mental Toughness: It Starts Within – Self-Awareness, Confidence, Boundaries and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.]]> https://enduranceplanet.com/atc-363/feed/ 0 Endurance Planet Inc. full 51:03 26953 admin@enduranceplanet.com (Endurance Planet Inc.)noLucho and Tawnee are back on for Ask the Coaches episode 363. Anonymous asks: Mental Toughness 101 How would you define toughness? (Admittedly, this is inspired by my recent start to reading Steve Magness’ book Do Hard Things). What the coaches say: Listen to OMM 17 in which Tawnee outlines how mental toughness can certainly be […] The post ATC 363: Foundations of Mental Toughness: It Starts Within – Self-Awareness, Confidence, Boundaries and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.Lucho and Tawnee are back on for Ask the Coaches episode 363. Anonymous asks: Mental Toughness 101 How would you define toughness? (Admittedly, this is inspired by my recent start to reading Steve Magness’ book Do Hard Things). What the coaches say: Listen to OMM 17 in which Tawnee outlines how mental toughness can certainly be […] The post ATC 363: Foundations of Mental Toughness: It Starts Within – Self-Awareness, Confidence, Boundaries and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.triathlon,cycling,running,endurance,triathlete,trail,running,adventure,racing,ultra,marathon,marathon,tawnee,prazak,nutrition,health,wellness,outdoor,sports,ironman,swimming,diet,supplements https://enduranceplanet.com/omm-17-the-autobiography-series-part-3/ https://enduranceplanet.com/omm-17-the-autobiography-series-part-3/#respond Fri, 01 Mar 2024 14:00:27 +0000 https://enduranceplanet.com/?p=26949 The third installment with host Tawnee Gibson sharing her life story starting with her eating disorder and entry into endurance sport. For Part 1 click here. For part 2 click here. On this episode: Tawnee recaps the years of ED recovery and finding and falling in love with triathlon, which ended up being very healing […]

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

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Welcome to episode 39 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, a holistic health & endurance coach, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach and personal trainer, who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.

There is so much goodness in this episode that we’ve decided to split it into two parts, today is part 2 (you can listen to part 1 here):

Lifestyle Medicine & the Roots of Wellness 

Part 4: #8-10

First, a refresher (listen to these first is you haven’t already!):

• HPN 36 – Intro + #1-3
• HPN 37 -The Research + #4
• HPN 38 – Continuing with #5-7

Overall, our Top 10 Pillars are:

1. Emotional health & self-awareness
2. Resilience to stress
3. Community
4. Nourishing nutrition
5. Physical movement
6. Connection to nature
7. Sleep, sun and circadian rhythm
8. Spiritual connection
9. Enjoyment / play
10. Environment

Now, we are wrapping it up with the last few…

7. Sleep, sun and circadian rhythm

• Life is flat without this! Ties into the previous two (movement, outside/nature/sunshine)
• Circadian rhythm is not just sleep, it’s a 24-hr internal clock
• Regulates many bodily functions – hormonal secretions, metabolic function, immune system, etc.
• Start here:
  • SUN! Morning light and UVA/UVB light!
  • Sunlight in eyes (outside not thru window which blocks certain wavelengths) in the morning upon waking helps CAR (cortisol awakening response) and this is the healthy balanced kind of cortisol we want in the morning to set us up for success; I recommend to all my clients esp those with adrenal fatigue/HPA axis issues​​
  • CAR is the swift elevation in cortisol level upon the first hour of waking. The CAR is integral in regulating circadian rhythms, as well as improving adrenal fatigue more quickly. Get outside shortly after waking up and expose yourself to the sun—even when cloudy or in the winter time. Even an overcast day will stimulate your body with the intended effect. For circadian rhythm, this morning sun helps set a timer in a way to help melatonin production later on for best sleep
  • UVA rise, about an hour after sunrise and lasts 60-90min; has similar benefits
    • Specifically when sun is 10-30deg above horizon
    • Can help set up our skin for better protection against sun burning and damage… in other words, we can allow skin to adapt with proper sun exposure at the right times!
    • Some people call this ability to better tolerate sun a “Solar callus” but medical fields do not recognize this term as something valid and some doctors will just say it’s made up Spring is coming, and after that summer…. I’d at lesat s=consider this concept if you plan to be in the harsh sun in peak summer hours this year, and see if building up your tolerance helps. Tawnee says, “I wouldn’t avoid sun! Just do it right, don’t go from 0 to 100!”
  • UVB
    • Get this during peak daytime hours
    • Bright light is great, but not night! Not after sunset! Especially not after 10pm… and not at 3am lol…
  • Circadian app helps detail these things specific to your location.
  • It’s funny because we’ve been taught to villainize the sun and exposure to it… but, should we question this?
  • Really cool podcast on more of this subject: Still Sick? The Sun Can Help
• Then nighttime and sleep itself:
  • Beating a dead horse, so this time I want to read these stats from IFM: https://discover.ifm.org/sleep
  • Set up the sleep hygiene routine almost nightly.
  • Obsessed with lighting in our house, one of the first things I did at new home was change bulbs and set up red lights and dim lights for evening and night.
  • And if I do wake up in the middle of the night (this happened a few times right before we moved!) I NEVER EVER look at my phone, that is the death of me and chances of going back to sleep
  • AVOID UVB/Light exposure at night (between 10pm-4am) which will wake you up even more, suppress melatonin and suppresses dopamine and can affect everything from mood to blood sugar
    • Eg don’t check what time it is, read or scroll… instead check your breath and focus on getting back to sleep
• 3 more factors for good sleep:
  • Go for a walk after dinner
  • Have a consistent wake-up time to regulate sleep cycle naturally because we tend to use the same amount of energy throughout the day
  • Waking up to pee?
    • Drink sufficiently during the daytime, 8oz every hour for the first 10 hours of the day
    • Reduce fluid intake at night (5-8oz between 10 hours after waking and bedtime unless super thirsty)
    • Sip don’t gulp your final beverage of the evening. The speed in which you ingest fluid, and not just the total amount, helps dictate the urination response

8. Spiritual connection (religion or non-religious)

• Not here to tell you what the specifics of this should be just here to say it’s important factor in our health, and to follow what feels right in your life and needs.
• “Functional medicine recognizes the importance of the mental-emotional-spiritual connection to physical health and addresses these concerns as a core clinical imbalance of the functional medicine matrix. Through empathetic listening and retelling of a patient’s health story and recommending ways they might reconnect to their own purpose in life, addressing spiritual needs can strengthen the therapeutic partnership and open up new avenues of healing for the patient.” – IFM
• Tawnee and Julie share personal stories of where they are each at in their spiritual journeys and the role in their lives, very two different POVs.

9. Enjoyment / play

• At least an hour of unstructured, non-competitive, no-risk play
• Recreational sport, playing with kids, riding bikes to get ice cream, shuffleboard at a dive bar, doing a happy dance, climbing a tree, acting like a carefree kid, pickleball, waterparks… it doesn’t matter!
• “Joyful”  – Play is a facet of Joy.

10. Environment

• Are you surrounded by toxic energy (people or otherwise?), where do you spend most your time and what is this place/ are these places like?
• Take an energy audit, did that person or place leave you feeling energized or depleted? And is that a pattern?
• There are a lot of human performance experts right now talking about how the only thing in life we can control is where we put our Attention. Feel like that could tie in to this one. Where is our attention going? And to whom?
• Build your community as we talked about in episode HPN 36.

For Part 1 click here.

In part 2 she tells the story of when her eating disorder continued into 2004-05 and the dark times that surrounded her struggle, all while trying to appear “normal” to the outside world. She was able to heal and break free from the worst of it but it was a long road still ahead. meanwhile, the seeds of entering endurance sports were being planted and a new passion was springing. One that would bring further healing, but also further dysfunction.

Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-66342-w

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11427289/

Intro Banter

• Talking strength training
• Tawnee’s go to set: SL RDLs, KB windmills, Turkish Get-ups (TGU), Pullup bar (dead hangs + pull-ups)
• KB windmills are a bit tricky to get form right and do them safely, good tutorial here.

Questions

Recovery 101:

• We talk about our favorite underrated physical recovery tool(s)/strategies that more athletes can easily take advantage of.
• Scraping
• Gua Sha (side benefit as a beauty tool)
• Rest days
• 10-Day training week to allow for more rest days

AM vs PM Workouts:

• Is doing a hard interval workout at 6am equal in effectiveness to the same hard interval workout done at 6pm?  In other words, does the time of day affect the usefulness of any workout?
• At the end of the day, workout when you can make it happen and be consistent.
• From there we outline the pros and cons of morning vs evening training, many things to consider.
  • Chronotypes
  • Why Tawnee broke up with early morning workouts.
  • A case for working out when you feel sluggish and most tired.
• Research shows we should avoid strength work that includes significant spinal flexion in the first hour upon waking (eg no good mornings right away in the morning)
  • Study: “Spinal posture and prior loading history modulate compressive strength and type of failure in the spine: a biomechanical study using a porcine cervical spine model.”
  • “The spine may be more prone to injury early in the morning when the discs are at their greatest level of hydration and/or when they are in a fully flexed posture.”
  • Dr. Stuart McGill is the expert on this.
• Meanwhile, we may be able to perform our best in short-duration, high-intensity efforts in the evening (think track).
  • Study: “Time-of-Day Effects on Short-Duration Maximal Exercise Performance.”
  • “Short duration maximal exercise performance is affected by the time of day, peaking between 16:00 and 20:00 h. However, a similar performance may be achieved in the morning hours if exercise is conducted after: (1) short exposures to moderately warm and humid environments; (2) active warm-up protocols; (3) intermittent fasting conditions; (4) warming-up while listening to music; (5) prolonged periods of training at a specific time of day. This suggests that time-of-day dependent fluctuations in short-duration maximal exercise performance are controlled not only by body temperature, hormone levels, motivation or mood states but also by a versatile circadian system within skeletal muscle.”

Getting Back To It After Significant Illness & Antibiotic Setback:

Anonymous asks: You guys gave me the best advice this summer while I was training for 70.3- thanks so much!!!! I am switching from racing 70.3 to doing the chicago marathon in October and need to build a base after being pretty sick. I have had 6 (absolutely necessary) rounds of antibiotics in the last 6 months (4 in the last 2 months) and am a bit of a mess. 1.)in July- 2 antibiotics for UTIs due to training in the local reservoir  (stay out of the Boulder Rez, kids) 2) nov 22- Dec 30- 4 rounds of antibiotics to kill two strains of E. coli and Giardia that I picked up on a trip to Morocco late September. The Giardia started “eating “ my muscles and I lost a lot of strength and speed, couldn’t complete even a 2 mile run less than 2 months after finishing Ironman 70.3, and couldn’t stay awake during the day.  It was no fun. My body has been pretty effed up with all that it’s been through and I don’t take antibiotics lightly. Don’t worry Tawnee- I am very religious in getting in lots of  prebiotics and probiotics

I am looking for  a gentle way to start to build a base with the goal of hitting it hard in May! I struggle to stay in Z2 when running (even pre-infections), often completing long runs at 150-160 bpm (but can totally sustain z2 on bike rides). I know that I would benefit from building a better aerobic base. I started MAF, but it is not a good match for me right now, as doing it on the treadmill at such a low MAF heart rate due to illness (128 -138 with the 10 extra bpm Lucho says we can have) is leading me to recreate a gait associated with an injury, which I worked for over a year to retrain. I felt  acute pain in the injury area and radiating up my back on each run. My pace was 12:13. I don’t want to write MAF off and am interested in doing a block of MAF  in march/ april when I can run outside and have more control over the mechanics of transitioning between walk to run, which is part of the issue on the treadmill. I’m not a non-believer!

In the interim, any ideas of ways to build more of a Zone 2? Right now I have worked back up to 13 miles a week, which is low, I know. Last week I completed 5 miles at 11:07 pace. Before Giardia etc , I was very comfortable at 8:30 pace, so it’s a hard pill to swallow but this pace is pain free and it’s where my body is! My heart rate starts in 120s and ends at high 150s over the 5 miles, with the average being 145 bpm. I plan to work on durability too, but am holding off to decrease stress on my system (is this right?). This whole approach is hard because I like intensity- Lucho said I was a neurotype 2 when answering another question for me! And I’m definitely judging myself for this loss of fitness.

What the coaches says:

• Don’t do the marathon this year, this was a significant setback for you. Let your body heal and once training naturally improves then start building momentum. Right now body still showing major red flags of recent issues, thus, not ready.
• If it’s hard to let go of a race, why is that? If this is trouble, often that’s a sign that we need to focus our efforts on this: why do we “need” a race on the calendar; why do we need a race to feel a certain way? Ideally, this should not be the case.
• Antibiotics – not just about loading up on probiotics but also addressing issues like biofilms, lifestyle, etc.

In part 1 she tells the story of when her eating disorder began in 2003—the final trigger that was the catalyst to a disordered mindset—along with introspection into her younger years that influenced the development of an ED, the development of exercise addiction and more.

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

---

Welcome to episode 39 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, a holistic health & endurance coach, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach and personal trainer, who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.

There is so much goodness in this episode that we’ve decided to split it into two parts, today is part 1:

Jaclyn says:

HPN 38 // Follow-Up Comment on Bone-Density Factors

I’ve been a listener since I was a college track and cross country athlete in 2016. I would listen while working a cleaning job on the weekends haha. I am now a physical therapist and first time mom and continue to love your content. I especially love the balance between family, long term health, and athletic goals. 

Anyways I am writing in follow up to HPN episode 38. I am in complete agreement with all of your recommendations and appreciate the well rounded response you provided. However I wanted to share a resource that has dramatically impacted how I think of and treat bone injuries and bone density. The podcasts and articles are specific to bone injuries but I had never had the science of how bone works explained to me like this. It brought a lot of clarity on why do runners often have issues with bone density and bone injuries when running is weight bearing (obviously energy deficiencies and overtraining play a role in many cases but I have also worked with individuals where these aren’t major factors). The variability of stimulus on the bone seems to be a missing piece in a lot of bone density/injury recovery plans. 

The paper that outlines this:

Optimal Load for Managing Low-Risk Tibial and Metatarsal Bone Stress Injuries in Runners: The Science Behind the Clinical Reasoning

Par asks:

Timing of Supplements (Food, No Food, Combos and Circadian Rhythm)

Regarding supplements, such as Omega 3 fish oil, vitamine D and the usual suspects. Is there any way that is better or worse in how you take them during the day? And I´m not referring to sticking them up your butthole. Are you supposed to spread them out, take all at once, is there a common supplement that has to be taken alone or together with something?

What the coaches say:

• Supplement protocols can get very intricate and involved. Depending on the season you’re in this can be beneficial but in other times it can be too much to manage and stressful. So in this answer we’re just going to address some of the more common supplements that people are more likely to take regularly and ongoing: 
• We buy most our supplements on Fullscript, shop through EP for a discount here!
• Easy rule of thumb: 
  • Fat soluble = with food (and together). This includes A/D/E/K/Fish Oil (or Rosita Cod Liver Oil)
  • Spread out other supplements. Ends up being:
    • Fat soluble AM
    • Vitamin Bs, C, etc at lunch;
      • Bs, C are water soluble but may cause upset tummy, so might be good to take around a meal (we usually do after lunch)
    • Magnesium before bed, perhaps your probiotic, etc.
      • Other forms of Mg may be taken at different times of day depending on form and its benefit.
    • Overall, spreading supplements at certain intervals throughout so we don’t give the body too much to process at once and help with absorption. 
• Tawnee says, “We typically do our fat-soluble vitamins in the morning with/after breakfast eg CLO or fish oil/A/D, we have pretty high-fat meals so that fits great, and gets it done with for the day. But also with the potential of Vit D to influence circadian rhythm it makes sense to do in the AM. Though sometimes we don’t take till lunch. Then, as we coffee, if we haven’t taken these vitamins by lunch time or around 12-1pm, I’ll usually skip them for that day.”
• Fish Oil
  • Take with food, preferably at least 1 tsp worth of fat in the meal to maximize absorption, and preferably with or after your meal (not right before on empty stomach).
  • Or try Rosita Cod Liver Oil (simplifying the number of supplements you take and food-first)!
• Vitamin D
  • Take with a meal (fat). All fat soluble vitamins (ADEK) should be taken with fat. 
  • Vit. D is better absorbed with Magnesium, Vit K, and calcium. So can take it alongside some yogurt.
  • Some evidence that taking Vit D in morning is beneficial for circadian rhythm and subsequently for better sleep, whereas taking before bed can interfere with quality of sleep.
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32156230/
    • “Vitamin D has both a direct and an indirect role in the regulation of sleep.”
    • “Vitamin D is also involved in the pathways of production of Melatonin, the hormone involved in the regulation of human circadian rhythms and sleep.”
  • Consider that if you get adequate sun exposure to keep up Vitamin D levels (and labs reflect that) them maybe you don’t know to be supplementing so much with it, even in winter, as we can store it up in summer season, etc.
• Vitamin A
  • Generally take with D and/or your fat solubles or get from CLO, beef liver, etc.
  • Rosita Cod Liver Oil can be a natural alternative for fish oil, D, A – Tawnee’s family doing more of this as of recently and less reliance on synthetic forms of D, A, etc.
• Iron
  • Better absorbed when paired with vitamin C and an hour away from caffeine or calcium.
• Magnesium
  • Take 1-2 hours apart from any supplement containing iron, zinc, folate or fiber.
  • Mg glycinate and some other forms of Mg best before bed for calming effect and sleep help.
  • But know your form of Mg and its role!
    • Eg, Smidge Morning Mag is something we have and it has 3 different forms (orotate, taurinate and malate with boron) that are good for taking in the morning (hence the name) as well as for heart and cardiovascular benefits;
    • Designs for Health NeuroMag, with Magnesium L-threonate, can be taken daytime for cognitive benefits;
    • or even LMNT has Mg malate for electrolytes, which most people probably take during the day.
  • Still loving Crucial Four MagBicarb in the mix but also sticking with tried and true forms like Mg glycinate.
• Multi-Vitamin or Prenatal
  • Take with food to prevent GI upset and optimal absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins.
  • Some can be energizing so might be best to take earlier in the day.
• Creatine
  • Take any time of day, but I like a little before and a little after a workout.
    
    

Lifestyle Medicine & the Roots of Wellness 

Part 4: #8-10

First, a refresher (listen to these first is you haven’t already!):

• HPN 36 – Intro + #1-3
• HPN 37 -The Research + #4
• HPN 38 – Continuing with #5-7

Overall, our Top 10 Pillars are:

1. Emotional health & self-awareness
2. Resilience to stress
3. Community
4. Nourishing nutrition
5. Physical movement
6. Connection to nature
7. Sleep, sun and circadian rhythm
8. Spiritual connection
9. Enjoyment / play
10. Environment

Wrapping it up with the last few…

7. Sleep, sun and circadian rhythm

• Life is flat without this! Ties into the previous two (movement, outside/nature/sunshine)
• Circadian rhythm is not just sleep, it’s a 24-hr internal clock
• Regulates many bodily functions – hormonal secretions, metabolic function, immune system, etc.
• Start here:
  • SUN! Morning light and UVA/UVB light!
  • Sunlight in eyes (outside not thru window which blocks certain wavelengths) in the morning upon waking helps CAR (cortisol awakening response) and this is the healthy balanced kind of cortisol we want in the morning to set us up for success; I recommend to all my clients esp those with adrenal fatigue/HPA axis issues​​
  • CAR is the swift elevation in cortisol level upon the first hour of waking. The CAR is integral in regulating circadian rhythms, as well as improving adrenal fatigue more quickly. Get outside shortly after waking up and expose yourself to the sun—even when cloudy or in the winter time. Even an overcast day will stimulate your body with the intended effect. For circadian rhythm, this morning sun helps set a timer in a way to help melatonin production later on for best sleep
  • UVA rise, about an hour after sunrise and lasts 60-90min; has similar benefits
    • Specifically when sun is 10-30deg above horizon
    • Can help set up our skin for better protection against sun burning and damage… in other words, we can allow skin to adapt with proper sun exposure at the right times!
    • Some people call this ability to better tolerate sun a “Solar callus” but medical fields do not recognize this term as something valid and some doctors will just say it’s made up Spring is coming, and after that summer…. I’d at lesat s=consider this concept if you plan to be in the harsh sun in peak summer hours this year, and see if building up your tolerance helps. Tawnee says, “I wouldn’t avoid sun! Just do it right, don’t go from 0 to 100!”
  • UVB
    • Get this during peak daytime hours
    • Bright light is great, but not night! Not after sunset! Especially not after 10pm… and not at 3am lol…
  • Circadian app helps detail these things specific to your location.
  • It’s funny because we’ve been taught to villainize the sun and exposure to it… but, should we question this?
  • Really cool podcast on more of this subject: Still Sick? The Sun Can Help
• Then nighttime and sleep itself:
  • Beating a dead horse, so this time I want to read these stats from IFM: https://discover.ifm.org/sleep
  • Set up the sleep hygiene routine almost nightly.
  • Obsessed with lighting in our house, one of the first things I did at new home was change bulbs and set up red lights and dim lights for evening and night.
  • And if I do wake up in the middle of the night (this happened a few times right before we moved!) I NEVER EVER look at my phone, that is the death of me and chances of going back to sleep
  • AVOID UVB/Light exposure at night (between 10pm-4am) which will wake you up even more, suppress melatonin and suppresses dopamine and can affect everything from mood to blood sugar
    • Eg don’t check what time it is, read or scroll… instead check your breath and focus on getting back to sleep
• 3 more factors for good sleep:
  • Go for a walk after dinner
  • Have a consistent wake-up time to regulate sleep cycle naturally because we tend to use the same amount of energy throughout the day
  • Waking up to pee?
    • Drink sufficiently during the daytime, 8oz every hour for the first 10 hours of the day
    • Reduce fluid intake at night (5-8oz between 10 hours after waking and bedtime unless super thirsty)
    • Sip don’t gulp your final beverage of the evening. The speed in which you ingest fluid, and not just the total amount, helps dictate the urination response

8. Spiritual connection (religion or non-religious)

• Not here to tell you what the specifics of this should be just here to say it’s important factor in our health, and to follow what feels right in your life and needs.
• “Functional medicine recognizes the importance of the mental-emotional-spiritual connection to physical health and addresses these concerns as a core clinical imbalance of the functional medicine matrix. Through empathetic listening and retelling of a patient’s health story and recommending ways they might reconnect to their own purpose in life, addressing spiritual needs can strengthen the therapeutic partnership and open up new avenues of healing for the patient.” – IFM
• Tawnee and Julie share personal stories of where they are each at in their spiritual journeys and the role in their lives, very two different POVs.

9. Enjoyment / play

• At least an hour of unstructured, non-competitive, no-risk play
• Recreational sport, playing with kids, riding bikes to get ice cream, shuffleboard at a dive bar, doing a happy dance, climbing a tree, acting like a carefree kid, pickleball, waterparks… it doesn’t matter!
• “Joyful”  – Play is a facet of Joy.

10. Environment

• Are you surrounded by toxic energy (people or otherwise?), where do you spend most your time and what is this place/ are these places like?
• Take an energy audit, did that person or place leave you feeling energized or depleted? And is that a pattern?
• There are a lot of human performance experts right now talking about how the only thing in life we can control is where we put our Attention. Feel like that could tie in to this one. Where is our attention going? And to whom?
• Build your community as we talked about in episode HPN 36.

Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

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In this episode, Lucho and Tawnee go into detail about coach-athlete relationships based on their more than three decades of combined experience.

• Getting the most from a coach-athlete relationship.
• We describe how we do it in our own personal coaching practices and what we have found that works, including a good rhythm, communication, expectations, needs, goals, and so on.
• Long-term athletes–what it is like to coach someone for 14-19 years (we each have had athletes for that long!) and how this relationship between coach and athlete evolves over time.
• Short-term athletes—when someone comes to you with specific goals and a shorter-duration relationship.
• When athletes take downtime for an extended period without specific goals, and how coaching evolves during those times.
• How we as coaches have changed, inevitably, over time and how this affects our athletes (hopefully for the better).
• And many more personal stories from two long-time endurance coaches!

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

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We are joined by Caila Yates, a sports dietitian based in Boulder, CO, primarily working with endurance athletes. She has a dual speciality in sports training as well as eating disorders. She has clinical experience working with patients with eating disorders and has a deep understanding of behaviors, disordered patterns, recovery and much more as it relates to eating disorders, especially in sport. In her practice, Caila helps athletes understand their nutrition needs in every season so that they can show up to every practice or race and put their best foot forward. You can find out more about Caila and her services at steadystatenutrition.co, and give her a follow on IG @steadystatenutrition.

On this episode we cover:

-When Cailia reached out to EP she wrote to me that “I have seen countless athletes and coaches look the other way when it comes to underfueling”…. yet … “There is a disproportionate rate of disordered eating among the endurance athlete population.” And I agree. Let’s just start about here and bringing awareness to something so important and so missed in this space. Why do you think this is? I know I have my ideas and I don’t think it’s malicious intent by coaches or athletes, but I’d love to hear your take…

-Let’s talk about your story, what got you into endurance sports… sports dietician… clinical work with EDs and treatment? What led you down that path? Any personal history of those issues or related? 

-What’s your focus in endurance sports and training?

-Before we get into our 2 main topics, let’s very briefly discuss:

1. Define RED-S and why this is now the term to use over female athlete triad
2. How one can identify RED-S symptoms in themselves or others (missed period is just one…)
3. Debunking common myths around RED-S- what are the myths?

