It is now a well-accepted idea that what we put in our body will affect our physical performance, which has lead to ‘sports nutrition’ becoming a huge and lucrative industry. Guidelines have traditionally focused on the intake of protein, carbohydrates and fats with a view to maximising performance and analysing the nutritional adequacy of an athlete’s diet based on training demands. However, little thought is given to the underlying health of the athlete or their general lifestyle and therefore the context into which the exercise they choose to do is being placed i.e. are they already a stressed individual? Do they have any physiological health issues that may be affecting absorption or functioning of systems that are being taxed by strenuous exercise regimes? Is their exercise regime contributing to organ/system imbalances?

So today we are joined by Hayley Purtill Quin to talk about the importance of a 'health-first' approach to sports nutrition. Hayley is an IHS nutritional Therapy graduate, a member of the Nutritional Therapists of Ireland and the Institute for Functional Medicine and is also trained in functional sports nutrition. She actively trains as a purple belt in the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Want to know more? Then don't forget that IHS have two sports nutrition courses based on the 'health-first' Functional Sports Nutrition model. For active individuals wishing to support their active lifestyle better we have https://learn.instituteofhealthsciences.com/course/simple-steps-to-eating-well-for-fitness

And for nutrition practitioners wanting to support their active clients in a more comprehensive and personalised way try https://learn.instituteofhealthsciences.com/course/personalised-sports-nutrition

Mums and dads - Are emotional outbursts a recurring theme in your household? Maybe from the kids...or maybe your you too! Have you ever wished you had practical tools to help you know what to say and do to help them in those emotionally intense moments? Would you love for your child (and maybe even yourself) to have simple strategies in place so that they can find their inner calm more easily?

Well this episode is for you as we chatted to Natalie Costa - award winning coach, speaker, author and founder of Power Thoughts (https://www.powerthoughts.co.uk), a coaching service designed to give children ‘power’ over their own thoughts! Through her private practice and workshops, Natalie has helped thousands of children worldwide discover the tools to help them feel calmer, happier and more empowered. On this episode she shares her practical and easy tips for helping managing those big emotions. 

If we asked you to name the most common chronic disease in Europe - what would you say? Maybe overweight and obesity? Heart disease? Well no - its allergy. More than 150 million Europeans suffer from chronic allergic diseases with predications that by 2025 half of the entire EU population will be affected.

The UK has some of the highest prevalence rates of allergic conditions in the world, with over 40% or adults and children having being diagnosed with an allergy. And the most worrying thing? The number of people living with allergies is rising by 5% every year – and these figures do not include intolerances – they relate solely to pure allergy to foods and environmental factors.

So this month we chatted to IHS graduate Nicola Brady https://www.thefoodclinic.ie/, a Nutritional Therapist and professional cook with a special interest in allergies and intolerance to find out why allergies and intolerances are on the rise, how we find out if we have an undiscovered allergy or intolerance and what we can do to support our immune systems.

Too busy for self-care? 20 minutes of meditation just not an option...or in any way appealing? Then this episode of Simple Steps to Wellness is for you. We interviewed Health Coach Lou Barton https://livewellwithlou.com/ who shared some of her favourite practical and super quick mindfulness and self-care techniques with us. No time to listen to the full episode right now? Then head to our Wellness Bites podcast which feature 10 minute bite sized chunks from our favourite episodes - including this one. 

Lou specialises in helping busy mums journey from burnout to balance  - to go from feeling tired, stressed, overwhelmed and like there is no time in the day for you, to feeling full of energy, in control and with some vital ‘me time'. So if you feel like you are too busy for any form of self-care or just want to freshen up your self-care toolkit – have a listen and learn how you can change your mindset and your day in just 60 seconds!

5-2, 16-8 or 14-10? If you have been on a ‘diet’ recently then chances are you not only understand these terms but you have probably tried at least one of them. What are we talking about? Intermittent fasting, which according to a 2020 survey by the International Food Information Council, now tops the charts for the most popular diet in the US, with around 10% of the adult population giving it a go. Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule with much less focus on what you eat than WHEN you eat. So is this just another weight loss ‘fad’? Well perhaps not according to studies that suggest it can be an effective weight loss approach, however we are WAY more interested in emerging research linking intermittent fasting with reduced risk of some common chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, obesity and Alzheimers.

