We see clients ranging from body builders and figure competitors trying to cut for competition, to triathletes and marathon runners looking to fuel a PB time.
In order to help you achieve your goals we need to know as much as possible about you and your current sports nutrition plan. Your initial appointment is a consultation and may last up to 1 hour depending on how complex your medical and sports training history is. All follow up appointments last up to 30 minutes depending on how much we need to go through in that session.
First we will establish your goals and expectations, and I will go through your past medical history, training history and current dietary habits.
Next I may take some anthropometrical measurements such as height, weight, body fat, BMI, waist circumference and waist to hip ratio if clinically indicated or if requested. This provides starting point data from which to measure your progress, particularly if weight loss, changing body fat levels or increasing muscle mass are your primary goal. This is not a mandatory part of the initial consultation as many people do not want to be weighed and measured and that is ok.
Once we have completed the consultation I will use any remaining time to provide you sports nutrition advice. This may be in the format of written advice, meal and snack recommendations, a diet plan with recipes or even as in-depth as measuring and tracking macronutrients and calories depending on what you request. Please indicate what level of input you would like.
In some cases this is all that is needed and we can meet again in one or two months time to check in, re-take measurements and discuss your progress. Others might need more frequent input.
It is not unusual for it to take at least 3 months to see significant changes in your body composition, but you should start to feel the benefits in your training and recovery almost immediately.
Most people we work with reach their goals with nutrition and supplement advice. However, in a few cases more input is required to take your performance and recovery to the next level. There may also be some additional testing required in order to help you:
This helps to establish how much sodium and chloride you lose in your sweat. We all have different genetic expressions for sweating and your performance could be hindered by excessive sodium loss leading to cramping. Once we have assessed this we can ensure you have the right amount of sodium in your diet. We can also work out your sweat volume and make sure you are consuming enough fluids in training and competitions.
This helps to establish where you are storing body fat in relation to other areas. For example you may be storing more fat around your waist and we will need to manage your carbohydrate consumption.
Immune markers such as sIgA can be measured in saliva. This marker is sensitive to stress and we know that it is decreased in over training that can lead to upper respiratory tract infections. We can also measure stress hormones in saliva to see how your hormonal system is adapting to training and performance.
A comprehensive blood and urine test to establish your need for vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, essential fats and vitamin D. This also shows markers for amino acid metabolism, toxic metabolites and bowel health.
These tests highlight how your body is responding to the stress that you are exposing it to and how you can optimise your training, nutrition and recovery strategies.
Armed with these test results, your anthropometrics and food diary I can put a detailed nutrition plan together for you that will help you work towards your goal.
This level of input does have costs associated with the testing and follow up sessions that are required.
Follow up sessions are recommended on a monthly basis to implement the actions required based on testing results and you will need to commit yourself to this process for a number of months.
We look forward to helping you improve your performance.
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