In this month’s blog, Katia (Nutritional Therapist, gut health expert and Common Runner) outlines what we need to know about cholesterol and how diet can have a dramatic effect on your cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol – the good & the bad

High cholesterol is one of the most prevalent risk factors for heart disease and surprisingly 40% of us have cholesterol levels higher than what is recommended. The good news is that, with a healthy diet and regular exercise, you can safely lower your levels and reduce your risk.

So what is cholesterol and why do you need it?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all of your cells and is essential for many of your body’s functions, such as making hormones and vitamin D, and producing bile which is essential in helping you break down food and absorb nutrients. The majority of the cholesterol you need is in fact made by your body, with cholesterol from your diet topping it up. Although it is vital for good health, too much can cause problems – it can combine with other substances and form sticky plaques. If these plaques begin circulating and accumulating, it can lead to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. This will raise your risk for heart disease and stroke, two of the country’s leading causes of death.

How can you test your cholesterol?

A simple blood lipid test through your GP will tell you all you need to know. You’ll be given your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. LDL carries the cholesterol through the blood stream and deposits it into the vessel walls, while HDL collects the cholesterol from the blood vessels and moves it to the liver where it is processed for removal out of the body. I like to think that L stands for ‘lousy’ and H for ‘healthy’! Triglycerides are another form of fat in the blood and elevated levels are also associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

The optimal levels in mmol/L are:

If your levels are elevated, another key marker that your GP can request is c-reactive protein or CRP, which is made by the liver and increases when inflammation occurs in the body. Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory process, so high CRP, especially in women, can be an accurate indicator of increased risk for a heart attack.

But what causes high cholesterol?

It is important to consider genetics – make sure you know about your grandparents’ and parents’ health – as well as hormonal imbalances. Even health conditions that seem totally unrelated, like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which is caused by excess oestrogen, can impact your cholesterol levels. That is why it is important to check your levels even if you’re young or have a relatively healthy lifestyle.

Other contributing factors are poor diet and insufficient exercise.

How can diet help?

Your diet can have a dramatic effect on your cholesterol levels, and it’s not just about cutting down dietary cholesterol (saturated fats found in animal products, trans fats prevalent in take-away foods, sugar and alcohol). It’s also about adding foods that can actively reduce cholesterol, in particular plant foods rich in fibre. A meta-analysis of nearly 250 studies published in 2019 showed that eating plenty of plant-based fibre cuts the risk of dying from heart disease by up to 30%!

Soluble fibre soaks up water in the digestive tract to form a gel which binds onto the fat and cholesterol from your food and prevents some of it from entering the bloodstream. Furthermore, the bacteria in your gut consume this gel & produce short-chain fatty acids that help lower cholesterol. Fibre also increases the liver’s production of bile acid, thereby removing excess cholesterol from the body.

Yes, it’s now widely acknowledged that fibre is indeed a superfood in helping reduce cholesterol!

How much fibre do you need & where to get it?

It’s advisable to consume around 30g/day but most of us have much less. Remember, if you start increasing your daily fibre, take it slow as too much can cause bloating and discomfort. And it is essential to stay well hydrated when increasing your daily fibre.

Good sources include all plant-based foods, in particular carrots, broccoli, onions, and artichoke, along with bananas, berries, apples, and pears. Also legumes and whole grains, like oats and barley. Chia seeds and ground flaxseeds are a fabulous source providing a whopping 5g/tsp!

At each meal, try to make ½ your plate non-starchy vegetables, a ¼ protein and a ¼ high-fibre, slow-burning starch. Cooking vegetables won’t reduce the fibre content and can make them easier to digest. I always recommend these simple swaps–smoothies for juices, quinoa for white rice, whole-wheat pasta for white pasta, sweet potatoes for white potatoes, chia seeds or flaxseeds for granola, and hummus for creamy dips.

SUMMER RUNNING

If you’re training for an autumn race (Kew Gardens 10k, London Marathon!) or just want to maintain your fitness over the summer, why not join and/or try out one of the following:

* our MIXED ABILITY classes on the following Tuesday evenings at 7pm, meeting outside Sweaty Betty in the Village: Tuesdays 26/7, 2/8, 16/8, 23/8, 30/8. In order to make it worthwhile there needs to be a minimum 4 people. And to ensure that I am not alone(!), I would appreciate it if you could book and pay in advance. The cost of each class is £13. 

