The post Mental Wellness Solutions first appeared on TriCore Wellness.

Do any of these statements sound like something you’ve heard before?

• “You just need to cut your carbs!”
• “Try the (enter fad diet here)!”
• “Do more cardio!”
• “Fruit is bad!”
• “My metabolism is broken!”
• “I have tried it all and nothing works!”

Well, these statements are false. All of them.

As a fitness and wellness expert with over 16 years of experience, I hear them all the time. It’s unfortunate that many people feel this way because in addition to being false, these statements are restrictive, extreme, and negative. However, many people believe them because of the prevalent misinformation in the fitness, health, and wellness industry.

Long-Term, Sustainable Results

Often, the so-called professionals marketing these extreme diets and products are not qualified or educated in the real scientific principles of fitness, nutrition, and recovery—and even if they are, they are taking advantage of their audience not being informed about health and fitness science. They make these bold claims to gain attention or sell a product or service—and unfortunately, it works. Many people are looking for the “quick-fix” to look and feel better; they don’t want to invest the time and energy it takes to learn about how to control their body and their health.

However, TriCore Wellness is different. We are here to help save you from the traps of fad diets, extreme weight loss programs, bogus supplements, and scare tactics that have infiltrated the fitness and wellness industry. TriCore is a wellness management company that specializes in high-performance health coaching, nutrition, and online training. We are focused on the integration of technology, health data, and professional coaching that captures and analyzes your fitness, nutrition, and recovery information to develop plans, coaching strategies, and detailed analysis that will help you achieve any health and performance goal.

Our program and our process are different. We take a science-based approach, prioritize educating our clients, leverage technology for the best possible results, and we are experts in accountability coaching. We take an individualized and customized approach to managing our clients, developing customized plans and programs made specific to each client’s needs. Most importantly, we focus on complete wellness.

Losing Fat Mass vs. Losing “Weight”

Losing “weight” can mean many things. Are you losing muscle, water, or bone mass? Or are you losing fat? What exactly is causing the number on the scale to decrease? It is important to know that simply losing “weight” is not the goal—the desired result is losing fat mass. But with quick fixes and fad diets, how do you really know what you’re losing?

With our program at TriCore, we measure all of your body stats to ensure you’re losing weight the healthy way, including:

• Muscle mass
• Water percent
• Fat mass
• Bone density
• Blood chemistry

These details are vital to ensure the program you are on is working. In addition, we track these stats to ensure you are holding yourself accountable and following our plan.

A Program That WORKS

When clients come to us, they are frustrated to say the least. They have typically starved themselves, increased their cardio, and placed extreme restrictions on their lives to achieve weight loss—only to discover the loss is temporary and often hitting a plateau and not knowing what to do next. This is why having a professional coach and being held accountable to a plan that ensures health and performance is key.

Our clients are successful because of education and accountability. We educate our clients to help optimize their metabolism…regardless of age and body type. This is a very intimate process—we need to know about our clients’ lifestyle habits, blood chemistry, stressors, family history, health history, athletic history, and more! To really help the person, you have to know the person—and we have a proprietary process for this. Through our program, clients discover some unexpected benefits:

• Eat more and still lose weight.
• Do less cardio and still burn fat.
• Drink alcohol and still reach their goals.
• Eat those carbs.

But don’t just take our word for it! This video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUxtqroiw40 is filled with testimonials from clients who wanted to share their success, including:

• Business owners who wanted to get off medications.
• Cancer survivors who wanted to get their life back.
• Former athletes who needed help getting back on track.
• Healthcare workers who used food to manage their eczema and inflammation.
• Parents who needed a simplified plan for their busy lives.
• Former bodybuilders who realized they needed a coach.
• People who have “tried it all, and nothing works.”

If all of this sounds like you and you are ready to take control of your health, educate yourself, be held accountable, and have a simplified plan, TriCore Wellness is your solution. We are not here for the quick fixes and fad diets—we want to help people who want health, performance, and long-lasting results!

Contact us to get started today!

(239) 877-1481

Info@TriCoreWellness.com

The post Stop Starving Yourself to Lose Weight first appeared on TriCore Wellness.

