Nutritional Non-Negotiables Do you ever find it difficult to get started with changing your food plan and making it stick? It’s a common experience! One of the ways we support our clients is to help them discover and establish their personal nutritional non-negotiables which helps lead them to success in achieving their health goals. https://sunny-trailblazer-4067.ck.page/9b73b64095 (BOOK YOUR PLACE )on our next FREE TRAINING: Learn all about our Healthy Woman Healthy Runner Method. We love podcasting but we love being with you LIVE even more so we can’t wait to meet you in our ZOOM ROOM! BOOK HERE! SHOW NOTES (00:39) What we mean by nutrition non-negotiables and why we feel that they're important  Nutrition non-negotiables are the things that you would never do i.e.  totally non-negotiable. So, it’s a tool to help you implement key nutrition practices consistently all the time. Nutrition Non-negotiables are like the big rocks in our food plan. They must happen, because they underpin everything else that we do nutritionally to get the ultimate results that we desire.   (01:12) Are nutrition foundations, the same as nutritional non-negotiables? Nutritional foundations are broadly what everyone should have in place at least 80% of the time and doing that will promote good health. The next step is to add sports nutrition on top of foundations to promote good running performance. Nutritional non- negotiables are more personal to an individual. So, it's something that will contribute to an individual achieving their health goals, and something that they'll stand by no matter what, because they know it's so important to feeling better and performing optimally. (02:35) Are non-negotiables the same for everyone or different? In our Healthy Woman Healthy Runners Programme, we explain the range of non- negotiables and how they may impact on midlife health, but there's always going to be a personalised element. So usually, what we do is help clients rank what would make the biggest difference to them, and then work with them to put new practices in place, so that they'll soon be living in a way which encompasses their personal non-negotiables. (05:12) Typical mid-life health goals and how some nutrition non-negotiables would support health Based on the feedback we’ve had from clients and women in our face book group; TYPICAL MID-LIFE HEALTH GOALS ·     Being a healthy weight ·     Having optimal muscle tone ·     Good energy all day – no slumps or dips ·     Minimising hot sweats/flushes ·     Good quality sleep There are certain physiological drivers which lead to gaining weight, losing muscle tone, experiencing low energy, peri and menopausal symptoms and poor sleep.  These physiological drivers tend to be related to fluctuating female hormones during peri menopause and decreasing female hormones in menopause and post menopause. Other factors which are influential are stress hormones, digestion and liver function.  (14:04)  Looking at the role of stress related to hormonal balance  Stress and stress hormones are a key player in disrupting hormonal balance for example: Typically In mid-life we have a lot going on with family – children, elderly parents and lots of responsibilities – job, home etc which may put us in a place of chronic stress so it’s likely we’ll have high cortisol levels which may lead to the body storing fat around the middle.  An increased cortisol production compromises production of sex hormones (known as “progesterone steal” or “cortisol steal”). This effect results in an imbalance of female sex hormones, which could exacerbate peri and menopausal symptoms.

There are some nutritional considerations which may impact positively on managing stress hormones and have a positive influence on balancing sex hormones …