The Koru Connection (2026)

13/11/2020

“Fitness starts in your head. You must choose to eat clean, exercise regularly, and treat your body with respect.” - Anonymous

11/11/2020

It was originally thought that DOMS was caused by a buildup of lactic acid in the muscles; however, the current theory suggests that it is a product of the inflammation that is caused by microscopic tears in the muscles and surrounding connective tissue during exercise, in particular exercise that consists of eccentric contractions (lengthening of the muscle like you do when you lower your arm in a bicep curl).

This phenomenon is normal and can be experienced by anybody, even high level athletes. There is also a genetic component to DOMS where some people are more susceptible to muscle damage and therefore experience more soreness (yep, that’s me!).

DOMS is another example of hormesis (see my previous post) whereby the micro-tears that occur in the muscles trigger a cascade of events that leads to a beneficial adaptive response; firmer and stronger muscles that are capable of generating more power. That doesn’t mean that you will or that you should experience DOMS with each exercise session.

When you start a new routine or increase your intensity/load in your current one, you are more likely to experience DOMS. As you keep working out and your body adapts, you may feel less sore, but that in no way means that you aren’t working hard enough or that you’re not benefiting from each workout. Research has shown that soreness is not an indicator of a quality workout!

Although there is no real treatment for DOMS, you can minimize it by:
🔹taking the time to properly warm up and cool down before and after your workout
🔹increase the intensity/load slowly, especially if you are new to exercise or you are implementing a new routine
🔹staying well hydrated
🔹performing active recovery exercises such as walking, yoga, pilates, low intensity swimming or biking, stretching, and foam rolling to keep the muscles moving

Listen to your body and don’t overdo it when you are experiencing DOMS, but make sure to keep moving so your muscles don’t get even more stiff!

09/11/2020

Up until now, we've talked about how detrimental stress can be on the body; however, low to moderate amounts of intermittent stress can actually be good for us!

Have you ever heard of ‘hormesis’?

Hormesis is the phenomenon whereby a beneficial effect results from low dose exposure to a stressor that would otherwise be harmful at higher amounts.

Ex. I recently covered in another post that a small amount of daily sun exposure is beneficial for vitamin D production; however, too much sun exposure can cause skin cancer.

When done correctly, the act of exercising can fall into this category.

Exercise induces a stress response within the body, that when performed intermittently and in reasonable amounts (ex. not spending hours in the gym everyday), can create a beneficial adaptive response within the cells and muscle tissue. This response allows the body to be better prepared to handle the stressor when it is encountered again.

The caveat to all of this is that the body needs time between exercise sessions to recover, repair and allow for this adaptation to occur.

So overexercising doesn’t fall under the category of hormesis, but rather under the category of chronic stress. This can have the opposite effect and can actually impede and reduce muscular growth.

It’s kind of like the Goldilocks Principle:
🔹Too little exercise is bad for you
🔹Too much exercise is also bad for you (maybe even worse than too little exercise)
🔹So, just the right amount of exercise with adequate rest in between is where the benefits are at!

Now you can understand where the saying ‘everything in moderation’ comes from 😉

06/11/2020

People often ask me what type of workout is best, and my answer is: the type of workout you avoid. 💪

It's human nature to avoid the things we find difficult and that push us out of our comfort zone. We tend to gravitate towards the things we are good at, even if they aren’t best serving us.

Have you ever seen a super flexible person take a yin yoga class? Or a super muscular person that can barely bend over continue lifting weight?

The fact is that the super flexible person would benefit more from strength training to stabilize their hypermobile joints and the super muscular person would benefit more from flexibility training to ensure that every part of the body is working together for optimal performance and reduced risk of injury.

If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you!

So go on...take that first step outside of your comfort zone. I guarantee you will be one step closer to unfurling your potential and living your best life 🙌

04/11/2020

Are you sitting down while you read this?

Well, it's time to stand up!

One of the main reasons many people have difficulty moving and suffer from stiffness, aches and pains is because we sit WAY too much.

When we sit, our hips are in constant flexion (think upper body vertical and thighs horizontal) which causes our hip flexors to become tense and tight.

The longer we stay in this position, the harder it becomes to release the tension in order to activate the muscles in the back of the hip (primarily your glutes), which are responsible for hip extension (think kicking leg straight back behind you). Hip extension is what you need to stand up and start walking.