TriCore High Performance Esports Pro Coach

The term athlete is used to describe someone who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise. So, why do we consider gamers “athletes”? Once you take a deeper look into the amount of time, practice, dedication, and even physical labor it takes to become a high-level competitor, you will understand why we call gamers “Esport Athletes”.

The average Esport player logs in about 3-4 hours per day of practice while serious competitors can get up to 10 hours. Sitting in front of a computer screen for extended periods of time can cause long term health risks especially for high-level competitors who are dedicated to perfecting their craft.

Sports players spend hours each week dedicated to recovery so they can stay healthy to compete, perform better and feel better. Esport players should do the same. Sitting at a desk for extended periods of time can cause a multitude of problems such as neck, wrist, shoulder, hip, knee, and head pain. The list goes on. Unfortunately, recovery is not well-known in the Esports industry, and it’s causing health issues.

A great way to get started on your recovery is by doing just a few things daily to help create habits and structure:

1. Going for 10-minute walks
2. Stretching
3. Using a heating pad on tight areas

Doing simple things like this will make the difference when it comes to managing your recovery process.

Once you develop basic recovery habits, you can take it to the next level using high performance tools. Hyperice and TriCore are partnering up to provide tools, protocols, and education on the importance of health and wellness for gamers across the world. Hyperice has high performance tools and TriCore Wellness has high performance health coaching – a perfect match!

We are offering a new “TriCore Gaming Recovery Pack” that includes Hyperice’s Hypervolt Go and Hypersphere Mini. These tools can help athletes recover quicker. And the Pro coaches at TriCore Wellness can work directly with gamers to develop personalized programs that focus on fitness, nutrition, and recovery to help them improve their lifestyle and performance to compete at a top level!

If you’re interested in learning more about high performance health coaching for gamers, visit TriCore’s Gaming page here!

Contact us to get started today!

(239) 877-1481

Info@TriCoreWellness.com

The post TriCore x Hyperice for Esport Athletes first appeared on TriCore Wellness.

by Gaynell Anderson, DPT, OMPT, CHC

With fluctuations of hormones during the menstrual cycle, the female athlete has unique physiological and psychological attributes that affect her athletic performance and injury risks.

The female menstrual cycle has four primary phases, each contributing to the ability to perform strength training, endurance training, proprioceptive training, or competition.  These four phases are the Follicular phase, Ovulation, Luteal phase, and Menstruation. With varying hormone levels specific to each phase, improving sport ability can be as simple as increasing carbohydrates prior to and during sport activity, or increasing electrolytes during sport activity. More complicated adjustments involve types of training during the different phases of the menstrual cycle to optimize performance, when to strength train and when to endurance train.

Looking at each phase:

1. Follicular phase-part 1: Early in this phase (during menstruation), hormone levels are low and pain tolerance is increased to prime the female body for maximized training efforts.  Energy levels are at their peak and carbohydrate storage access is optimal, making this the best time for high intensity training and competition.
2. Follicular Phase-part 2: Later in this phase, estrogen levels increase, and strength training becomes more effective.  During this phase however, carbohydrate storage is reduced. Training suggestions during this phase may include increasing carbohydrate intake prior to and during sport activity to facilitate continued high intensity activity.
3. Ovulation(about 2 weeks before menstruation): A noted increase in strength occurs in this phase, making this a good time for strength training. However, there is also increased incidence of ACL injury during this phase. This is attributed to increased quadriceps strength creating an imbalance between the quadriceps/hamstring strength, and ultimately stability in the knee.  During this time, a female athlete should avoid activities that tend to strain the ACL. Box jumps and cutting drills are examples of such activities.
4. Luteal Phase(about 1 week before menstruation): This is a poor time to compete aggressively, as the female body is not primed for high-intensity sport activity. Body mass is typically elevated due to an increase in fluid retention reducing muscle response times and ability to physically respond quickly.  There is an increase in breathing and body temperature due to delayed onset of sweating, making it harder to perform in the heat. Sodium loss during this phase makes it important for the female athlete to increase electrolytes during physical activity to avoid dehydration.

