Handling nutritional deficiencies in training

Happy Friday, friends!

Before I dive in, remember that 72-hour race I did back in March? Well, we just released the video series on it last week and I thought I would share it with you here!

(I promise I was not crying in the final interview, although it honestly sounds that way.) I did mean what I said though, it was an incredible accomplishment, my strongest adventure race to date and it was awesome to have Brad as a teammate.

On the heels of that, I did a piece for Canadian Running Magazine on some of the biggest things I learned on fuelling for that race, including mashed potatoes as a delicious gel.

I am a huge proponent of taking a relaxed approach to nutrition. Balance is something that is thrown around a lot and I think it is different for each person. It is something that is constantly changing and evolving and I think if you are in tune with what your body needs, you will be just fine. There isn’t a magic formula, it is just paying attention and knowing that we can all be a bit kinder to ourselves.

That being said, as I have asked a lot of my body in the past number of months, it is easy to become deficient in things like iron, vitamin E, and calcium. These nutrients are particularly difficult to get because your body can only absorb so much of it at one time. We hear a lot about iron deficiencies and but do not supplement without consulting your doctor. This is a really great article on iron deficiencies which outlines why.

I find that whenever I have supplemented with things in the past if I didn’t feel a difference, it probably wasn’t necessary. One of the things that I absolutely notice whether I have enough of or not is magnesium and where I notice it is in the pool.

Last year, I could not swim 100 m in the pool without a painful cramp in my foot or calf. Those of you who have experienced it will know exactly what I am talking about – it literally takes your breath away and forces you to stop. I talked to my sports nutritionist and she suggested that I have some blood testing which showed a deficiency in magnesium. I started increasing my magnesium rich foods like spinach, yogurt and black beans and started taking Natural Calm at nights before bed.

It literally cleared up within a week.

Then I got lazy and started being more intermittent with the supplements and they returned. When I adjusted to improve this, it went away again and this time, the habit stuck because I know it works for me.

Every night before bed (I choose to take it at night because it helps me sleep…not that I need it), I boil some water and add a splash to a serving of natural calm to activate the magnesium and top it up with cold water and ice. My night time routine is drinking it while I stretch and roll out to keep my muscles healthy.

My favourite flavour is the strawberry lemonade and it helps with my hydration goals as well, especially during the summer when it feels almost impossible to keep up.

I balance a lot of things from training, managing a department at work, side hustles and a lot of people in my life who I love and although I have found a time management plan that works well for me and I don’t feel overwhelmed, that doesn’t mean my body isn’t stressed. In fact, it is undoubtedly stressed which often presents itself as a magnesium deficiency so I am finding it to make a huge difference in my health.

What supplements do you take that you notice a huge difference in for you?

What is your night time routine?

I receive product as a part of my ongoing partnership with Goodness Me! but magnesium deficiencies are my own. 🙂 If you have a similar situation, they are offering 10% off to customers for any product with WELCOME10 code.