-We’ve talked a lot about RED-S amenorrhea HPA axis dysfunction Eds you name it… so today we’re going to revisit that overarching topic but focus on a couple issues that we have NOT covered in detail before:

1.  How to avoid a relapse in disordered eating during an injury

• We’ve talked loads about understanding this condition and steps to healing… but then there’s a whole life after that! Let’s discuss…
• As we know, an injury that takes one out of their sport can be a triggering and devastating event.  As an RD, I tend to see an unfortunate, yet common, pattern when athletes who have a history of disordered eating or an ED get injured.  Hint:  it involves a relapse in DE/ED behaviors.  Many athletes believe that because they are sidelined, they don’t need to (or worse, don’t deserve to) fuel themselves.  This leads to underfueling or restriction, therefore prolonging the healing process.  In order to inform listeners and debunk this myth, I’d love to touch on the following topics during this episode:
  • Energy needs during an injury (Hint: they can be up to 50% higher than baseline needs!)
  • Macro and micronutrients needed to heal injuries, and HOW they work to rebuild muscle/bone
  • Reframing the DE/ED driven thoughts that can lead to restrictive behaviors
  • Preventing future injuries using nutrition interventions
  • AND: 
  • I’d like to add, once training and injury-free again how do we avoid the mindset of using exercise/energy expenditure to justify eating. In other words, how do we shake this cycle that some of us have become so prone and addicted to? 
    • (I personally feel like I have been able to achieve 100% recovery with ED/Disordered eating patterns around exercise/training but I know not everyone believes this is possible, what’s your take on this Caila?)

2.  Using athlete plates to eat intuitively while training

• For those who have a history of an eating disorder or disordered eating, counting macros and tracking intake may not be the best strategy, as it can lead to a hyper-fixation on food while disregarding hunger/fullness cues and cravings.  It is possible to eat intuitively while still getting the nutrients necessary to fuel performance.  Enter:  Athlete Plates is a tool that focuses on the proportion of macronutrients on your plate rather than the grams of this or that that you are eating.  For athletes who are looking for a structured solution to fueling without counting macros, we will focus on the following topics related to Athlete Plates:
  • What are the three types of Athlete Plates, and when should you be using each type?
  • The Athlete Plate link mentioned in our discussion: https://swell.uccs.edu/sites/g/files/kjihxj2576/files/2020-10/hard_%20plate_red_sept15-2017.pdf
  • Tips and tricks for listening to hunger/fullness cues
  • How to integrate things you’re craving into Athlete Plates, and how these things can actually fuel performance
  • What does the research say about the effectiveness of Athlete Plates in training?
  • How to build an Athlete Plate anywhere you go (i.e. traveling for a race)
  • AND: 
  • How long do you like to use this + when to wean off Athletes Plates, eg when does one know if and trust if they are ready to fuel appropriately on their own? Following this forever doesn’t seem like a healthy solution but the timeline may vary?
  • Any other food tracking tools or point in the healing journey in which tracking can help someone? ie further down the road of recovery is it worth doing a day or two of tracking to see if things are lining up in terms of energy balance or let the results speak for themselves? Again, I have my opinion here but love to hear your take!

-Also let’s circle back, if we DO see traits, behaviors, signs and symptoms of RED-S in a friend, fellow athlete, teammate, etc… how do we go about helping this person? What’s the right approach that allows for a gentle conversation to begin rather than driving someone away…

Ready for RAGNAR?! The Endurance Planet team(s) will race at Ragnar New England 2024, will you join and run with us?! It’ll be May 17-18, 2024, on the East Coast, email us at events@enduranceplanet.com for details and to join the team for an unforgettable experience!

Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

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Brad Kearns of the B.Rad podcast is back on Endurance Planet for an unforgettable show!

Peluva Shoes – Unique Minimalist Footwear

• Tawnee and Brad catch up on the new minimalaist/barefoot footwear brand, Peluva, which was founded by friend and colleauge Mark Sisson.
• We share how Peluva is unique compared to other minimalist/barefoot shoe brands.
• Biomechanics of running, footwear and why minimalist shoes do us a lot of good.
• How to incorporate minimalist footwear beyond running, as some athletes may not do optimally with minimalist footwear in all of their running and athletic endeavors but you can still get the benefits of it elsewhere and we share how!

Fasting, Fueling, And Changing Our Minds and Approach

• Tawnee and Brad also talk about openness to changing one’s mind to best meet nutritional needs, specifically, as it pertains to diet and fueling practices.
• Brad was once a proponent of fasting particularly in the morning (skipping breakfast) but now at 58 years young he’s shifted his routine and makes it a priority to fuel his body first thing.
• It’s still and always about prioritizing nutrient-dense whole foods–and it’s not just steak and eggs, this includes honey, fruit, dairy, etc.
• How this has only helped his fitness goals and stress balance, and has not hurt him nor his metabolic health/body comp now many months into it.
• We both agree that fasting may be good for some folks depending on your season of life and metabolic/health needs, but for very active, high energy-burning athletes and individuals you may want to think twice about skipping meals and opt for that meal instead.
• Tawnee elaborates further on the topic and explain when and why she quit fasting or low carb/keto breakfasts and how eating well and avoiding within-day deficits has helped her globally in all the things,.
• Why this is particularly important for female athletes who may be experiencing or recovering from RED-S or any hormonal and energy imbalance health issue.

On this show we talk about:

• Ragnar New England 2024 is on! It’ll be May 17-18, 2024, on the East Coast, email us at events@enduranceplanet.com for details and to join the team for an unforgettable experience!
• Followup thoughts on recent episodes.
• Tawnee’s goals and intentions with this podcast: to inspire, uplift, encourage, bring together, and elevate in the name of health, wellness and fitness!
• Marketing tactics that cloud our mindset into thinking we need things when we may not actually need them.
  • Case in point: Nike’s new baby shoes marketed toward “helping babies learn how to walk” and “promoting natural foot development” but in reality we don’t need shoes for all that, just our two feet and natural abilities! Of course these shoes are ok—better than mot baby shoes being that they are a minimalist barefoot style—but don’t be duped into thinking we need to buy something to replace what nature and our bodies are intended to do! Use shoes sparingly on babies and children!
  • We like Vivobarefoot shoes for babies and kids but of course this can get pricey so ways to help with that: buy on sale, look for used, add to gift wishlists, etc…

Welcome back to episode number 359 of Ask the Coaches with Tawnee Gibson and Lucho.

On this episode:

Followup on ATC 358 —minimalist footwear (MF) talk:

• Lucho’s anecdotes of maximalist vs more minimalist shoes, and when he has used more minimalist when his knee is flaring up.
• MF is really promising for those with knee issues more than any other injury issue, from what the research indicates…
• Correlation between ankles and knee/glute wellness… Reduced ankle mobility/ROM correlates with reduced glute activation and knee issues (knee valgus, compensation, etc). So even though we mentioned that the MF requires more from the ankle (e.g. greater dorsiflexion and plantarflexion; higher loading at metatarsal and ankle joints), in the long run it seems like this is an adaptation worth making for one’s overall biomechanical wellness and injury resilience.
• On the flip side, a personal story from Tawnee: Postpartum with Emoree, I jumped into minimalist shoes and rough terrain (freezing temps/snow/ice) too fast and briefly suffered “stiff toe” or functional hallux limitus. Had to work on mobility in big toe joint, trigger point and massage for post tib, etc… given that, perhaps she should have used more cushioned shoes or avoided snow/ice in her running comeback? Probably… so it goes both ways!

Winter Mojo: Our Winter Routines

• Lucho and Tawnee share wisdom on mindset and routines that help us during the winter/dark/cold season.
• in HPN 34, Julie and Tawnee did a episode on ‘Holistic Winter Prep’ including use of sauna, red light therapy, hydration needs and protein needs.
• Also what Tawnee will be adding to her winter routine this season:
  • Better lighting within the home to help with both winter blues and circadian rhythm, using a full-spectrum light bulb.
  • Self-care and “me time”—during summer this comes as solo long runs or personal time in nature, but that is limited in this season and as a busy working mom she needs those moments where she puts herself and self-care first, in order to thrive for everyone else she helps!

ATC 357: Non-Toxic Insanity, How to Keep Your Cool and Healthy Balance + Budget Around Clean Living

OMM 11: Navigating ‘Non-toxic’ Part 1

Everything on our list can be found (ongoing, forever) at enduranceplanet.com/shop/products, and everything we’ve included are brands and products we own and use in our home and for our family. It will be an evolving list and it’s certainly not exhaustive, these are just some examples and things we have come to use and like. Check back for deals and shop through us to support the show! Some affiliate links included.

Cleaning Products

• All-purpose sprays; multi-surface:
  • Branch Basics
  • Thieves
  • Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar
  • Meliora
  • Glass spray bottles for mixing concentrate cleaning solution with distilled water
  • Dirty jobs: Seventh generation disinfecting spray but trying to get away from this and mostly trusting we don’t need to always sanitize and disinfect!
• Clothing & washer/dryer:
  • Molly’s Suds 
  • Molly’s Suds stain remover 
  • Distilled white vinegar
  • Baking Soda
  • Biokleen Oxy Bleach Plus
  • Branch Basics Oxygen Boost
  • Biokleen Bac-Out stain and odor remover—for very dirty stinky jobs only
• Cleaning washer:
  • Washing Soda
  • Borax
  • Baking Soda
  • Branch Basics Oxygen Boost 
• Dishes/kitchen:
  • Planet
  • Ecover zero
  • Molly’s Suds
  • Biokleen dish powder
  • Rosesy dishwasher detergent
• All-around/DIY:
  • Distilled white vinegar
  • Baking Soda
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Many simple recipes to make yourself using these basics
• Handsoap:
  • Bronner’s Organic Sugar Soap
  • Everyone
  • Bar soap  
• Other:
  • Microbalance ec3 mold solution and laundry additive as needed /special circumstances

Personal Care – Skincare, Makeup, Oral, Kids, etc.

• Avoid: parabens, phthalates, fragrance (essential oils are generally ok), petroleum/mineral oil, aluminum, PFAS/PFCs/PFOAs, PEGs, to name a few big ones.  
• Makeup:
  • Ilia
  • Alima Pure
  • Good resource for online shopping beauty is Roots Beauty
• Skincare:
  • DIME Beauty—pregnancy safe, has rewards program and deals
• Shampoo /conditioner:
  • Under Luna—their Luna Clear safe for all ages (from babies up) and in our family we share. A little goes a long way and it lasts for a long time!
• Soap:
  • Bronner’s—however, castile soap like in bronners can be drying and more harsh on skin; tend to avoid regular use especially in winter
  • Goat milk-based soap—we like Bend Soap Co
  • Probiotic soaps—we’ve tried clearwatercultures.com
• Skin, balms, salves and lips:
  • Badger Balm
    • Lip balm I love
  • Earth Mama—safe products such as sensitive skin sunscreen and nipple butter (which we now use as a balm/salve and in place of vaseline). 
  • Motherlove—like Earth Mama, lots  of non-toxic, clean safe products for pregnancy, postpartum, mama and baby.
• Deodorants—Aluminum free natural:
  • Native
  • Crystal
  • TOMS
• Lotions:
  • Bronner’s—uses coconut oil; I like to avoid seed oils in lotions
• Toothpaste/Oral care
  • Primal Life Organics
    • Toothbrushes: We also have their electric toothbrushes and charcoal bristle bamboo toothbrushes, both of which are great for kids too!
  • Bronner’s
  • Biocidin Botanicals Dentalcidin—available on Fullscript with our exclusive discount
  • Designs for Health PerioBiotic Silver—available on Fullscript with out exclusive discount
  • Young Living Thieves

Kitchen, Cookware and Food Storage

• Cooking: 
  • Stainless steel—pots, pans, cookie sheets and muffin tins
    • All-Clad
    • Calphalon
  • Ceramic
    • Xtrema—we got their 10 quart pot to replace a crockpot
  • Enameled cast iron
    • Le Crueset Dutch oven
  • Cast iron
  • Glass pyrex
    • Great for non-toxic baking
  • Loaf pans
    • We have glass, cast iron, SS (we use a variety)
• Food storage, accessories, cups, etc
  • Glass
    • Snapware, yes they have plastic lids but not worrying about it
    • Pyrex for cooking and storage (larger volume meals, etc)
  • Stainless steel
    • Munchkin —for kids snack cups, drinking cups
    • Hydroflask—SS drinkware (too many athletes use plastic too often!)
      • my fave water bottle for everywhere I go (and I’ve tried a lot of bottles through the years)
      • Kids bottles are great and well-made
    • Yeti—another option for SS drinkware
      • my all-time fave coffee mug for home and travel
      • Jr bottle is also something we have and love
    • PlanetBox
      • We have the Rover classic
    • Bentgo
      • We have the kids stainless steel box and use interchangeably with Planetbox
    • JaceBox
      • SS food storage that we bought during our vanlife era when glass was too heavy and bulky
    • Kitchen Aid accessories
      • Often they include aluminum or paint-coated with appliances, we upgraded to SS for our stand mixer, which is something we use all the time
  • Silicone, natural wood, bamboo—great non-toxic alternatives to plastic and when you prefer to avoid SS or breakable/fragile materials.
    • Kitchen utensils, eg tongs, spatula, wood spoon/spatula
    • Baby/toddler plates (wee sprout)
    • Baby feeding sets
    • Storage, lids, etc.
    • Salt container
    • Fruit bowls
    • Molds
    • Even baking!
  • SodaStream—DIY carbonated water with glass bottles
  • Mason jars
    • We use these for everything! All shapes and sizes (wide-mouth preferred); big glass jugs for bulk storage, liquids, general drinking glasses, etc. 

Water

• Aquasana shower filter
• Drinking water (options we’ve used or are considering):
  • Premier RO system
  • SpringAqua
  • Pristine Hydro

Home Goods & Healthy Home Environment

• A Healthier Home by Shawna Holman
• Look for OEKO-TEX label for cleaner items that have been tested for and are free of harmful substances
  • There are different levels and categories of this but it’s overall becoming more widely prevalent making non-toxic more mainstream and accessible
• GOTS for top of the line
• Natural materials like wool, cotton (over synthetics, polyester, etc)
• Air filters:
  • Air Doctor
• Rugs—try to get those without backing, made with more natural fibers (e.g. cotton, wool, jute)

Avoid

• Air fresheners, plug-in air fresheners
• Scented candles, go for beeswax and if needing scent EOs
• Plastic liners in crockpots or cooking anything
• Foil—use parchment paper instead, good for baking up to 420-450 deg F; or butcher paper
• Plastic wraps, try beeswax wrap!

This list will be updated as needed here.

We are continuing our new series called “When Things Don’t Go As Planned” that will dissect your health and injury issues that come up when you least want them and can negatively affect your training and race season–how to heal, prevent and overcome going forward of common (and not so common) issues that athletes face. Listen to our first edition here. Send us your requests for topics!

When Things Don’t Go As Planned

Part 1: Ankle Sprains and Wellness 

Some stats

• Injuries to the foot and ankle affect 40% of the population at least one point in their life.
• Incidence of foot and ankle injuries is even higher for runners: approximately 60% of runners will have one injury every 2 years.
• Foot and ankle injuries often lead to issues higher up the kinetic chain: knees, hips, back – even shoulders! Dysfunctional ankles affect the entire kinetic chain.
• Consider the importance of ankle’s tendons and ligaments and how the integrity of these can be tied to holistic health, hormones, etc.
• Proprioception is really one of the most important aspects of healthy, strong, resilient ankles.

Biomechanical notes

• Ankle dorsiflexion influences dynamic balance in individuals with chronic ankle instability. (International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy 2013)
• Ipsilateral hip abductors weakened after ankle sprains. (Journal of Athletic Training 2006)
• Hip weakness predicts ankle injury risk. (Journal of Athletic Training 2017)
• Any other correlations we see that you want to mention?

What kind of ROM do we need?

• ~30 degrees of dorsiflexion during walking
• ~35-40 degrees for more functional/athletic positions

Types of sprains

1. Medial
2. Syndermotic (high)
3. Lateral – most common type of sprain – 85%
   1. 70% of ankle sprains have recurrent symptoms

Why are some of us more prone to ankle sprains and then recurrent ankle issues?

• ROM issues, joint mobility and stiffness.
• Proprioception or lack there of.
• Shoes, footwear and lack of going barefoot.
• What about role of hormones, stress, etc?
• Why are some people able to recover on the fly from rolling their ankle vs some people sustain to a full-blown ankle sprain?
  • Proprioception–and the “preparation” going into circumstance (barefoot shoes).
  • The ligaments’ ability to react quickly and dynamically.
  • Structural integrity.
  • Also nutritional and metabolic component: estrogen, cortisol and stress hormones.

From the lens of health & hormonal status

• More estrogen dominance these days
  • Generally, we see men’s T levels are lower these days while estrogen on the rise;
  • While women are not breaking down estrogen as readily (impaired detox etc);
  • All this leading to estrogen dominance, and this causes ligaments to not respond properly.
    • Research shows that female soccer plays have higher # of knee injuries during ovulation and late luteal, you also see it in carpal tunnel syndrome–all correlated to higher estrogen levels.
    • Sometimes higher estrogen levels are totally normal ie during pregnancy.
    • Elastin vs relaxin
      • Elastin—protein responsible for stretching, shrinking and recoiling; what is found in ligaments and connective tissue. Estrogen affects this protein, and this affects both men and women, thus affecting proprioception and ligament integrity.
      • Relaxin—hormone, mostly just during pregnancy.
• Women sustain more ankle sprains in women
• True and relative estrogen dominance
  • What Tawnee has seen in recent DUTCH tests in her clients: estrogen dominance, normal to low progesterone, relative estrogen dominance, impaired methylation, impaired detox, etc.
    • Progesterone deficiency can be tied to excess stress hormone (cortisol) production. Also contributing to relative estrogen dominance.
• Role of endocrine disruptors, xenoestrogens, etc.
  • This can be a factor but in Steve’s opinion not 100% the cause; usually something else going on impairing the body’s ability to handle these types of things.
  • Analogy of EMF and how things like this are almost never the “sole cause” of someone’s health issues.
• Detox & Liver health…
  • Ways to gauge impaired liver health: AST & ALT are not enough! These can be influenced by other things and they will not show up in detox issues.
  • Two pathways to be aware of for liver detox and breaking down estrogen:
    • Sulfation
      • Methylation: Folate, P5P/B6, B12, Mg, etc.
    • Glucuronidation
      • Mg, sugar handling, etc.
      • Artichoke high in glucuronic acid
      • Betaglucuronidase – enzyme that can upregulate and allow for reabsorption of estrogen, which tied into gut health overall. Impaired gut tends to have higher levels of this enzyme thus more potential for estrogen issues.
        • Estrobolome

Healing protocol

• 70% of ankle sprains have recurrent symptoms
• Steve’s No. 1 piece of advice: DO NOT WEAR THE BOOT.
  • “Horrible” orthopedic device.
  • Does more harm than good… will mess up gait, hips and back.
  • Gives a good barrier to avoid any further injury, but you lose proprioception and potentially introduce way more problems.
  • Crutches are more active, boot is passive.
  • Need load- and weight-bearing work to heal properly.
• Timeline of healing
  • Rehab: ASAP
  • It’s ok to endure some pain or discomfort in pursuit of healing.
  • Every moment you rest and don’t do the work you lose valuable time to heal and re-train things the right way.
  • We often want the “soft” route but that doesn’t get us far.
  • Sometimes we do need to endure some pain and force to have a breakthrough. This is different than a “no pain no gain” mentality.
  • Obviously all this is said within reason—don’t be stupid and go running and jumping when you have a sprain.
• Protocol should include:
  • Neuromuscular/proprioception work
  • Balance training; single leg balance work
  • Restoring ROM
    • Exercises for dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, inversion, eversion
    • Not static stretching alone but what are dynamic and mobilization examples?
    • Foam roll? Trigger points? Where?
  • Multiplanar strengthening
  • Glutes, feet and toes!
  • Myofascial release

• Ongoing maintenance:
  • Test/re test
  • Lateral step down test
  • SL exercises
  • Mobility
  • SMFR
  • Pre/post exercise assessment, eg do the rehab exercises then check squat, lunge, DL, etc, do you see improvement?

Part 2: Migraines

Definition

• What makes a migraine different than other types of headache?
  • Migraine w/aura vs w/o – what is aura
  • Vasodilation
  • Photophobia
• Athletes who suffer from migraines can be sidelined from training or racing due to migraines. Can be debilitating!
• Tawnee’s husband John gets migraines on occasion; he had the onset of one with aura during a very grueling trail HM that he did this past summer, and he was definitely a bit depleted and underprepared for it going into the race….
  • Generally, we don’t see a clear correlation of what else is happening when he gets them but it tends to be more times of high stress, screen time (blue light/bright light/intense work), dehydration.
  • Has gotten better with diet improvements over the years.
• Tension headache more constrictive.
• Sometimes, how do we really know it’s a migraine? Maybe another category like TMJ headache.
• Dampening of sensory information tends to help ease migraine pain (visual, auditory, etc.).

In athletes, research says:

“Headaches in athletes”

• This article has some good general info and classifications of types of headaches

“The association between migraine and physical exercise”

• “It seems that although exercise can trigger migraine attacks, regular exercise may have prophylactic effect on migraine frequency.”
• “Possible mechanisms for how exercise may trigger migraine attacks, include acute release of neuropeptides such as calcitonin gene-related peptide or alternation of hypocretin or lactate metabolism.”
• “Mechanisms for migraine prevention by exercise may include increased beta-endorphin, endocannabinoid and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levers in plasma after exercise.”

Risk factors and triggers

• Hormonal tie in
  • Females 3x more than men
  • Estrogen/progesterone imbalances and/or estrogen dominance, just like with ankle issues.
  • Cortisol levels that compromise progesterone levels.
  • Women who suffer from migraines can often trace them to happening the same time of their cycle each month, during ovulation and late luteal (before period).
• Training stress/life stress—something is off, usually that’s when you will get the onset of migraine (or whatever issue you are prone to, e.g. cold sores, mastitis).
• Neurotransmitter or gut issue that is causing the imbalance and triggering a migraine.
  • Abdominal migraine: serotonin levels of GI system are affected from inflammation (often related to food sensitivity, fungus, GI infection, dysbiosis, etc.)
  • Sometimes there will be no GI symptoms (nausea), sometimes there won’t be.
  • Enteric nervous system at work here, ie gut-brain axis or “second brain” affecting vagus nerve.
  • Serotonin is needed, often parallels estrogen levels so those can affect one another.
  • if your gut is affecting your migraines, as long as you’re not on an SSRI, the go-to would be St. John’s Wort. This is GREAT to restore serotonin levels.
  • St. John’s Wort is the go-to herb here.
    • 95% or more of serotonin made in the gut.
    • St. John’s Wort can help when things go awry.
    • Just improving the gut can help of course, but the issue is that can take a very long time, so with this idea of using St. John’s Wort, you can hit it both ways: Work on GI health but also use something like St. John’s Wort to help restore neurotransmitter levels, thus improve serotonin levels, which then will also help improve GI health and ultimately aid in migraine issue.
    • If your gut gets “off” easily, this is a good go-to ensuring there are no contraindications for your personal health profile, other meds, etc.
    • Other side effects: rarely it can cause anxiety, and depending on other medications you are on there can be side effects. Check first.
• Eye issues, light/brightness—can lighting alone trigger one?
• Correlation with the following: Posture, breathing patterns, muscle tension? … or even things like overworking/overtiredness, lack of sleep, lack of QUALITY sleep, etc…

 Diet/nutrition

• • Identify food sensitivities
  • Look at it as an opportunity to overall clean up the gut and do a gut healing protocol.
  • Consider in your diet:
    • Omega 6/3 ratio?
      • Inflammatory foods, seed oils, etc.
      • Supplement with fish oil? Can be part of an overall health protocol but fish oil alone doesn’t seem to be a “magic pill.”
    • SAD?
    • Nutrient deficiencies? Depleted from overtraining?
  • Supplements
    • Curcumin/turmeric
      • Understand that this is an anti-inflammatory compound that fights inflammation differently than omega 3 fish oil
      • Omega 3’s work off eicosanoids like fatty acid balances and platelet aggregation (stickiness)
        • Important for regulatory T cells to fight infections and support immune system.
      • Turmeric works off NF kappa B, inflammatory compound your body makes (fish oil doesn’t do this) and also helps with inflammatory cytokine IL-10, important when you have autoimmune conditions, infections, allergies. Turmeric more specific for immune system.
      • But overall, when you’re overcome your inflammation issue you shouldn’t and don’t need to continue taking it. Understand why you’re taking something! And go back to diet and training-stress balance first!
    • Mg, Riboflavin, Zinc
      • Mg: hormone breakdown
      • Riboflavin: gut
      • Zinc: immune system, progesterone & testosterone are made by zinc

Prevention

• What to do when you feel one coming on & what to do for overall avoidance of getting one.
• Very rarely is there a single pill that will improve something. Successful thing to treat but rarely one answer on fixing them from happening.
• Overall this goes back to a holistic lifestyle improvement.
• Body is always trying to heal and tell us what it needs… always a reason, be wiling to get uncomfortable to heal, while also giving your body the love it deserves. It’s not fighting against you.

