Joints are supported by ligaments, our connective tissue required for the health of our hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees and heels. If your joints aren't feeling their best, Boswellia and Bromelain are two nutrients your body could use for stronger ligaments and tendons. 


Often with tendons and ligaments, they will present with either Tendonitis or tendinitis (inflammation of the tendon or Tendinosis (tiny tears in/around the tendon caused by over use). These two can arise common issues such as tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, ruptured Achilles’ tendon, plantar fasciitis, rotator cuff tendonitis, and (indirectly) dislocated joints. This is where your natural lifestyle plan can keep the structure of your ligaments and tendons strong.

Specific Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs
Boswellia is a traditional botanical herb for reducing pain and inflammation for your musculoskeletaletal system. Pain is unquestionably a huge part of how well your tendons and ligaments support you. When choosing your boswellia  extract, ensure you look for a high component of -AKBA, this boswellia extract has been shown to inhibit the 5-lipoxygenase (potent proinflammatory leukotrienes), and reduce the degradation of synovial fluid in the joints.

Bromelain is an enzyme found pineapple, popular for reducing pain and inflammation, this enzyme has also been found helpful for wound-healing. Tears in muscle tissue are common with stress on our ligaments and tendons. Including Bromelain into your natural lifestyle plan through diet & supplementation it can assist reducing pain, and lessen the duration of the “inflammatory phase” of tissue healing. With blunt injuries and bruising, bromelain will lessen swelling and pain even if you are on the move or resting. 

Nutrients for Ligaments & Tendons
B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Manganese, Magnesium, and Zinc

*Correct nutrient form, brand & dosage can be prescribed by your Practitioner

Supplements and more
The above nutrients & herbs provide support for your tendons and ligaments and help repair any injuries. Next, is looking at your nutritional lifestyle. Ensure you do not include foods in your diet that cause inflammation and pain. Avoiding refined grains and sugar and include whole foods such as nutritious proteins, vegetables, and fruits. If your job requires repetitive movement such as hand tools or typing set reminders to stop and stretch throughout the day to let your muscles realign. By making a few changes throughout the day and including ingredients that reduce inflammation as well as strengthening tendons and ligaments, the difference will feel amazing.

Keeping in mind certain pharmaceutical drugs can damage the health of your tendons. Such as Statins, Aromatase Inhibitors (inhibits oestrogen levels), Antibiotics & Steroid Hormones. 


At Athletica Health + Wellness your treatments are unique. Practitioner prescriptions can be administered dependant on your presenting concerns.  ​

Perform to you Potential in all aspects of life including training, work & social life
by aligning and managing your lifestyle with the below. 

Eat real food.
Nourish your body.
Think quality, not quantity.
Heal your gut.
Move like your ancestors.
Sleep more deeply.
Manage your stress.
Supplement wisely.
Practice pleasure.

​
Industrial food processing has caused ongoing harm to our health since its introduction.
The refinement of food has introduced three detrimental foods our health daily.
Flour.
Sugar.
Industrial seed oils. 

Also included, chemical additives and preservatives, some with known negative effects and others with effects still unknown. New research informs consumers on the harmful effects processed foods have on our health. For example, emulsifiers added to packaged foods such as mayonnaise, bread & ice cream have been demonstrated to proliferate intestinal permeability (leaky gut) an ongoing backlash of inflammation and autoimmune disease. Diet soft drink can increase the possibility of stroke leading to kidney damage, this could be from the phosphoric acid added (acidifying agent for its tangy flavour).
 
 
“Just eat real food”
To avoid the harm caused by processed and refined foods, a good general rule is “if it
comes in a bag or a box, don’t eat it.”
 
Flour is used for making bread, pasta, muffins, bagels, crackers, cookies, cakes and a variety of other processed grain products. Sugar is known in obvious foods, like soft drinks and lollies but less obvious foods like burger buns, salad dressing, breakfast cereals, and flavoured yoghurts. The word ‘food’ here, is used loosely.
Industrial seed oils—soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, corn, and canola oils—is nearly in all processed, packaged and refined foods.
 
So what’s wrong with these ingredients? Why is it such a disaster that they now account for more than half of what we eat on a daily basis?
 
There are many reasons why these should not be included in your daily eating. But two that stand out, is the promotion of overeating.
Firstly, they are dense in calories with minimal in nutrients, fibre, and water. Nutrients, fibre and water are what make us feel satisfied after eating real food. So when we don’t feel satisfied, we keep reaching for more. The overconsumption of “empty calories” is direct to blame for the epidemic of obesity and metabolic disease we’re experiencing today.
Secondly, they advance inflammation, and as we now know inflammation is the origin of disease, from cardiovascular disease to autoimmune disorders to allergies
to arthritis.
Wheat flour is the most widely used flour and with up to one in
ten people have an inflammatory response to one or more components found in wheat. Gluten is the most well-known, but not the only compound. There are lectins like wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), proteins called gliadins and glutenin, an opioid peptide called gluteomorphin, and a substance called deamidated gliadin, which is produced by the industrial processing or digestion of gluten.
A gluten intolerance may impact every tissue in the body, such as the brain, skin, endocrine system, stomach, liver, blood vessels, smooth muscles and even the nuclei of cells. It is linked to numerous diseases, like schizophrenia and epilepsy, to Type 1 diabetes and osteoporosis, to dermatitis and psoriasis, to Hashimoto's hypothyroidism to peripheral neuropathy.
 
