Blood Glucose Testing

Day 1

The first difference between us we predicted was correct….

After jabbing each other with the Libre sensor we both had a mini Kit Kat easter bunny. Ross’ blood sugar changed slightly but after 20 mins Sarah’s had crashed into the low range on the sensor. This straight away showed our very different reaction to a very high sugar food.

We then went to bed at the same time and woke at the same time. Sarah woke up twice in the night but Ross didn’t wake up. When looking at the blood glucose in the morning we could see that Ross’ was stable throughout the night but Sarah’s had dropped to a constant low. This could be the reason for waking up which we will explore over the next 2 weeks…

Day 2

As is often the way when you start logging, Sarah has been very conscious today and avoided any high sugar foods and her blood glucose has been stable.

Ross has had a very normal Monday and the highest spike was an incredibly big banana 🍌

Day 3

So last night we changed our evening snack…

I had apple and yogurt (my normal go to) and the glucose spike was low. Sarah decided to go with 3 quorn picnic eggs and glass of milk. This was a complete success as the spike was very small and there was no big drop in blood sugar through the night.

Unfortunately our little girl was up in the night with an ear infection so we couldn’t test if the normal blood sugar levels would mean Sarah wouldn’t wake up, as we got woken up anyway 🤣

In other findings today, Ross’ sensor stopped working, which apparently can happen with intense exercise. The run was a particularly hard one! .

Sarah tested the banana theory which was also a huge spike for her. One suggestion from Vic at the Studio is to eat it together with nuts to balance it out 🍌

Day 4

Unfortunately it seems that Ross has blown up his sensor as it still doesn’t connect. After 3 days of monitoring Ross is happy that his blood glucose levels are getting balanced well so has sent it back for a refund. Sarah will continue motoring and share any findings…

Sarah’s Summary

  • On Day 7 Sarah saw a huge spike after her hardest fitness session of the year. Fortunately the monitor continued to read fine. It does show that intense exercise can really spike your glucose levels but the benefits you get from the training certainly outweigh this.

  • Mornings have the biggest spikes so it’s really important to have a higher protein, lower carb breakfast. A white bagel send the glucose levels through the roof!

  • ‘Put clothes on your carbs’ - have other foods together with the sugary and starchy ones to reduce the spike.

  • I have now started following the ‘Glucose Goddess’ on social media for lots or practical examples of how to reduce the sugar spikes.

A Healthier December

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Dambuster Tri 2023

This year I am attempting to qualify for the GB Age group team for next year’s World Championships. The qualifier is in September so I entered the Dambuster in June as a practice event….

Pre race

The training in the build up hasn’t been ideal as I sprained my ankle playing 11-a-side football at the start of May. This meant I have done no running for 6 weeks! And no running off the bike.

However, I have hit all my swimming sessions and starting increasing the cycling - the good thing with triathlon is there is always an option to train. And I felt pretty good going into the race

Nutrition

I often think simple is best. I always have a slow releasing carb breakfast (in this case weetabix) followed by a banana pre race and plenty of water.

Then I work on the basis of around 1g of carbs per kilo of bodyweight after 1hr. With my race plan lasting 2 hours 20 this would mean around 100g of additional carbs - this would be 2 carb drinks with electrolyte on the bike and 2 gels on the run.

This worked pretty well, although there was no option to grab the 2nd gel on the run so I was just going to finish with pure effort!

Swim 28:55 (1:51/100m) 🏊‍♂️

Not a bad effort for me. The first 500m is always pretty crowded so it think it’s best to keep relaxed and build into it. Then the 2nd 500m was right into the sun (I recommend proper open water goggles to maximise visibility). The final 500m I felt strong and was starting to really pull through the water

Bike 1h 16 (av 34.5kph) 🚴

This is where I get competitive! I can see other people around me and race them! My plan was to stick at a pedal speed of 90 rpm with a heart race of around 160 bpm and this plan worked well. The best bit was the downhill and hitting 66.4kph! 💨

Run 44:24 (av 4:27/km) 🏃🏻‍♂️

This was going to be the dodgy part. I decided to run with an ankle support. This started well but ended badly - 4k from the end I could feel it rubbing badly, then bring on the blisters from hell. That said I stuck to my pace target of going under 4:30/km, which considering the injury and the heat that was okay

Total time 2h 25 (7th / 38 in my age group)

Now I think my ankle will take it I will start ramping up the running (when the blisters have died down!) and build up through the summer 💪🏼

Sports Massage with Josh Holman

My name is Josh Holman. I have attained a Level 4 Diploma in Sports Massage Therapy and I am STA certified. As well as being a sports massage therapist, I am also a very keen triathlete, having competed in the sport for a number of years at a very high level. I myself have utilised the skills of sports massage therapists in order to recover better, prevent injuries, and also compete to the best of my ability.

The treatment that I offer includes a number of different massage therapy techniques in order to get the best results for the person, including Soft Tissue Release, Trigger Point Therapy, Myofacial Release, Connective Tissue Release and Muscle Energy Techniques.