• Terminology around clean leaving, and what does “toxic” really mean?
• Fear-including, fear-mongering, click-bait tactics.
• Advice and input from an attorney (aka John).
• Body overburdened? The signs:
  • Skin conditions
  • Fatigue more than normal
  • Sick often
  • GI issues
  • Brain fog
  • Headaches
• Conventional products or additives in foods, etc, may be harmful in the following ways:
  • Endocrine (hormone) disruptors
  • Carcinogens
  • Neurotoxins
  • Chemicals affecting mood, behavior and cognition
  • Reproductive harms… 
• Whether it’s trying to avoid endocrine disruptors esepcially in kids — as we are seeing a rise in early puberty — or avoiding chemicals that contribute to asthma, eczema, etc, it’s our job and duty to be mindful of these things. But not afraid.
• Evidence of chronic health issues in adults and children:
  • Asthma and rhinitis in cleaning workers: a systematic review of epidemiological studies. J Asthma.
  • Chemicals inhaled from spray cleaning and disinfection products and their respiratory effects. A comprehensive review.
  • Domestic use of hypochlorite bleach, atopic sensitization, and respiratory symptoms in adults.
  • Postnatal exposure to household disinfectants, infant gut microbiota and subsequent risk of overweight in children.
  • Frequent use of chemical household products is associated with persistent wheezing in pre-school age children.
  • Domestic use of bleach and infections in children: a multicentre cross-sectional study.
  • House cleaning with chlorine bleach and the risks of allergic and respiratory diseases in children.
• Embrace the idea of less is more. We don’t need so much as we are told…
  • We don’t need sunscreen most of the time (there are exceptions) if we are doing it right with food and our approach to sun exposure.
  • We don’t need to be cleaning our homes with disinfectants every day, or really at all
  • We don’t need 10000 beauty products.
  • Our kids don’t even really need to use soap in the shower most of the time, as it can dry out skin and disrupt their natural oils and biome.
  • Marketing these days will always tell you what you lack and what you need… critical thinking applies here.

• Lucho’s NH Ragnar recap

Brian asks:

A Weird(?) Goal + ‘Do Anything Fitness’ 

Hi! I’ve been listening to endurance planet since (I think) 2015 when I started getting into distance running. I peaked and burned out on running in 2019/2020 when I ran my fastest times and the work I was putting in was… just felt too much work. I ran a 3:09 marathon in pouring, 80-degree rain, a 1:25 half marathon 2 weeks earlier and a few months later ran an 18 minute 5k and a 5:16 mile (without too much speed-specific training). But, it just stopped being fun. For durability: I got up to 70 miles a week in marathon training and loved it, I did a ½ iron in 2017 with 10-16 hours a week of training with no issues. No injuries at all.

I still love running, but mostly just 3-4x a week for 3-4 miles for enjoyment. I supplement it with a bit of swimming, biking, and lifting but without a plan; mostly intuitively for whatever my body wants that day.

Not related to the goal but absolutely my #1 priority is to build and maintain what I call “do anything” fitness. I love the idea of being able to jump into training for a triathlon, ocean swim, paddleboard race, or something else endurance-y and having a great base so I don’t have to spend a lot of time getting ready to train. This also includes a little durability to jump into something totally new (just an example, but something like playing tennis or soccer randomly even if I’ve never played) without risking injury.

So, to my weird goal: I’d like to make a really good attempt to run my best in every running event from the 400m to the marathon in 1 year (400, 800, 1600, 5k, 10k, 13.1, 26.2). This doesn’t really mean PR because I don’t really want to put that pressure on myself, I want it to be fun. But, I want to feel like I made a really good attempt. I started running as a 26 year old (35 now) and went right for the marathon, so I’ve never done speed stuff besides the marathon-style speedwork (which for me was usually 400 repeats at the shortest).

The 2 goals sort of align bc I’m also someone that loves the slow-and-steady running and weight training (I do love hammering on the bike and swim though, not sure why). I sometimes love pushing 100m sprints in the backyard or doing burpees, but those days are few and far between. I realize that part of having “do anything” fitness means developing and maintaining some of those explosive or fast-twitch muscles, and having a more-concrete goal will help motivate me.

So, any advice on how to start building that “do anything” fitness, use the winter to prepare for an April start date for training for the “Year of All Races”, how to sequence the year (e.g., do I start short then train for long? The other way? A mix-up? I truly have no idea), and how to balance that (if possible) with the relaxed/intuitive training I’ve enjoyed lately (not necessary but a cherry on top).

For background: I am a 35 year-old male; 5’10” and 165lb (during running PRs I got down to 150-155 but it wasnt a sustainable weight). I have a home gym with a treadmill, bike trainer, free-weights, home-made TRX system, squat rack + Olympic bar. Despite that I don’t know if I could even squat my own weight (I don’t really do 1 rep maxes ever bc Im more concerned about injury than knowing what those #s are, but I could be wrong about that; it could be a good metric) and I can do maybe 8 pullups in a row and probably max out at 30 straight pushups… so strength is a weakness for me. Despite that I have no history of injury. I work from home with a non-demanding job (very much 9-5 and I take an hour for lunch with my wife every day), so time isn’t a major issue. I live in the northeast US so winter isn’t great for speedwork but I’m not against it.

thanks again for all  your help, I absolutely love the podcast; it’s one of the few constants in my life in the last 10 years

FOLLOWUP: Apologies! I also meant to include the 100 & 200; all the “endurance” events according to Lucho!

What the coaches say:

• Listen in for Lucho’s advice!

Research Review:

Minimalist Footwear For Runners—A Systematic Review of 23 Studies

• “The main findings were
  • (a) the use of MF induces improvements in stride frequency and running economy in long distance events and allows a reduction in support time (i.e., foot support) during 5km distance races;
  • (b) for biomechanical factors, MF can be useful to induce some benefits in the running cycle: greater ranges of ankle motion, increased stride frequency, and forefoot striking predominance as well as a reduction in knee stiffness; and
  • (c) although the use of the MF does not reduce the impact forces in the meta- tarsus or ankle, it may reduce knee impact, indicating the interest in its use during rehabilitation processes.”
• Criteria?
  • MF = shoe with a highly flexible sole and upper that weighs 200 g or less, has a heel stack height of 20 mm or less, and a heel–toe differential of 7 mm or less (5). 
  • Comments on shoes used in these studies and the “more extreme” minimalist shoes used.
• More details on findings:
  • Running economy and stride frequency increased for long distance runs.
    • “Because MF has shown a great predominance of landing with midfoot and forefoot (11,21,31), the use of MF has been shown to influence changes in the footprint. In addition, MF is more suitable than conventional footwear to enhance stride frequency (31,32). Hence, MF has demonstrated its benefits for improving the running economy and, subsequently, running performance.”
  • Improves forefoot strike and decreases heel striking.
  • Minimalist footwear has been shown to reduce impact forces at the knee joint but not necessary ankle, or foot.
  • Decrease in O2 consumption with MF.
  • Best for fast races? Minimalist footwear have the greatest impact on running economy and performance at fast paces.
  • Greater dorsiflexion and plantar flexion = ankle ROM (but this comes with risks!).
    • However, MF may increase injury risk at the ankle and tarsus according to research.
  • Overall – if you are looking to increase SF and forefoot strike use MF in your tool box
  • Furthermore, MF has demonstrated its influence on athletes’ injury incidence (14). For example, Hryvniak et al. (15), found that 69% of the participants reported an improvement in their previous knee, ankle, hip, and lower back injuries when using MF.
• Lighter shoes make a difference! Heavier shoes decrease economy:
  • for every 100g that was added to the shoe weight, the athlete decreased their running economy by 1.11%. 2016 study ref
• What are the risks of MF?
  • The transition into wearing MF matters. Don’t go too fast.
  • One study showed: 86% of the participants suffered injuries in the conventional/Five fingers transition.
  • Potential for:
    • Flexor hallucis brevis stiffness.
    • The loads with MF were higher in the metatarsal and ankle joints; however, they were lower in the knee joint.
  • “Higher initial loading rate and plantar pressures may increase injury in this footwear condition in the early stages [8, 36]. This hypothesis requires further investigation as there is currently no high-level evidence of increased injuries in this period.”
  • “Unless high-level evidence emerges, we have no reason to believe that the injury rates are any higher either during a transition to MFW or habitually wearing MFW when compared to running in CRS. There may be specific differences in injury trends amongst groups, such as increased foot injuries in the MFW group [89], but not in the rate of injury.”
  • But overall MF can lend to stronger feet so if careful in the transition period, these potential issue may be mitigated in the long run?
• Making the transition safely!
  • Article mention: Transitioning to Minimal Footwear: a Systematic Review of Methods and Future Clinical Recommendations (2017).
  • The authors suggest that a transition period of no less than 4–8 weeks should be used because of general muscular adaptation to training, taking this period of time [43].
  • “Given what has been observed with increases in bone marrow edema when running initially in MFW, we suggest that the initial overall running volume is decreased in the region of 10–20% in the first 2 weeks (Fig. 2), in order to reduce the risk of this bony injury from unfamiliar repetitive loading. This suggestion is based on consistent evidence that training volume is related to running injury risk [48, 49].”
  • “Given the dramatic change in the demand of the foot structure and musculature with MFW use, a period of preparation could include some light walking and every day, non-uniform loading whilst wearing MFW or going barefoot may be of benefit before any running activity is begun [44–46]. In addition, foot muscle size may be important for transitioning safely [11].”
  • “However, there are currently no studies that have evaluated whether this preparatory phase has any influence on overall injury incidence compared with a group that does not undergo a preparatory phase.”

Allison L. asks:

Building Bone Density (for a Masters Female Athlete)

First, a huge thanks for all the podcasts over the years. I have listened so much whenever I have a question I can hear you and Lucho discussing it in my head.  

But here’s a new one for HPN:  

I am a 60 year old female marathon runner who recently had a DEXA scan showing 

SPINE RESULTS: T score at L1-L2 is -2.0 with bone density of 0.920 g/cm2. L3 and L4 excluded from diagnostic analysis because degenerative change artifactually elevates measured density at those vertebral levels. Technical quality of the study is good.

HIP RESULTS: Low bone density value at the hip is a T score of -0.5 and bone density of 0.967 g/cm2 at the right femoral neck. Technical quality of the study is good.

GENERAL COMMENTS: The patient has low bone mass by WHO criteria. Fracture risk is elevated. A T score of -2.0 at the spine corresponds to an increased risk of fracture approximately 4 times that expected when compared to a young adult reference population. There is significant discordance in bone density at the spine versus hip, a finding which can sometimes suggest the presence of occult medical contributors to bone mass loss. A careful search for correctable contributors to bone mass loss is therefore recommended.

I am guessing the 25 years of running 20 miles a week helps the hips, while swimming and biking do not hurt but don’t help.

Calcium 94

Vitamin D 64 ng/ml.  

No history of REDS. 

Height 5′-7″ weight 145

I am going to tr Dr. Fishman’s 12 poses for Osteoporosis. 

Do you have any good exercises? 

What the coaches say:

The yoga poses mentioned

• Based on this study:Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss
• “Yoga poses were selected specifically to produce torque and bending of the proximal femur, compression of the pelvis, and twisting of the lumbar vertebral bodies. The choice was determined because these are the most common sites of osteoporotic fractures and the anatomical regions measured by the DXA scan. However, osteoporotic fractures frequently occur in the thoracic spine, the forearm, and the ribs. These sites were not studied and might not respond to yoga directed toward them in the same way.”
• Also, maybe an unintended “side effect” and uncontrolled variable of stress reduction via this yoga practice that helped on a biochemical level? (Nutrients, hormones, gut, etc)

Literature:

Osteoporosis: Exercise Programming Insight for the Sports Medicine Professional

• Bone loss may begin to occur after the age of 30 when the rate of bone remodeling begins to decline. In women, bone loss accelerates after the age of 45 when estrogen production slows and menopause begins usually at an average age of 51 (¹¹). Women transitioning into or who have entered menopause have a much lower estrogen level, which can lead to a 2–3% loss in bone density in the first 5 years after menopause (⁴¹). (REF)
• Primary (type I) or “postmenopausal” osteoporosis is the most common type of osteoporosis which results in trabecular (spongy) bone loss (^23,41,42). Estrogen deficiency is believed to be the main underlying cause for this form of osteoporosis (²⁶), which is why women are 8 times more likely to get primary osteoporosis than men (²⁵).
• Factors assoc. With primary/postmenopausal osteo (Q: how many of these does she have?)
• Also secondary osteoporosis can occur at any age and is often caused by chronic diseases, endocrinopathies, metabolic conditions, nutritional deficiencies or absorption disorders, alcoholism, and certain medications (Table 3) (^{23,26,32,41,42}). often results from an age related vitamin D deficiency which leads to poor calcium uptake, increased parathyroid hormone release, as well as bone resorption (¹⁶). (Her D levels look good- however again blood levels may not tell the whole story of what is happening)
• E.g. ref this podcast ith Sock Doc on testing vit D levels in which he said: Vitamin D is another example that we can’ trust that one marker along- don’t jut test 25-hydroxy Vitamin D, also test the 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D to measure the balance between the two. But few people do this. If you see levels go up with supplementation then plummet back down after you stop supplementing, then that could be indicative of needing to test both. But then where does the testing end?
• Factors assoc with secondary.

Look at from a functional/holistic/nutrition perspective:

• Ca & D are important but more to bone than calcium and vitamin D
• Manganese (Mn) is also an important bone health mineral
• Manganese supplementation can increase both bone mineral density and bone formation [24] (ref)
• Eg) for healing Stress fx  or bone injury, Your body needs a lot of Mn, eg up to 50-100 mg for a short period of time!
• Also: magnesium, copper, zinc, and silicon.
• EAs often have Cu deficiency, and we’ve talked about Mg deficiency being prevalent! Zinc… gotta be careful of chronic supp which can create imbalances, look to food form
• Silicon and bone health
• Calcium—a different perspective:
• Caution against supplementing with calcium! The issue is not often needing more Ca but rather, we need to stop stealing it from our bones. Even if blood levels are good, we could be stealing this mineral from bones.
• Body pulls calcium from bones when the blood and tissues are too acidic, i.e. excess caffeine, poor diet, chronically high cortisol issues/HPA axis dysfunction, overtraining syndrome, not resting enough, and/or too many other high stressors in life.
• Bottom line: again it goes back to addressing diet and lifestyle.
• Calcium, no evidence that you need more than a normal dietary intake.
• 1300mg/day? We get enough. Dairy, seeds (chia, sesame, poppy seeds), canned fish with bones, beans/lentils, whey protein.
• Bones are alive, they are constantly breaking down and building up and getting remodeled every day/week/month/year of your life depending on the stress and loads that they are exposed to or NOT exposed to.
• 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men over 50 will have an osteoporatic fracture in their lifetime.
• Consider this, from a research perspective:

Potential mechanisms linking psychological stress to bone health

Strength training thoughts

Effect of weighted exercises on bone mineral density in post …

• Results: The review revealed evidence to support the effectiveness of weight training exercises to increase BMD in postmenopausal women. The increases in BMD were site-specific and required high loading with a training intensity of 70% to 90% of 1 RM for 8 to 12 repetitions of 2 to 3 sets performed over one year duration.
• Conclusion: Weighted exercises can help in maintaining BMD in postmenopausal women and increasing BMD of the spine and hip in women with osteopenia and osteoporosis. The exercise program must be incorporated into a lifestyle change and be lifelong due to the chronic nature of bone loss in older women.

the effects of differing resistance training modes on the preservation of BMD in p

• Abstract: This meta-analysis synthesized current evidence from 24 clinical trials to evaluate the impact of different resistance training modes on postmenopausal bone loss. Exercise interventions were categorized into two training modes, namely resistance-alone versus combined resistance training protocols. The combined resistance training protocols were defined as the combination of resistance training and high-impact or weight-bearing exercise. The results suggested that the combined resistance training protocols were effective in improving bone mineral density (BMD) at the femoral neck and lumbar spine.
• Results: Twenty-four studies were included in the overall analysis of skeletal response to resistance exercise. The between-study heterogeneity was evident for the hip (I (2) = 46.5%) and spine (I (2) = 62.3%). The overall analysis suggested that resistance training significantly increased femoral neck BMD (SMD = 0.303, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.127-0.479, p = 0.001) and lumbar spine BMD (SMD = 0.311, 95% CI = 0.115-0.507, p = 0.002) in postmenopausal women. However, subgroup analysis indicated that combined resistance training programs significantly affected both the hip BMD (SMD = 0.411, 95% CI = 0.176-0.645, p = 0.001) and spine BMD (SMD = 0.431, 95% CI = 0.159-0.702, p = 0.002), whereas resistance-alone protocols only produced nonsignificant positive effects both on the femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD.
• Conclusions: Combined resistance exercise protocols appear effective in preserving femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD in postmenopausal women, whereas resistance-alone protocols only produced a nonsignificant positive effect.

Example exercises

• 2 Pulls: rows and lat pulldowns
• 2 Presses: push-ups and OH or Chest press?
• Hips: deadlifts, RDLs, kettlebell swings
• Full Body: squat, hinge, lunge, UB press and UB pull, plyos? Proprioception/balance work to prevent falls/fractures?

Lifestyle Medicine & the Roots of Wellness 

Part 3: #5-7

• Refresher (listen to these first is you haven’t already!):
• HPN 36 – Intro + #1-3
• HPN 37 -The Research + #4

Our list continues…

5. Physical movement 

• Consistency + moderation; for this crowd we can say that extremes ok as long as you’re healthy and taking time to recover from them.
• Discipline to show up; discipline to hold back. Depending on where you’re at, discipline goes both ways!
• Eg) movement snacks/strength training in kitchen and dining room while kids are eating. But also those high stress times when less is more… Figure it out!
• But on flip side if lots of red flags, don’t try to PR! Don’t force the physical exertion, maybe some gentle yoga and mobility and getting IN your body is preferred.
• Find your happy medium. Be INTUITIVE… not so stubborn and relentless, at least, this is the case when viewing as a lifestyle medicine standpoint.
• Also, don’t be AFRAID of the physical if it hurt you in the past. Trust you can do it wiser this time without the pitfalls and setbacks to health.
• For endurance athletes (obv): strength training super important in season and not just during the shoulder seasons. Low volume heavy weight to keep all your shit together as you enter that season of being in a catabolic state
• Def get to know yourself and know whether it’s time to go for it, time to dial it back, or time to take an extra rest day or 2 or a full week or 2 off. I had some early season burnout I talked about last episode and knew I had to scale back the miles, “running through it” wasn’t the way to getting my mojo back…and turns out you can still crush your race without training like a maniac! Hard work is super important and valuable in so many ways, but a lot of us tend to think “if some is good more must be better” and completely overshoot
• Fitness routines post-race.
• Fitness as a lifestyle is so critical to good health. Exactly what you said, find that happy medium. Something you look forward to most of the time, somedays do something really uncomfortable, and overall less sitting and more movement snacks over the course of the day!

6. Connection to nature 

• No matter the season, we have to get in sunshine (even on a cloudy day), practice grounding, etc.
• There are ways to offset this in dark, cold season
• If you live in a concrete jungle consider this, how often are you getting outside of the city life? How do you feel in one environment vs the other?
• The thing is, there’s plenty of research on this topic and plenty of naysayers and claims of pseudoscience, so follow your intuition and test these things for yourself, no harm in trying… only the potential to help!
• Turn your phone off and go for a long hike or walk, must turn off “the switch” – listen to the birds, the creek, the waves, whatever noise nature is giving you
• What connecting with nature does for me – allows me to breathe again. During packed weeks I feel like I am living in a constant state of inhalation, all up in my traps. When I connect with nature I’m able to exhale and connect with myself again. And there is nothing better for our health then remaining in connection with ourselves
• Helps so much with perspective – “omg, the world is so big and I am so small…does it REALLY matter if the clothes are not folded correctly? Why am I stressing so hard on the small things when the world is this big and beautiful?”

In this episode of On My Mind (OMM), Tawnee and John catch up after a big weekend of racing for their family. Tawnee finally did her half-marathon at 11 months postpartum, John ran a 5k and their daughter Cora participated in a 1k kids fun run. Hear their perspective and what’s been on their mind since this race weekend.

In this show, Tawnee shares insight on pacing a half-marathon and how her year of intuitive training has paid off and helped her in this 13.1-mile event. She also gives an emotional perspective of racing before kids and with kids and putting performance in perspective, while celebrating the opportunity to get out and do the things we endurance athletes love.

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

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Intro Banter:

• Lucho running Ragnar New Hampshire!
• Lucho’s boys continuing their MTB racing
• Endurance Conspiracy mention

Mark asks:

Gravel and CX specific workouts?

Hey guys! Cyclocross season is upon us, I’ve been dabbling in races the past couple years and feel like I’m falling short in these hard efforts. Basic question: what are a few key, specific workouts to nail these dynamic hard races?! Also for gravel racing, I’m looking to do longer events, so what prep would you recommend specific to this type of racing?

What the coaches say:

• Cyclocross fall/winter
  • Make sure base on bike was trained leading up to the season
  • Specificity now!
• Aspects of Cx racing:
  • Run training–look at 400 and 800 training, not a lot of endurance just some 20-30min runs or hiking with some run intervals
  • The run is not about running well it’s about not losing time and not letting the run hurt you
  • Work on dismounts/remounts!
  • Powerful bursts and sprints at high power.
  • Dynamic courses, skill and technique.
  • Skill level is often the biggest limiter.
  • CX Races 45-60min
  • Zero Z1/Z2
  • All Z4/Z5–it’s vicious! Much of it at FTP or over.
• What to do:
  • Practice drills like jumping off bike, run, jumping back on.
  • Focus on getting technically proficient while running a very high HR.
  • Example workouts/sets:
    • Long tempo of 20-30min Z3, strong not hard + 3-5min of threshold
    • 4 x 5′ upper Z4 w/ 30-60″ recoveries, this is the same, essentially, as doing a 20min effort
    • VO2, for short punchy hills
      • Eg) 5″-30″ to 40″ in Z5/Z6 above threshold and/or efforts up to 3min (to nail that VO2 specificity)
    • Interval duration of 5”-30” @ peak power or up to 2-5’ high power – and repeating this… 3… 8… 10…15x
    • Critical power workouts, 3-4 sets of 4 x 15″ max/peak power…repetition.
  • Working on high cadence efforts, higher cadence is often necessary in these races on technical spots.
    • Similar to MTB when going thru a technical spot when you can’t use a lot of force
  • Find a hill, eg grassy park ,15 sec to 1min and ride  chill interval ride up at 95-98% effort (Vo2), jump off at top, run down hill then remount bike as you’re going down, practice this all with high HR!
  • Similarities with zwift racing as well so in regards of power intervals you could use that for crosstraining
• Power and strength!
  • Make sure to get in the weight room, keep it simple.
• Planning races:
  • On non-race weeks: Can do 2x shorter, intense workouts (Z3, Z4, Z5+) + a tempo/Z3 for a bit of a longer set.
  • Then, be sure to cut back on intense workouts on race weeks.
  • On race weeks, do your hard session on Tue/Wed then race hard on the weekend.
  • Always, start with looking at life objectively, rest/recovery–how much recovery do you need? How’s your life load?
    • Then work backwards to decide how much intensity/training you need/can handle.
    • If having trouble with this, let technology help you eg an Oura ring.
• Gravel races:
  • Just about a lot of time in the saddle, the terrain.
  • Less high intensity VO2 work needed (especially if you did this for CX)
  • Races start too hard, will you take the bait? need an adequate threshold and then the ability to recovery and bring it back down to Z2
  • Muscular endurance is a big deal.
  • Often hilly, rollers. Punch up to Z3/Z4 and do sets of 5′-20′ work for the inclines.
  • Added fatigue from the terrain. Specificity. Grit. Bike maintenance.
  • Volume is key. Can’t get away with 20min Z2 kinda stuff.

Grace asks:

How To Approach Non-Toxic Living With A Healthy Mindset

For Tawnee: How do you find the balance of pursuing non-toxic living while not losing your mind over all the toxic $%!& in our environment, all the options, all the claims, all the potential risks, etc etc?! It seems like a never-ending rabbit hole that can send us Type A’s spinning.

What the coaches say:

• It’s definitely a balance, just keep in mind the anxiety and stress over toxins, chemicals and keeping it clean can often be more harmful than the toxin/chemical itself.
• Kind of similar to that orthorexic mindset regarding food if you’re not careful, I definitely see it as a disorder to live “toxin free” and if not feel anxious about it… and being perfect just isn’t possible.
• When we’re not well or healing I find this to be the hardest time to have a healthy mindset as we tend to push harder for toxic free life.
• In one way, pursuing low toxin chemical free living is valuable, important and totally realistic, many of us need this relatively simple overhaul in our lives.
• But to your point there’s a lot of info out there, and it’s important to be educated, but if you go too far it’s just a lot of fear-inducing propaganda.
• Awareness is key.
• Perfection isn’t obtainable.
• Always assess/reasses how you and your family feel.
• Some basics to consider:
  • Water–drinking water, shower/bath.
  • House cleaning products, self-care products
  • Consider the products used to dishes/silverware/anything food-related, look at food storage (no plastic), and kid’s lunchboxes (I love this one as well as this one)
  • Choose organic when possible to avoid glyphosate but don’t freak out when you eat out or have to buy an alternative…same with all the things grassfed, non gmo, etc…
  • Ewg.org clean 15
  • Ewg.org dirty dozen
• Budget wise, it can get expensive so:
  • Watch for black friday deals!
  • Shop on Thrive Market, fir better deals, frequent sales.
• Brands I like/use:
  • Branch basics–took a while to pull the trigger on this, not cheap up front but lasts so long and worthwhile.
  • Seventh generation cleaner for extra dirty jobs only
  • Air Doc air filters
• What about clothing?
  • Often unrealistic to buy all organic chemical free clothing.
  • Don’t lose sleep or stress over that which you can’t control (eg Tawnee isn’t worried about all the Lululemon “chemical” clothing she’s work over the years)
  • Prioritize kids stuff: organic onesies for babies, PJs without flame retardants, etc.
• But also consider the greatest tool you have, your body, so take good care of it!
  • Support detox pathways:
  • Think liver, skin, GI tract, kidneys…
  • Chronic constipation, poor diet, medications, alcohol, slow down our detoxification pathways.
  • Our bodies are made to detox, and this can become impaired but generally we’re equipped with the abiluity to toelrate exposure to various toxins and be fine. This can certainly become imbalanced (which why checking the “big things” may matter) but it’s also an opportunity to trust your body and your environment… and live in harmony in this regard. Feeling stress and anxiety will only fuel the fire. 
  • If you can’t live in your ideal non-toxic environment you can at least control a lot as far as your body’s ability to detox.