Aside from the physiological changes occurring in the female body during the menstrual cycle, there are also psychological effects on performance. Feelings of worry, negative mood swings, and agitation associated with a sense of lack of control over symptoms can impact sport performance and interfere with focus.  Psychological effects of the menstrual cycle are most prominent in those females with very irregular or highly symptomatic cycles (high cramping for example).  Education and assistance with treatment of symptoms can be very helpful with improving a women’s sense of control over her situation.  At times, oral contraception is an option to improve consistency and predictability of cycle and reduce overall severity of symptoms thus improving overall sport ability.

How can a female athlete stay competitive during all phases of her menstrual cycle? A model of care has been developed to improve female athletic performances. This model of care includes:

1. Educationto increase awareness and understanding of effects of cycle on the female body optimizing performance in each cycle.
2. Menstrual cycle Profiling: a comprehensive menstrual cycle history profile to determine individual nuances in menstrual cycle and develop best plan of action for the individual athlete.
3. Monitor: daily monitoring of cycle phases and symptomology to be treated as necessary, optimizing sport performance and injury prevention.
4. Point of Contact with an individual on the training team that the female athlete is comfortable communicating her concerns.

At TriCore Wellness, we have a team of nutritionists, physical therapists specializing in women’s health, and coaches to provide this model of care and training. With specialized tracking and guidance, the female athlete can optimize performance, prevent injuries, and take her game to the next level!

Contact us to get started today!

(239) 877-1481

Info@TriCoreWellness.com

References:

British Journal of Sports Medicine: Vol 54, Issue 18, “How the Menstrual Cycle and Menstruation Affect Sporting Performance: Experiences and Perceptions of Elite Female Rugby Players.”; Findlay, Macrae, Whyte, Easton, Forrest.

The Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre. “The Menstrual Cycle and Female Athletic Performance”; Mittuniversitetet Tues. 19, Feb.

The Washington Post Oct 19, 2019. “New Research on the Menstrual Cycle and Athletic Performance Helps Women Compete”; Amanda Loudin

The post Sports Performance and The Female Cycle first appeared on TriCore Wellness.

Actionable and measurable change in behaviors that lead to improvements or sustainability in proven standards of health and human performance.

This says it all!

By using a program that drives internal motivation for an employee to WANT to make changes, this is what will drive results and success!

• Some employees won’t need to make major changes to their lifestyle.
• Some are already on the right track but need the next level professional guidance to help them past plateaus.
• Some have unhealthy habits and need a heightened state of awareness to start their wellness journey.

No matter where the employee is, it is important for a program to meet that person “where they are” and help them take the next step.

This is what a true corporate wellness program should be about.

Are there set industry standards in health improvement that companies want to see based on healthcare and insurance costs? Yes.

But without behavior and habit change for the individual, meeting these “industry standards” can be a temporary fix for a temporary budgetary solution.

So, what should employers and employees really be focusing on?

Leadership Excellence

As a business owner or manager, it is your job to help guide people to success for themselves and for the company. Success is largely determined by human moods and emotions. And moods and emotions are a driver to company morale, productivity, stress management, and interpersonal relationship dynamics within a community and sub-community.

At TriCore, we feel that for a company to help its employees improve their moods and emotions, there is one common denominator that everyone can agree upon…. health and fitness!

• Who doesn’t feel more confident when they look good?
• Who doesn’t feel proud when they lose 15 lbs?
• Who doesn’t feel powerful when they achieve a new weightlifting personal record?
• Who doesn’t feel great when they cross the finish line in their first 5k?
• Who doesn’t feel good when the doctor says they no longer need cholesterol medication?

These are real life success stories of TriCore clients under our guidance and programs.

Here are some industry standards of what most corporate companies are looking for in measurable health improvements…

The “6+2″ normals that reduce risk of chronic disease by 80% or more:

• Blood Pressure < 130/<85
• LDL (bad) Cholesterol < 70
• Stress management
• Waist to height ratio < 0.5
• Blood sugar < 100
• ZERO nicotine

Minimizing risk: What a Personalized Performance goal can do!

Data. Statistics. Metrics. These factors are what drive business, economies, sports, marketing, education, and nearly every KPI (key performance indicator) that can gauge whether something is working or not.

