what's new?...pop-up Pilates with Steph Prem

It was 6:15am when I rocked up to Winter Olympian Steph Prem's Premium Performance pop-up Pilates studio to try out her bootcamp class. I'd downed a shot of leftover cold drip from my fridge before leaving the house (too early to show my pillow-creased face in a cafe) and was waiting for the caffeine to kick in. I was feeling pretty tired and stale. 

However, within about a minute of meeting Steph, her energy started to rub off. She says herself that she has a "severe case of chronic enthusiasm", which is exactly what you need at 6:30am in the morning. 

After welcoming the group to the studio and checking whether anyone had any injuries, we started out with some (much needed) foam rolling. Man, my quads were sore. Then it was into the circuit, which involved a range of Pilates moves, bodyweight exercises and TRX suspension work. By the end of the class, I felt more supple, balanced and energised.

Steph is a professional snowboarder, but after suffering a career-ending back injury she rebuilt her career as a personal trainer and Pilates instructor. She's been training clients around Melbourne's parks and beaches for a while, but has recently opened up her pop-up studio. The studio is a gorgeous little loft above a clothing store on Chapel Street. There's no gym equipment, just Pilates props, TRX straps, a boxing bag and a ballet barre. Which is really all you need.

Verdict: Whilst I wasn't dripping in sweat, the class provided a full body workout with a focus on proper technique and core stability. If you have an injury, Steph will tailor the workout to suit your needs. And thanks to Steph's personality, you'll leave the class with a smile on your face.

You can find out more about Steph and Premium Performance at www.premium-performance.com. 


Whilst I was invited to attend Steph's bootcamp class for free, this review is my own opinion.

meet Dr Hannah...

Dr Hannah Pickford is a former All-Australian Basketball player, chiropractor, martial artist and is currently completing a Masters in Human Nutrition (just a bit of an all-rounder!). When she isn�t seeing patients, kicking bags or lifting weights, she�s researching the current medical literature or recording episodes with the Vitality Hackers�a free podcast that is released weekly on iTunes (check it out here). 

One topic that has been on my mind recently is leaky gut. Sorry, what now? Yes. Your gut may be �leaking� and causing you a range of ailments. I asked Dr Hannah to explain.

Over to Dr H...


Have you noticed the rising incidence of chronic disease surrounding you and ever wondered�. What are we doing wrong?

Why are the disease rates rising�..? Why are we the most infertile, overweight and chronically ill humans to walk the earth? Why do conditions such as allergies, depression and auto-immunity seem to increase in incidence year after year?

Why will 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women be diagnosed with cancer this year? And why, in the last decade have heart disease rates increased over 18 precent (2)? Even more alarming is that depression affects over 2.1 million people in Australia and the numbers just keep on rising (1). So� What is driving it?

There is emerging evidence that the dramatic rise of these diseases is not due to genetics or random chance but instead might be due to changes within our current environment. One HUGE element to consider is the health of your gut: your internal environment.

Leading researchers are now suggesting that maintaining the integrity of the gut lining is instrumental for preventing the onset of several chronic conditions. The following is a brief list of conditions that are linked to poor gut health (there are over 600!!):

- Infertility

- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Fatigue
- Acne
- Celiac Disease
- Type 1 diabetes
- Multiple sclerosis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Lupus
- Narcolepsy
- Schizophrenia
- Autism
- Depression
- Huntington�s
- Non-Hodgkin�s lymphoma
- Hypothyroidism

For an extended period of time, within alternative medicine, �leaky gut� has been considered the main culprit for a wide range of human ailments, a theory that has been largely ignored by the western medical fraternity. However, the tide has turned with a recent explosion within the literature regarding �intestinal permeability� (fancy name for leaky gut) and its association with disease, and in particular auto-immunity.

Dr Alessio Fasano published some ground-breaking research that suggested autoimmune disease could have intestinal permeability as a PRE-CONDITION and that, in fact without it, the disease might not even manifest (5). Interesting stuff. Even more interesting is that it was found through rat research that any increase in permeability led to a DIRECT increase of auto-immune disease symptoms.

This explosion in gut research is compelling, however this concept is not actually new, after all it was Hippocrates himself who said some 2000 years ago that

                                  �� all disease begins in the gut.�

Well that�s awkward.

Anyway now that we have finally caught up� lets get down to business.

So leaky gut�. The what, the why and the how�.

1) What is Leaky Gut?