John and Tawnee are on for On My Mind episode 9. Tawnee shares a quick running update as she heads into half-marathon race weekend, and John also shares about his return to Zwift racing with his team.

Then we get into our main topic of the day: At-home gyms. This is something we first covered in detail on Ask The Coaches #228 with Lucho in Feb. 2017. Tawnee also wrote an in-depth post on at-home gyms with pricing and links to go-to items:

• “Build a badass home-gym on a budget” by Coach Tawnee

In this show we talk about what we’d update, change or do differently, looking back at the past 6-7 years. We also discuss price differences from 7 years ago till now and much more to help you dial in your at-home gym dreams!

What we’d keep (or re-buy):

• TRX
• Kettlebells
• Pullup bar
  • Doorway
  • Permanent (bolt in)
• Olympic barbell
• Stretch cords (for swim/upper body drills)

What we’re updating:

• Bike trainer: Wahoo Kickr Core

What’s new (to us):

• More KBs–heavier and some weight duplicates
• Treadmill
• Salmon ladder
• Squat rack
• Battleropes
• Archery range
• Hatchet throwing
• Big tire + sledgehammer swing

What we’d omit or not prioritize:

• Resistance bands galore
• Weighted vest

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Welcome to episode 37 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach and personal trainer, who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.

Julie’s Big Win! 

• The race: Palisades 50 Miler: Palisades, ID July 22nd. 11,000’ up/down. 14 hours, 2am-4pm. Hot.
• Result: 1st place female. Was in 7th/8th until mile 35 then steadily took the lead.

Things that went well:

• Scaled back pace after going out too hard.
  • Let people pass and reminded “to run my own race,” there’s a wholeeee lotta miles left to make up ground.
  • Started out fast, scaled back and focused on “enjoyment” from mile 5-35, then flipped on my competitive switch with 15 miles left.
• Kept my HR low
  • Nasal breathing, slowing down.
• Pushed it when it felt good
  • Saved having coca cola for the last aid station and then passed about 15 people going up the final climb at mile 35. 3,000’ in 3-4 miles at 12:00 in a section with no water and absolutely found my flow and rocked it. Favorite part of the race, truly felt so empowered and connected to myself and to the race.
• Dunked in every creek – kept cool!
• Stayed calm and was constantly on top of her shit…checking in: Eating enough? Drinking enough? What sounds good right now? What doesnt? What do I need at the next aid station?
• Training Wise/Prep: got the workouts, long runs, and easy runs in. 2 strength workouts. Ran a good amount of miles but didn’t sweat it if wasn’t running as much.
• Nutrition: tried for 250cals/hour…did well in the beginning with gels and chews and then just ate whatever and whenever; let go of the “plan.”
  
• Body: mostly feet hurt and were tired toward the end, they were ready to be done. Low-grade nauseous on and off all day, but always manageable. Body and mind felt good and strong for the most part!
  

Things that didn’t feel good:

• Ate a full breakfast RIGHT before the race. You gain 2,000’ in the first 2 miles so no time to digest it :)…BUT would rather be uncomfortable for an hour at the beginning then go into a long race without giving body fuel..no regrets.
• Shoes – felt like wearing high heels out there. Couldn’t get footing right, slipping all over the place and rolling ankles left and right…luckily had old shoes to wear for a while.
• Headlamp died after 1.5 hours so I had to use iPhone flashlight.
• Didn’t have enough salt. Body felt swollen and tender.

Lifestyle Medicine & the Roots of Wellness 

Part 2: The Research and #4

In HPN 36 we shared our dimension of wellness #1-3…

We often are asked how to heal x,y,z or get better at x,y,z… then often hearing “I can’t heal or get better…” Maybe we’re looking too much at the surface and not enough at the roots. J, I know you and I are people who’ve dug deep to be well and we are reaping benefits in this season of life. So let’s think deeper than just a current fad or protocol, what does it take to get well and stay well? This is lifestyle medicine…

Healing and thriving is not just about supplements or a perfect diet. Holistic wellness is much deeper and intricate. If there are unhealed wounds or imbalances, no supp or diet will be a “magic pill.”

Before sharing our 4th key dimension of wellness, we briefly discuss some of the research and evidence-based resources to support this idea of lifestyle medicine!

Holistic Wellness Research

• Dimensions of wellness: change your habits, change your life – article from 2017
  • “Wellness is a holistic integration of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, fueling the body, engaging the mind, and nurturing the spirit (1). Although it always includes striving for health, it’s more about living life fully (1), and is “a lifestyle and a personalized approach to living life in a way that… allows you to become the best kind of person that your potentials, circumstances, and fate will allow”
  • Wellness encompasses 8 mutually interdependent dimensions: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental
    • Give attention to all (otherwise suffer) although doesn’t have to be balanced
  • Find your own personal harmony, does not have to be perfectly balanced
  • Change becomes much more achievable if you pay attention to who you are and insert routines that take advantage of your strengths, tendencies, and aptitudes. With self-awareness, you can cultivate the habits that work for you. Consider, for instance, differences in circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms reflect our natural tendencies for sleeping and waking and influence our energy and productivity at different times in the day (11). The odds of success to improve your fitness won’t increase if, for example, you decide to rise an hour earlier to exercise each day when you happen to be a “night owl” rather than “morning lark.” Self-awareness includes knowledge about other aspects of self as well, such as whether you are a marathoner, sprinter, or procrastinator; under- or over-buyer; simplicity or abundance lover; finisher or opener; and familiarity or novelty lover (8). It also includes whether you are promotion- or prevention-focused, and whether you like taking small or big steps (8).
• How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world
  • Forming new habits
  • The median time to reach 95% automatic mode with habits was 66 days, with a range from 18 to 254 days.
  •  The time it took participants to reach 95% of their asymptote of automaticity ranged from 18 to 254 days; indicating considerable variation in how long it takes people to reach their limit of automaticity and highlighting that it can take a very long time. Missing one opportunity to perform the behaviour did not materially affect the habit formation process.
• Clustering of Five Health-Related Behaviors for Chronic Disease Prevention Among Adults, United States, 2013
  • From 2013, wonder what this is like today? these five health behaviors are critical for disease prevention:
    • not smoking,
    • regularly exercising,
    • consuming moderate to no alcohol,
    • maintaining a healthy weight,
    • getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
    • ***Only 6% of Americans include all five behaviors in their daily routine.***
• IFM’s functional medicine tree (chart) – awesome from roots to branches
  • What I like in this is that it shows how our genetics don’t have to be our fate and what influences our genetic predisposition e.g. mental, emotional, spiritual influences (or lack thereof ie spiritual connectedness) + experiences, attitudes and beliefs. Shows the power of what we think… and a lot of the time I think our experience and attitudes/beliefs are the make or break point in onset of disease. Not always but I believe in a correlation.
  • There also needs to be antecedents, triggers and mediators that lead to being unwell, ill or diseased.
  • Disease is DIS-EASE.
  • Of course, it’s not always in our control… environmental, trauma, relationship (behaviors/treatment by others), etc. We can try here but sometimes this is tough stuff.
• And this tree on integrative medicine

Our list continues…

4: Nutrition!

• Seems so obvious but there are so many layers of nutrition as it relates to holistic wellness and our nutritional needs vary so much as individuals.
• Consistent, good quality, nourishing nutrition is a foundation we must abide by to live well. Whether it’s 90/10 or 80/20, it has to be a priority, and there will be times when we stray from our go-to nutritional norms, that’s ok, just keep the foundation strong.
• Experiencing joy with quality nutrition.
• Finding and making the time to invest in this practice.
• When we stray.
• When it’s tied up in emotions and doesn’t serve us.
• Excuses, poor excuses (eg covid 15 weight gain).

In this episode of On My Mind, Tawnee and John catch up about intuitive training and the process and progress Tawnee’s been making this year.

• Running slump—scaling it back for 3 weeks, not easy but felt it had to be done (talked about this on ATC 356).
• Struggle with resting.
• Recognizing patterns; push till over-tired then needing extra rest.
• The good stuff happens when athletes LISTEN and respond accordingly, even if that’s the uncomfortable rest they know they need. The not-so-good is when we override that and push harder.
  • Intuitive training isn’t always easy, kind of like tough love with your self.
• ATC 342 reference—study on overtraining.
• Recovered & MAF test. 
  • Analyzing splits.
  • Faster average than previous 2 tests this season.
  • However, drop off in pace is obvious. When there is a wide range between mile times, what does that mean?
  • Lacking a certain level of aerobic endurance.
  • Problem solving.
• Breastfeeding is a strain on adrenals, sleep deprived is a big strain, and I’m just doing my best in the season to mind all the variables so I can show up how I want in life and for my family…
• Still signed up for a race in late September–flat and fast half marathon!
• Overall: this is a reminder that nothing beats taking downtime when you need it—no supplement will change that. Supplements are there to support but not be a magic pill.
• Check out our shop page, new additions:
• Rosita Cod Liver Oil!
  • Most recently mentioned them on HPN 36, natural form of vitamin A, D with omegas – food first! Not just a supplement. It is a whole food. As the rosita founder says, nature creates everything in balance and harmony. This is what I feed my family 
  • Unadulterated, gentle extraction with no high heat processing to ruin the sensitive fatty acids. Also tested for purity and free from chemicals, heavy metals, etc. 
  • #1 on my list as went enter back to school, cold/flu season.
• SHOES!
  • Earth runners, grounding sandals with a copper ground plug.

Sponsor:

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Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

Intro:

• Lucho and Tawnee share their “hangups” with training and the things they tend to grapple with, despite years of learning, knowledge and how they coach others (why are we this way haha?!).
• Lucho gets obsessed with mileage and volume, tracking via training peaks.
• Tawnee worries about health consequences of training too much and repeating past mistakes of lacking balance.

A special edition of Endurance Planet with Tawnee and her husband, John, who are interviewed by Lucho about their backpacking honeymoon! Click here for the full written recap of the trip on Tawnee’s blog that includes more photos, GPS files, and a detailed spreadsheet of their exact gear list (with brands), meal plan, HST itinerary, travel info and more.

• Background on why they did it and what they did (what is the High Sierra Trail)
• They wanted to create their own event–not participate in a structured event with rules
• Discussing the original conservative plan vs. how the actual timeline unfolded–finishing 2 days early!!
• Preparing for the trip (planning, shopping, training, mental, etc)
• Lessons learned: they could not treat this immense thru-hike like a race, and had to get over the “racing attitude” that’s usually ingrained
• The mental and physical of backpacking vs. endurance racing
• It’s not easy to backpack, it’s also not as hard as preparing for Ironman, it’s just different
• Having a new concept of what “a mile” means. And why it’s better to focus on time!
• Mileage was always off, couldn’t rely on trail or map numbers, just accept it and keep moving forward
• Having patience and a flexible approach
• Dealing with blisters
• The simplicity of being out in the backcountry: everything to live was on our backs
• Day 4: Tawnee deals with a visit from an “old friend” and how she managed
  • Girls, get the Diva Cup!
• Day 6: Climbing Mt. Whitney and feeling those old “pre-race butterflies”
• “Performing” at elevation, and/or feeling like death over 13,000 ft.
• Tying this into races at high elevation like Leadville, etc.
• Similarity of picking ultra pacers and picking your backpacking partner(s)
• The importance of TEAMWORK!
• Finding a routine in the mornings and evenings before and after they day’s hike.
• Backpacking vs. ultra (mindset)
• Feeling “free” without being addicted to the data–a shift from past ways
• Equipment highlights:
  • Delorme – safety net in case of emergency
  • Garmin watch – good backup for tracking hikes
  • Trekking poles – and why they were the best decision ever to have these on the trail!
  • Shoes and blisters – harsh realities
• Top experiences on the HST:
  • Kaweah gap
  • Getting completely on the same page with your mate
  • Summiting Mt. Whitney
  • Precipice Lake
• What would we do differently?
• Little mistakes: poor choice in mittens/gloves, accidentally brought multiple soaps yet not enough floss, no SD card in GoPro, bad socks, solar panel vs. battery packs, different shoes, etc.

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels. 

Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too. 

Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength. 

Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

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Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

On this episode we have The Sock Doc, Dr. Steve Gangemi, joining us. Steve is a natural health care doctor who founded and practices at Systems Health Care, an integrative wellness center in Chapel Hill, NC. Steve is also a longtime endurance athlete and is a wealth of knowledge for athletes looking to optimize wellness.

We are starting a new series called “When Things Don’t Go As Planned” that will dissect your health and injury issues that come up when you least want them and can negatively affect your training and race season–how to heal, prevent and overcome going forward of common (and not so common) issues that athletes face. Send us your requests for topics! Future episodes may include sciatica, rhabdomyolysis, GI issues, recurrent ankle sprains, migraines and so on.

Part 1: Tibialis Posterior Issues & Injuries 

Post tib anatomy/connections/basic function

• Where is located?
• Tibia, fibula, foot arch, etc.
• Tendon – inner ankle, by medial malleolus 

What it does

• Foot/arch support
• Natural pronation, shock absorption, natural rolling inward of your foot
• Its role in supination

Functions with/relates to

• Big toe
• Plantar fascia
• Medial arch
• Tibialis anterior

Questions

• Why so commonly injured in runners?
• Who’s most at risk?
• What warning signs should we be aware of on this issue? i.e. when there’s a little niggle/pain in that general area – when to take it more seriously, right away?
• Explain the role of post tib issues being from an imbalance between anterior/posterior?

Tie in with overtraining/excess stress:

• “Another significant and perhaps more common reason for muscle imbalances resulting in pronation/supination problems is overtraining. Yup, too much stress will have a dramatic effect on the lower leg muscles, particularly the tibialis posterior muscle that supports the main arch of the foot. There is a common connection between this muscle and the adrenal glands, which is where the major sdtress hormone cortisol is produced. So high levels of stress result in high levels of cortisol and tibialis posterior problems and then overpronation. Shin splints and plantar fasciitis are two common injuries that accompany this problem too.” 
• The ROOT of INJURY: “You get injured from being too anaerobic and that could mean either the training is too anaerobic or there’s too much stress in your life creating anaerobic excess. And that’s really how people get injured. They get injured from basically trying to handle more than what they can. And that results in injuries along possibly with the wrong type of footwear.”

Treatment

Rehab/prehab/trigger point work:

• Things we can do at home ourselves!?
• Exercises and manual therapy/trigger points* — identify the spots to work on
• What about stretches? Or NO to stretching these issues? What if PF or stiff big toe is related- stretch/roll?
• Footwear recs? (And what to avoid here)
• Lifestyle recommendations to incorporate
• Preventing recurrence – ongoing “maintenance”

Part 2: Vertigo/Dizziness

Article: The Dizzy Athlete

• “Among patients who present with dizziness, vertigo accounts for approximately 50% of the cases. Furthermore, approximately 80% of these patients have peripheral vestibular dysfunction, whereas the remaining 20% have a central cause [²⁸].”

The Right diagnosis

• “The first step in evaluation involves defining dizziness as either presyncope, vertigo, disequilibrium, or nonspecific dizziness.”
• What else would you look for and ask a patient? 
• Self-diagnosing this for those who have symptoms but haven’t been to the dr (can it be confused with something else; is it safe for us to assume what it is and deal with on our own)?

What is vertigo?

• Spinning sensation, etc.
• Other symptoms?
• e.g. sensory issues, overwhelm, imbalance, migraines, hearing problems, vision disturbances, confusion, etc. 

Types of vertigo

Peripheral

• The 80% with peripheral – the problem can be w/ the part of the inner ear that controls balance (the vestibular labyrinth or semicircular canals) or with the vestibular nerve, which connects the inner ear to the brainstem.
• Benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV) is 50% of peripheral causes and is due to stimulation of vestibular sense organs by canalith (define what this means)
• Let’s talk about BPPV and inner ear, etc?

Central –

• Way less common, e.g. tumors, MS, etc.

Reasons/causes of vertigo?

• Any particular profile of who’s most “at risk” for this?
• Inner ear/vestibular issues (crystals in ear and their role in proprioception/spatial orientation; explain this?)
• Can come after bacterial or viral infections 
• Has there been an uptick since Covid – i.e. symptom of covid/post-covid infection?
• Neck tightness/neck alignment?
• Why would an athlete experience a sudden onset with seemingly no warning signs, i.e. during a race?
• Is vertigo also stress induced to some degree? (e.g. friend who said after a lot of travel and life stress was having vertigo symptoms)

Treatment

• Epley’s maneuver – what is this, is it effective and supported by functional/holistic practitioners?
• article says: BPPV treatment involves head rotation maneuvers to displace the canalith causing symptoms.
• Conventional/traditional treatment? most people probably go to their primary, what would they do? (ie prescription drugs/meds – of which I’m sure there are plenty of nasty side effects)
• On the other hand, what about holistic/natural treatments, what can we do or do with a functional/natural dr?
• Prevention / prevent recurrence? (especially if experienced previously)
• Supplements to consider?
• Lifestyle awareness – anything in particular? 

• John has coffee with RD of North by Northwest Relays.
  • Future relay team event for EP fans?!
• Update, we are back in a good flow with the podcast these days and receiving wonderful feedback—thank you, grateful!
• On curiosity and the urge to “dive deeper” in work, research and extracurricular things when life’s big stressors ease up.
• Fullscript now offering subscriptions for your favorite, most valued supplements—brilliant idea in our opinion! Subscribe and save via EP here.
• Tawnee still holding strong to her daily routine with Crucial Four Icelandic Sea Salt and MagBicarb. Grab your salt and more now for 10% off here.

Is your avocado oil rancid or unpure?

Research: “First report on quality and purity evaluations of avocado oil sold in the US” (Oct 2020)

• Currently no standards to regulate avo oil—quality/purity control not there, adulterated oils are a thing.
• Quality and purity were analyzed (details in article on what this means). 
• Researchers even made their own avocado oil as a control.
• 22 samples purchased at a grocery store or online, majors brands though not specified, from extra virgin to refined. 
• Key findings:
  • Adulteration with soybean oil at levels near 100% was confirmed in two “extra virgin” and one “refined” sample. 
  • The majority of the samples were of low quality with five of the seven oils labeled as “extra virgin” having high FFA values and six of the nine “refined” oils had high PV (measure of oxidation). FFA, PV, and specific extinction in UV data demonstrated that these oils have undergone lipolysis and oxidation, respectively. This likely resulted from improper or prolonged storage, using damaged or rotten fruits, or extreme and harsh processing conditions
• Only two brands produced samples that were pure and nonoxidized. Those were Chosen Foods and Marianne’s Avocado Oil, both refined avocado oils made in Mexico. Among the virgin grades, CalPure produced in California was pure and fresher than the other samples in the same grade.
• Personal note: We’ve been avocado oil and products with avocado oil for YEARS! Will rethink what I’m buying.

Smoke point and how extra virgin olive oil stacks up against other cooking oils when heated, etc.

Research: “Evaluation of Chemical and Physical Changes in Different Commercial Oils during Heating” (May 2018)

• Research study evaluating the efficacy of smoke point and other traits of oils when heated to high temps, for long duration or repeatedly over time.
• Measured high quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), virgin olive oil (VOO), olive oil (OO), canola oil (CO), rice bran oil (RO), grapeseed oil (GO), and coconut oil (CoO).
• Key findings:
  • “An oil’s stability against oxidation depends not only on the degree of unsaturation, but also on the antioxidant content present in the unsaponifiable fraction [25].”
  • “Canola oil demonstrated a rapid increase in polar compounds from 150C to 240C (Figure 6), with its highest value of polar compounds (27,5%) above the limits permitted for human consumption, followed by grapeseed (19,3%) and rice bran (13.0%) oils.”
  • “Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and other common cooking oils were heated up to 240C and exposed to 180C for 6 hours, with samples assessed at various times, testing smoke point, oxidative stability, free fatty acids, polar compounds, fatty acid profiles and UV coefficients. EVOO yielded low levels of polar com- pounds and oxidative by-products, in contrast to the high levels of by-products generated for oils such as canola oil. EVOO’s fatty acid profile and natural antioxidant content allowed the oil to remain stable when heated (unlike oils with high levels of poly-unsaturated fats (PUFAs) which degraded more readily). This study reveals that, under the conditions used in the study, smoke point does not predict oil performance when heated. Oxidative stability and UV coefficients are better predictors when combined with total level of PUFAs. Of all the oils tested, EVOO was shown to be the oil that produced the lowest level of polar compounds after being heated closely followed by coconut oil.”
• We are focusing more on animal fats for cooking: local raw grassfed butter, grassfed tallow, pork lard and duck fat.
  • Buy on Thrive Market!
  • Discussing butter issues with the Sock Doc.

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels. 

Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too. 

Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength. 

Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

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Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

Intro Banter:

• Recent episode with Phil Maffetone on music and NOT listening to music during exercise.
• How meditative a long workout can be when you keep the headphones off and tune into your body.
• Lucho shares about his recent MAF test comparison of running at altitude/hilly vs. running at flat sea level (and being 2min faster per mile at sea level).
• A reminder: we’re almost never the same athlete in harsh conditions (altitude, heat, humidity)… so don’t get down on workouts where you seem less fit but it’s the conditions that are likely to blame.
• Basal body temperature readings (BBT): regularly low BBTs under ~97F-97.4F can be indicative of hypothyroidism.

Jenn says:

Followup on Stroller Running Show

Thank you so much for putting your anecdotal “research” running with your stroller. Yes to single arms! We really need that rotation through the torso as postpartum women who’s pelvis & pelvic floor are healing. That rotation helps to decrease downward pressure (as well as leaning forward). Love this episode so much! — from a mom & PT who specializes in pelvic floor health

Anonymous asks: 

Breaking Through a Run Plateau

I am a lifelong athlete who started triathlon last year and am training for my second Wisconsin 70.3 on Sept 9. My goal is to finish middle of the pack, having had a blast! I know that you may not be able to answer this in time for this year’s race, but I would love to incorporate your guidance next year or between seasons.

I have plateaued on my run!  My current schedule is: one long run, a shorter Z2 run (or run off the bike), and a high intensity run workout. I am using a Training Peaks plan and get help from my triathlete friend who coached me last year. The seemingly obvious solution would be to change up my program and take a volume-based  MAF-like approach, but there are two issues I am facing that may guide your advice and lead me to be hesitant about doing that.

First, is that long runs are currently a slog and adding more volume sounds awful! Historically, they were my favorite because I love jamming out to music in the beautiful area I live, while high fiving the regulars I see on the trail. However, due to injury, I have been working for 6.5 months to change my cadence from 150/160 SPM to 180spm and stop swinging my hips like a salsa dancer! Now, I run with a boring metronome, paying attention to my form, while my watch berates me for going under SPM target, especially after mile 6 when form starts falling apart without real effort. I sure hope it clicks soon! I also LOVE the intensity stuff! It’s always been my favorite and my SPM naturally increases, so I can listen to music, be in the moment, and just have fun.

The other is concern about a diet-based target. I have a 26-year, pretty significant eating disorder history that magically eased up a ton last year when I switched over to triathlon and simply couldn’t get away with skipping meals and not fueling during long workouts. My obsession with thinness has mostly shifted and I am all about being strong! While I do objectively eat quite healthily 80% of the time, for the first time in decades, I let myself have cookies or even a slice pizza without berating and punishing myself. Did you know cookies are delicious! I am trying not to consider any foods bad or harmful. So, trying an approach that leads me to hyper- focus on food or target fat-adaptation is really slippery for me; my brain likes lists of foods I can avoid. When I read the MAF food recommendations, that part of my brain lit up. I simply can’t go down that road again, I’m just too happy now.

Do you have any advice for the run plateau? Should I just be a slower runner who has fun (once I can get this cadence thing down) and reframes long runs as mental endurance practice? I love this distance, so don’t want to switch to short-course races.

Thanks so much!