Putting a purpose behind a performance indicator, statistic, or a goal can drive someone into focus that can help them get there.

So why hasn’t healthcare and corporate wellness realized this yet?

Giving your employees a purpose for a performance based goal should be THE reason for them to get healthy, stay healthy, and change habits. So why are industries so hyper-focused on prevention and risk management rather than “performance management”?

Race cars are trying to go faster, perform better, be more fuel efficient, and look cooler. This is one of the reasons why NASCAR racing is so popular and has grown significantly in the last 20 years! The game of baseball has also completely changed due to the emphasis on statistics and data as well!

Rather than emphasizing prevention and risk management, using a performance based goal for a client to drive success, is hands down one of the best ways to also simultaneously minimize risk!

As a corporate wellness provider, we make wellness fun for the individual! We focus on what can help them improve in their sport, how it can make them look better, how it can help their focus and energy, and how it can help them sleep better! These are things that people want!

The feeling and perception of fun is different from person to person. So, to really drive adherence and consistency in a program, there needs to be a purpose and a “fun” factor behind it! Goal oriented and competition-based programming, whether for a group or individual, can be a measurable performance driven approach to disease prevention and risk management.

Simply put, marketing and branding something like diabetes management, blood sugar regulation, and preventing metabolic syndrome can be disguised in a challenge, sport, performance goal, aesthetic goal, or life event!

• Training for a Mt. Kilimanjaro Hike
• Winning a Step Challenge
• Running a 5k
• Benching 300 lbs
• Losing weight for a wedding

What do all five of these have in common?  They are performance based goals!

These are also actual goals that our clients have had! And through the process of working with us, our clients have reached these goals AND simultaneously minimized their risk for health-related issues and factors by:

• Developing habit change
• Minimizing their risk of cardiovascular disease
• Improving blood pressure
• Enhancing cognitive focus and wellbeing
• Improving muscle and bone density
• and more!

But how do you accomplish this on a large scale with large volumes of people?

You must have a structured accountability factor as part of the program! And what is the best accountability factor? A real live coach!

This is what sets TriCore apart from all others!

At TriCore, our system of wellness management connects a coach to each client. If they need something, a coach is there. If they reach out, they have a coach to talk to. For their goals, their coach is there to help them develop a plan to achieve it!

Our business model understands 2 things:

1. Accountability and Habit Change are the keys to success
2. Developing a series of performance based goals leads to greater success

We use tools like Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s), app-based analytics software, and advanced clinical and professional programming to develop a complete solution to your corporate wellness needs! And as our coaches develop relationships with employees, these relationships are proven to drive more successful results not only in the employee’s life, but with the company’s business goals as well!

At TriCore, our team is ready to help you and your team perform better and enhance health and performance at the same time!

If you are ready to take a different approach and get better results with an employee benefits or corporate wellness program, then contact us now!

Chris Edwards
Owner & Managing Director
C: 239-233-6178
Chris@TriCoreWellness.com

https://www.chron.com/sports/outdoors/article/6-2-Your-best-you-13227661.php

https://www.staugustine.com/news/20190507/drs-oz-amp-roizen-real-facts-about-corporate-wellness-programs

The post Corporate Wellness Success! first appeared on TriCore Wellness.

Esport athletes all around the world are doing everything they can to be the best in their realm of competition. Enhancing your Gaming performance is essential! Looking back on the number of hours I’ve spent gaming, I’ve realized gaming compares directly to any other sport. The amount of time you spend in a game dictates the level of your skill.

For your computer needs, there is a lot to consider: internet connection, latency, computer specs, and so on. These “problems” are easy to fix by just getting better internet, switching to a wired connection and upgrading your computer. For most, that’s the solution to their problems. However, what happens when you hit a wall and can’t seem to get any better?

High performance health is the new wave in the Esports community. Optimizing your health can help increase performance and set you apart from the others!