You are a big donut. Just a body, around a hollow tube, that runs all the way from your mouth to your butt. Now the lining of this tube separates you from the outside world and this is crucial because there is stuff that you definitely WANT to keep out, like pathogens, toxins, large proteins and, of course there is stuff you WANT to come in, like�. nutrients.

Now 75% of your immune system is comprised within this tube lining and this is your main defence from the outside world. Leaky gut is when the intestinal cell junctions become compromised, and the normally restricted net is loosened, thus allowing greater access of undesirable particles straight into your blood stream (3)!   

2) Why do you get it? 

There are many lifestyle factors at play but the main culprits are emotional stress and food, with grains playing a leading role. There is a protein called zonulin which when activated increases the �leakiness� of your gut, basically telling your intestinal cells to open up and let stuff in. Now this is works just fine until our friend GLIADIN comes into the body and activates zonulin release � artificially triggering your gut to OPEN UP. Gliadin makes up part of the protein gluten, which is found in wheat, barely, and rye, a substance that is highly intolerable to people with celiac disease. Dr Fasano found that the rats with the highest permeability, meaning most �leakiest� also had the highest rates of intestinal levels of zonulin, all of which resulted from exposure to gliadin (5). In short, if you are eating lots of gluten containing grains, you have compromised this normally tightly regulated system!  

3) How to fix it!

So this gets a little more complicated but here is the dumbed down, abbreviated version�. (Please listen to the podcast here for more info).

- Stop eating gluten containing grains

- Identify other food triggers unique to you
- Reduce emotional stress
- Remove infections like parasites, bad bacteria, candida
- Put good bacteria back in � fermented foods, probiotics
- Consume a nutrient dense diet � vegetables, meats, good fats
- Increase Omega 3 fats intake � fish oils (anti-inflammatory)
- Decrease Omega 6 fat intake � Vegetable oils, Grains � (pro-inflammatory)
- Repair the Gut lining � bone broth, glutamine supplementation

Now if you are really broken, you might need to consider a GAPS style approach whereby you avoid any products that will further inflame your gut lining. Now this includes avoiding raw vegetables, fruits, nightshades and especially the non-starchy, fibrous vegies like broccoli and cabbage. This is trickier, so I would seek out a health care provider that is well versed in repairing your insides like an integrative general practitioner! I would also encourage you to read GAPS by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride which you can get here!

In summary, your gut is where you digest and absorb your nutrients, and the bacteria that reside within your body can determine your health status. The lining of your gut is your main immune defence from the outside world, so make sure you look after it with proper stress management, adequate sleep, a reduced or gluten-free diet and a high consumption of nutrient dense foods like fermented vegetables, liver and bone broths.

Remember, changing your lifestyle will always be the only way to avoid chronic disease, so keep informed, eat well, move often and live long.

Until next time,

Keep that gut plugged!

Dr H

www.themodernamazon.com

Podcast: Vitality Hackers

1) www.abs.gov.au

2) http://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/facts-and-figures.html
3) www.chriskresser.com
4) http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/021313p38.shtml
5) A. Fasano : Zonulin, a newly discovered modulator of intestinal permeability and its expression in coeliac disease THE LANCET � Vol 355 � April 29, 2000 1519


Thank you Dr Hannah for breaking it down for us (no pun intended). You can find more from Hannah at themodernamazon.com, vitalityhackers.com and you can follow her on Instagram.

what's new?...KX Barre

As more and more people start jumping on the health and fitness bandwagon, a new fitness craze or super health food product seems to be coming out weekly. To add my two cents into the mix, I�ve decided to start a �what�s new?� segment, where I will review the latest health and fitness trends and provide my verdict (for what it�s worth).

 

To kick things off, the lovely people at KX Pilates invited me to try one of their new KX Barre classes.

I was given a free class in exchange for a review. The review is my own opinion - I�m not being paid to say good things!

 

Inspired by the training undertaken by dancers, KX Barre incorporates a mixture of ballet barre exercises, Pilates and cardio. I opted to try the Barre Sculpt class, as it promises a full body workout that strengthens, lengthens and tones your muscles (yes please!).

 

Coming from a background of high intensity strength and conditioning training (I did CrossFit for 2 years, now I do kickboxing and Muay Thai), I did wonder whether the class would actually give me a good workout. Well, it did. I was buggered by the end. Not dripping in sweat, but it felt like every muscle in my body had been worked hard. I especially felt it in my inner thighs and glutes a.k.a. my bum (glute medius, maximus, minimus�the lot).

