Underfueling and Cholesterol: A Hidden Risk for Endurance Athletes
This article explores how underfueling in endurance athletes can lead to altered cholesterol levels and negatively impact overall health. Endurance sports such as running, cycling, and triathlons demand high caloric intake to maintain energy balance. However, many athletes under consume calories, which can lead to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). This condition affects multiple physiological systems, including hormone regulation, metabolism, and cholesterol balance.
When caloric intake is insufficient, the body's metabolism changes, resulting in higher levels of LDL cholesterol ("bad cholesterol") and lower levels of HDL cholesterol ("good cholesterol"). This altered lipid profile increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, even in athletes who "eat healthy" and maintain active lifestyles. Proper nutrition, balanced macronutrient intake, and regular health monitoring are essential to prevent RED-S and its effects on cholesterol and long-term health.
Acupuncture: Where Ancient Philosophy Meets Modern Science
EVOLVE Flagstaff began offering acupuncture services in 2023, and consider it an invaluable tool to managing many types of pain and dysfunction. But, we find that acupuncture is commonly misunderstood. In this article, we break down acupuncture’s history, how it works, what it can help with, and what your first treatment might be like.
Nourishing Your Body, Mind, and Soul this Holiday Season
The holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness. It's a time when family and friends gather to share meals and create lasting memories. However, for many people, it can also be a season filled with anxiety and guilt, particularly when it comes to food. The holidays are filled with delicious food and drink and if we have rules or guilt around these foods it can lead to overeating, shame, and an unhealthy relationship with food. This is why focusing on having a healthy relationship with all foods during the holidays can be helpful to reduce the guilt and give us more time and space to be present during this season.
To have a healthy relationship with food, we need to tune into our body’s signals and respect its cues. When we have a more mindful approach to food and reject restrictive diets and rules (that often lead to a cycle of guilt and overindulgence), we can have a more peaceful holiday without fear of January 1st.
Here are some helpful tips to help nourish your body, mind, and soul without guilt.
Are you stressed about stress eating?
As humans, we eat for many reasons. We have to eat to provide our bodies with energy and calories to function, and we also eat for pleasure, joy, and health.
Body Image and Men: We Need to Talk
Body image is something that is often thought of as a “female issue,” and while it deeply affects many who identify as female, it affects all of us across the age and gender spectrum.
How Much Protein Do I Actually Need?
As a Registered Dietitian and athlete, one of the most frequent questions I am asked by my clients, gym-mates, friends, and family is “How much protein do I need?”. My short answer is, “It depends.” As always, there is more to unpack when answering a seemingly simple question. So here is my medium-long answer.