To help us find out more we chatted to IHS Nutritional Therapy graduate and certified Low Carb High Fat coach Virginia Ziulu (https://www.instagram.com/virginiashealthcorner/) who has a special interest in Intermittent fasting and Therapeutic Ketogenic diets having used them to help support her own health through Hodgkins lymphoma and Lipidema.

Struggling to get pregnant? No idea why or what to do? Then you are not alone. An estimated 15% of couples will have trouble conceiving with a fairly even split in terms of the cause being attributable to the male or female partner. However, 25% of those couples do not know the cause of their fertility problems. So it is no wonder that more and more couples are seeking medical help, with a reported 60% of those suffering from infertility receiving some type of fertility treatment - be that IVF, fertility medications, or ovulation induction. This can be a long, painful, confusing and expensive journey with no guarantee at the end of the outcome you so desperately want.

But infertility is a problem many couples carry alone not knowing where to seek help, what to ask and what to do to improve the chances of conception. Well - no more! To help point everyone in the right direction we chatted to journalist and communication specialist turned Infertility Patient Advocate Oana Gharbi from https://www.getthegoldenegg.com/ who helps women over 40 navigate their infertility journey by providing support, guidance and coaching to those struggling to understand the best path for them.

Do you sometimes find that taking care of yourself – whether physically or mentally – can feel like just another thing on your to-do list? And between work, family and friends it can easily slip to the bottom of your priorities - or even become a stress in itself? Well - maybe it's time to rethink your wellness routine. Of course, an hour-long yoga class or massage can do wonders for our overall health, but sometimes it’s just not possible to fit them in. However, we can all find two minutes right? Well according to Tayyaba Jordan (https://wellnesswithme.co.uk/) - Executive Health Coach, micro-changes expert, Workplace Wellbeing Consultant and speaker- that is a great starting point for making a big difference to our wellness.

So- grab yourself a cuppa, sit back and find out how ‘mini moments of joy’, a 7 minute delay’ and ‘2 minute micro-changes’ can revolutionize your wellness routine and help you regain control of your health. 

Do you dread your period every month and spend days or even weeks feeling powerless against it's associated symptoms? You're not alone. If you're a woman, you've probably resented your menstrual cycle at some stage in your life and may struggle with it on a month by month basis. Over 90% of women in the West say they get some premenstrual symptoms, such as bloating, headaches, and moodiness so it is unsurprising that many of us don't view our cycle very positively. But some of us also seem to know surprisingly little about them, with research from the UK showing a quarter of women aged between 16-39 don't understand their menstrual cycle, whilst one in five feel uncomfortable discussing their periods with their female friends, their mums and their partners.

But what if we embraced what makes us female, learned more about our menstrual cycle and adapted our lifestyles to suit the hormonal changes we experience every month? Studies show that our attitude to our period can actually change how we experience it and that cultures where a female's first period is celebrated and where rest is encouraged during menstruation view this natural part of life in a much more positive way.

This month we chatted to Erica Quinn (https://www.ericaquinn.ie/), IHS graduate, mum of 3 and Fitness and Lifestyle Coach with a passion for all things Fitness, Nutrition, and Menstrual Cycle Awareness. She believes that our menstrual cycle can be our superpower once we take the time to learn about and understand our own hormone, mood & energy fluctuations. Erica believes when we are educated about our bodies, we can start to feel empowered in them, can be more compassionate with ourselves and can create a happier more fulfilling life, whilst moving with the ebbs and flow of our cycle.

If you want to learn more about how simple nutrition and lifestyle changes can have a huge impact on your life then head to  https://learn.instituteofhealthsciences.com/ and find the IHS course for you. Or join our ever growing Facebook community IHS Simple Steps to Wellness for a wealth of tips, information and support to help you boost your wellness.