A nutritional guide to recovering from a festival hangover by David Stache of S1 Supplements - As featured in Exposed Magazine

A nutritional guide to recovering from a festival hangover by David Stache of S1 Supplements - As featured in Exposed Magazine

If there was a magi pill we could take that would instantly rid us of the monstrous hangover that precedes a full day and night’s drinking at a festival then I’m sure it would be pretty expensive, I also know I would have invested heavily over the years if such a thing existed! Unfortunately nothing quite so magical exists. However there are nutritional tips, tricks and strategies as well as supplements that you can use which will make the following day more bearable. Here’s your quick guide to making sure recovery is as painless as possible

A hangover is the end result of not only a good night but other physiological factors, here’s a look at the main one’s

Dehydration – the one everyone knows about and probably the most important. Once alcohol enters the bloodstream it stops the pituitary gland from creating vasopressin an anti diuretic hormone which tells your body it’s time to release fluid, resulting in all further liquid going directly to the bladder rather than being absorbed by the body thus leading to dehydration. Studies have shown that 250 millilitres of alcohol cause the body to expel four times as much liquid in waste. This dehydration is what leads to headaches the next day.

Electrolyte loss – as the consumed liquid goes straight to the bladder and your toilet visits become more regular you will literally be flushing electrolytes away, those being key salt and potassium. Ever woke up with muscle cramps the next day too, this is why.

Glycogen loss – stored within the liver and muscles this converted glucose (converted from carbohydrates) is converted back to glucose and sent out of the body in your urine, that not WKD you can smell, it’s your energy stores! This is why you feel fatigued, lack coordination and lack energy the next day.

Toxins – once alcohol is broken down in the liver it leaves behind the toxin acetaldehyde, as this is so toxic the body sends 2 compounds to attack this toxin (think angry doormen ejecting you from a club) known as acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (say that after a few Jaegers!) and glutathione. The problem arises in the fact the liver has only a limited amount of these compounds which leads to a build up of the toxins as you drink more which causes liver damage.

Glutamine loss – glutamine (an amino acid) is inhibited once alcohol enters the bloodstream and once you stop drinking the body tries to make up this loss and it is this which leads to the psychological side effects post alcohol consumption as Glutamine is a natural stimulant and source of energy for the brain and nervous system so the yo yo like effect leads to side effects such as anxiety, restlessness and tremors. This effect is also the reason you will not reach a deep enough sleep, which is vital for recovering.

What about vomiting? Well this effect comes from the stomach producing too much hydrochloric acid which tells the brain the stomach’s not happy, what happens after this a nauseous feeling and usually for most a couple of minutes praying at the porcelain altar.

So there you have the reasons for a hangover but what about the tips and tricks, well here’s my top supplement and nutritional tips to make the hangover a little more bearable

Food wise some people swear by a greasy full English breakfast which is not as crazy as it may first seem, the eggs contain cysteine which breaks down acetaldehyde in the liver’s depleted glutathione, plus you will get the benefits of the high calories resorting energy levels. A much better approach is to not drink on an empty stomach as with no food in the stomach the alcohol hits the bloodstream quicker, so a full English before you go out would be the better option.

To remedy the loss of electrolytes especially potassium then bananas should be your go to food, however a bottle of sports drink will also replenish stores very quickly.

With dehydration being key you simply must consume water to rehydrate the body, a pint of water before you go to bed might be too late and will almost certainly have you up using the toilet in the middle of the night but does help to fight against dehydration once your body has broken the alcohol down so either drink plenty of water between alcoholic drinks which acts to slow down your drinking and limit alcohol consumption or have a glass ready for when you wake up, getting rehydrated as quick as possible is the best way to ease a hangover.

Fruit/orange juice contains fructose and many vitamins and minerals, which were depleted the night before and are very quickly absorbed by the body, so are always a good option, as are quickly absorbed forms of Vitamin B and C.