-Anonymous, aprox 2,914 feet below Lucho

What the Coaches say:

• How are we defining a run plateau?
• In order to shake a plateau you have to change the stimulus.
• Add some intensity without adding volume, perhaps.
• Was it really an injury caused by cadence?
• Injury was peroneal tendinopathy, weak glutes, etc.
• Don’t try to bump cadence by ~20 strides per minute on long runs. Better to do the cadence work in much shorter drills–we learn best this way!
• Also, Born to Run 2 cadence drills (our podcast with the authors here).
• Watch alarms are so triggering and miserable for most of us. Don’t be miserable.
• Cadence may be lower on longer runs compared to faster runs, to some degree this is normal. Just like longer bikes there are natural variations. 
• It seems like the stride frequency stuff – research is mixed on whether 180 target helps or not, it’s definitely not a certainty (like most things in science)
• Running injuries are multifactorial. SOme people can have horrible mechanics and never get injured. Others work on form all the time yet are constantly injured.
• Higher cadence CAN help BUT this piece is NOT a guaranteed way to prevent injury.
• So many other factors to consider like foot strike pattern, how hard are you pounding when running, etc.
• The idea of 180 bpm came from an observation by Jack Daniels of elite runners running very fast.
• Implement functional strength training beyond running: TRX elevated reverse lunge, jump roping, hopping, knee ups, Born to Run 2 drills, etc.

Multifactorial Determinants of Running Injury Locations in 550 Injured Recreational Runners 

• 550 injured runners (49.6% female) with a medically diagnosed RRI were included. 
• A logistic regression model was used to determine the association between the biomechanical parameters and RRI locations. Because injuries can be associated with age, sex, and body mass index, these variables were also entered into the logistic regression. Results: Strike pattern and peak vGRF = vertical ground reaction force were the only biomechanical variable distinguishing an injury from the group of injuries. 
• Look at other variables: foot strike pattern
• In terms of cadence, a low step rate has been shown to increase the risk of anterior lower leg pain in competitive cross-country runners (17). 
• No association between cadence or VILR Vertical instantaneous load rates  and injury location or sublocation was found. VILR = the peak change in vGRFs over the linear portion of impact phase of stance (generally first 15% of stance). 
• Bottom line: The researchers concluded that cadence did not correlate with injury occurrence. 

Relationships between Habitual Cadence, Footstrike, and Vertical Load Rates in Runners

• No association between one’s natural cadence and injury risk (assessed via vertical load rates) in both injured and uninjured runners.
• “We found no relationships between habitual running cadence and vertical load rates. The highest load rates were in injured RFS runners, and the lowest load rates were in FFS runners, regardless of injury status. Future studies of gait retraining to increase CAD and reduce load rates should follow runners long term to examine this relationship once CAD has become habituated.”

The ED Factor & Diet

• Fixation on the cadence issue in running, correlation with personality type.
• The idea that triathlon can heal from an eating disorder—true to some degree, but not completely.
• Dr. Phil Maffetone episode that Tawnee mentions where they “debate” diet and Tawnee makes a case for food freedom when recovering from an ED or disordered eating.
• Do the MAF training you can ignore the diet component if it’s not relevant or healthy for your mental state (eg when recovering from an ED).
• Look holistically at Fit But Unhealthy.
• Objectively check in with HRV to measure stress, but don’t live by the wearables.
• In an injury context, consider: nutritional status, running form, training load, training progression, sleep quality, gut issues, other health conditions/illnesses, etc.
• But also food freedom… there is a growth where it turns into loving nourishment.

Jenny W. asks:

Training When “In Between” Races, and Adapting to Heat

I am 59 years old and have done mostly endurance training for past 10 years along with some triathlon races. I did some weight training to prevent or to rehab an injury. I used to put muscles on easily so I set consistent lifting aside while I spent a lot of time on endurance training. I started working out in my mid 40s, learning to swim and bike. I have not done any sports prior to then.

I am now losing muscles and I do not gain muscles as fast as I used to. I plan to spend more time on lifting heavy and do the endurances activities for the enjoyment.

I was in Mont Tremblant for IM 70.3 that was canceled due to smoke from the wildfire. Both the run and bike courses were hillier than I expected. I would like to complete the race sometime in the future.

My question is what I can do with swim, run and bike so I can get back into race training feeling strong when I am ready. Is it better to do some workouts to keep some strength in endurance or start fresh when I am ready? I plan to establish routine and lift five days a week while I take break from endurance training.

My next question is on heat. I do not do well in the heat. We were expecting sun and 85F for Mont Tremblant. The run course is hilly without any shade. I would’ve been running during the hottest time of the day and thought that walking up the hill might be my only option during the race. There weren’t that many hot days leading up to this race since this race is at the end of June. I heard of a few people who love hot racing condition. Is there a way to train to get to love the heat? How do I determine how much of heat training I should do for hot racing condition? Should I have over dressed for bike and run through out the training for the race? There were a string of hot days leading up to the race day. Should I have crammed in as many days of training in the heat?

Thank you so much for ATC.

What the Coaches say:

On heat acclimatization

• Very time-based, need exposure of 20-30min minimum that elevated HR e.g. sauna, but not a comfortable sauna session.
• Get in hot environment, ie train, at certain HR and you’ll see drop in pace/watts and that’s to be expected and shows the work is happening.
• Key point: When doing heat training, look for a drop in performance!
• 10-15min in hot water works as well, especially when paired with a workout.
• Point is, we’re getting body core temp over 100F, around 102F or so.
• Overdressing is one way but this can be tricky.
• We generate heat through movement, the more intense the more heat, even more so in hot weather–hydrating appropriately is critical to “survive” this.
• Heat adaptation helps blood volume, that’s one way we physiologically adapt and get stronger in heat.
• Know when to back off with the heat exposure–i.e. stress your body just enough, don’t go overboard with it.
• Takes at least 2 weeks of DAILY work to adapt to heat, sometimes 4+ weeks. Plan accordingly.
• Book mention: The Untethered Soul.

Training maintenance

• Podcast mention, OMM 6: Minimum effective dosage as an idea for endurance training maintenance between race periods while focusing on strength.
• Couple short workouts a week of each sport.
• Consider WHY you want to take a break, i.e. burnout or just placing focus elsewhere.
• Diet tie in.
• Tangent: looking at the immune system, 70% is in our gut, when gut is compromised we are compromised in so many ways.
• Don’t go from 0 to 5 sessions a week in strength training! Gradual build, space out recovery, adaptations when recovering.

• Defined as the division of volume within a microcycle across frequent, short duration and repeated bouts, according to NSCA.
• This is basically like Dr. Phil Maffetone’s slow weights (and even movement snacks to some degree) but more scientific and structured.
• Can be a solution to lack of time without sacrificing overall quality and gains.
• Can allow for more autonomy; better adherence?
  • Gives athlete power and flexibility to fit in workouts when they’re able and duration not so daunting 
• Can improve motor learning.
• Not necessarily the same as minimum effective dose/maintenance (but can be) this is still about building.
• Less DOMS /residual fatigue. 
• Potential greater improvements/adaptations in strength (especially when concurrent training)
• Offset negative effects of concurrent training (mixed signaling) due to frequency/duration piece
  • Kilen et al 2015 found: Regarding possible negative effects of endurance training on muscular strength gains (8,11), the results demonstrate that strength gains can be achieved simultaneously with increased peak oxygen uptake and intermittent running performance. Thus, short, frequent training sessions aimed at either muscular strength or endurance adaptation seem to represent an efficient training strategy. 
• When volume/load is matched, improvements are the same or potentially better (!) 
  • ie more frequent sessions, less volume per session
• UTILIZE WHEN STRESSORS ARE HIGHER!
• Use if stringing together a long season and wanting to stay in peak condition?
• Exceptions: If highly-trained endurance athlete, this dosage/stimuli may not apply to making improvements; however can helps with maintenance.

Adaptations to Short, Frequent Sessions of Endurance and Strength Training Are Similar to Longer, Less Frequent Exercise Sessions When the Total Volume Is the Same (2015) – Kilen et al

• 8 weeks, 29 subjects, military physical training (experience of 3 x 45min prior to intervention)
• “Micro training” performed 9 x 15-min training sessions weekly, 
  • Double days M-Th + AM Fri
• “Classical training” completed exactly the same training on a weekly basis but as 3 x 45-min sessions. 
• For each group, each session comprised exclusively strength, high-intensity cardiovascular training or muscle endurance training. 
• The 6.5% increase in peak oxygen uptake in MI demonstrates that short, frequent interval running sessions are sufficient to induce cardiovascular adaptation, which is in line with previous studies (6,20). 
• Running intensity was prescribed as fastest possible average pace for the intervals: fixed speed was determined by the subject’s average running pace based on their current estimated best time for 5k or 10k to elicit a running speed close to the aerobic threshold. 
• MI significantly increased peak oxygen uptake, grip strength, lunges performed, and distance covered in the shuttle run test, whereas CL significantly increased shuttle run performance. When comparing the groups’ response to training, there was no difference between groups in any measurements after the training intervention period. 

Impact of low-volume concurrent strength training distribution on muscular adaptation (2020) Kilen et al

• Also showed that weekly distribution of low-volume concurrent training completed as either 8 x 15-min bouts or 2 x 60-min sessions of which 50% was strength training did not impact strength gains in a real-world setting. 
• The 8 x 15 was further divided to 4 x strength, 4 x endurance (15 each)
• Pull-up performance can increase with as little as 15 min of specific training per week. 
  • Pull-Up Program John mentioned
• However, Robust strength training effects requires a higher training volume than 1hr/wk for 9 weeks. 

Maintaining Physical Performance: The Minimal Dose of Exercise Needed to Preserve Endurance and Strength Over Time – my old professor was author on this! (2021) Spiering et al

• when goal it to maintain during busy/stressful periods, during high competition (athletes), or even during a healing phase…
• review article of minimal dose of exercise (i.e., frequency, volume, and intensity) needed to maintain physical performance over time
• Endurance performance can be maintained for up to 15 weeks when training frequency is reduced to as little as 2 sessions per week or when exercise volume is reduced by 33-66% (as low as 13-26 minutes per session), as long as exercise intensity (exercising heart rate) is maintained. 
• Strength and muscle size (in younger populations) can be maintained for up to 32 weeks with as little as 1 session of strength training per week and 1 set per exercise, as long as exercise intensity (relative load) is maintained; 
• Strength in older populations, maintaining muscle size may require up to 2 sessions per week and 2-3 sets per exercise, while maintaining exercise intensity.
• Intensity is king! Exercise intensity seems to be the key variable for maintaining physical performance over time. (i.e. HR based training, is this MAF or LT, it’s relative, and for strength intensity refers to LOAD)

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels. 

Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too. 

Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength. 

Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

---

Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

We are excited to welcome back Dr. Phil Maffetone in this special episode where we branch off into the wonderful world of music, and what music can do to enrich our lives, our brains and our athletic performance—when used appropriately, as we’ll explain. Phil also shares more insight on his personal story and music has shaped his life so positively. All of this and much more can be found in Phil’s new book titled B Sharp available now. IN this episode:

Phil’s Story

• Phil’s early years with a brain injury and how music helped heal.
• Autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, amusia.
• Amusia—difficulty and confusion relating to music.
• Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
• Phil’s epiphany and redirecting his career to one that involved music and song-writing.
• Working with Rick Rubin and living in LA.

Book Premise

• Building a better brain with music via neuroplasticity—stay sharp and expand your brain any time, any age.
• The lost arts—“Artistic passion is not encouraged and often repressed, de-emphasized in education, and no longer a respected endeavor.”
• Music for stress/HPA Axis: better adapt by influencing chemicals like oxytocin, testosterone, the estrogens, prolactin, endorphins and endocannabinoids.
• “Poor health, illness and disease can significantly impair alpha and theta, while both can foster the potential to be significantly creative and therapeutic.”
• Brain waves: Beta, Alpha, Theta, Delta
• Music for alpha and theta brainwaves—helps for deep meditation state.
• “Music can powerfully manage the effects of our daily physical, biochemical and mental-emotional stress through the brain’s natural neurohormonal HPA axis.”
• Morning routines—don’t destroy that moment upon waking before you’re fully awake; ie don’t reach for device or screen. Instead when brain is half awake take that moment… linked to successful learning and creativity.
• Music can help encourage healthy mind-wandering during non-focused tasks. 
• 5-minute power break:
  • respiratory biofeedback
  • Daily or even more frequently.
  • Makes it easier to reach alpha, helping the brain get there more on its own, further adding to feeling more refreshed, relaxed, balanced and younger.
  • Troubleshooting: falling asleep, too sleepy/carb intolerance
  • Then there’s the: Five-Minute Meditative Dance.
  • “Better than a runner’s high”
• Can you carry a beat?
  • “The inability to effectively maintain even a reasonably consistent musical tempo can carry over to other areas. Many appear uncoordinated, clumsy, or have irregular walking or running gaits. Most are not athletic, and if physically active are less proficient and more injury prone. A simple approach called marching is used to address this cerebellar dysfunction. It requires a small handheld metronome (free apps for phones and other electronics can be downloaded from the Internet) that accurately sound each beat.”
• Avoid junk music, aggressive music/weaponized.
• Dancing!! If you wanna dance, it’s a great way to sneak more physical activity, fun and added brain benefits into your life, one song at a time!

Music And Exercise & Training

• Physical activity and music go hand in hand: however, it’s not so straight forward.
• DMN (alpha) state vs intentional focus (beta)
• Turn off the music and listen to your body!
• MUSIC CAN BE ERGOGENIC AID BUT…
• “Research shows that listening to appropriately selected songs exert a range of work-enhancing (ergogenic) and psychological effects on the body. The process underlying this auditory–motor coupling is called entrainment. Reported short-term effects include increased exercise intensity, distraction from fatigue and pain, improving arousal, mood and motivation, and inducing a sense of power.
• While some researchers have hailed these effects, likening them to illegal performance-enhancing drugs, especially when using loud driving rhythmic music, some clinicians are aware of potential long-term harms. Research shows that these ergogenic effects can eventually lead to reductions in health and performance.”
• So, can music be partially driving no pain no gain??
• Musical mentality can influence stress when not used correctly, lending to fit but unhealthy athletes.
• Are you dependent on music to workout or train? Explore this…misguided motivation, distorts messages to the brain 
• Anecdotally, music listening correlated with higher injury rates.
• Bottom line: music can be distracting and interfere with effective physical performance—but there are exceptions!
• Solution: Music listening at specific times around exercise:
• Pre-exercise music: relaxing, calm, not too aggressive!
• During: silence is best.
• Post-exercise initiates recovery: easy-listening.
• If you still plan to listen to music during exercise here are ways to reduce the risks:
• Wear heart rate montior
• Slower-tempo music —may improve physical performance, lower the heart rate, reduce stress and encourage autopilot mode.
• Avoid playing music loudly.
• In addition, matching music to your workout can be very helpful. 
• Example:
• WARMUP – 15min relaxing songs? not pump up songs? LOL
• MIDDLE – faster music but not louder, caution against too upbeat for overtraining risks
• What about using specific tempo ie 90 bpm cadence song to help with stride rate? As a drill only
• COOLDOWN – 15min

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On episode 5 of On My Mind (OMM) Tawnee and John recap their recent trail run races:

• Insight on goal-setting and being in alignment with your whole self & racing.
• Choosing race distances/events that are realistic with your whole-life picture/current stress in order to maintain health and wellness.
• The fear of getting back to it after overcoming health challenges and healing.
• That window in life of having baby and riding a fine line of adrenal fatigue.
• Support yourself in simple ways! Things like Crucial FOUR nutrient-dense Icelandic salt and Mag Bicarb have been Tawnee’s go-tos.
• Tawnee’s 5-mile race was short, and her old self would have likely opted for one of the longer distances to push limits, but this felt just right for where she’s at.
• John did the half-marathon and it was more demanding on him, fought off a migraine.
• Post-race fare: make it healthy?

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Skratch Labs. Skratch Labs is here to help all athletes perform better with sports nutrition that is simple, delicious, and based on science. No non-functional additives, like artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives – Skratch uses real food and real ingredients designed to help athletes perform and to create sports nutrition that you’ll actually want to eat. And Skratch guarantees their products will help you perform better. If they don’t, we’ll help you find something else or refund your purchase. It’s on us – no matter what – because we’re here to help.

Best of all: EP fans get 20% off everything Skratch offers on your first order, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET20 if you’re shopping at Skratch for that same 20% discount.

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Sponsor:

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Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

On this episode of Ask The Coaches with Tawnee & Lucho we take a deep dive into stroller running presenting the current research on this exercise and how that blends with practical, real-life application especially for endurance athletes who are going long!

Laura asks

Everything Stroller Running

What the coaches say:

Our top takeaways for stroller running

• Fixed front wheel always (we use the BOB, but many good brands!).
• I prefer one-handed running somewhat alongside, which seems to feel the best and most natural especially for longer runs.
• However, on hills (up or down)—double handed grip seems more secure.
• Use a wrist strap! Both sides even! Buy one (or additional one) if this is an issue when switching hands.
• Don’t hunch or round shoulders over bars.
• Don’t bend at the hips (ie folding body).
• Posture! Shoulders down and back, hips forward within reason (ie don’t lean back)—but still relaxed and loose.
• Personally I like the bar to be at a height that allows for about 90 deg at elbow.
• Most importantly, run in a way that feels most comfortable *and safe* for you and your child. There is no consensus on this topics and research is lacking for practical applications.

Addressing the intercostal muscle soreness & strength recommendations

• Intercostals – small muscles between the ribs
• The internal intercostals assist with exhalation by drawing the ribs downward and decreasing the space of the thoracic cavity.  
• The external intercostals draw the ribs upward, increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity.
• Focus on core, diaphragmatic breathing (no shallow chest breathing), shoulders – serratus, lats, T spine mobility/strength
• Issue of rotation and twisting? And posture – hunching
• Exercises and movements:
  • Mountain pose – Tadasana, contract at the end of inhale, contract at the end of exhale
  • Supine spine twist, windshield wipers, pretzel
  • Incorporate ROM exercises for trunk rotation to avoid adaptive stiffness
  • Hip flexor exercises
  • Healthy shoulder work/balance

Stroller running biomechanics article

• Take a wide grip, both hands, and push down slightly
  • Bar is below waist! Shoulder-width grip, arms nearly straight
  • When my foot is landing, I push down on the handle bars, just a bit, to “cushion my fall”. 
• Run with a high cadence (take short, quick steps)
  • Similar to what is seen in research on this topic!
  • I typically run the stroller with a cadence of 100-105
  • Long stride leads to quicker fatigue in this scenario he says
• Lean forward slightly
  • promotes great biomechanics, i.e. foot lands below your body, naturally positions your upper body over the handle bar 
• Do not swing arms (use a subtle torso rotation)
  • One hand asymmetrical – right and left side of your body are loaded differently. This could lead to imbalances and/or injuries. 
  • Torso rotation requires minimal energy—this contributes to the “cheating” concept.

Current jogging stroller science & research articles with summaries* 

*not an exhaustive list of available research on this topic

Run kinematics with and without a jogging stroller

• Study basics:
  • 15 healthy adult recreational runners, no experience with stroller running
  • 10kg weight in stroller
  • 10 trials (5 with stroller)
  • 3D kinematic analysis
  • 16m indoor run (that was it!)
  • Overall changes in biomechanics were small—conclude that more research needed to see if these changes persist, worsen or self-correct with time/experience. 
  • Also these runners were NOT running fatigued.

• Trunk kinematics changed significantly when running with the stroller. Forward lean was increased by 6.78 compared to independent running [95% CI (98, 4.68), p < 0.001]. Total trunk rotation in the transverse plane was significantly decreased by a mean of 11.48 [95% CI (14.88, 8.28), p < 0.001]. There was a significant decrease in trunk movement in the coronal plane of 2.98 with the stroller [95% CI (0.88, 4.98), p = 0.009]. 
• Anterior pelvic tilt was increased by 2.88 with the stroller; associated with a significant decrease in peak hip extension of 38 [95% CI (4.48, 1.58), p = 0.001] and an increase in hip flexion at initial contact of 2.68 [95% CI (1.38, 3.88), p = 0.001]. 
  • This is correlated with injury and lumbo-pelvic hip complex and low back pain, due to increased lordosis and impingement of vertebrae – though lordosis not increaesd in the stroller running due to voerall increase in forward lean
  • Work on hip flexor ROM mobility – tight!
• Knee flexion increased and ROM of knee in saggital plane decreased, but not significant
• No effect on ankles that reached significance
• Analysis of findings

Stroller running: Energetic and kinematic changes across pushing methods

• Only 800m, self-selected pace, not hard running.
• SR = stroller running.
• Sixteen individuals (M/F: 10/6) ran at self-selected speeds for 800m under three stroller conditions (2-Hands, 1-Hand, and Push/Chase) and an independent running control. Strollers loaded with a 16kg weighted infant model in order to simulate the presence of a 3 year-old child.
• the purpose of this study was to investigate the energetic and kinematic effects of 1) stroller running compared to running independently, and 2) commonly used pushing methods used during stroller running in recreational runners. 
• Pushing method had a sig effect on speed but not HR or energetic cost.
• Changes in lower-limb kinematics were observed, as SR significantly shortened stride length in comparison with Non-SR. 
• A significant decrease in speed (p = 0.001) and stride length (p<0.001) was observed between the control and stroller conditions, however no significant change in energetic cost (p = 0.080) or heart rate (p = 0.393) was observed. Additionally, pushing method had a significant effect on speed (p = 0.001) and stride length (p<0.001).
• Given that 69% of our participants and 51% of the observed stroller runners on public paths all preferred the 2-Handed SR, it seems this is an SR condition that results in the least perturbation of typical running behavior.
• Stroller running calculator:
  • The models suggest that when speed is maintained, running with a stroller increases cost between 5–8% depending on the pushing method. As expected, the 2-Hands method is the most economical and the Push/Chase method is the most energetically costly. To predict the cost of a runner of a different mass, please go to https://tinyurl.com/stroller-running-calculator.
• Also noted in this study that: few studies have investigated biomechanical responses specific to SR, and there is no current consensus on how running speed and stride length are affected. Most recently, O’Sullivan et al. [8] and Smith et al. [6] observed no difference in stride length or running speed during SR compared to independent running, yet prior work by Brown et al. [5] noted changes in stride length. Differences in study design may have contributed to these confounding speed, stride length, and stride frequency results. 
• More findings on grip type:
  • Of the 16 participants, 11 preferred the 2-Hands, 4 preferred Push/Chase, and 1 preferred the 1-Hand SR condition to the other SR conditions. 
  • The Push/Chase and 1-Handed SR methods are the most disruptive to running kinematics, while the 2-Hands method results in a speed and stride length most similar to Non-SR. 

Physiological and biomechanical responses of running with and without a stroller : sport and physical activity

• These women did run hard
• In this: 8 experienced female runners, self-paced 2.4 kilometre (km) running trials while pushing (JS) or not pushing (CON) a stroller on a concrete sidewalk. The time to complete the 2.4 km run was not different between JS and CON (687 ± 30 versus 660 ± 18 seconds). 
• Mean steady state HR (173.0 ± 5.0 versus 167.0 ± 5.1 beats / min) and oxygen consumption (VO2) (40.1 ± 3.1 versus 36.1 ± 2.8 m l / kg / min) were higher (p<0.05) in JS than CON, respectively. 
• JS resulted in a greater (p<0.05) number of steps taken (1969 ± 78 versus 1886 ± 74) and reduced (p<0.05) step length (1.24 ± 0.06 versus 1.29 ± 0.06 metres) compared to CON. 
• The use of a JS resulted in an approximate 4% increase in HR and an approximate 11% increase in VO2, perhaps due to changes in the normal running stride pattern and the application of an external load from the jogging stroller.

Physiological and biomechanical responses while running with and without a stroller

• The longest run trial we could fin that was studied: these subjects ran 30 MINUTES.
• The 1st field test involved running at 75% VO2max for 30 minutes without a stroller and the 2nd involved running at the same speed with the stroller.
• These results indicate that pushing a stroller affects some indices of exercise intensity while running. Gait does not change. These data do not support an association between stroller use during running and an increase risk of orthopedic injury. Further studies should examine these variables at lower intensities that are run by most recreational joggers.

The metabolic cost of human running: is swinging the arms worth it?

• “Our findings support our general hypothesis that swinging the arms reduces the metabolic cost of human running. Our findings also demonstrate that arm swing minimizes torso rotation.” 

Energetic Cost and Kinematics of Pushing a Stroller on Flat and Uphill Terrain

• “The increase in energetic cost of pushing the stroller was approximately threefold higher uphill than on the flat incline, and women were influenced more than men when running uphill at the highest speed (all p < 0.05).” 

Sponsor:

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UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels. 

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On this episode of On My Mind (OMM) with Tawnee and John we talk about intuitive training in practice and how Tawnee has been applying this method to her return to training, when she does use data collection to monitor progress, etc.

Intuitive Training

Sample goals and approach:

• Start the day evaluating as you feel, honestly.
• HRV can be a tool, but HRV is not so black and white in determining recovery/readiness status.
• Defining intuitive training: match your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) with the actual effort you’re expending eg HR, pace, data point. Learning to read your RPE and have it match your body’s state.
• Guide intervals by effort not pace or HR.
• For interval workouts, don’t push these if body ain’t feeling it! If you still want to run opt for an easy volume day.
• For aerobic workouts don’t get greedy/competitive with self and run too hard (don’t race your local loop) I find this gets easy when you don’t have data however flip side is not having data to tell you to hold back when needed.
• Flexiblity with HR and understanding volume vs intensity (and overall life stress) in the training load:
  • MAF days for most can go over MAF by prob 10 bpm… maybe even 15 bpm ie some tempo involved. But when volume is low that’s usually sustainable and still promotes aerobic gains. Meanwhile when very tired or pushing more volume be more diligent on easy days being easy and MAF runs being close to true MAF.