Here are my top 5 important elements needed to enhance your gaming performance:

1. Fuel and protein
2. Activity
3. Nutrition
4. Hydration
5. Recovery

The perfect place to start is to calculate your basic daily needs for fuel. Using the Calorie Calculator from Calculater.net, you can easily determine your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which is the amount of calories you need for your body to function at a specific level of activity. (this is an example image of the calculator)

Fuel, Protein and Activity

Being sedentary or “inactive”, even if you’re very active in your mind can be unhealthy and contribute to chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and even diabetes. Here are a couple things you can do today to start improving:

• Total daily activity should be around 60-120 minutes for peak performance.
  • I understand that it can be hard to get up and move, especially during competitions, so we developed a way to get your activity in without stepping aside for over an hour to exercise.
  • The first thing you can do is get up for 5 minutes every hour to perform high intensity activity.
  • This adds up and will help keep your brain functioning properly, blood flowing, energy levels up and body fat down.
• Eat enough of the right foods.
  • Food is fuel and fueling your body is extremely important when it comes to performing.
  • Athletes all around the world have nutritionists and dietitians helping them with what, when and how much to eat. So why shouldn’t you?
  • Eating too much food can lead to weight gain and a decrease in performance. Eating too little food can lead to deficiencies and inflammation.
  • Finding the sweet spot can be tough, but being aware of this is a great start!

Nutrition

Nutrition is essentially what you take in to fuel and support your body and brain. Having a healthy diet based on whole, unprocessed foods with lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, and high quality protein are key to keeping your body and brain functioning. And moderately sized high protein meals before gaming can help you stay alert and aware during performance.

So what happens when you are lacking the proper nutrients for your body and brain? The main thing is inflammation. Inflammation can come in many different forms such as headache, cramps, aches, etc. Whenever your body is lacking a certain nutrient it needs to function, your performance will drop and you won’t be using your body to its fullest extent.

If your intake of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) isn’t adequate, supplementation may be the solution. A comprehensive well balanced multivitamin mineral supplement can fill in the gaps. Contact me and I can get you set up to order your supplements! Here is a link to our Thorne Online Dispensary: https://www.thorne.com/u/tricorewellness

Hydration

Hydration is another important factor in performance enhancement. You need plenty of water to support your metabolism and circulation. You will need at least ½ ounce of water/fluid per pound of body weight (30-35 mL/Kg) and replace losses. Lack of hydration can also cause inflammation such as headaches and cramps which lead to a decrease in performance.

Recovery

During a long session at your computer or console, your mental energy can be strained, so body and mind recovery is important. Stress can lead to a decrease in performance as well as other strains on the body and mind. Here are some things to do to help recover your mind and body before, during or after gaming:

• Stress management
• Breathing
  • Deep breathing for deep relaxation
• Adequate sleep: 6-8 hours
• Reduce eye strain using the 20/20/20 rule.
  • Focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.

Recovering properly will help your body and mind get back into the action quickly and more effectively. Take care of your body and it will take care of you!

Your body and mind have a direct impact on your gaming performance! Focusing on these 5 important elements can help enhance your gaming edge and take you to the next level. If you think about it, someone who is using their mind and body at the peak level will ALWAYS win out against someone who is deficient and lacking the proper ingredients for a high performance career!

Thank you!

Nicolas Newell
TriCore High Performance Esports Pro Coach
(239) 219-7718
nic@tricorewellness.com
Instagram @tricoregaming

The post Top 5 Elements To Enhance Your Gaming Performance first appeared on TriCore Wellness.

Research has concluded that posture affects and moderates every physiological function in the body with the beginning of disease processes (chronic inflammatory diseases included) starting with postural distortion. (Lennon et al #1) If we demonstrate “bad” posture, this is the first clinical sign that imbalance exists, and a system is negatively affected. The negative effects of poor posture can manifest itself in symptoms including but not limited to vertigo, arthritis, cardiac disease, dementia, pain, and cancer. What is even more intriguing and devastating, is that the most significant influences of posture are on respiration (breathing), oxygenation (nutrients carried to tissues), and sympathetic function (rest and repair).  (Lennon el al #1).