Most people simply reach for some form of painkillers and wash down with their coffee but that is not an advisable way of dealing with a hangover, for a start coffee is a diuretic which will make you pass more fluid than you are taking on and many of the pain killers will have further effect on the liver, however ibuprofen and aspirin inhibit prostaglandins which are associated with increased hangover severity.

Supplements wise there are 3 which are key, however one which is the most common, that being Milk Thistle is really not needed or of any use to the weekend drinker as it does not work as a quick fix and is therefore best used by those who have long term liver damage.

The second and probably the most acute one is L-Methionine which works by bonding with the alcohol in the liver and producing citric acid thus removing the toxins, if you only give one supplement a try to ease your hangover it should be this one, it’s backed by science and really works, taking 1000-2000mg either towards the end of your night or before bed is the best method, just don’t get caught popping innocent pills in a club!

To complement this Vitamin B6 is a great addition as it acts as a diuretic to flush the leftover toxins from your body.

So the perfect pre-festival (tramlines) plan would look something like this:

Before your head off have a heavy meal containing fats, carbohydrates and some protein. This slows the absorption of alcohol down and also fills your bodies energy stores for the hard days/nights dancing ahead

While out make a conscious effort to drink water, this slows your drinking rate down giving the body time to process the alcohol consumed and deal with it, you’ll still get drunk but the after effects left behind will be dealt with easier.

Take 1000-2000mg of L-Methionine before you go to bed along with 100mg of vitamin B6 and a glass of water; leave a glass of water by the bed for when you wake up too.

First meal of the day have a banana and fruit juice, this replenishes vitamins, minerals and glycogen, follow this when ready with some heart poached eggs on whole meal toast with real butter and a cup of redbush tea (great for rehydrating).

Finally swear never to drink again and moan on Facebook just how your hangover is the worst ever and you require lots of sympathy.

If after reading all of that you still think Hair of the Dog is the best method then crack on and enjoy the further compounded hangover you are merely delaying!

Sweatshop Meadowhall review

Sweatshop review

Like many general gym users I’m not a fan of pounding the roads Rocky style racking up the miles to keep on top of my fitness, personally I prefer weight circuits and high intensity intervals or hill sprints to keep my conditioning in check. Just the thought of running anything over a 5k gives me shin splints.

My main problem is that I’m not a runner, I cannot get myself motivated to want to go out for an hours morning run, I’d rather do hiit and get better results. This is the reason I’d not changed my running trainers in 4 years, which in reality was not helping with my injury problems I had in 2012.

In the last few weeks the aches and pains of dragging my 17st+ frame through sprints have been nowhere to be seen. This I can only put down to my new running trainers which I picked up from Sweatshop in Meadowhall as recommend by my client Kell Brook as well as hall the other lads from the Ingle gym who speak very highly of the staff there. When I got there it was Steve who helped me through the buying process to ensure I had the right trainer for  my running technique.

The whole buying process was great and I learned so much about the different running styles and the advancement in trainers over the years. I went through an initial assessment which as you can see from the 3 photos below my ankle rolls in as I plant my foot through my run stride.  This assessment was simply done by standing on a pressure platform and bending my knees and flexing my toes, which replicates your foot, is you walk and run.

As Steve was happy to explain this meant that I was I putting more pressure through my ankle which in turn would affect my knee, hip and even my lower back which at the time I was having a lot of problems with, so much so that I couldn’t do much running.

Next I was matched up with an insole. Now some people might think this is not necessary, well I can tell you it definitely is important. I’ve ran with mine in and without them to assess the difference and it was huge, I feel much more stable with them in and after I have no pains at all. Once the insole was fitted I was then given different pairs of trainers to try on. The first pair I tried on (which I ended up buying were a pair of Nike’s and they felt like a pair of slippers, they were so comfortable. The others I tried on just didn’t feel as nice and so I was put on the treadmill to make sure my running was fine in the Nike trainers I’d picked out. To make sure I was given different pairs of trainers to try on but none of them felt as comfortable as the Nike’s.

Below you can see a short video of me running at the store, the camera is lined up behind the treadmill and videos your running which the staff view and assess.