Research Study

• Individualized Endurance Training Based on Recovery and Training Status in Recreational Runners – 2022
  • What they found: athletes who adjusted training based on how they felt had better training outcomes.
  • This wasn’t true intuitive training as they were using metrics to gauge what workouts they did, but it’s a good example of adjusting the plan based on body’s state.
  • 40 recreationally endurance-trained males (20) and females (20).
  • “PD trained according to the predefined program, whereas the program of IND was adapted based on measured training and recovery data.”
    • Eg) They compared the individually adjusted training prescription (volume and intensity) based on nocturnal HRV, perceived recovery, and estimated running performance VS a predefined training program.
  • “The first 6-wk VOL period focused on the progression of LIT volume, whereas the second 6-wk INT period focused on high-intensity interval training (HIT).”
    • HIT Eg) 6 x 3min on 2min recovery for intensity.
  • Testing: Blood with free T, cortisol, creatine kinase when fasted. Incremental treadmill test (increasing by 1km/hr per 3min); also a CMJ and 10k run test.
  • Adjusting training based on how you feel yields better performance results over time:
    • “Both programs improved performance mostly after interval training. Although both groups had similar training characteristics on average, the change in the 10-km running performance was greater in IND. In addition, the proportion of high responders in the maximal treadmill and 10-km running performance was greater and the proportion of low responders smaller in IND compared with PD.A more individualized training plan (based on metrics they used to alter) may increase the likelihood of positive endurance training adaptations.”

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Skratch Labs. Skratch Labs is here to help all athletes perform better with sports nutrition that is simple, delicious, and based on science. No non-functional additives, like artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives – Skratch uses real food and real ingredients designed to help athletes perform and to create sports nutrition that you’ll actually want to eat. And Skratch guarantees their products will help you perform better. If they don’t, we’ll help you find something else or refund your purchase. It’s on us – no matter what – because we’re here to help.

Best of all: EP fans get 20% off everything Skratch offers on your first order, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET20 if you’re shopping at Skratch for that same 20% discount.

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Welcome to episode 36 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach and personal trainer, who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.

Training updates from the HPN girls!

What kind of nutritional support, supplements, habits, etc., are prioritized to support the following two scenarios: 

Julie – hormone-healing maintenance: continuing to support overall health/hormones coming off imbalances and also with an increasingly demanding job on feet as coach/trainer and longer distance racing (eg 50-miler).

Tawnee – 8 months postpartum: A mom who’s breastfeeding with small kids and getting back to consistent exercise/ training and even racing after a long time away from all that. Currently: Milk supply fantastic & generally feeling great too–how does TPG achieve this while pushing harder in training and seeing gains in fitness?

Most supplements and brands we mention can be found at Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount. When you shop through EP you save AND support the podcast, a win win!

• Julie 
  • Supplements:
    • IRON 2x/day
    • Rhodiola 5x/week – for stress and fatigue resistance
    • Creatine 2.5g 5x/week – brain function, sleep, strength, recovery
    • B6 in P5P form (thanks Tawnee!) – hormones, pms
    • Chaste Tree Berry – hormone balance
    • Fish Oil 1g/day – mood, cognitive function, blood sugar regulation, recovery
    • Magnesium 5x/week
    • Amino Acid Complex 1x/day
    • Zinc or a Trace Mineral complex 4-5x/week
• Tawnee
  • Supplements:
    • The One by Quiksilver Scientific
      • For adrenals & mitochondrial
      • Has PQQ, CoQ10, Resveratrol, tocotrienols, adaptogens, botanicals
      • Even astragalus for immune
      • “Definitely felt a shift in my energy and recovery from sleep deprivation once I started this.”
    • Stress B Complex and/or B6 in P5P form
      • Podcast discussing forms of B6 and why we recommend P5P
    • Iodine
      • Needs increase in pregnancy and lactation; I’m not getting from salt and not a ton in my diet
      • Benefits for both of us:
        • Helps with my thyroid
        • Helps with baby development eg brain/neurological
      • Take a drop in water and can dose as needed, a few times a week
    • Rotating probiotics/ regular fermented foods
      • Had antibiotics in labor so really ramped this up postpartum for both of us, never saw any lingering negative effects on gut health
      • Almost every day eating some form of fermented food, for baby too!
    • ION Gut support
      • Also gut support, different than probiotics
      • Soil derived, trace minerals and amino acids
      • Strengthen cellular or tight junction integrity – something that can be compromised with gluten, glyphosate, etc
      • Redox signaling (mechanism)
    • Mag Bicarb
      • Why this form? Discussed on OMM 3 in more detail
      • Save 10% off your first order of Crucial Four, the brand Tawnee buys for MagBicarb
    • Cod liver oil or fish oil
      • CLO brands: Rosita or Green pastures
      • FO brands: Nordic Naturals or Biotics Research
      • Vitamin A concerns? No. WAP – “We have pointed out that concerns about vitamin A toxicity are exaggerated. While some forms of synthetic vitamin A found in supplements can be toxic at only moderately high doses, fat-soluble vitamin A naturally found in foods like cod liver oil, liver, and butterfat is safe at up to ten times the doses of water-soluble, solidified and emulsified vitamin A found in some supplements that produce toxicity.(1)Additionally, the vitamin D found in cod liver oil and butterfat from pasture-raised animals protects against vitamin A toxicity, and allows one to consume a much higher amount of vitamin A before it becomes toxic.(1-3) ”
      • Been leaning toward more natural forms of A & D lately, giving appropriate dosages to girls too.

Lifestyle Medicine & the Roots of Wellness

Part 1: Starting the conversation with #1-3

We often are asked how to heal x,y,z or get better at x,y,z… but then often hearing, “I can’t heal or get better…” Maybe we’re looking too much at the surface and not enough at the roots. Here we start the conversation on the real roots of healing and thriving buy thinking deeper than just a current fad or protocol, i.e. what does it really take to get well and stay well? This is lifestyle medicine…and there is science to support this.

IFM’s functional medicine tree

1. Emotional health & self-awareness

• Healing past traumas, releasing and letting go, desire to be well and not stay stuck… this is the HARD WORK. E.g. attitudes, beliefs, values, and intentions. Being stuck will often manifest and no it’s not your fault for manifesting an injury or whatever it is, this is just your body giving you the gentle (or not so gentle) nudge to dig deep and see what’s there. Often look to past and what needs resolving.Your injury has roots to something deeper than a biomechanical error, in most cases. It shows a larger imbalance… follow that! Same with weight gain/overweight or being too lean… what is the EMOTIONAL root? Not just the physical outcome.
• Must FIRST be open to change and doing the work..”nothing changes if nothing changes”This is my cornerstone pillar (physical health/exercise  is a close 2nd) – everything is downstream of the state of my emotional health…I eat better, move better, sleep, better, connect better, work more creatively etc.
• Letting Go = “Drop the Rope”…is it something you can’t control? Drop the rope

2. Resilience to stress

• If exercising or sleep deprived or mentally unstable or whatever it is, must do all we can to offset that with daily habits and practices to build robustnessTargeted supplements and self-care practice – the discipline to be consistent with these little habits.
• “Catching Uncertainties” – name it, locate it in your body, see if through

3. Community

• Gotta have your people, social media – does it count? I don’t think so.
• We are social creatures, the need to belong is ingrained in our nature
• 5 Key Benefits of Community:
• Support and Safety: to help fight feelings of hopelessness
• Connection and Belonging: being a part of something Bigger brings meaning
• Influence: the uplifting effect of being surrounded by positive people
• Sharing: reinforces our sense of self and adds worth and value to the comm.
• Learning: finding people with different experiences to provide insight
• Tips for finding community: search for a group of like-minded people; share thoughts, ideas, books, meals with friends or neighbors; spend less time scrolling social media, and more time showing up in person; volunteer for a cause that means a lot to you; join a fitness group, dance class, art class etc.

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels. 

Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too. 

Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength. 

Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

---

On this episode of “On My Mind” (OMM) with Tawnee and John we talk about routines and daily habits–the little things that can add up in big ways for your health and athletic performance. We also discuss Tawnee’s recent SUP race and what factors helped her feel so strong getting back to racing after years away from it.

Daily Routines

• Basic adrenal cocktail
  • Hydrate upon waking with Crucial Four’s Icelandic mineral-dense sea salt + organic lemon juice in filtered/RO water.
  • Make sole water by mixing water/salt the night prior to drinking.
  • Adding minerals to RO water.
  • 10% off Crucial Four products here.
• Body brushing aka dry brushing
  • Tawnee has two brushes, one with copper bristles that create a negative ion charge, similar to grounding effect, the negative ions help protect the body from free radical damage and stressors in our environment.
  • Increased interoceptive awareness akin to meditation?
• Dead hangs
  • As a movement snack; pullup bar in doorway so easy access to do whenever.
  • Healthy shoulders—we argue this is a gateway to overall biomechanical wellness, especially for runners and triathletes.
• Magnesium bicarbonate
  • Tawnee buys Crucial Four Magnesium Hydroxide to make her own Mag Bicarb.
  • 10% off Crucial Four products here.
  • So many forms of Mg from which to choose, many with different specific benefits.
  • Tawnee has discussed and taken many form of Mg before. Mg glycinate is 2nd fave to bicarb now for bioavailability.
  • Why Bicarb? Bicarb is found to be more absorbed and utilized. Magnesium is a mineral that supports many vital physiological functions, and we’re often deficient but hard to pinpoint this–symptoms fairly broad and far reaching.
  • Magnesium bicarbonate is an electrolyte salt that exists only in water under specific conditions.
  • Mitochondria support: bicarbonate acts as a transporter of magnesium into the mitochondria. Helps with creation of energy and its transport.
  • Nervous system support.
  • Supports healthy pH level, i.e. aids in alkalinity in both tissues and cells.
  • This is a DIY supplement: formed through the reaction of dilute solutions of carbonic acid (such as sparkling or seltzer water) and magnesium hydroxide.
  • Tawnee is taking about 3 oz or about 300mg/day while breastfeeding.
• Sleep prioritzation
  • When you’re in a period of pushing limits—in this case working mom with two small children and now back to training—don’t slack on sleep!
  • I could stay up late after kids go down but I can’t afford to sacrifice that rest time!
  • Tawnee argues that the sleep piece is even far more important than light exposure (based on experience of living in North Idaho where winters are very dark, days short and often no sun).
• Toe spacers
  • Great for foot health and biomechanics.
  • Often our feet are in need of TLC these help!
  • Doesn’t take a lot of money or work, just throw them on.
  • Tawnee likes post-run, during strength or during daytime when barefoot or even when sleeping.
  • During day she wears Primal Step Toe Separators or EarthRunner Toe Spacers.
  • At night she wears Correct Toes.

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Skratch Labs. Skratch Labs is here to help all athletes perform better with sports nutrition that is simple, delicious, and based on science. No non-functional additives, like artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives – Skratch uses real food and real ingredients designed to help athletes perform and to create sports nutrition that you’ll actually want to eat. And Skratch guarantees their products will help you perform better. If they don’t, we’ll help you find something else or refund your purchase. It’s on us – no matter what – because we’re here to help.

Best of all: EP fans get 20% off everything Skratch offers on your first order, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET20 if you’re shopping at Skratch for that same 20% discount.

---

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

Laura asks:

Puking at the Finish Line

I throw up at the end of nearly every running race I do, REGARDLESS of the distance — it can be 5k, 10k, HM or marathon, and it’s always the same, also regardless of weather. It usually happens in last 100-200 meters where I get so nauseous and next thing you know I am literally throwing up. I have tried everything from hydration strategies, nutrition, pacing, training at appropriate intensities, and so on… Of course, racing is always going to be different than training and you can’t perfectly replicate race day in a training sesh, but still, it is getting so annoying that this happens to me. What do you think it could be? What can I do to prevent this?

What the coaches say:

• First look at the obvious potential offenders: hydration, nutrition, weather conditions (e.g. extreme heat, etc.).
• Consider: Intensity, lactic acidosis, hydrogen ion concentrations.
• Training at appropriate intensities to properly prepare for race conditions and that final push.
• If that has all been addressed then go deeper…
• Nervous system dysregulation, hormonal imbalance.
• Address HPA axis function and health markers.
• Try breathwork and calming exercises pre-race; breathing during racing.
• Not all issues are obvious or easy to solve… keep digging, find that root cause and the imbalance leading to this outcome in racing.

Eddie asks:

Racing the Colorado Trail Race – Bikepacking and MAF

I have been an endurance mountain bike athlete for a very long time, 30+ years. Multiple 24 hour solos (single speed) and many 100+ mile races.  I have been following the MAF method for many years now.  This method has worked well for me.  I recently started bikepacking and have completed the Colorado Trail Race.  On my first attempt I had to quit after 300 miles due to complete loss of energy and fatigue.  Going into this race I was following the MAF method both in training and in diet. High fat, low carb.  This did not seem to fare well with the Colorado trail race.  On my second attempt I introduced carbs during training and during the race.  I also included more anaerobic training. I completed the race in 8 days and 15hours.  My goal was to finish in 7 days but just to finish was a personal accomplishment for me.  I want to attempt this race again this year in Aug.

I’m back on the MAF method for both training and diet.  I’m feeling great on the bike and the energy is good.  What do you guys feel about an event like this, 540miles, fully packed bike, self supported a lot of miles of Hike a bike (I estimated 100+) 76K feet of elevation.  Avg elevation is at 10,500ft.  I really would like to  attempt this again and have my aerobic training and low carb nutrition work for me.  What are your thoughts on the MAF method and an event like this?  This race is really about recovery.  Riding/hiking 17+ hours a day, 4-5 hours of sleep per night, constant calorie replenishment.  I’m 60 years old now but never figure this into the equation other than recovery.  I’m curious to hear your opinion.

What the coaches say:

• MAF focus for training is definitely appropriate here, but we advise doing so in more of a polarized training format so you are preparing for that percentage of time that will be high-intensity work, e.g. hike-a-bike sections, hills, etc.
• Low carb is relative! So for an event like this 200-300g/CHO day could still be on the lower-carb side of things and defiinitely appropriate. Any lower could run risks and especially if he’s tried LCHF and had a DNF why go back a format that didn’t work?
• Meanwhile, can periodize nutrition over the season to have periods of low carb during appropriate training loads, and build strong metabolic flexibility for health AND performance benefits.
• Metabolic function at altitude shifts especially that high up. Lucho mentions taking in 100g/CHO first hour of Leadville to get ahead.

JW asks:

Ashtanga Yoga & Marathon Newbie

Hey Guys, Hope all is well.  Thx as always for everything you guys do. I’ve been listening since the start to ATC and have loved every minute of the journey.

Question:

I just began working with an athlete who is a devoted practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga for over a decade. They also enjoy running, want to do more, and signed up for a marathon in the fall(Marine Corps-Oct).(side note we live in FL and it’s already  hot and humid and will be up to Oct)

I know you guys are familiar with Ashtanga Yoga, obviously very difficult and advanced and this person’s sessions are typically 90 to 120 minutes, two times a week (Mondays and Wednesdays).   I’m not a yogi and can’t even imagine.

With the Yoga practice and other life responsibilities, they can do three to four days of running per week but are very busy(long days of work) on Saturdays and Sundays.

Their totally “free day” is Tuesday, which they had been using for their “long runs” of 6-8 miles to maintain fitness.  (Obviously in the marathon build up we will be going much longer than that for long runs.)

I definitely have my own ideas on how to fit in the running, especially the long runs, around the yoga and even use the yoga/running as compliments to each other, but I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions and what a typical week might look like if you were setting it up for someone in this situation.

Any other suggestions or ideas you would have throughout the buildup/program or even the taper for this athlete?

Keep the long run on Tuesdays?  Carve out time on a different day for long runs?

Run after/before a yoga session on the same day?

Etc etc?

Thanks and looking forward to hearing your thoughts/ideas.

What the coaches say:

• Someone this experienced at yoga may not be as impacted as a yoga newbie, i.e. not a huge energy toll or source of DOMS/soreness/fatigue.
• Experienced yogis also may be more in tune with their bodies and honor their limits on any given day.
• We still agree that the Tuesday long run is likely the best bet for this person’s schedule—BUT be willing to adjust on a weekly basis, i.e. skip the Wednesday yoga if really fatigued from the prior day run.
• Get used to working on microcycle (weekly) shifts not just the big picture. Flexibility and communication between coach and athlete!

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels. 

Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too. 

Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength. 

Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

---

Tawnee is back for a new episode of On My Mind (OMM), and due to popular demand we’re keeping her husband John on as a co-host to this new series! This episode’s photo is a throwback that ties into the conversation; it was taken in Whistler, Canada, in 2014 when John and Tawnee officially took over EP as a team.

On this episode:

• The history of Endurance Planet—did you know this podcast began in 2005 and has been running steadily for 18 years?!
• Back then the show was hosted by show founder Kevin Patrick.
• Around 2010 or so Ben Greenfield took over Endurance Planet and brought on Tawnee, who started as host in 2011.
• In 2014, John and Tawnee fully took over EP and to this day are the show “custodians” as John likes to call it.
• We’re getting back to four shows a month!
• We vow to keep the podcast mission of promoting health and wellness techniques for endurance athletes, sharing cutting-edge science and practices, and helping you train and race to your potential!
• We also will cover topics that may not be for everyone, that may be seen as controversial even, but maybe those topics and ideas are the exact things that some people need.
• Science is ever-evolving and changing, and we strive to keep an open mind, be willing to unlearn, to grow and to evolve… and we hope you do the same!
• We encourage constructive criticism.
• We encourage debate and healthy discourse.
• We understand our show isn’t for everyone, that’s ok, too.
• Why we think “cancel culture” can be dangerous.

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Skratch Labs. Skratch Labs is here to help all athletes perform better with sports nutrition that is simple, delicious, and based on science. No non-functional additives, like artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives – Skratch uses real food and real ingredients designed to help athletes perform and to create sports nutrition that you’ll actually want to eat. And Skratch guarantees their products will help you perform better. If they don’t, we’ll help you find something else or refund your purchase. It’s on us – no matter what – because we’re here to help.

Best of all: EP fans get 20% off everything Skratch offers on your first order, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET20 if you’re shopping at Skratch for that same 20% discount.

---

Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

Our guest in this episode is Justin Frandson, an athleticism performance coach and founder of Athleticism.com and EMFRocks.com. 

In this episode:

• Tawnee mentions she has owned EMF-harmonizing tesla rocks since her days as a vanlifer.
• Justin was hurt as a pre-collegiate elite athlete so ultimately went into a career in helping athletes in ways beyond agility training.
• Speed training, coordination drills, ambidexterity–incorporating rhythms, nonlinear movements, and ways to boost brain training, and help athletes get into flow.
• Get the body in the infinite flow of the universe.
• Don’t get stuck in one plane of motion–move dynamically!
• Brain waves:
  • Sleeping: delta/theta brain wave state, which is <1 to 1-8 Hz.
    • Theta: light sleep, relaxed and/or meditative state
    • Delta: deep sleep
  • Peak performance/flow state: alpha wave state, which is 8-12 Hz.
• When brain states rev low and slow, e.g. creative/visualization is theta, this is similar to Schumann resonance 7.83 Hz.
• Our brains will naturally rev closer to what earth is but when we have “monkey brain” activated or sympathetic state we leave that state–lose power.
• Eye-hand coordination, non-linear work, mindfulness, breathwork get us back to a flow state or alpha brain wave state.
• The value of Justin’s niche of work for endurance athletes:
  • Why endurance athletes can benefit from fast-twitch muscle development.
  • Proper gait, stride length/frequency, rhythmic body movement, coordinated movement for faster times.
  • Injury resilience, bone density, more efficiency.
  • Create new neuropathways and more easily get into flow state.
• Ambidexterity work to try: juggling!
• Athletic neurostacking–adding more and more to challenge the brain; stack the system during coordination exercises.
• Tie in with babies and toddlers–tapping balloons with both hands not just one so they aren’t so one-side dominant.
• EMF
  • A big stressor that hinders performance and downregulate our nervous system
  • Signal strengths keep increasing.
  • Story of a paddler who went weak when wearing a smartwatch.
  • Muscle testing.
• Endurance athletes and smartwatches/wearables
  • Radiation from smartwatches (GPS, etc.) can have an impact.
  • Technology–is it really the next best thing?
  • Taking us away from our intuition.
  • Use it for test/re-test purposes–those are the markers and data points that matter.
  • Smart watches/wireless wearables: they are pinging at 2.45 billion waves per second of a one-directional wave form (for reference, as he mentioned, human body is used to operating at 8-12 waves/sec of unpolarized waves).
  • But low levels of radiation, so is it significant?
  • CDPH guidelines.
• Toxic world
  • Is EMF just one more thing and tipping some of us over the edge.
  • Zach Bush: #1 stressor on the body of the last 40 years is glyphosate.
  • But EMFs have been around for even longer!
• Studies
  • Dr. Martin Pall’s work including:
    • Electromagnetic fields act via activation of voltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects
    • Microwave frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produce widespread neuropsychiatric effects including depression
    • More published studies by Pall here.
  • EMF disrupts us at a physiological/cellular level: Voltage-gated calcium channels open up allowing positive calcium into a negative cell.
  • Secondary, cell and DNA damage.
  • Whenter low-level EMF or high-levels, there’s still a vibration effect that affects our body. Our body gets de-charged, loses polarity, leads to fatigue, dehydration, etc. (cite Pall).
  • Meters can mesuare speed of wavelength:
  • Milligauss is measurement unit.
  • Electricity in home is a frequency around 50-60 Hz, and phones, etc increase exponentially.
  • CDPH recommendations on cell phone use and health.
  • Bioinitiative.org has set minimum standards.
• Coexist with EMF and avoid the fear-mongering
  • How to keep your cool over these “invisible” threats like EMF so that you don’t create the exact problems you’re trying to prevent, e.g. nervous system dysregulation.
  • Don’t give your power away! We can convert these wave forms.
  • Establish proximity protocols.
  • Use nature to ground us.
  • Grounding inside the home.
  • For athletes, work more on an intuitive approach to training and listen to your body! Don’t rely solely on wearables.
• Nature is healing
  • Grounding.
  • Body is a body battery.
  • Negative charge from the earth.
  • Positive charge from the unpolarized light of the sun.
  • Breathe in minerals.
  • Water for conductivity.
• EMF exposure and susceptibility to health
  • When mitochondria disrupted we are a gateway for other challenges; lose polarity.
  • Eyes, teeth, thymus, lower intestine all get de-charged.
  • “Level 1” EMF symptoms: Cognitive such as fatigue, behavioral issues, increased stress, headaches, ringing in ears, lack of sleep.
  • “Level 2” EMF symptoms: Severe headaches/migraine, bloody nose, non-trauma concussion symptoms, rashes.
  • “Level 3” EMF symptoms: Cancer, diabetes, suicide, CV disease, infertility.
  • Genetic component that makes some of us more susceptible?
  • Rh positive are more sensitive to EMFs; Rh negative more resilient.
  • How much toxicity we’re exposed to/toxic burden.
  • Methylation status matters in whether we’re sensitive or not.
  • Our biofields–does EMF get “stuck” within us?
  • There are many ways to test things like methylation, toxic burden, etc.
• EMF in our homes and personal space and what we can do…
  • Smart meters are big offenders. Is this by your bedroom wall where you sleep, or your kids?
  • Smart devices of all kinds–from phones to home cameras, etc.
  • Hard-wiring is an option to mitigate EMF issues.
  • Some people will feel like their brain is being “pinged” all night long.
  • Is your home a quiet resonance? At the very least, turn off wifi or even electricity at night when sleeping to regain low resonance.
    • Particularly in the bedroom!
  • Dirty electricity sources
    • What is dirty electricity: Amps to volts and disconnection between that communication due to bad/improper wiring, frayed wiring, transformer issues, not being grounded, etc. Electricity that leads to static, sparks, etc.
    • LED lights (incandescent is the better option)
    • Solar–not easily grounded
    • To measure dirty electric: Stetzer electric meter.
      • Should be below 100. Most homes below 300. He’s seen homes 900+.
  • Back to nature: touch your feet to the ground, touch/hug a tree if it’s cold/winter outside. Get in water.
  • Technology: we’re so addicted we don’t even know what it’s like to feel better without it!
  • When you lose your polarity, it’s hard to heal and get well/recover.
  • A lot of this we don’t even have to spend a dime to try/change and see if we benefit or feel better.
• Grounding, earthing and EMF rocks
  • What is grounding?
    • Connecting to nature/the earth to re-polarizes our system.
    • Negative charge from below; positive charge from above, etc.
    • A system of feeding that wave form and resonance.
    • For more: Eileen McKusick Electric Body Electric Health
  • When we have that polarity via grounding/earthing, our internal chemistry hold stronger. Without out we lose life force energy (eg no connection to nature, all artificial light, high EMFs, etc.).
  • At the end of the day get your environment back to the resonance of the earth, i.e. Schumann Resonance.
  • Grounding mats are one option (but must be plugged into wall).
  • EMFRocks.com: Justin’s company hand-mines crystals, creates a coherence between us and one-directional wave forms to dampen EMF effects.
    • Sleep improves by 3-50%.
    • Keep in home, ideally by bed.
    • 3rd party testing conducted on the rocks.
  • Manmade devices are an option but not from nature like the rocks are.
• Athlete tips!
  • You CAN use something like the EMF rocks on your body to coexist with EMF radiation (i.e. mitigate negative effects) when wearing smartwatches, HR monitors, etc, when training (i.e. hold or wear the rocks).
  • Cyclists, get that cell phone off your sacrum! That’ll shut down power source.
  • Women, get that phone off your chest, do not store it near your breasts.
  • If you must take your phone, ideally put on airplane mode, in a faraday bag.
  • Also don’t put your phone or device in a stroller pocket that is right near your child’s head or body.
  • Trifield EMF meter to test EMF levels in your home, bedroom, office, etc.

