We’re continuing down the ingredient list of pre-workouts and highlighting the ones that are worth taking, bringing us to Creatine. Creatine Monohydrate is the most effective performance enhancing nutritional supplement when it comes to increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training. While there is still some controversy around this supplement, there is no scientific evidence that short- or long-term use of creatine has any detrimental effects on otherwise healthy individuals.

Pre-Workout supplements are incredibly popular and many make claims that only their special blend will increase your strength, allow you to get more reps in before failure, bust through plateaus, and basically become the Incredible Hulk for an hour each day you are in the gym. When it comes to ergogenic or performance enhancing supplements, there are only a handful that can reliably back up the claims they make, and no one company has an exclusive right to these ingredients. The most commonly consumed in a Pre-Workout supplement is caffeine. But do you know what caffeine actually does for you during a workout?

I have something embarrassing to admit. I grew up in the Triangle, an area with a huge population of passionate sports lovers, but I am not into sports myself. I do not have a favorite team or a single piece of fan gear. While I was in college I would constantly be asked, “Oh, so you want to be a sports dietitian? What team do you hope to work for?” And I would begin explaining myself. That was until I began to label my interest as “Performance Nutrition.”

While I no longer get as many questions about which sports team I want to work for, I do find there is still confusion over what services a Registered Dietitian, and more specifically, what a Performance Dietitian has to offer.

First, I want to explain what Performance Nutrition IS NOT:

I can’t tell you how many articles, ads, and emails I run into with titles like, “10 Secret Foods That Will Make You Strong Like a Navy Seal” or “5 Foods That are Destroying Your Gut to Stop Eating Now!” They usually jump right into food choices without any mention of what your caloric intake should be, or what your macronutrient composition should consist of. They just focus on the quality of certain foods when only looking at them in isolation.

 Another misconception is that Performance Nutrition is all about supplements, how to stack them in combination, or what to take when. While I do discuss supplements with clients, I consider them the least important thing in regards to modifying your nutrition for performance. Once everything else is dialed in, then there are a handful of supplements that may provide an additional benefit to help you reach your goals. 

What is foam rolling?

Foam rolling, also known as self-myofascial release (SMR), is a self-massage technique that uses your own bodyweight and a simple piece of foam to help release muscle restrictions and improve soft tissue pliability. Foam rollers can be purchased for less than $20 and are an effective way to improve your mobility and fitness performance. 

Chain Effect is an exclusive provider of the NuCalm experience in the triangle. 

A conversation I have at some point with just about every client is: “What is dry needling and how is it different than acupuncture?”

In our protein packed, low carb crazed society we often neglect the importance of vitamins and minerals to our bodies' crucial systems. In the winter months we can be at risk for lower Vitamin D levels since sunlight helps our skin naturally make it. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin important for our immune system, muscle and nerve function, and more notably, for aiding absorption of calcium and phosphorus to have strong bones and teeth. Peak bone mass is typically reached in women in their early 20s and in men by age 30. To combat the gradual decline of bone density which occurs as we age, a lifestyle rich in calcium and Vitamin D is critical.