* have a 1-2-1 or shared slot with a friend – please just email me for availability

* join Vanessa’s Pilates classes @ Bishop Gilpin in July (20th only, there may be some online options) 

* join a Strength & Conditioning class at Bounce Gym – Sarah, our trainer, highly recommends the 30min glutes/core plus 30min circuits on Tuesday and Friday mornings at 9am. You can turn up and pay £13 to attend. 

* sign up for the PARKRUN, a free 5k run every Saturday at 9am on Wimbledon Common

* sign up for the SECONDSUNDAY5, a low-key 5 mile race on Wimbledon Common on 10/7, 14/8 and 11/9. Please note, the Wimbledon Trail Series ends in July, so no racing in August or September.

In this second monthly blog, Katia (Nutritional Therapist, gut health expert and Common Runner) outlines 5 strategies to maintain a healthy weight.

Running and exercise in general is key to maintaining a healthy weight, but sometimes we accumulate stubborn pounds that are hard to shift, especially as we enter our late 40’s and 50’s. By adopting the 5 strategies below, you’ll be able to reduce excess weight or prevent putting it on in the first place without the need for restrictive diets.

1. Balance your blood sugar

Keeping your blood sugar in a healthy range is important to ensure that you have adequate energy throughout the day and don’t have food cravings, especially for those tasty high calorie treats. When planning your meals, choose low glycaemic foods – these are foods that don’t spike your blood sugar and that give you sustained energy over a longer period. A blood sugar spikes is inevitably followed by a crash, leaving you feeling shaky, tired and hungry.

A low glycaemic meal has little to no refined or processed carbohydrates and always includes some protein such as lean meats, dairy and legumes, healthy fats such as avocados, nuts and seeds, and lots of fibre rich foods such as whole grains and vegetables.

2. Eat mindfully

With our busy modern lives, we’re often grabbing our meals and snacks on the run. But this can contribute to digestive problems and unwanted weight gain. As digestion begins in the mouth, it’s important to chew every mouthful until it is the consistency of baby food. Chewing also stimulates the release of digestive enzymes which allow your body to absorb all the essential nutrients. Eating slowly and mindfully gives your body time to register when you’ve reached satiety so you don’t eat more than you need.

I always recommend that you try to eat all your meals and snacks sitting down, preferably not multitasking and without screen distractions. This may feel too time consuming at first, but your body will thank you for it!

3. It isn’t what you eat, but when.

Many of us graze throughout the day, never giving our digestive systems an opportunity to rest and repair. Considerable research has revealed that limiting the time window in which you eat all your meals to around 10 hours and then fasting for the rest of the day can improve your digestive health and help you to lose weight. You’ll need to experiment to see what times suit you and your circumstances best. As I always recommend having a nourishing breakfast, an eating window from 8.30am till 6.30pm is ideal.

If you’re having an early morning run, ensure you allow around an hour to digest your breakfast, and adjust your window accordingly. During the fasting period, you can enjoy tea, coffee and water flavoured with fruit or herbs. By restricting your eating window and sticking to three balanced meals you’re more likely to cut out those high calorie snacks and start shedding the excess pounds.

4. Catch enough zzzz!

Besides affecting how effectively you train, sleep deprivation can sabotage your waistline. This is due to its effect on your nightly hormones, namely ghrelin, the hormone that tells us when we’re hungry and leptin, the hormone that signals satiety and tells you to stop eating. When you’re sleep deprived, you have increased ghrelin and less leptin, making it more likely that you’ll snack more throughout the day. And to make matters worse, this imbalance can also make you reach for the more sugary snacks to increase your energy levels.

The hours before midnight have been shown to be the most beneficial for your overall sleep quality so I now set an alarm in the evening to remind me to promptly draw an end to my day and head up to bed!

5. Hydrate!

Besides being essential in maintaining your energy levels throughout the day, water is needed by your body to process calories and maintain a healthy metabolism. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down.