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels. 

Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too. 

Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength. 

Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

---

Your host, Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, is embarking on a new chapter with Endurance Planet where she will be recording some solo, short-format epsiodes in a series called “On My Mind” or “OMM” for short. This is episode 1, and she’s already breaking the rules by featuring a guest, her husband, John Gibson, but for good reason: They are both coming off hosting and running in the SoCal Ragnar Relay with their two teams and on this episode they share some thoughts on the event, tips and more, including:

• When prep, life, and other variables make it difficult, mental strength comes into play more than ever and lends to success.
• Why Rangar is not the healthiest race to do, physically speaking, but the positives outweigh the negatives–what does that entail?
• If you’re going to train for one of these get your posterior chain in tip top shape—glutes, hams, calves and Achilles. Hams and calves flare up the most—likely from going form sitting to running to sitting to running, etc.
• Sleep deprivation… like heat, I don’t think you necessarily need to train for sleep dep, it just adds stress that’s unnecessary. A healthy body will handle it!
• It’s ok to have FOMO and bow out if you’re not ready though—it is quite violent and aggressive, do it in the season that’s right for you.
• What you eat matters. We provide food, clean and healthy, but may not fit everyone’s gut. Preparation to avoid GI distress! Even more than most races because the downtimes you risk “overdoing it” with foods that may not agree later.
• Be well… and celebrate that—a healthy body can take a beating and bounce back quickly (enough). A run-down overstressed body will struggle, especially in the weeks following. Know where you’re at. It’s ok to have limits and boundaries.

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Skratch Labs. Skratch Labs is here to help all athletes perform better with sports nutrition that is simple, delicious, and based on science. No non-functional additives, like artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives – Skratch uses real food and real ingredients designed to help athletes perform and to create sports nutrition that you’ll actually want to eat. And Skratch guarantees their products will help you perform better. If they don’t, we’ll help you find something else or refund your purchase. It’s on us – no matter what – because we’re here to help.

Best of all: EP fans get 20% off everything Skratch offers on your first order, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET20 if you’re shopping at Skratch for that same 20% discount.

---

Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

On this episode, Tawnee and Lucho catch up after being together in April for the 2023 Ragnar SoCal Relay. They talk about the race, the (two) teams and more reflections. Following our Ragnar chat, we share thoughts on athletes—whether pro or amateur—who dope, integrity, the aftermath of cheating and more. Plus, for athletes who do choose to supplement with approved, legal and safe supplements, how and why we should be still cautious and discerning over brands we choose, sources and more. Lastly, we answer a question on a masters athlete (70+ years old) who’s looking to incorporate strength training for sprint training–what does a strength training program look like for older athletes? Enjoy!

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels. 

Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too. 

Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength. 

Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

---

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

On this episode we welcome professional triathlete Sarah True. Sarah is one of the few endurance athletes to reach the top of her sport at multiple distances—including two Olympic Games, top finishes at ITU WTS, and IRONMAN racing. She now focuses on Iron-distance racing, and she has finished as high as 4th place at the Ironman World Championships in Kona. Sarah is also a newer mom having had a baby boy in 2021.

In addition to racing professionally and motherhood, Sarah has been very open over the years about her struggles with depression and is candid about breaking the stigma and sharing behind the scenes.

On this episode we talk with her about everything from her approach to pregnancy and postpartum—with great insight and tips for all you mamas out there—to what tools have worked for her in healing from depression, how she’s been able to get herself out of some the darker chapters in her life, and the prevalence of depression in sport especially with professionals.

Article mention: The Athlete’s Paradox: Adaptable Depression.

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels. 

Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too. 

Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength. 

Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

---

Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

Article discussion:

Interoception in Athletes

• We examine new research on interoception in athletes, and an article in Triathlete Magazine that dissects it further.
• Study: Interoceptive differences in elite sprint and long-distance runners: A multidimensional investigation
• Article by Alex Hutchinson: The Case Against Listening To Your Body
• Interoception vs Intuition:
  • “Interoception” – the felt sense; processing of visceral-afferent neural signals by the central nervous system, which results in the conscious perception of bodily processes. Your brain’s perception of your body’s state, transmitted from receptors on internal organs; i.e. cardiovascular system, lungs, gut, etc. Communication between brain and organs. E.g. being able to tell your HR just by feel without taking pulse.
  • “Intuition” – an inner knowing; the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning; a hunch or also gut feeling generated by the unconscious mind (experience and cumulative knowledge aids)
• Hutchinson quote from the article: “It could be that training and competing actually interfere with interoception. Perhaps repeatedly pushing your body beyond its comfortable limits forces you to ignore all the distress signals bombarding your brain. Over time, ignoring them becomes a habit, and you’re less able to judge how you’re feeling. Or perhaps it’s only modern runners whose interoception is impaired, thanks to their reliance on external sources of feedback like GPS watches and heart rate monitors.”
• The study:
  • Used world-class (ranked in the top 100) sprint and long-distance athletes, and non-athletes. Two questions were addressed:
    • (1) whether sprinters, distance runners and non-athletes differ in their interoceptive abilities, and 
    • (2) whether elite athletes differ from non-elite athletes in their interoceptive abilities. 
  • Study 1: 
    • 213 subjects – 50 sprinters, 67 distance runners, 96 non-athletes
    • 70 elite, 47 non-elite
    • self-reported interoceptive attentional and regulatory styles via online questionnaire (Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) – 32 questions), included anxiety/depression question.
  • Study 2: 
    • 29 athletes: 14 elite (top 100 national rankings), and 15 non-elite (outside top 100 national rankings). There were 17 sprinters (100m, 200m and 400m), 12 distance runners (800–10,000m) and 29 non-athlete controls. Only males?
    • Heart beat counting task and a ‘gold standard’ Heartbeat Detection Task to examine differences in interoceptive accuracy, confidence, and metacognitive awareness. 
    • Two conditions: (i) in silence, and (II) whilst listening to pre-recorded crowd noise that simulated the live sounds of spectators during a sporting event. 
    • Had to report their felt heartbeats and not try to guess or use an exteroceptive aid (such as taking one’s pulse) [44].
    • HDT: The task required participants to judge whether heartbeat sensations are or are not simultaneous with the circle presentation.
  • RESULTS
    • (I) compared to non-athletes, athletes (i.e., both sprinters and distance runners) had more confidence (Study 2) in their interoceptive percept, and reported trusting their body more, using it to self-regulate and having better attentional control towards their body (Study 1); 
    • (II) sprinters reported having better regulation of attention to internal sensations, more emotional awareness, better self-regulation, and a greater propensity to listen to their body for insight than both distance runners (Fig 3), 
    • (III) athletes (i.e., both sprinters and distance runners) were better able to maintain heartbeat detection performance when distracted compared to non-athletes (Fig 5), and 
    • (IV) elite athletes were characterised by lower emotional awareness, self-regulation, and body listening (Study 1), and were less accurate at counting their heartbeat when not distracted (Fig 4), and characterised by a higher interoceptive prediction error (Study 2). 
  • Good question that was asked by researchers: It should also be considered whether these are innate characteristics of sprint athletes, or a consequence of their participation in high intensity exercise. 
• It’s complicated though:
  • Inconsistent findings across studies in athletes.
  • It’s so individual because it brings in a lot of life experiences.
  • Interoception (accuracy and/ or awareness) might be related to self-regulation during exercise and athletes may have better interoceptive abilities than non-athletes, but conclusions are limited due to studies taking a unidimensional approach [25], methodological inconsistencies [31, 32]’, and the recruitment of college-level, rather than elite athletes [29, 31, 32]. 
• Why we would want to “turn off” the ability to feel our body, e.g. during a hard race where we want to check out or dissociate, to mitigate pain, etc.
• WHY IS INTEROCEPTION SO IMPORTANT? NOT JUST SPORTS PERFORMANCE
  • There’s a link between compromised interoceptive function and psychiatric disorders, depression, anxiety, additicion.
  • Mindfulness med improves insular functioning and connectivity to increase interoceoption
  • Insular function correlated with increased empathy
  • Gut feelings: interoceptive sensations, as GI tract responds to emotions and stress
  • Maintaining hameostasis is an interoceptive process
  • Interoceptive signals help us regulate emotional and physical states

Sarah asks:

“The gray zone”

What the coaches say:

• What they say the problems are:
  • Too easy to be useful and is too hard and too fatiguing
  • When you spend too much or all your time in this zone as many do, esp those not aware of HR, effort/PE, zones, etc.
  • Too much gray Z3 doesn’t help high end sprinting
  • Harder than Z2/MAF so recovery is different—more of it needed, can lead to burout overtraining if too much here
• What is the Gray Zone:
  • Z3 or tempo is ~2.0-2.5mmol which is quite mild! Put that into context for MOST people and running up a hill puts you in the “grey” zone.
• But the thing is:
  • Too much Vo2 is also bad.
  • Too much threshold is bad.
  • Too much easy volume is bad.
  • Too much of anything is bad. Duh.Depends on the race distance
  • Depends on the base fitness
  • Depends on how much time before race
  • Everyone responds differently.
• To consider (the negatives):
  • Athletes tend to do too much and plateau. Should only be ~20% or less of total run volume.
  • For ultra athletes and marathon it is less effective, same as sweetspot. Works better for <70.3, <1/2 marathon.
  • Not good if you use a TRUE polarized or MAF methodology
• The positives:
  • More stimulation if you are time limited and plateau with the volume you’re able to run.
  • Good mental practice
  • Fun
  • If used sparingly it is fine if you aren’t in a high quality focused block.
  • If you’re very fit and limited on time available
  • If you’re traveling and have very limited time
• Other Gray zone/Z3 concepts covered:
  • Sweet spot podcast we did.
  • Race specificity–what distances are benefited the most by training at Z3 or in the gray zone?
  • When MAF becomes tempo?
  • Used mostly in a final block as a “specific” intensity. Marathon pace/ effort.
  • ZONES- if you are NOT measuring lactate then everything is on a spectrum. The shift from Z2 into Z3 is very subtle and there isn’t a definite line.
  • Using lactate testing and the polarized method is the exception.
  • No research showing Z3 is better or worse.
  • Some evidence of an increase in mitochondrial density with SS training.
  • Some evidence showing a drop in Vo2 if you do MOSTLY Z3/ SS
  • Everyone responds differentlyBlumenfelt, Iden training ~85% in LT1 the remainder in LT2 or sweetspot/ tempo Still below MLSS
  • ELITE athletes will elicit lower lactate levels at tempo/ Z3 than regular people.

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels. 

Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too. 

Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength. 

Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

---

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

On this episode we have The Sock Doc, Dr. Steve Gangemi, joining us. Steve is a natural health care doctor who founded and practices at Systems Health Care, an integrative wellness center in Chapel Hill, NC. Steve is also a longtime endurance athlete and is a wealth of knowledge for athletes looking to optimize wellness.

Intro Banter

Toxic, Chemical Concerns in Everyday Foods and More

• Kerrygold bummer
  • Label is found to contain “forever chemicals” PFAS. Our take and butter choices moving forward… Read more here.
• Salt choices for lowest microplastics and metals, etc.
  • What are the best types of salt to buy as far as those lowest in microplasctics, heavy metals, etc.
  • Celtic Sea Salt, Himalayan Pink salt, etc.
  • Is there really a concern as far as how much of the “bad stuff” is in these salts?
  • Crucial Four is a new brand dense in minerals that Tawnee is trying for her morning adrenal-health drink.
• Where else are concentrated sources of chemicals in our daily lives–look there!
  • E.g. city water or water source for your home, drinking water, clothing, etc.
  • Any recommendations for a good bathtub water filter?
• A healthy body should be able to handle low levels of heavy metals, microplastics, etc., and detox that properly.

Holistic Hamstrings

Hamstring Basics

• Read Steve’s in-depth article on hamstring injuries here.
• Quick hamstring 101: hamstrings consists of 3 muscles, the motion they provide, bridge between glutes and calves, etc.
• Generally, hams are more often injured in running, jumping.
• Upper hammy are more often injured in endurance athletes/runners than lower (behind knee, which is usually a calf muscle issue).
  • Upper hamstring more often a glute issue, often weak due to pelvic instability–hamstring is doing extra work to make up for glute weakness
• Steve’s philosophy of “don’t treat the hamstring” when hamstring hurts or is injured.
  • Either coming from a different muscle or the hamstring function is being disrupted by some other muscle imbalance somewhere else in the body.
  • Hamstring might be in spasm–gastroc, soleus (i.e. calves) or glutes are not working well and hamstring is compensating.

Upper Hamstring Injuries 

• What is usually going on, what needs to be done? i.e. glutes, hips
• Glute test, do this BAREFOOT: stand on one leg, how well can you support yourself, stabilize pelvis, feel pain-free, etc.
• If super solid on both side for 10-15 seconds, try doing it with your EYES CLOSED.
• Basic balancing exercises to begin with.
• Sacrum is really important when talking about glutes due to sacrotuberous ligament–remnant of bicep femoris, embryological piece, integrates sacrum to ischium.
• SI nerve/joint issues
  • Sciatic nerve can go above, below or through piriformis.
• With pelvis, glute medius (lateral, stability) and piriformis (hip rotator) are critical.
  • Piriformis balance each other, eg fatigue on one side and pain on the other.
  • Glute med and piriformis issue WAY more common than true hamstring issues.
  • if hamstrings have to kick on too often or too much, they get over-worked, too tight and hurt.
  • Why are these areas so often affected? Basic movement patterns, sitting too much, shoe choices (heel lift), etc.
• Low back pain
  • Low back pain and anterior (front side) hip flexor connection. Psoas or even obliques, look for trigger points to help.
  • Simple test for psoas (hip flexor) tightness: If you lie on your back and low back hurts or if you can’t lie on back without putting something under your knees or bending them, then you have a hip flexor problem.

Lower Hamstring Injuries 

• Lower hamstring pain (at back/inside of knee): way less common! Almost always an upper gastroc issue or tibialis posterior instead.
• Tibialis posterior: probably the most important muscle of lower leg for movement: involves plantar fascia, link between tibia and fibula, affects how you pronate, how you absorb shock, toe splay, etc.
• Actually, is that really MCL or meniscus pain or something else…
• Pes Anserine–what is it, why does it matter here?
  • People confuse this with MCL or medial meniscus pain when it is actually a weak hamstring muscle issue.

Adrenal Connection

• Muscle-organ relationship; applied kinesiology; biofeedback.
• When a muscle isn’t functioning properly is that muscle injured or is it an organ influence?
• Clinically: tibialis posterior, soleus, gastroc, sartorius, gracilis are very closely tied into adrenal gland function, more so on the right side of the body.
  • Injuries include: plantar fasciitis, shin splints, medial knee pain, calf strain… tie in with over-stress happening in life (dysfunction in cortisol, aldosterone, DHEA, etc.)
  • Muscle is not responding as it should, inhibited, instability, etc., when this over-stress is taking place (the organ connection).
  • Then what will happen another muscle will over-compensate, leading to some kind of injury (e.g. hamstring, etc).

Shoulder Issues…. for Hamstrings?!

• Shoulders often the hidden source of lower-leg injuries.
• Two main reasons:
  • Force closure–it’s how the hamstrings affects the SI joint through the coupled action of the latissimus dorsi; lats reach from sacrum to humerus.
  • Our gait cycle, which is contralateral. E.g. As hamstrings fire on the left side, lats fire on right side and vice versa. Integration of flexors and extensors. Glutes/hamstrings with lats/traps (on opposite sides)… and it goes deeper (e.g. knee and elbows).
• Shoulder girdle and hip joint connection is huge.
• Shoulder issues often from lack of movement; how often do we even have to reach overhead? How about posture awareness.
• Many shoulder exercises often do more harm than good, e.g. bench press problems! Why we don’t like it…
  • Start focusing on the fundamentals with rotator cuff, proper shoulder mobility (e.g. external rotation), etc.

Exercises To Do

• Steve’s philosophy on warming up…
• Single leg work, all of it! It starts with brain-body connection and reintegrating this back into our life. Get to the point of being able to close your eyes with SL exercises.
• SL RDL/SL DL with weights…. or SL RDL with knee drive (opposite side) and hop (with holding a weight if possible).
• Rocking… to crawling… etc.
• Dead hangs, scap pushups (protraction/retraction), scap pullups… take a video to know your form and work on it!
• Single leg work vs. something like a banded lateral monster walk.
• Caution with isolating muscles in your exercises; instead, think about using them as they are naturally used by the body i.e. functionally.

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels. 

Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too. 

Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength. 

Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

---

Sponsor:

Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements.

Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..

Intro Banter

• It’s coming and there’s still time to join the team for the race in Southern CA on April 14-15th, 2023. Email events@enduranceplanet.com for details.

• Cam Brown: He’ll be retiring with his last appearance at IMNZ on March 4, which he’s raced 25 times and won 12 times. Can we just talk about an example of consistency and longevity in this sport, which seems to be increasingly rare?! AMAZING!
• Jan Frodeno: Speaking of retirement, this year is Jan Frodeno’s last as a professional. 

• Our thoughts on the new race format with rotating locations and moving beyond just Kona.

Questions 

Luke asks:

How High is Too High? (HR)

Hi

What the coaches say:

• For quick & direct heart rate reading: Take your pulse for 6 seconds and add a 0 to get an immediate read and you can compare this against your heart rate monitor to gauge accuracy.
• Feeling your lactate threshold is usually very easy to do, as it is correlated with ventilatory threshold (shift in breath), but feeling “max” efforts or HR over 200 bpm has a different feeling.
• Couple ways to look at this:
  • 1) Conditions:
    • Heat + humidity–conditions make a difference.
  • Are you a good sweater? If you’re not sweating well or efficiently you can overheat more easily (humidity impacts this because sweat won’t evaporate as well).
  • 2) Heart issues in athletes
    • Podcast mention: Dr. Phil Maffetone 21: Heart Health For Athletes – Identifying Risks, Weeding Out Hype and Why Exercise Is Still Your Best ‘Medicine’
    • Study: Are Olympic athletes free from cardiovascular diseases? Systematic investigation in 2352 participants from Athens 2004 to Sochi 2014
      • Assessed the prevalence and type of cardiovascular (CV) abnormalities.
      • 2,352 Olympic athletes average age of 25.
      • 92 athletes (3.9%) showed abnormal CV findings.
• Accuracy of heart rate monitors–they are pretty good at this point, usually not off by more than 1-2 beats for the latest technology.
• Garmin Forerunner 45s is what Lucho uses and finds that the HR readings are very accurate.
• Consider your HR in training vs. racing, fitness levels (e.g. how’s your MAF pace and aerobic bace? Are you training your high end, what do you see?)
• At the end of the day, it’s your heart, so if there is ANY concern then follow that and get it checked.

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by LMNT, a tasty electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don’t. That means lots of salt — with no sugar.  LMNT is formulated to help anyone with their electrolyte needs and is perfectly suited to folks following a keto, low-carb, or paleo diet. LMNT contains a science-backed electrolyte ratio: 1000 mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 60 mg magnesium. With none of the junk. No sugar. No coloring. No artificial ingredients. No gluten. No fillers. No BS.

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Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

Welcome to episode 35 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, CPT, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.

Intro Banter

Ragnar SoCal 2023

• A spot opened up on our team! The race is April 14-15, 2023 in Southern California. To get more info and join the team email events@enduranceplanet.com.

What’s On Our Menu?

Julie and Tawnee share some of their latest happenings in their respective kitchens:

Julie – a day in the life:

• AM:  coffee with collagen if I have it. Something sweet like biscotti or a graham cracker or a cookie.
• Breakfast: depends on my workout and time of the workout. Either oatmeal with chia, maple syrup, PB, ¼ tsp MCT oil, creatine, cinnamon OR eggs with salted cucumber and slice of bread
• Lunch: usually eggs if I didn’t have them for breakfast, or sometimes even IF I had them for breakfast. Dinner leftovers if I have them, but normally don’t. But it’s mostly been oatmeal for breakfast and eggs/toast for lunch.
• Snacks: bobo bites, EPIC bars, rice crackers with PB, deli meat, oysters, herbal tea on the reg in the afternoon (tulsi, licorice, throat coat if I’ve had a presentation)
• Dinner: start with an app of chips and salsa and then make a big bowl of veg, protein, and starch with a side of bread! Rotating proteins are chicken, beef, bison, salmon. Usually the sauce is a primal kitchen dressing
• Dessert: chocolate is eaten throughout the day and also before bed

Tawnee – assortment of current favorites:

• Homemade gluten free bread
  • Using Happy Campers flour mix
    • Cost savings and can make without seed oils!
  • Love this bread for “salmon salad” sammies with Primal kitchen mayo + local spinach
• Vitamin C gummies with gelatin, tart cherry juice, raw local honey & camu camu
  • About 5-8 mg C per gummy
  • Fun to do with kids
  • Using:
    • Vital Proteins Gelatin
    • Terrasoul Camu Camu powder
• Raw milk
  • Finally made the switch! Local source. 5 bucks a gallon. Wow.
• Force of Nature meats
  • Good grassfed/grass-finished meat can be hit or miss at the store
  • Buying this in addition to a local farm source
  • Go the next step for your meat/poultry!
• Also on oatmeal and finding a healthy balance & approach with a carb-rich breakfast (especially for breastfeeding mamas)
• Mention: Toxic chocolate?

Female Athletes Wanted!

New study aims to discover: Should women train with respect to their menstrual cycle? You can participate…

• Our friend and past guest Paul Laursen is looking for female athletes on new study taking place that he is part of with fellow researchers. This new study includes three novel technologies in an attempt to gather deeper insight to answer an important question for female athletes — should I train to my cycle? Triathlete Meredith Kessler is an ambassador for the study, and we’re collaborating with IOC expert in the area Professor Monica Klungland Torstveit. Their new blog explains more specifically why and what they are doing and what female athletes will get from participation.
• Criteria and what you gain (freebies!)
• If you are a female athlete and qualify based on above criteria, you can sign up for the study here!

New Article & A Discussion: Perfectionism

How much does perfectionism play a role in your life and influence your physical and mental health?

The Study (full text): “Cumulative lifetime stressor exposure and health in elite athletes: the moderating role of perfectionism”

• What this study did:
  • In 2020, online survey 45min
  • Examined how cumulative lifetime stressor exposure was associated with general mental and physical health complaints in elite athletes, and the extent to which these associations were moderated by perfectionism. Participants were 110 elite athletes (64 female 45 male 1 self-described, averaging ~29-30 years old; range 18-59)
  • Competed at international or professional level
  • In survey, assessed athletes’ exposure to 55 major life stressors, including their underlying dimensions (e.g., frequency, timing, duration, and severity) – this is rare. ALso, it only measured non-sport stressors and did not assess stressors experienced specifically in the sporting context
• What they found , according to the study:
  • More severe lifetime stressors related to poorer physical and mental health.
  • Self-oriented perfectionism moderated (even helped offset) lifetime stressor count + severity + physical health outcomes, in a positive way (but no effect on mental health).
  • They said, that these results suggest that self-oriented perfectionism may attenuate or buffer the positive association between lifetime stressor exposure and physical health complaints. This finding is consistent with prior research in sport, suggesting that this dimension of perfectionism is more complex than the others and can sometimes be associated with adaptive functioning. (In contrast, no significant moderation effects were found for self-oriented perfectionism and mental health complaints.)
  • Take-home message: address and assess lifetime stressor exposure and perfectionistic tendencies in order to improve athlete health and well-being. This includes youth vs adulthood, acute vs chronic stress.
• Previous research found:
  • Relatively high lifetime stressor exposure fostered poorer health and well-being by promoting greater use of maladaptive long-term coping strategies, mental and physical health issues (depression, colds, respiratory infections).
  • Especially chronic difficulties (not acute) and adulthood (not youth).
• What makes us more vulnerable or resilient (to stress-related diseases etc), though?
  • Personality traits…mental health…
• PERFECTIONISM 101 as outlined in the article:
  • Defined as “striving for flawlessness and overly critical evaluations of behaviour;” three main types:
  • Self-oriented– Demand of perfection from the self. More ambiguous as far as neg/pos outcomes; potential to energise behaviour, which might explain why it is sometimes positively related to performance. IN this study, self-oriented perfectionism was found to moderate the relation between lifetime stressor exposure (count and severity) and physical health.
  • Socially prescribed– THIS! Belief that others expect one to be perfect. Strongest positive corr with mental health outcomes (depression and disordered eating) as well as physical health (e.g., migraines, gastrointestinal illnesses, hypertension)
  • Other-oriented– Demand of perfection from others. Positive corr but effects smaller
• Theoretical pathways through which perfectionism may affect stress according to the article:
  • Stress perpetuation, refers to the tendency for those high in perfectionism to maintain a stressful episode via the use of maladaptive coping techniques (e.g., rumination over mistakes).
  • Stress enhancement, refers to the tendency for those high in perfectionism to adopt self-defeating cognitive appraisals (e.g., threat, harm, loss), resulting in the magnification of stress (e.g., over-emphasising the importance of minor mistakes).
• Study flaw(s) according to the article:
  • Small sample; not enough data to get a significant finding
  • Bias or trying to hide the truth in responses to the survey
  • Not a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study…
• Relevant points to consider:
  • Threat vs challenge … what do we see it as when appraising potentially stressful situations
  • Elite athletes = signs of perfectionism = Perfectionism = linked with ill health
  • Perfectionism + adrenal health correlation
  • What is driving us? How is this tied into our identity? What should we lean into and work on/shed?
  • How can we apply all this to our own lives?
    • Tawnee and Julie get very candid on their on experiences as perfectionist, what was driving their perfectionism, the roots of these traits, and how they manage perfectionism in their lives now (better awareness and eliminating negative effects that come with perfectionism as best as possible)
  • Stress-reduction techniques for a perfectionist
  • Podcast mention: Dr. Phil Maffetone on Self-Care During Uncertain times 

Sponsor:

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On this episode with Tawnee and Lucho:

Steven asks:

Competitive Master’s Runner – But Slow MAF, What Gives?