Over time, this hip imbalance can cause the entire pelvis to tilt forward, which is known as an excessive anterior pelvic tilt.

In this position, the muscles of the lower back (erector spinae) and the front of the hip (psoas, iliacus, re**us femoris) are shortened and tight, while the abdominals, hamstrings and glutes are lengthened and weak. This can lead to decreased mobility and pain in the back, hip, knees, ankles and feet.

The solution? Move more and sit less!

The rule of thumb is for every hour that you spend in hip flexion (think about the time you are sitting at work, driving, watching TV, and sleeping on your side with your legs up), spend one minute per side in hip extension!

You can also foam roll and stretch the front of your hip, quads, inner thighs and lower back, as well as focus on strengthening your abdominals, obliques and glutes.

Let's get started on a stretch and strengthening program that’s right for you!

03/11/2020

Quality over quantity.

You've probably heard that saying before, right?

However, many people don’t think that way when it comes to fitness.

People think they need to spend hours at the gym every day to see the results they are looking for, when in reality it really doesn’t take that much if you are moving mindfully and with intent.

The extra time you save will be much better spent on the things we’ve already discussed to decrease your stress level and bring you into your parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ mode, like meditation, breath work, stretching, sleep and meal prep.

Interested in learning more about finding the minimum effective dose of exercise that will STILL allow you to reach your goals, yet FREE UP more time to focus on you?

Send me a message to get started ASAP!

31/10/2020

"Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness." - Edward Stanley

28/10/2020

Have you fallen into the fad diet cycle before?
🔹You feel unhappy with your lifestyle habits and/or physique
🔹You tell yourself ‘I’m going to lose weight’
🔹You restrict yourself too much on your fad diet
🔹The diet fades out because it’s unsustainable
🔹You put all the weight back on (and maybe even more)
🔹You repeat the cycle

Unfortunately this can lead to:
🔹yo-yo dieting
🔹malnutrition
🔹unhealthy stress
🔹imbalanced hormones
🔹depressed mood
🔹eating disorders

Examples of fad diets include: cabbage soup diet, grapefruit diet, Atkins, ketogenic, paleo and South Beach.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to diets is...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

The fact is that nutrition isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ phenomenon. Everyone’s body is different and everyone’s body processes things differently.

Some people genetically cannot metabolize fat as well so Atkins and keto won’t work well for them (that’s me!). Others have a sensitivity to foods that contain sulphur so the cabbage diet wouldn’t work for them, while the grapefruit diet can interfere with some medications so that’s not always a great choice either.

Our individual genetics, microbiota (gut bacteria), health history, and living environment all play a role in determining what foods will best serve us.

Finding what’s right for you will:
🔹Take time
🔹Take patience
🔹Require learning
🔹Require self-awareness

But…
🔹It will be sustainable
🔹You will develop new healthy habits
🔹And most importantly, it will provide the long term results you are trying to achieve

DM me if you need help breaking the fad diet cycle to find what’s right for you!

26/10/2020

Have you heard of the clean fifteen and the dirty dozen?

Each year, the Environmental Working Group comes out with a list of the top 12 foods with the MOST pesticides and the top 15 foods with the LEAST, so that you can plan your grocery shopping accordingly.

Many pesticides are known to be endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which mimic our own hormones and interfere with the way our body’s hormones work. EDCs have been linked to cancer, fertility problems, learning difficulties, impaired immune systems and diabetes.

In an ideal world, all of your groceries would be organic; however, shopping organically can become quite expensive.

This list provides 12 foods that you should try to buy organically, and 15 foods that don't have to be if it's not within your budget.

Clean 15:
1. Avocados
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Onions
5. Papaya
6. Sweet Peas Frozen
7. Eggplant
8. Asparagus
9. Cauliflower
10. Cantaloupe
11. Broccoli
12. Mushrooms
13. Cabbage
14. Honeydew Melon
15. Kiwi

Dirty dozen:
1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Kale
4. Nectarines
5. Apples
6. Grapes
7. Peaches
8. Cherries
9. Pears
10. Tomatoes
11. Celery
12. Potatoes
+ Hot Peppers

Which foods from these lists surprised you?