Sugar increases inflammation in many ways. It interferes with our mineral balance,
heightens blood sugar, prompts leaky gut, diminishes our immune system and disturbs the absorption of protein, which our cells and tissues need to function properly.
Industrial seed oils are high in a fatty acid called linoleic acid (LA). When LA reaches a point of heat in cooking it is turned into a harmful compound called OXLAMs. OXLAMs cause cellular damage to our body known as “oxidative stress,” this is linked to inflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer’s, fibromyalgia & nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). OXLAMs lead to atherosclerotic plaques which are a leading factor of heart disease. High amounts of linoleic acid are detrimental to health, especially without the consumption of omega 3 fatty acids, found in seafood this leads to a pro-inflammatory environment in the body.
 
What do to:
 
If it comes in a bag or a box, don’t eat it. If you are shopping in a grocery store, pick food from the perimeters but the middle aisles.
 
Base your diet on real, whole foods like meat and fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts
and seeds, and starchy plants like potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Perform to you Potential in all aspects of life including training, work & social life
by aligning and managing your lifestyle with the below. 

Eat real food.
Nourish your body.
Think quality, not quantity.
Heal your gut.
Move like your ancestors.
Sleep more deeply.
Manage your stress.
Supplement wisely.
Practice pleasure.

Getting the foundation (diet) right is critical for setting yourself up for performing at your potential.

There are three essentials we need to survive: oxygen, water, and food. Humans can survive only few minutes without oxygen, and only a few days without water. Although without food we can last up to three weeks, it is from the quality of food we put in our mouths that determine if we 
​SURVIVE OR THRIVE.
The two types of nutrients in our food are macronutrients, which include protein,
carbohydrates, and fat, and micronutrients, these include vitamins, minerals, and other minimal dose
compounds necessary for the maintenance of metabolic processes.
When discussing the nutrient density within foods the focus is mostly on micronutrients and amino acids. Carbohydrates and fats are vital to health, our body has the ability to synthesise most of the fats it needs from the diet. This is not the case for micronutrients and essential amino acids sourced from protein, these must be taken in from the diet.
To function properly we need about forty different micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and trace
minerals) . The importance of getting the foundation right with diet simply comes down to knowing 'Every single process that happens in the body--
from your eye blinking to your heart beating to your brain comprehending this sentence
you’re reading—depends upon these micronutrients.' It is known that if you do not obtain quality food, you are not providing your body the essentials to function as it should and disease begins to develop.
 
As nutrients support functioning in the body, deficiencies can impact every cell, organ, and tissue. Nutrient deficiency is linked to many health conditions including:

• Weakened immune function.
• Premature ageing.
• Cancer and cellular damage.
• Cardiovascular disease.
• High blood pressure.
• Lipid (cholesterol) abnormalities.
• Depression and anxiety.

I want to talk nutrition & recovery for all you crazy people pounding the cement daily. Whether you are a park runner each Saturday or a hardcore competitor. Post-exercise nutrition for athletes is often overlooked with just the focus of carb loading or fat loading before a race. Refuelling is so important for optimal recovery with prevention of soreness & infection. When we exercise a hormone called cortisol is secreted adrenal glands, it modulates our stress response. In small bursts cortisol is good but prolonged production of this hormone can lead to a catabolic state where the muscle is broken down, and fat is stored. Excess cortisol can lead to poor sleep quality, constant fatigue, abdomen weight gain, easily open to infection, back aches & headaches, low libido, poor digestion & anxious feelings. The importance of addressing cortisol levels is so it doesn't develop to adrenal fatigue. 

Carbohydrates are your best friend. The amount you eat is dependent on training length, weight and goals. Carbohydrates consumed in the 30-minute window post exercise is turned into muscle glycogen not fat, restoring your muscle glycogen is similar to topping up the fuel in your car- refuelled and ready to go again. Healthy options such as bananas, rice, quinoa, dates, sweet potato & oats are a great nutritional option, protein & carbohydrate shakes are easily accessible for people on the go but not recommended as your everyday recovery meal. 

If you experience stomach upsets during training & races you could be eating something not right for your body. If you're not recovering well and find your always getting sick or you simply need nutrition advice for pre, during and post race a sports nutritionist can provide individual meal plans tailored to your dietary specifications and goals.