YEG Fitness - July August 2017

Bliss YogaSpa

5954 Mullen Way • Edmonton • 780.432.1535

(Rabbit Hill Road & Anthony Henday)

blissyogaspa.com

Peace of Mind Pedicur

at Bliss YogaSpa

3-Step sanitation process for implements

1. Scrub


2. Soak in medical-grade disinfectant


3. Autoclave sterilization

Relaxation in the spa lounge or caldarium

Luxurious pedicure experience with the option of our

exclusive volcanic mud & take home polish and file

Spa Lounge

Pedi Room

Caldarium

I

f you’re suffering from bloating, heartburn, stomach

cramps or any other kind of digestive discomfort your

athletic performance could be impacted. Your digestive

system is responsible for breaking down and absorbing the

fuel for your muscles, brain and, other vital organs. For you

to train and perform well your digestion should be optimal.

It’s also super uncomfortable to run with heartburn, or to

do a spin class with bloating, or to do box jumps when you

have gas. Optimizing your digestive system will have you

feeling full of energy and can lead to improvements in per-

formance.

How can you make sure your gut is on track? Here are four

ways to know if your guts are acting normally:

1) You should poop every day. At least once. Your body actu-

ally has a reflex designed to make your bowels move every

time you eat a full meal. Your stools should be formed (one

or two pieces) and not be too loose or watery. Many people

struggle with having just one bowel movement daily. This

can be a problem for your cholesterol levels, hormones, and

more. Simple ways to make sure your bowels move more

consistently include drinking plenty of water, eating lots of

fiber (seven-ten servings of vegetables a day!) and using di-

etary supplementation as needed.

2) You shouldn’t taste your food more than once. Meaning

if you have burping, burning, or you’re bringing the taste

of food back up after meals you might be suffering from

gastro-esophageal reflux disease (also known as GERD or

heartburn). This is not only uncomfortable but it is indicat-

ing a problem with your digestion. Ulcers can cause heart-

burn and if typical treatments don’t reduce your pain you’ll

need further testing to determine if you have an ulcer. Other

causes of heartburn include high stomach acid levels, low

stomach acid levels and bacterial imbalances in the diges-

tive tract.

3) Only your car should be full of gas and only your balloons

should be blown up. Being bloated and gassy is not normal.

Your abdomen shouldn’t get bloated or feel taught like a

drum after eating. If you suffer from bloating, it’s important

to figure out why it’s happening. A lot of women get bloated

with natural changes in their hormones specifically suffer-

ing from premenstrual bloating. If you bloat every time you

eat, it’s more likely an issue of impaired digestion. If you eat

very quickly your body doesn’t produce enough enzymes

to break down your food and often you’ll feel bloated after

eating. Try to take 20 minutes to consume your meals when

you can. Other causes of bloating and gas include bacterial

imbalances in the digestive tract, a food sensitivity, com-

monly milk or whey protein, or gall bladder issues.

If you’re bloated, gassy, constipated or having heartburn,

it’s important to figure out why. It’s definitely not comfort-

able training with these symptoms and if they last for a long

time, they can impair your performance and can also indi-

cate that there may be larger health problems.

Could Your Digestion Be Holding You Back? BY DR. BRIANA BOTSFORD