What this means is that the balance between injury and recovery is directly affected by our posture and posture is one of the primary visual signs of whether we have balance in this area or not! Remember balance between injury (fight or flight/stress) and repair (recovery) is the precursor to optimal healing and health. If we have imbalance or “distortion” in our posture, this is a noticeably clear indication that the organs (systems) responsible for recovery are not in a good working position to perform their job, so therefore recovery is negatively affected. (2)  If your posture is aligned as it should be, your physical body is balanced and indicates good working position for all your systems, particularly those necessary for repair…Kudos to you!!

What is optimal posture?  Optimal posture has two key components: the first being alignment and the second being engagement of core muscles to hold us in this alignment in various positions and in movements through space.

Correct alignment begins with the position of the pelvis and spine. Looking face to face at an individual standing, good posture shows symmetry between the right and left sides. Looking at an individual standing from the side: the ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and front of ankle should line up and the spine should have a curvature at the neck, slight curvature in the mid-back, and curvature in the low back areas. If, for example, the curve in the neck is too large, the vestibular nerves exiting the upper neck can be irritated/compressed reducing communication causing dizziness, imbalance, or vertigo. (3) If the curve in the low back is too large, the sciatic nerve can be irritated and cause pain or weakness in the legs. (4)  If there is imbalance between hips or between shoulders, pain or weakness can occur in the arms or legs. If there is too large a curvature in the mid-back, breathing is impaired (1), and all hell breaks loose in our recovery system!

The point is to understand that most ailments should be considered resulting from imbalance between muscles, and quite repairable given attention soon enough. Most ailments today should not be considered irreparable and something we just have to “live with!”

The second component of optimal posture entails the work of our core muscles to hold this posture in space. Balanced positioning of the pelvis and spine minimizes core muscle work necessary to maintain this position. (5)  This is important because, in this neutral/balanced position, the core muscles do not need as much energy, allowing for more energy (nutrients and oxygen) to be transported to the organs of recovery. Given this fact alone, the involvement of our core muscles is paramount in promoting optimal recovery health.

A good start to optimizing your recovery health is getting a postural assessment to determine imbalances in your neuromuscular system and begin specific training to regain your postural balance and optimize your recovery health!

Contact us today to schedule a session with Gaynell!

(239) 877-1481

Info@TriCoreWellness.com

References:

1. Lennon J, Shealy N, Cady, RK, Matta W et al. Postural and Respiratory Modulation of Autonomic Function, Pain, and Health.  American Journal of Pain Management.  1994;4 (1): 36-39.
2. Peterson Kendall F, Kendall Mc Creary E, Geise Provance P, McIntyre Rodgers M, Romani WA. Muscles: Testing and Function. 5^th Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Baltimore, MD. 2005
3. Yun-Hee Sung. Upper Cervical Spine Dysfunction and Dizziness. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation. 2020
4. David D, Maini K, Vasudevan A. Sciatica/book copyright 2021, StatPearls Publishing LL.
5. Posture-Health Facts. ND Health Facts March 1, 2016.

The post Optimal Posture: Its Role in Your Recovery Health! first appeared on TriCore Wellness.

Stress

Stress comes in many forms:

• Physical
• Mental
• Emotional
• Environmental
• Social
• Etc.

Each of these avenues of stress can create a host of different responses on the body’s systems:

• Nervous system
• Hormones
• Hydration
• Adrenal
• Musculoskeletal
• Digestive
• Etc.

How a person receives stress and then how their body expresses stress is different. Here is an example: Many times, when I am working with Type A personality clients, they don’t recognize that they are even carrying stress. Being Type A, they have the mental fortitude to be able to power through, only get 5 hours of sleep, not eat much, barely drink any water…but yet they are losing muscle and gaining body fat! They don’t realize the impact on their health because they are so hyper-focused on their job, a situation, or a goal.

It may be a month or so when the impact is felt – when they can’t fit into their clothes or they have a physical stress response. For example, they get very sick, develop a migraine, their blood pressure is high, they start having diarrhea…or their doctor tells them their blood work is way off!

At that point stress has reared its ugly head and produced a physical symptom on their body that of course they don’t like! Now it’s not only taking them away from their lifestyle, but if they have any kind of body composition or athletic performance goal, they are greatly suffering in that area too!

1. How do we identify and catch stress before it’s too late?
2. How do athletes and non-athletes manage stress to perform better in their sport or job?