[insert video]

So that was it, I was in there for 40 minutes and I the whole experience was very informative and very professional but more than anything I trusted what I was being told, the staff there really do look after you.

Now it wouldn’t be very good to do a review without actually reviewing the product and how my training has been since. As I’d mentioned I don’t like running, it bores me a lot, I do however like doing hiit, which I picked up again whilst away on training camp in Fuerteventura. The first few runs were hard on my ankles, knees, hips and lower back. This was simply because I was readjusting to running properly, which Steve mentioned would be the case. 5 weeks on and 3 hiit sessions a week and my running is fine, my stride is better, my speeds on the treadmill is higher as is the gradient I’m running at I’m pain free in the ankles, knees and hips. The lower back I’ve had since august last year which at one point meant no training at all also causes me no problems when I’ve been running and the trainers coupled with regular physio from Mark Roe in Sheffield and some key exercise from top S&C coach Dave Hembrough have all but cleared my back problems up.

The whole point of this post is to show that when you’re training intensely and regular you need to look after your body, it’s all good and well turning up to the gym 4 times a week and eating well but if you don’t take short cuts with the right kit. Make sure your trainers are fit for purpose and support your frame and running style, if they don’t then every stride you take you’re effectively putting your body in a position which could injure yourself. Take this from someone who has every bit of kit you can think of from weightlifting shoes to fat gripz but was happy to run in battered trainers which were causing me more harm than anything else!

Oh and here’s a pic of my trainers, yes they’re big I’m a size 11 as well as being 6ft 5” and 17st but as I was advised you need a size bigger to accommodate the increase in foot size as it gets warm when you run.

[insert pic of trainers]

For more information about sweatshop check out http://www.sweatshop.co.uk/details.cfm?prodid=3015

If you’re looking for some new trainers and you are in the Sheffield area head down to the shop in Meadowhall and tell them I sent you!

A nutritional guide to recovering from a festival by David Stache of S1 Supplements

A nutritional guide to recovering from a festival by David Stache of S1 Supplements

If there was a magi pill we could take that would instantly rid us of the monstrous hangover that precedes a full day and night’s drinking at a festival then I’m sure it would be pretty expensive, I also know I would have invested heavily over the years if such a thing existed! Unfortunately nothing quite so magical exists. However there are nutritional tips, tricks and strategies as well as supplements that you can use which will make the following day more bearable. Here’s your quick guide to making sure recovery is as painless as possible

A hangover is the end result of not only a good night but other physiological factors, here’s a look at the main one’s

Dehydration – the one everyone knows about and probably the most important. Once alcohol enters the bloodstream it stops the pituitary gland from creating vasopressin an anti diuretic hormone which tells your body it’s time to release fluid, resulting in all further liquid going directly to the bladder rather than being absorbed by the body thus leading to dehydration. Studies have shown that 250 millilitres of alcohol cause the body to expel four times as much liquid in waste. This dehydration is what leads to headaches the next day.

Electrolyte loss – as the consumed liquid goes straight to the bladder and your toilet visits become more regular you will literally be flushing electrolytes away, those being key salt and potassium. Ever woke up with muscle cramps the next day too, this is why.

Glycogen loss – stored within the liver and muscles this converted glucose (converted from carbohydrates) is converted back to glucose and sent out of the body in your urine, that not WKD you can smell, it’s your energy stores! This is why you feel fatigued, lack coordination and lack energy the next day.

Toxins – once alcohol is broken down in the liver it leaves behind the toxin acetaldehyde, as this is so toxic the body sends 2 compounds to attack this toxin (think angry doormen ejecting you from a club) known as acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (say that after a few Jaegers!) and glutathione. The problem arises in the fact the liver has only a limited amount of these compounds which leads to a build up of the toxins as you drink more which causes liver damage.