Marco asks:

Broken Big Toe Comeback

Par asks:

Snotty Snow Sports & The Energy Toll of Introversion

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by LMNT, a tasty electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don’t. That means lots of salt — with no sugar.  LMNT is formulated to help anyone with their electrolyte needs and is perfectly suited to folks following a keto, low-carb, or paleo diet. LMNT contains a science-backed electrolyte ratio: 1000 mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 60 mg magnesium. With none of the junk. No sugar. No coloring. No artificial ingredients. No gluten. No fillers. No BS.

Click on our link for a free sample pack with any purchase. The sample pack contains one packet of every LMNT flavor so you can find your favorite or share with a friend. And with LMNT’s no questions asked refund policy, there is basically no risk to you.

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Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

On this episode we’re joined by Christopher McDougall and Eric Orton, who just recently released their new book, Born To Run 2. Chris is a runner and author including the original born to run book, and Eric, who is a longtime coach of Eric Orton Running Academy.

Grab your copy of Born To Run 2 here.

Together they have teamed up to create Born To Run 2, a wonderfully informative and entertaining holistic guide to your running or endurance endeavors with similar to concepts often discussed on this podcast. Everything from nutrition considerations, exercises and drills to improve your running form, minimalist shoes and the barefoot approach, training plans, compelling stories, and much more.

In this episode we’re going to dive deeper into components presented in the book by Chris and Eric including:

• Footwear, bare feet and the minimalist shoe debate
• A friendly discussion: on minimalist vs. “mainstream” shoes. If going minimalist is so much better for us and as quoted in the book, “study after study has shown that running shoes did nothing to prevent injuries or improve running performance,” then how come shoes like the Nike vapor fly and alpha fly fare so well for runners and their performance?
• Injury prevention starting with back-to-basic type drills
• Wearing different kinds of shoes from minimalist to more cushiony
• The Altra story… and shoutouts to Xero, etc.
• Run-specific and healthy-feet drills to incorporate, including the concept of “Foot Core”
• The “five minute fix” – what is it, why do it
• Why you probably need to be running fast more often (and how this complements MAF training)
• Using music as a specific tool, specifically songs that are at 90 bpm to help with run cadence
• And also when to use music, when not to, and some personal philosophies tied in with this
• Chris’ go-to warmup before runs
• Running in winter condition as a “minimalist runner” with Eric’s experience living in Jackson Hole, Wy.
• What is the one-mile test and why you need to try it out.
• Stories of Chris’ running journey and working with Eric as his coach.
• And much more!

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by UCAN, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash and keeps your blood sugar steady. The perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete…

UCAN is offering a “training bundle” to give you an assor. EP fans get 15% off UCAN, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.com for that same 15% discount.

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PerfectAmino helps you fight fatigue, maintain and/or build lean muscle mass, and better sustain your training loads. It literally counts toward protein grams in your diet and vegan friendly. Buying PerfectAmino through us helps support the podcast and ensures that you are getting the highest efficacy and quality care in your supplements rather than risking old, poorly stored, less efficacious supplements bought elsewhere on the internet.

On this episode we have The Sock Doc, Dr. Steve Gangemi, joining us. Steve is a natural health care doctor who founded and practices at Systems Health Care, an integrative wellness center in Chapel Hill, NC. Steve is also a longtime endurance athlete and is a wealth of knowledge for athletes looking to optimize wellness.

In part 2 of this 3-part series we take a deeper dive into immune system function.

If you haven’t yet, listen to part 1 here.

Exercise options for optimal immune function

• Exercise- some is good, too much has negative effect.
• Thorne article: How Athletes Can Support Their Immune Function (with links to relevant studies)
• Equation of fitness isomer than just the exercise itself- so many other variables from sleep to work stress to family stress, diet and so on.
• Endurance athletes have a greater demand since the amount they mush themselves, and if not careful can be more susceptible.
• Overtraining runs system down (even if you’re not doing high intensity).
• Immune cytokines- some are inflammatory and other anti-inflammatory, this impacts immune system function and other systems in the body.
• Too much HIIT can put us into sympathetic overdrive – symptoms manifest in many ways and could include: skin issues like eczema, fungal infections (including toenail issues), you catch every cold going around, allergies and asthma, and so on.
• How to find our sweet spot with exercise for robust immune function?
  • Trial and error: See how you respond to different exercise modalities and stimuli. Listen to your body. If you have cravings this could be a sign that things are off.
  • If you had done too much long slow aerobic training and switch to HIIT with low volume helps, you may see better sleep, sharper cognitive function, and so on.
  • If craving sugar, this could be a sign you’re burning too much sugar and not a great fat burner.
  • If craving salt, this could be a sign you’re depleted in electrolytes and/or adrenal glads.
  • Sensitivity to bright lights or sensitivity to sounds are a sign of sympathetic overdrive.
  • Are you peeing during seeing hours? This is not a normal thing.
• What about people who have a lot of stressors that can’t just change everything, such as shift workers or people traveling to different time zones?
• Quality diet and training have a bigger positive impact than we may even realize- and those are well within all our control.
• Sleep habits as well.

Offseason, training in winter and vitamin D

• Should we worry about training too much in winter months when we’re not getting an immune boost through the sun?
  • Not necessarily, it depends and shouldn’t negatively affect every single person. Why? You can still supplement with Vitamin D. And also when it comes to illness and things like seasonal affective disorder (SAD), there are typically other issues going on not just a low D thing.
• The “Vitamin D border” in winter
  • The changing angle of the sun in the winter, and why the latitude in which you live matters.
  • Above the 37th parallel where you won’t get D from the sun in winter months (can get D from the sun above that latitude in summer months).
  • More info: Vitamin D winter by Sock Doc
• Shadow trick- what is it?
• D Minder app to monitor your Vitamin D status and more

Self assess & healing

• Blood markers discussed in detail in part 1.
• The path to healing and building a stronger immune system.
• So many speciality labs exist these days. But too much information can be overwhelming. Blood is a great way to start cheaply.
• Past that, measuring immune markers via blood even just basic Vitamin D.
• Vit D ideally in 50-80 ng/ml range.
• Labs are great to point you in the right direction but use caution to not be overwhelmed.
• Food sensitivity tests- Steve is not a big fan because of false positives. Not really addressing where the problem actually is.
• Hormone tests via saliva are more accurate than blood because you can see free levels more accurately for both men and women.
• In blood- there are a lot of issues that can affect hormone measurements that won’t give you the info you need. Saliva tests may be a better bet especially if symptomatic.
• If you’re seeing that you’re extra sensitive to minor things even smells of all kinds, chemicals or seasonal things (like pollen in spring), indication that immune system needs work regardless of what the bloodwork may say.
• Don’t try to just push through it or push harder, it’s ok to go easy and take care of yourself when you need it- listen to how you feel and function.
• Bloodwork is not going to tell you everything. Listen to your body.
• LINK And genetic testing? It’s not the be all end all. Our podcast with The Sock Doc on genetic testing here.
• He’s also not a fan of vitamin and mineral tests in blood because your blood is typically one of the last things to change when there’s an imbalance in the body. You could do a major chemistry analysis and it may not accurately reflect little imbalances, nor does it address why that imbalance is there and supplementing alone may not be the long-term effective answer. Maybe it’s major diet and lifestyle changes.
• Is it worthless to test those things? Eg B vitamins? No… just don’t rely on single lab tests.
• Vitamin D is another example that we can’ trust that one marker along- don’t jut test 25-hydroxy Vitamin D, also test the 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D to measure the balance between the two. But few people do this. If you see levels go up with supplementation then plummet back down after you stop supplementing, then that could be indicative of needing to test both. But then where does the testing end?
• The bigger issue is that we’re seeing less critical thinking and clinical observations, instead relying too much on labs and numbers not the thorough exam and history.
• A case for holistic healthcare and functional medicine.

Nutrition & supplements for immune health and overcoming illness

• Are there supplements we should take daily?
  • Stick with the ones that are proven to support and improve T regulatory response: EPA/DHA, grassfed/grass-finished fats, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, zinc.
• Vitamins A& D
  • Don’t need to fear Vitamin A. Not going to toxic taking it for a short period of time. High doses up to 100,000 IU have been used for certain illnesses.
  • Throughout the winter a normal supplementing routine could include 10,000 IU Vitamin A to 2,000 IU Vitamin D (10:2 ratio), a few times a week. Half that for kids 12 years old and under.
  • Based on your diet or sun exposure, you may not need to supplement that much with these.
  • Warning signs off too much A: headaches, pressure behind the eyes, and others… it takes a while to actually reach toxic levels and poison yourself with Vitamin A.
  • Forms of Vitamin A and what other ingredients are in your supplements?
  • A lot of vitamin A is beta carotene, and just about 30% of that is converted.
  • Buy Vitamin D in D3 form.
  • Biotics Research is a good brand for these supplements.
• Ingredients and sources matter!
  • Watch out for seed oils in your supplements and/or a long list of unnecessary ingredients added into supplements.
  • You get what you pay for with supplements, don’t go cheap. Especially things like fish oil that can so easily go rancid, and don’t buy non-triglyceride form.
  • Titanium dioxide was pulled from Europe’s safe ingredient list but has potential side effects, yet is found as an ingredient in MANY supplements.
  • Buy from trusted sources like Wellevate, Fullscript, Thorne, and so on. They stand by their products and have great customer service.
• Why is Vitamin C perhaps isn’t as powerful or as necessary as we have been led to believe?
  • Most comes from GMO corn. Over 500mg of ascorbic acid caused some DNA issues.
  • In regulating your immune system better, Vitamin C is not even in that pathway.
  • Vitamin C sacrifices itself when other deficiencies are present, i.e. C can make up for other antioxidant deficiencies.
• Zinc
  • Huge value in zinc.
• Astragalus
  • Can aid in immune health in athletes.
    • Reference: Latour E, Arlet J, Latour E, et al. Standardized Astragalus extract for attenuation of the immunosuppression induced by strenuous physical exercise: randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2021;18(1):57. doi: 10.1186/s12970-021-00425-5.
  • Anti viral and anti microbial.
  • Can support immune system generally speaking and actually strengthen it; improves Th1 response in the body
  • Anti inflammatory due to high concentration of flavonoids.
  • It’s been used for diabetes, male hormone and sperm health, asthma, decrease mucus production, protect kidneys, anti-cancer properties, can even help methylation issues.
  • Very few if any side effects; don’t take if on immune suppressants or lithium drugs.
  • How it’s produced matters, herbs can easily be screwed up.
  • A good source for quality herbs: HerbPharm
  • Comes in powders, tinctures, capsule form- keep as pure as possible.
• Multivitamins or immune supplements stacks?
  • Biotics Research Immune Support packs to cover a lot of your bases without going crazy picking and choosing a million different bottles.
• Elderberry
  • Used with astragalus, works really well.
  • Diminish viral replication.
  • Sambucal syrup loaded with sugar isn’t it. Get a good quality tincture, locally made, used with a natural sweetener.
  • Only use it when you are actively sick, great for that, won’t help just taking regularly to strengthen immune system (unlike astragalus is good to take regularly for oil support).
  • Can use it pretty heavily when sick, especially in the early phases.
  • Dilute your liquid herbs in water!
• Glycine
  • Great to improve liver function, break down cytokines in the liver (diminish the cytokine storm and detoxify through the liver).
  • Sweet tasting amino acid, and you can’t really overdose on it. Can take it throughout the day while sick.
• Quercetin
  • Antioxidant, found in onions, lemon peels.
  • Really good at repairing cell damage and improving IL10- the most important anti-inflammatory interleukin, thus improve immune system.
  • Can also use to negate effects of NSAIDs and detox when NSAIDs were overdone.
  • Safe to take.
• Things that get attention but are the worth it and necessary:
  • Probiotics- ok to take but not something you shouldn’t need to stay on them long-term. You’re taking live cultures that should grow and thrive, to the point where you don’t need it anymore. When using a gut protocol go through the proper phases of cleaning up- kill phase to repopulate and so on.
  • Oil of oregano- more so used to clean up gut, anti-fungal; good to take but not one that you want to stay on or take long term
  • Digestive enzymes to support gut health – don’t take long term, could lower the bodies own ability to produce these enzymes so don’t keep taking them too much too long. You can become reliant.
• More on immune health support for athletes:
  • Nieman D. Moderate exercise improves immunity and decreases illness rates. Am J Lifestyle Med 2011;5(4):338-345. doi:10.1177/1559827610392876
  • Pyne D, Gleeson M. Effects of intensive exercise training on immunity in athletes. Int J Sports Med 1998;19(s 3):s183-s194. doi:10.1055/s-2007-971991

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by UCAN, the fat-burning fuel of choice for endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.

UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers steady, long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash and keeps your blood sugar steady. The perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete…

UCAN is offering a “training bundle” to give you an assor. EP fans get 15% off UCAN, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.com for that same 15% discount.

---

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. So let’s make sure you’re not running yourself into any deficits—this list is a good place to start: 

• Magnesium Bisglycinate
• Stress B Complex
• Vitamin D/K2 drops
• Multivitamin Elite
• Prenatal
• Meriva
• L-Glutamine
• BioGeset 

Go ahead, click on each supplement if you’re curious to learn more about how these supplements may serve you. Maybe one of these or one of Thorne’s targeted bundles for sleep, stress, or performance, will complement your needs and round out your diet this season. 

Thorne is always available to you on our Shop page, and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

On this episode we have The Sock Doc, Dr. Steve Gangemi, joining us. Steve is a natural health care doctor who founded and practices at Systems Health Care, an integrative wellness center in Chapel Hill, NC. Steve is also a longtime endurance athlete and is a wealth of knowledge for athletes looking to optimize wellness.

In part 1 of this multi-part series we take a deeper dive into immune system function.

Immune system 101

• We’re in an era where research on the immune system is exploding, and ever-evolving
• Components of the immune system include
  • Gut
  • Spleen
  • Thymus
  • Lymph system
  • Skin
  • Point is, it’s not just one specific area
• Every organ may affect the immune system in one way, and vice versa
• The idea of practicing hygiene but also not trying to be overly sterile and germ-free. There’s a symbiotic relationship between
• The role of the gut in immune system- it matters, but so do other things
• Steve is seeing a strong need for other players too, and they’ve been minimized by our love for the gut. For example, he’s seeing a need to help spleen and thymus aide.
• Signs to looks for: If you’re constantly fatigued, get sick and have a really hard time kicking it (weeks+), or you have some ongoing subtle health issues
• Chronically high cortisol suppress thymus, therefore impairing
• If you’re stressed out very easily this cold indicate spleen or thymus issues.

Blood labs analysis

• CBC w/ Differential can direct or guide you on what is going on inside if you’re a bit unsure.
• Do not just rely on conventional ranges on these tests.

Here’s a helpful guide of functional ranges (for optima health) to keep around and help you understand your results:

• WBC
  • 5,500-10,500 (5.5-10.5 mcL)
  • Some normal ranges go down to 3.5 but, anything below 5 is a sign of being run down
• Neutrophils (eg Segs) 50-60%
  • If these are high over 60% that could indicate bacteria infection or some cases could be a virus
  • Also increase in a bad accident, etc.
  • When these drop below <40% and lymphocytes go up >40%, this indicates folate or B12 deficiency or malabsorption type problem
  • If MCV is also high, eg red blood cell is larger than it should be, this could also point to folate/B12 deficiency or malabsorption.
  • FIGLU test- only accurate way to test for folate deficiency. Folate breaks down FIGLU, and this breaks down histadine. If don’t have 5MTHF you’ll have high FIGLU in your urine, and this indicates inadequate folate levels in the body.
• Lymphocytes 25-40%
  • Viruses increase these
• Monocytes 3-8%
  • These get high when there’s a viral infection such as Epstein Barr, Hepatitis—but usually they are high after infection not necessarily in the acute illness phase
  • Heavy metals can also cause monocytes to go high
• Eosinophils 1-2%
  • If these are over 2-3% this can indicate allergies or systemic infection (2-9%)
  • If they go high and stay high (>10%) it could indicate a parasitic infection
  • Esophogitis and how these drive up eosinophils
• Basophils 0-1%
  • Too high indicate allergies

Individual immune systems- why does it vary so much?

• Why are some people more robust, whereas others have weaker immune systems, and why is it that our own immune systems can change over a lifetime (eg developing autoimmune)
• Genetics play a role to some degree, whereas others are born with a compromised immune system and that carries forward with them through life.
• Is it healthy to get sick?
• If you catch everything that goes around and are often sick, that’s not great and indicates a problem.
• But if you’re always well and never get sick, that doesn’t mean you’re “better off”. Occasional sickness does help our immune system and it’s a part of normal functioning.

The rise of autoimmunity: why are we seeing this?

• It begins with T helper cells, these come from thymus, and suppressor cells.
• These cells “self-check” and help decide which way your immune system goes.
• These Cd4 cells have certain pathways, and they make T regularity cells, which make autoimmune cells.
  • They make certain cells suppress or extenuate infections, they make cells that help you deal with allergies, etc.
• Th1 & Th2 cells – T helper 1 and T helper 2.
  • Either end of a see saw- if they’re equally weighed you’re more in balance.
  • When you have an infection, your Th1 gets more robust.
  • When you have too many allergies, toxins, high stress, etc, your Th2 get more robust.
  • Either way these things cause you to be out of balance.
• How about vaccines?
  • Vaccines increase Th2 response, so it’s like putting a weight vest on that side of the seesaw (heavy Th2 light Th1) and this can exacerbate with more intervention.
  • So now if you get sick your TH1 may not be as capable- it’s “too light” whereas Th2 is “too heavy” and this makes it harder to fight off viruses, bacteria, infections.
  • Th2 response combines cytokines and can create an autoimmune response.
• More people have autoimmune because they’re living in an Th1/Th2 imbalance.
  • This is becoming more common.
• Look at things you can improve in your own life: don’t eat things you’re allergic to or even sensitive to, clean up environmental toxins, etc.
• The other pathway to developing autoimmunity:
  • And it’s not just a medical intervention like a vaccine. Autoimmune issues can happen independent of that.
  • Th17 reaction- a more direct route to developing an autoimmune issue.
  • Extracellular bacteria, fungi, candida, chronic yeast infections, allergies, food sensitivities, gut infection, or any other infection with skin and so on.

Toxins & chemicals in our environment, food and bodies

How do we know if these things are present and affecting us negatively?

• Mold:
  • Some stats say that 50% or more homes in the US have a mold problem, and some people (maybe not everyone) seem susceptible to mold illness—how this fits into a immune function conversation.
  • To some degree we can and should be able to live symbiotically live with mold because it exists everywhere. However, what about issues like living in a home with excessive or dangerous mold (something we may or may not be aware of)?
  • individuality matters a lot here, as does the location of the mold (eg in a bedroom where you spend a lot of time).
  • Basic mold tests are available online or in stores. Varying degrees of in-depth testing depending how deep you want or need to go with it.
  • For example of a place with petri dishes for mold testing: microbalancehealthproducts.com
  • Changing your health for the better can often drastically improve our tolerance to mold.
  • It’s often more than just the mold! We don’t necessarily want mold growing excessively all over the place; however, often it is the case where someone who is reacting to mold is also having some other health issues going on.
  • If you are having a chronic health issue, it would be wise to do a deep dive on your environment and clean up what you can.
  • Mold needs a “food supply” (eg wood, etc) and water source.
  • If you see a spot of mold, don’t just “paint over it.”
  • Bottom line: Steve rarely sees it where it’s just a mold issue affecting one’s health. Usually there are other things going on too.
• And then there’s glyphosate
  • Remove it as best you can, and don’t use it (i.e. RoundUp)
  • Yes, its effects can be felt and add up in a negative way over time
  • Ecoblend- a healthier alternative
  • Monitoring the food you buy, and be weary of produce such as the “dirty dozen” (ewg.org)
  • Cooking and eating at home as much as possible makes a positive difference, but don’t go overboard by being orthorexic or paranoid
  • Environmental concerns like bee colonies dying off
• Other ideas:
  • Use low/no VOC paints
  • Personal care products with cleaner ingredients (even nail polish)
  • You may see over time that you could be getting sick fewer times when you start cleaning up your life and environment more.

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. So let’s make sure you’re not running yourself into any deficits—this list is a good place to start: 

• Magnesium Bisglycinate
• Stress B Complex
• Vitamin D/K2 drops
• Multivitamin Elite
• Prenatal
• Meriva
• L-Glutamine
• BioGeset 

Go ahead, click on each supplement if you’re curious to learn more about how these supplements may serve you. Maybe one of these or one of Thorne’s targeted bundles for sleep, stress, or performance, will complement your needs and round out your diet this season. 

Thorne is always available to you on our Shop page, and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

---

Jeff asks:

Chronically low cadence 

Hanna asks:

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

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Announcements

• Endurance Planet is making a return to Ragnar SoCal in April 2023 and we had one spot open up, are you the runner who needs to be on our team?! f you’re interested in joining the Endurance Planet Ragnar Team, and hanging out with Lucho, Tawnee, Julie and the rest of the crew you can email us at admin@enduranceplanet.com.
• Send your questions to Tawnee, Lucho and the gang to questions@enduranceplanet.com.

On This Episode:

Tawnee and Lucho record for the first time since Tawnee gave birth to their daughter, Emoree Sol, on Oct. 8, 2022. Listen in for a fun, friendly chat featuring the story of Tawnee’s birth experience, Lucho’s latest training updates, 2023 training/racing plans, and more!

Mentioned on this show:

• Thorne Take 5 on sleep deprivation 

Sponsor:

Be sure to open Amazon via enduranceplanet.com—it’s just one extra click to link to Amazon through the sidebar banner (to the right) or click the Amazon links in the show notes. Thanks for supporting the show.

Dr. Steve Gangemi, The Sock Doc, is a natural health care doctor who founded and practices at Systems Health Care, an integrative wellness center in Chapel Hill, NC. Steve is also a longtime endurance athlete and is a wealth of knowledge for athletes looking to optimize wellness.

Vagus Nerve 101

• What is the vagus nerve? What purpose does it serve?
  • Longest cranial nerve in body, 10th.
  • Parasympathetic activation; rest and digest.
  • Helps to balance us from a nervous system perspective.
  • We use this to look at someone’s overall parasympathetic tone
  • Vagus in latin = wandering, goes to many parts of body:
  • Pancreas, liver, gallbladder, spleen, heart, gut, etc.
  • Where doesn’t if affect?
• Connects organs below neck to the brain.
• Transmit system.
  • 80% afferent – gives brain signals back from organs.
  • 15% efferent – brain responding back down to organs (crosstalk).
  • 5% – 3-4% to vocal chords (exercises like gargling to stimulate); 1% a little bit of the outer skin part of ear (devices that can stimulate)
• When and how do we correlate a health issue we’re having (eg gut health) with a vagus nerve dysfunction?

Stress and Vagal Tone

• Chronic or acute stress can affect vagal tone.
• How vagal tone affects HRV.
• Breath in vs breath out to discern parasympathetic tone.
• Improve with breathing exercises. 
• Mindful practices we can do to help vagal tone:
  • Gratitude, appreciation and memorable events 
  • These three things and the thoughts and feelings we get form them, and feel in the heart, can positively influence HRV / vagal tone
• When we work on vagal stimulation, we influence diaphragm, affect stomach function (e.g. hydrochloric acid function and improved digestion), etc. 
• Gut transit time can be an indirect measure of vagal tone—the longer it is, the worse our vagal tone.
• Chicken or the egg?
  • Look at it as a system dysfunction (breathing, gut, cardio) sends feedback to vagus nerve and can cause diminished vagal tone
  • We can’t hum or gargle our way through the day and expect that to work magic if we have a poor diet, poor breathing and other dysfunctional issues taking place (poor breathing), etc…
• Vagus nerve releases acetylcholine (which lowers HR).
  • Poor focus, poor concentration, reading comprehension, trouble following directions, neuromuscular fatigue—all signs of low acetylcholine.
  • Overtraining/chronic cardio uses up a lot of acetylcholine.
  • Acetylcholine is the main neurotransmitter of the vagus nerve. If low diminishing function of vagus nerve, but if vagus nerve is always overstimulated then you can use up acetylcholine levels. 
  • Acetylcholine is made from choline, which we get from diet, mostly animal-based foods (pasture raised egg yolks, grassfed meats); hard to get from vegan diets (nuts?).
  • Choline can cross blood brain barrier.
  • Higher protein/fat diet helps us get and maintain sufficient levels of choline for improved vagal nerve functioning.
  • If acetylcholine levels low, can contribute to uncontrolled inflammation.
  • Enteric nervous system tie in.