Let start with Question Number One

How do we identify and catch stress before it’s too late?

Recovery rate from workouts, improving sleep quality to feel rested, healing an injury, or mentally healing from a traumatic experience are all extremely important. Being able to understand when you need to “down shift” or “slow down” or “deload” is important for longevity but also for short term health and performance.

When your body and its different human systems get pounded day in and day out, without getting proper recovery (sleep, stress management, hydration, etc.) something is going to give. The first layer will be your immune system. The immune system is your body’s first layer of defense to stress. It will help to protect you from external viruses and bacteria that try to infect your body. It’s a combination of lymph, white blood cells, and antibodies that help protect against infection. It also helps you rebuild and recover from injuries and tissue damage.

Oxidation & Antioxidant

Have you ever heard of the word “oxidation?” And how about the word “antioxidant?”

“Oxidation is a normal and necessary process that takes place in your body. Oxidative stress, on the other hand, occurs when there’s an imbalance between free radical activity and antioxidant activity. When functioning properly, free radicals can help fight off pathogens. Pathogens lead to infections.” (1)

Although free radical activity helps fight off pathogens, the immune response itself can become inflammatory and cause stress of its own in excess and without a balance of antioxidants.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3614697/

One way to identify stress is to listen to your body. Be self-aware. If you start to feel “run down,” take the steps needed to recover. We have all been there…Just a small headache, a little tickle in your throat, sneezing and feeling cold or hot…these are all signs that your body is saying slow down! Listen to it! This is a sure sign that you need to take a step back and rest.

Question Number Two

How do athletes and non-athletes manage stress to perform better in their sport or job?

When your body is under stress from a heavy or hard workout, family issues at home, mental stress at work, or even self-induced anxiety, it can have an effect on your immune system. This in turn will have a direct effect on your recovery! So, is it wise for people to “train hard all the time” or “no pain – no gain” or “never take a rest day”… Absolutely not!

Letting your body heal, rest, restore, and recover will not only rejuvenate your body from any stress, but also BOOST your immune system! Here is a great graphic that explains the documented relationship between upper respiratory tract infections and exercise intensity:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803113/

This study from the Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews (3), shows that exercise, recovery time, and stress management when properly programmed can have an immune boosting effect. OR if mismanaged, can actually have a negative effect. And since exercise is a form of stress, this needs to be considered in the big picture to know when it’s important for you to recover and rest to improve performance, but also to reduce your risk of infection!

Understanding the Factors of Stress

So simply put, a person must understand all of the factors of stress in their lives, and then make educated decisions on what kind of “exercise stress” they need to improve performance, recover, and actually boost immunity. This is yet another reason why it is important to have a Professional Coach, or Health Advisor that understands these scientific principles to help manage stress, recover faster, and boost the immune system.

To expect that the general population know these scientific facts is wrong. This I why there are professionals in fitness, nutrition, and recovery coaching that help clients expedite this process and deliver them the advice and tips they need to be able to manage their health for the short and the long term. We have only discussed the relationship between stress, exercise, and immunity. But there are many factors that can affect your body’s systems and stress level!

• Nutrition
• Blood Chemistry
• Micronutrients
• Antioxidants
• Physical recovery therapies
• Psychology
• Etc.

All of these methods should also be considered to help an individual achieve optimal health and performance.

My Advice

Seek out a professional coach if you are looking to maximize your recovery and boost your immune system. Each individual is different. Their lifestyles are different. Their methods of management and application of specific recovery methods will be different. There is a lot to consider. Seek out a professional that can deliver you the tools needed. Make sure they are using scientific principles, and then using those principles to apply the right methodology to what you need to improve your recovery and immunity.

Ultimately, the connection between recovery, immunity, and health is balance.

Thank you!

Chris Edwards, TriCore Owner and Managing Director

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/oxidative-stress
2. https://www.healthline.com/health/cold-flu/fun-facts
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803113/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3614697/

The post Athletic Recovery & Immunity – What’s the Connection? first appeared on TriCore Wellness.