 

What can you expect from the workout? Lots of pli�s, leg raises, kicks, arm circles with weights, Pilates-style abdominal work and a good stretch at the end. The movements simply use your body weight, resistance bands or small hand weights, so it�s all about muscle endurance. 

Pilates-style abdominal work with resistance bands

I did ballet growing up, so I really enjoyed the class�s ballet flavour. But you don�t need any dance training to do the classes. I�d say that once you�ve learnt the movements over a couple of classes, you�ll be set. The classes are small, so the instructor gets around to everyone to help with technique.

Verdict: If you�re looking to improve muscle endurance, lengthen your muscles and improve your balance and co-ordination, KX Barre classes are for you.

For locations and to book classes, go to the KX Pilates website www.kxpilates.com.au.

how to travel healthy

It's that time of year when many of you are heading off overseas to enjoy the beautiful European summer. I wish I was one of those people (#jealous). But last year, I spent 8 months travelling around Europe (the photo above is me in Makarska, Croatia aka heaven on earth).

I am often asked how I managed to stay healthy thoughout my travels. It can be a bit of a challenge. You want to enjoy all the local food, wine and treats, but you also want to feel fit and healthy and have the energy to make the most of your days. So I have put together this post of my top tips for a healthy (but still fun) trip. As usual, it's all about balance.

Before I left on my trip, I�d been eating real, unprocessed foods and limited sugar (thanks to the I Quit Sugar program) for a while and felt great. But during the first couple of months of the trip, I got a bit excited on the sugar front and ended up tired, puffy and sluggish. That�s when I decided I had to come up with a way to enjoy myself in a more balanced way. Unfortunately, moderation is not my forte. I really have to work at it. My solution was to start my Instagram account in the hope that sharing what I was doing would motivate me to make healthier choices. And I put the following points into action. 

Keep a healthy and filling snack on you at all times. 

You don�t want to get caught out hungry with no decent food options around. I kept things like shredded coconut, raw nuts, cacao nibs or dark chocolate (at least 85% cocoa) in my handbag. These things keep well and fill you up, as they�re high in good fats. They�re also a great supplement for the dreaded plane food. When it came to the in-flight meals, I would just pick out the best bits (if any), leave the processed crap (they can serve up some seriously weird sh*t) and eat my snacks if I was hungry.

Plane snacks: dark chocolate and raw walnuts.

When eating out, fill up on protein, good fats and green vegetables first. 

Get some goodness into your body so that when it comes to dessert, you�re either full or less likely to overdo it. The more nutrients you consume, the less hungry you feel and the less likely you are to crave sugar.

Do a quick workout in your room when you can. 

There are definitely better things to do while travelling than working out. But I found if I just did 10 � 15 minutes of something to get my heart rate up, I felt great for the rest of the day. Mix a couple of movements together for maximum effect, i.e. a few rounds of 10 squats and 10 push-ups, or jumping lunges with a handstand hold every time you break in the lunges. The benefit of doing it in your room is that you don�t need shoes (so you don�t need to pack runners) and you can wear minimal clothing (to save on washing).

Jumping lunges and handstand holds in Copenhagen.

Walk everywhere. 

It�s the best way to explore a new city. Before you know it, you�ve walked for about 6 hours.

Feeling stale after a long flight (or big night)? Stretch. 

Just going through a couple of basic stretches to release any tight spots and get the blood flowing can do you a world of good. Going through a few yoga sequences will have the same effect. You can download yoga apps for your phone or just Google �yoga� to find some demonstrations.

Downward dog in my (tiny) room in Makarska, Croatia.

Stay hydrated. 

This is a given, and particularly important if you�re travelling in summer. Sometimes we confuse thirst with hunger, so if you�re craving something, have some water first to see if you�re actually just thirsty (obviously, if you�re still hungry after the water, eat!). Just make sure the water is safe to drink where you are � otherwise buy some bottles of water at a supermarket (it will be much cheaper there than near tourist attractions or on the street).

Consider packing some supplements to offset less than ideal choices. 

I took travel sachets of Vital Greens powder with me (it's a multi-nutrient packed with goodness). In the mornings, I just tipped the sachet into a half empty bottle of water, shook it up and downed. I didn�t get sick the whole trip, and I reckon this helped.

Taking my Vital Greens in Nice, France.

But most importantly, give your body time to relax and enjoy yourself! 

Have you been travelling recently? What are your tips for a healthy trip? I�d love to hear!