Midlife – when female athletes struggle most with fitness The slow weight gain of adulthood can be a motivator to take your exercise up a notch. But if you remember the big hair and waterfall bangs of the 80s, exercise might be getting more challenging. Being a female athlete means you have special needs, both nutritional and lifestyle-related, and these considerations become exponential as you race towards the finish line of your reproductive years. It’s not you, it’s your hormones…
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Don’t Ignore the Signs of Low Iron
January 21, 2020
You might be thinking that you’ve been feeling a little tired lately. Or that you’re missing some get-up-and-go. Tiredness and exhaustion have become so common in our culture that we frequently ignore these symptoms. What might feel like a normal symptom of a restless night (or nights) of sleep might actually be a sign of a very common nutrient deficiency. Without enough iron, our body can’t produce hemoglobin in our blood and hemoglobin’s main job is to bring oxygen to…
How to Stick to Your Exercise Routine
January 9, 2020
3 Things You Can Do to Prevent Cop Out 1 . Make a date with a friend If you knew your exercise buddy was waiting for you, you wouldn’t stand her up, would you? Of course not. Making a standing date with a friend holds you both accountable. Plus, it’s more fun to exercise with your bestie, especially when you’re cheering each other on. 2. Get enough sleep It’s hard to get in a good workout if you’re running on…
Pregnancy & Iron’s Importance in Every Stage
August 13, 2019
You need one gram of iron to grow a baby. That’s the iron equivalent of 177 steaks! [1] When it comes to pre-pregnancy planning, our primary focus is usually making sure we’re getting enough folic acid to prevent complications… but it looks like we need to add iron to the list. Iron plays a very important role in pregnancy. A low-grade or undetected deficiency can interfere with a healthy pregnancy and may even affect future pregnancies. Iron helps deliver oxygen…
Taking Care of Yourself on Mother’s Day and Every Day
May 7, 2019
Let’s face it: moms usually put themselves last. They think about their needs after they’ve met their kids’, partners’, and co-workers’ needs. We get it. Some of us at Flora are moms, too, and we’ve done the same thing. But we’d like to introduce a radical idea. (Drumroll, please.) Moms, you are the star of your own life, and you deserve to prioritize your own wellness. That means self-care is an ongoing need, not just a bubble bath on Mother’s…
Spring into Spring Break
April 9, 2019
If you’re like a lot of parents, the thought of spring break coming up fills you with a sort of dread. It’s not that you don’t love your kids—of course, you do!—but you also don’t want to be bombarded with “I’m bored! What should I do?” the entire week. Planning ahead is the answer. And since the weather doesn’t always cooperate in March and April, the smartest move is to plan indoor and outdoor activities to keep your kiddos busy….
Form Matters When Choosing an Iron Supplement
February 9, 2019
Being low in iron is no joke. It can leave you looking pale and feeling wiped out, weak, short of breath, lightheaded, and like you’re living inside a refrigerator. Women of baby-making age are extra susceptible to these woes since they lose blood every month, but anyone can become low in iron—that includes you, gentlemen! Other vulnerable groups include vegetarians, African-Americans, and Latinos, since their dietary intake of iron is typically low. How to get more iron You would think…
Level Up! 5 Habits to Raise Your Iron and Energy Levels
January 24, 2019
In a previous post, I exposed four sneaky energy saboteurs. Today, I’ll help you get the upper hand on your iron and energy levels. Get enough protein. Including enough protein-rich food during the day serves many purposes. It helps keep blood sugar steady1 to avoid energy spikes and crashes. It helps to maintain muscle so we can get through the day more easily. It’s often found in nutrient-dense foods, which helps us feel more vital overall2. A critical thing protein…
4 Reasons You Are Still Tired
January 17, 2019
Iron deficiency is the leading cause of female fatigue. It’s the world’s most common nutrient deficiency. These four things make it hard to absorb iron. Do you recognize some bad habits? Washing your meals down Water dilutes stomach acid, (more on this later!), so drinking during meals is never great. However, the real culprits here are tea, chocolate drinks, and coffee. Compounds like polyphenols, oxalates, tannins, and chlorogenic acids in black and green teas, coffee (including green coffee extracts), and…
Iron & Re-Energizing after the Holidays
January 8, 2019
Are you feeling rundown—even after having some downtime over the holidays? Do your legs feel “heavy,” or are you feeling a bit out of breath? If so, you may be dealing with a very common mineral deficiency: iron. In the body, iron has the very important job of making hemoglobin. Without enough hemoglobin in the blood, your tissues don’t receive enough oxygen. And without oxygen, your muscles and tissues don’t work as well… which leads to the tiredness you’re feeling….