22/10/2020

You've probably heard this term quite a bit in the past few years, right?

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between fasting and eating. Everyone does this to a certain extent by not eating during the hours they are asleep. The focus of IF is not on food or calorie restriction like many diets, but rather on the restriction of time in which you eat your food.

Many people who participate in IF follow a 16:8 time-restricted feeding method, meaning you eat for 8 hours of the day and fast for the other 16. However, there are other variations as well; alternate-day fasting, eat-stop-eat (5:2) or simply changing the hours of your eating/fasting windows.

Some benefits of IF include:
🔹weight loss & reduced hunger
🔹reduced inflammation
🔹improved insulin sensitivity
🔹slowed aging
🔹better heart health
🔹improved brain function
🔹cancer prevention
🔹improved immunity

So, is intermittent fasting right for you?

IF is great for some people, and not for others. The only way to find out is to try it and see how you feel!

If you feel good and find IF a sustainable way of eating, then it may be right for you. However, if you are feeling fatigued, haven’t seen any of the benefits listed above after following IF for a while, or find the schedule just doesn’t work for your lifestyle, perhaps it isn’t right for you.

Also, the common 16:8 restricted eating window works for some people, but not for everyone. I find it often works better for men; some women can suffer significant hormonal imbalances with a longer fasting window. If this is the case, I often recommend a 12:12 eating cycle for women instead. This will help to offset hormonal issues while still getting the benefits of fasting.

So tell me about your experience with IF below - was it right for you?

Disclaimer: IF is not right for you if you have an eating disorder, are pregnant, or are breastfeeding. Speak with your healthcare provider before starting IF to see if it’s right for you.

20/10/2020

Tracy’s Tip: Get more sun! 🌞

Doesn’t everyone love the feeling of the sun’s warmth on your skin? Well good news...it’s actually good for you!

For so long, we’ve been told to stay out of the sun, or to cover up and wear sunscreen. While there is still cause to be concerned about skin cancer, there may be a bigger cause for concern by avoiding the sun...vitamin D deficiency.

Research has shown that a vitamin D deficiency has been linked to over 200 diseases!

In the presence of UVB rays from the sun, a form of inactive vitamin D is synthesized from cholesterol in the skin. It then travels to the liver and on to the kidneys to be converted into its active form.

The active form of vitamin D (which technically is a hormone rather than a vitamin) plays many essential roles in the body. Some of these include:

🔹Regulating calcium absorption for bone growth and strength
🔹Supporting the immune system
🔹Increasing muscle strength
🔹Reducing inflammation
🔹Decreasing blood pressure and risk of heart attack
🔹Reducing risk of Alzheimers
🔹Creating feelings of fullness and satisfaction with food which aid in weight loss

Now that fall has arrived and the hours of sunlight are dwindling each day, supplementation with vitamin D3 should be considered to avoid a deficiency.

Although many foods contain vitamin D, like oysters, fatty fish and pasture raised eggs, it is often hard to get enough vitamin D3 through food alone.

Other risk factors for vitamin D deficiency are darker pigmented skin, living in more northern locations (like Canada), elderly skin, obesity, liver or kidney disease, and genetic mutations that interfere with the conversion of sunlight - this last one is me!

The recommended daily dose of vitamin D is 400 IU; however, research has shown that it's safe to take a much higher dose. I encourage you to do your own research and discuss with your doctor or alternative medicine practitioner what the right amount of vitamin D is for you.

15/10/2020

Remember the saying ‘you are what you eat?'

Well, as cliche as it may seem, it’s absolutely true!

Your body is similar to a car: in order for it to run smoothly and last through the years, you must treat it well, maintain it regularly, and fill the tank with the right kind of fuel.

What happens if you fill an unleaded car with diesel?

It may run for a little while, but it will be sluggish and inefficient, until one day it just breaks down.

Your body works the exact same way!

Choosing high quality, nutrient-dense foods over highly refined, processed ones will ensure that your body, which is essentially your life’s vehicle, will run optimally for a lifetime

What kind of fuel do you feed your body to run well?

The Koru Connection

13/11/2020

11/11/2020

09/11/2020

06/11/2020

04/11/2020

03/11/2020

31/10/2020

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