In one study, adults who drank eight or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who drank four. To stay hydrated, I drink a glass of water before every meal, and keep a bottle with me to sip all day. We can often mistake thirst for hunger so reach for your water bottle first. If you do snack, opt for fresh fruits and vegetables, which naturally contain water, rather than biscuits or crisps.

By staying mindful of these 5 strategies and making them daily habits, you will be optimising how your body uses the food you eat. You’ll maintain a healthy weight without restrictive diets and you’ll feel energised for your daily run!

In this first monthly blog, Katia (Nutritional Therapist, gut health expert and Common Runner) gives nutrition tips on how to nourish your body to support your running and to fit in with your busy family life.

With the lovely weather finally here, many of us are running more regularly and taking on race challenges. Fuelling yourself with a varied diet of nutrient-rich, whole foods is the ideal way to maintain your energy levels not just during training but throughout the day.

Quality & Quantity

A good quality diet will help you train better, recover faster and reduce the chances of injuries which is even more essential as we get older.

Essentially, this is a balanced diet of mainly fresh, unprocessed, unrefined whole foods which give you all the nutrients your body needs to function at its best. Processed foods with a long list of ingredients usually contain preservatives and additives which can be inflammatory, so the fewer the ingredients, the better!

Eating adequate amounts per meal is key since under-fueling can lead to energy lows and prolonged recovery time.

For a simple guide to having a balanced meal, visualise your plate with 2-3 handfuls of vegetables, a palm size portion of protein-rich foods such as fish, chicken, eggs or legumes and a handful of complex carbohydrates such as wholegrain rice, pasta or bread. Don’t forget a small amount healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocado or olive oil.

Before Setting Off

Mornings can be hectic for many of us, making breakfast a rushed affair. However, starting your day with a mix of good fats, protein and complex carbohydrates is better for blood sugar control and maintaining your energy levels throughout the day.

If you don’t eat breakfast before a run you’re more likely to feel fatigued and this can increase your risk for injury.

One of my favourites is organic porridge topped with a tablespoon of nut butter, blueberries and a sprinkle of seeds. If you prefer savoury, try avocado or egg on sourdough toast with a side of vegetables like grilled tomatoes.

Ideally eat at least one hour prior to running to allow your food time to digest and to fuel your muscles which will help you feel stronger and more energised for your training.

Post-run Replenish & Repair

 After a long run, your hunger cues can be suppressed. But this is exactly the time you should not rely on your gut feelings!

During prolonged exercise your muscles are subjected to stress and the muscle fibres develop micro tears. Refuelling your body with the right foods within 30 minutes after your run is so important as it will help you to recover faster.

Opt for foods high in protein and some carbohydrate – my regulars are hummus with pita bread or a boiled egg with a couple of rice cakes. You’ll find that, if you plan ahead so that your snack is ready when you get back from your run, it’s less likely that you’ll be reaching for those less nutritious, calorie-dense foods!

Carbs Are In!

 For mainly weight-loss reasons we tend to limit or avoid carbohydrates but they are our bodies’ preferred fuel.

Your body can use fat and protein for energy too, but the process of converting either of those into energy is a lot more complex and takes much longer. Your body stores carbohydrates in your muscles and liver in the form of glycogen and these stores are depleted after around 60 min of exercise. Failing to adequately top up your stores by restricting carbohydrates can lead to fatigue and to uncontrollable cravings later in the day.

Have a Drink

It is important to stay hydrated throughout the day and not to have a large volume in one go as your body won’t retain all of it.

I always recommend starting the day with a large glass of filtered water with lemon – this will ensure you’re well hydrated before your run. Pay attention to dehydration cues – besides a dry mouth, dry skin and fatigue are also signs that you need to top up.

Interestingly, thirst receptors in our brains start to lose their sensitivity as we get older so dehydration cues don’t register as effectively to let us know it’s time for a drink. So it’s essential, especially in this warmer weather, to keep a bottle with you wherever you go so that you can sip all day.

Staying Balanced…

 It is important to understand how food fuels your body but it is equally important to maintain a balance between eating the foods you love and those that enhance your performance. So live your life to the full, enjoying your favourite treats in moderation. That way you’ll be a healthy and happy runner!