Sports massage offers more than just a treatment for injuries, it also produces overwhelming benefits for people physically, physiologically, and psychologically. As well as treating and preventing injury, sports massage can help to prepare the person for their activity, reduce fatigue, improve posture, relieve muscle swelling and tension, and improve flexibility. Whether you are a serious athlete or simply working out for the health benefits, sports massage is beneficial in a number of different ways.

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Mundesley to Cromer Walk

Approx 8 miles

On the East Coast it’s always a treat if you can catch the sunrise coming up over the sea. Today the sky was stunning and the temperature was so warm, which was perfect for a good stretch to start the day..

Before setting off a hearty breakfast was needed. The guy sat next to me said he needed a good walk after his full English - I certainly felt well prepared after mine!

I set off through Mundesley village centre and past Kiln cliffs. I now know where they got their name - from this unique looking building…

Then down to the beach. The plan was to go the whole way to Cromer on the sand. It was mid tide and this seemed possible, but I would check in high tide as the beach got very narrow at points.

Along the way I was surprised at the amount of clay on the beach - all fallen away for the soft cliffs, which in places created little caves

I also looked for cool shells and stones for my son, Jack, along the way.

This part of beach was almost deserted. I think I past one dog walker all the way to Side Strand. It is a perfect place to relax. I listened to an audio book (A short history of nearly everything, by Bill Bryson). Highly recommended!

Eventually Cromer came into sight. The pier was visible from a way away and the sun burst out from the clouds for the last couple of miles.

Into Cromer and a well earned ice cream and a dip in the sea to finish the journey (cold but good recovery for the legs!)

Exercise to live longer

We all know that exercise is good for us mentally, physically, and emotionally. It's one of the reasons we trainers love our jobs and why you dynamic team members love coming in to the studio! It has so many health benefits, one of which is living longer.

Earlier this year, The British Journal of Sports Medicine published a study* outlining some of the 'best practices'' for exercise and where we should focus on time. Researchers found that either aerobic or strength training was associated with a lower risk of dying, but regularly doing both (1-3 hours a week of aerobic and 1-2 hours weekly of strenght) was associated with an even lower mortality risk!

With all adjustments for other factors (age, gender, income, education, pre-existing conditions, etc), researchers found 1 hour of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity a week had a 15% lower moratity risk, and becomes 27% lower for those who did 3 hours a week!

Add in 1-2 hours a week of strength training, and mortality risk becomes 40% lower than those with a sedentary lifestyle! This is roughy the difference between an individual who smokes a pack-a-day versus a non-smoker.

As with a lot of research, it's really challenging to gather all the facts and data about longevity and exericise as there aren't any studies that can go long enough with a large enough sample, but this research and similar is proof that you're all on the right track by keeping up with your movement, strength, and aerobic activity levels! Catch you in the studio soon!

*Coleman CJ, McDonough DJ, Pope ZC, et alDose–response association of aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity with mortality: a national cohort study of 416 420 US adultsBritish Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 11 August 2022. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-105519

Steph's 2nd Trimester Update (18weeks pregnant)

Well, dynamic-fam, pregnancy has taken an extreme toll on my (aging!) body. I am currently 18 weeks pregnant... and I have only just today completed my first workout since I was 5 weeks pregnant (ie: the week you miss your period). Which means, it has been FOUR MONTHS since I have done a workout. As many of you know, I have hyperemesis gravidarum or 'morning sickness on steroids'. There have been times I couldn't sit up without vomiting, multiple visits to hospital, a few different types of drugs to try to keep anything down so I could stay hydrated, etc. etc. etc. I'm faring MUCH better now, and I am starting to use exercise as a way to encourage my body to remobilise and energize.

Don't forget, in all of this, I am a pre & post-natal trained PT, so I have a great background knowledge on what to look out for. I have also been SO SICK, I will not push myself too much. Now that I have given you that disclaimer...

My workout today was entirely seated (hi upper body!) as, much to my extreme chagrin, I have already begun to develop abdominal separation - known medically as diastasis recti - which will further prevent me doing any abdominal specific 'six-pack' work until I have healed following post-partum work. I won't lie, this is a mission I'm already not looking forward to. So- every move now becomes a core exercise (now where have I heard that before?). One thing about the pregnant body is that the new imbalances and adjustments of organs to make room for baby causes every movement to be core work. Nothing extra in terms of ab work is necessary for me during these next 5 months.

I'm keeping a detailed log of what I'm able to do, how my diastasis looks, and how my body feels. The grace to allow for exhaustion and remembering that as I gain weight I don't need to hold extra dumbbell weight keeps for a great maintenance phase of my programing. Aside from a healthy baby and birth, my biggest fitness goal is to be able to keep our gym tidied, grab your weights between sets, and not need a nap every afternoon (maybe just every other afternoon, haha!).

If you have any questions for me, or if you know any pregnant or post-natal women who have questions, please reach out! The dynamic support network is a strong and mighty one.

More updates soon, but I can't wait to see you all in the studio soon!