Glutamine loss – glutamine (an amino acid) is inhibited once alcohol enters the bloodstream and once you stop drinking the body tries to make up this loss and it is this which leads to the psychological side effects post alcohol consumption as Glutamine is a natural stimulant and source of energy for the brain and nervous system so the yo yo like effect leads to side effects such as anxiety, restlessness and tremors. This effect is also the reason you will not reach a deep enough sleep, which is vital for recovering.

What about vomiting? Well this effect comes from the stomach producing too much hydrochloric acid which tells the brain the stomach’s not happy, what happens after this a nauseous feeling and usually for most a couple of minutes praying at the porcelain altar.

So there you have the reasons for a hangover but what about the tips and tricks, well here’s my top supplement and nutritional tips to make the hangover a little more bearable

Food wise some people swear by a greasy full English breakfast which is not as crazy as it may first seem, the eggs contain cysteine which breaks down acetaldehyde in the liver’s depleted glutathione, plus you will get the benefits of the high calories resorting energy levels. A much better approach is to not drink on an empty stomach as with no food in the stomach the alcohol hits the bloodstream quicker, so a full English before you go out would be the better option.

To remedy the loss of electrolytes especially potassium then bananas should be your go to food, however a bottle of sports drink will also replenish stores very quickly.

With dehydration being key you simply must consume water to rehydrate the body, a pint of water before you go to bed might be too late and will almost certainly have you up using the toilet in the middle of the night but does help to fight against dehydration once your body has broken the alcohol down so either drink plenty of water between alcoholic drinks which acts to slow down your drinking and limit alcohol consumption or have a glass ready for when you wake up, getting rehydrated as quick as possible is the best way to ease a hangover.

Fruit/orange juice contains fructose and many vitamins and minerals, which were depleted the night before and are very quickly absorbed by the body, so are always a good option, as are quickly absorbed forms of Vitamin B and C.

Most people simply reach for some form of painkillers and wash down with their coffee but that is not an advisable way of dealing with a hangover, for a start coffee is a diuretic which will make you pass more fluid than you are taking on and many of the pain killers will have further effect on the liver, however ibuprofen and aspirin inhibit prostaglandins which are associated with increased hangover severity.

Supplements wise there are 3 which are key, however one which is the most common, that being Milk Thistle is really not needed or of any use to the weekend drinker as it does not work as a quick fix and is therefore best used by those who have long term liver damage.

The second and probably the most acute one is L-Methionine which works by bonding with the alcohol in the liver and producing citric acid thus removing the toxins, if you only give one supplement a try to ease your hangover it should be this one, it’s backed by science and really works, taking 1000-2000mg either towards the end of your night or before bed is the best method, just don’t get caught popping innocent pills in a club!

To complement this Vitamin B6 is a great addition as it acts as a diuretic to flush the leftover toxins from your body.

So the perfect pre-festival (tramlines) plan would look something like this:

Before your head off have a heavy meal containing fats, carbohydrates and some protein. This slows the absorption of alcohol down and also fills your bodies energy stores for the hard days/nights dancing ahead

While out make a conscious effort to drink water, this slows your drinking rate down giving the body time to process the alcohol consumed and deal with it, you’ll still get drunk but the after effects left behind will be dealt with easier.

Take 1000-2000mg of L-Methionine before you go to bed along with 100mg of vitamin B6 and a glass of water; leave a glass of water by the bed for when you wake up too.

First meal of the day have a banana and fruit juice, this replenishes vitamins, minerals and glycogen, follow this when ready with some heart poached eggs on whole meal toast with real butter and a cup of redbush tea (great for rehydrating).

Finally swear never to drink again and moan on Facebook just how your hangover is the worst ever and you require lots of sympathy.

If after reading all of that you still think Hair of the Dog is the best method then crack on and enjoy the further compounded hangover you are merely delaying!

Nobody ever got fat from eating too much fruit

Recently there has been a spate of negativity surrounding fruit, fat loss and obesity with the majority of it being negative, this article especially from the daily mail insinuated that fruit, is in fact 'fuelling the obesity' epidemic. daily mail article i wouldn't bother reading

The studies often cited in such articles are actually discussing fructose syrup which is found in soft drinks and processed foods, which you just have to ask yourself why are you even eating these foods in the first place, cut these foods out and you cut out the dangers of eating too much fructose in it's syrup form. Common sense really.