GI Tract

The GI tract contains trillions of microorganisms, including good and bad bacteria, viruses, and fungi.(2) Theses microorganisms are referred to as the microbiota, and the sum total of their genetic material is referred to as the microbiome. The human microbiome is different in every individual and directly influences our response to nutrition, immunity, behavior, and disease.(2) As a result, our microbiome is responsible for communication between the gut and the brain. So, any kind of stress disrupts this natural flow of communication. One of the main communicators affected in these instances is the vagus nerve.

Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve (VN) is a cranial nerve that extends from the brain to the colon and supplies sensory and motor function information to most of the digestive tract.(3) The VN is comprised mostly of afferent neurons, which are nerve fibers responsible for detecting issues through communication received via microbial metabolites.(4) The information received by the VN is sent to the central nervous system and then a response is elicited.(3) Stress inhibits the function of the VN, which then leads to imbalances in the body.(3)

Communication

A disruption in the communication between the brain (VN) and the gut will then lead to dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is an imbalance in the microorganisms normally found in the GI tract.(5) In addition to stress, microbial changes are heavily influenced by genetics, diet, infection, or medications such as antibiotics.(5) When the bad microorganisms outweigh the good, it can lead to disease. So, to avoid these issues, stress management techniques and a healthy lifestyle are vital. Furthermore, managing stress, eating a balanced diet, and exercising will help maintain balance and a positive flow of communication between the brain and the gut.

Lisa Fenda Wallace, B.S., B.A., CPT, TriCore Dietetic Intern

Reviewed by TriCore Lead Clinical Nutritionist: Beth Ellen DiLuglio, MS, RDN, LDN

References

1. Konturek P, Brzozowski T, Konturek SJ. Stress and the gut: pathophysiology, clinical consequences, diagnostic approach and treatment options. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2011;62(6):591- 599. http://www.jpp.krakow.pl/journal/archive/12_11/pdf/591_12_11_article.pdf. Accessed January 20, 2021.

2. MacGill M, Sethi S. What are the gut microbiota and human microbiome? Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/307998#new-findings-on-the-microbiome. Published June 26, 2018. Accessed January 20, 2021.

3. Bonaz B, Bazin B, Pellissier S. The vagus nerve at the interface of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Front Neurosci. 2018;12(49), 1-9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5808284/pdf/fnins-12-00049.pdf. Accessed January 20, 2021.

4. Browning K, Verheijden S, Boeckxstaens G. The vagus nerve in appetite regulation, mood and
intestinal inflammation. Am J Gastroenterol. 2017;152(4), 730-744.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5337130/?report=classic. Accessed January 20,
2021.

5. Peterson C, Round J. Defining dysbiosis and its influence on host immunity and disease. Cell
Microbiol. 2014;16(7), 1024-1033. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4143175/.
Accessed January 20, 2021.

The post How Stress Affects the Gut first appeared on TriCore Wellness.

Our brain is chemically wired to adapt to changes. Simply making your bed every day sets off happy chemicals in your brain that makes you feel good and leads to wanting to do more and leads to positive change that everyone will notice.

Summer Training Tips

Here are some summer training tips that you can use to start following through on your goals to health and performance improvement:

1. Daily habits – Start small like making your bed, getting up at a consistent time every
day, or drinking a glass of water every morning.
2. Accountability – This is key for reinforcement and keeping you on track. A personal
coach is great for that.
3. Try something new once a week – get outside your comfort zone by trying a new
style of fitness.
4. Learn! – Start by reading some articles that interest you then read a new book or get
a new audio book that helps you learn more about your body and health.

One thing that we promote at TriCore is gaining a heightened state of awareness on your health and body stats. This can help you overcome many mental barriers like the negative emotions many people have about scales and making progress on your health and wellness goals. We use devices like the Withings Body Cardio Scale to help our clients understand that progress happens every single day! And knowing the difference between lean body mass gain VS fat gain is huge to overcoming negative emotions that come from seeing the scale change.

Education
Consistency
Accountability

These are the things needed to help overcome your challenges. Hiring a coach can help you have more mental toughness to stay on track, and that is something some people can’t live without!

Brian Baker, TriCore Coach

The post Summer Training Tips from Coach Brian Baker! first appeared on TriCore Wellness.