About Katia

Hi everyone! I was delighted when Caroline asked me to write a blog for Common Runners to share my knowledge on all things nutrition and pass on tips which are useful not only for runners but also their families.

For those of you who haven’t met me, I absolutely love running outdoors but don’t get to do it as often as I should! I am a Nutritional Therapist and gut health expert helping high achieving women to optimise their diets and restore their health so that they can live their lives to the full.

Please follow me on @nutritionapplied or check out www.nutrition-applied.com

New running courses: Tuesday 4 January – Friday 1 April 2022

The new term starts on Tuesday 4 January and finishes on Friday 1 April. It’s a 12 week term excluding half term and costs £156 (daytime & evening class only) OR £168 (including a weekly social run).

Here’s a reminder of the classes on offer:
* Monday @9.30am (improvers 3)
* Monday @10.30am (beginners)
* Tuesday @8.30am (improvers 1)
* Tuesday @7pm (improvers mixed ability)
* Thursday @10.30am (improvers 2)
* Fridays @9.30am (mixed ability social run)

If you would like to renew/join, please complete a health form. You can pay by Bacs to the usual account – please reference your name. For more information please email info@commonrunners.co.uk

NEW: 1-2-1 RUNNING ANALYSIS SESSIONS

Whether you’re a beginner or more seasoned runner, our NEW head-to-toe running technique analysis sessions will make a big difference to the way you feel and perform when running.

During December & January 2022 I’m offering 10% off the normal cost of our running analysis sessions (normal price: £60 per session). Xmas vouchers can be purchased for this service.

During the session, I’ll review/photo your posture, arms, foot strike, hips, arms and cadence and make key recommendations, all summarised in a personalised document. Thereafter, you may want to purchase additional sessions that will focus on how to implement those key recommendations and will involve some homework! Changing or adapting your running technique does take time but you should see improvements over a 5-6 week period.

During lockdown and thereafter I carried out over 10 head-to-toe assessments for runners who were constantly injured when they increased their mileage and/or they wanted to run faster. Knowing how you run and how to implement key recommendations can make all the difference.

FYI: I’m an England Athletics Running Coach as well as a Technique Running Coach so you’re in safe hands!

Sign up for our Richmond Park charity run 

For the second year running we are running 3/5/7miles in Richmond Park on Friday 10 December @9.30am and raising funds for Stem4, a great local charity that supports positive mental health in teenagers. EVERYONE IS INVITED TO TAKE PART, EVEN BEGINNERS!

For now, please let me know if you would like to take part and your preferred distance. More information will follow about how to raise money/contribute. 

Book our Xmas scavenger hunt run & drinks

Our annual Christmas scavenger hunt run and drinks is back and takes place on Thursday 2 December, 7pm onwards – everyone is invited! 

You can join us for the run and/or drinks but ideally I would love you to come to both! The run starts and finishes at The Wimbledon Club on Church Road where there is plenty of parking. You will be divided into teams of varying speeds/abilities, given a list of places/items to find and photograph with all team members before heading back to The Wimbledon Club by 8pm.

The bar area in The Wimbledon Club is fairly spacious and doesn’t tend to get too crowded which is a bonus. I’ve reserved an area and Prosecco, soft drinks and canapes will be pre-ordered so that everything is ready for us after the run. The run is FREE but there’s a CHARGE for the refreshments: £30 – this gives you two glasses of Prosecco, sparkling water and a selection of canapes OR £25 – this gives you two soft drinks and a selection of canapes (pleas specify your soft drink).

Our usual Tuesday evening class that week will be replaced with the Christmas scavenger hunt run. If you have any questions please let me know. I do hope that you can make it!

If you are staying local over the October half term, how about going on an scavenger hunt run (or walk) around Wimbledon Common/Village with family and friends? The hunt is all about Wells, ponds, memorials and camps! You can download a copy here.

Start and finish the scavenger hunt run/walk outside the Windmill Cafe on the Common and see how many places of interest you can find in one hour. If you do the hunt with family members, you can split into teams and have a reward for the winning team who has photo proofs of their finds. Enjoy!