There's also been a 'hate' campaign against fruit in the performance nutrition field as well as from the physique consultant aspect of the market recently with some of the more vocal twitter guru's insisting fruit should be banned from the diet as you cannot lose fat with fruit in the diet.

One of the key studies cited when discussing fructose in the diet is one which compared 2 groups, one eating a high carb diet with a large portion from fructose and the other group eating a large portion of their carbohydrates from glucose. The fructose group gained predominantly visceral stomach fat (intra-abdominal fat) whereas the glucose group gained mostly subcutaneous fat which is just below the skin and easier to lose. Point of note: Visceral fat is associated with a greater risk of heart disease and diabetes. As well as the fat deposition the study also showed that during exercise when ingesting more fructose in the diet the body burns more carbohydrates initially during training than fat. Then there's the issue of insulin intensity which fructose has been shown to negatively affect. Insulin sensitivity is important as it is a key factor in how efficiently the body deals with carbohydrates.

So how and why does this happen?

Well fructose is processed in the liver and when there's an excess it is converted to fat which is then sent in to the blood stream, elevating blood triglyceride levels and it is this which causes an increase in LDL levels (bad cholesterol) and the decrease in insulin sensitivity, which as outlined above is not a good thing, it's important to note that high visceral fat (again outlined above) is linked to low insulin sensitivity too.

As you can see there is fair evidence to show that fructose specifically can have adverse effects if too much is consumed in an environment where too many calories are also consumed and that if eating it before training it can impair fat oxidisation.

However as with all things nutrition it is very much about context. It has become increasingly obvious to me that my job is simply about matching up the dots within clients diets, ironing out the consistent bad habits and replacing with consistently good dietary habits.

So is eating fruit really a bad habit? Of course it is not but add to the fact that not all fruits have the same nutritional profile and it's hard to understand why some feel a need to class 'all fruits as bad' anyway. It's actually a great habit to be eating a variety of fruit regularly. The problem arises when guru's, quacks and shit newspapers/magazines (i'd rather take advice on inter-racial gay marriage from the daily mail than their health advice) hand out advice based on research they don't really understand and are unable to present the context properly to improve the education of their audience. I will never understand why some people feel a need to speak on matter of which they do not understand, neither will i understand why some magazines and newspapers wish to lower their credibility by publishing sensationalist stories on nutrition, surely they should all be considering their social responsibility, however that's another article in itself.

The very simple fact is that people who are overweight did not get there by eating too much fruit, it is more than likely they got there by not eating enough fruit, simply because if they had eaten more fruit they would have more than likely had a much healthier set of dietary principles all round.

Fruit has many benefits, including being rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants; rich in fibre, a quick and easy snack and it can help satisfy any sweet cravings. It also tastes great and is very versatile so i don't know why everyone wouldn't want the variety and benefits from fruits in their diet.

So how should you approach fruit?

If you're overweight and have no intention of changing your diet apart from adding fruit to your diet, then apart from being extremely stupid, don't, obviously as you're just adding more calories, if however you are looking for healthy snacks to replace the cans of fizzy drink, bag of crisps and chocolate bar then yes, choose fruit as a replacement.

If you're looking to get in to single digit body fat and your metabolism is shot due to months of dieting then you're unlikely to be able to cope with fruit and achieve your goal, this is from my experience of working with fitness models and bodybuilders who eliminate carbs as soon as they start a diet for a show/shoot, sometimes months out!

If you're a performance athlete then fruit can easily be accommodated in your diet as it is likely and should be the case that your overall calorific turnover is high anyway. Should you be a performance athlete that has to make weight then you'll have to be conscious of your overall calorie intake and you may wish to choose to limit fruit in your diet in order help you cut the calories.

If however you want to eat a healthy varied diet, high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants then include fruit in your diet when you fancy it, however if you're changing your diet to lose weight then simply opt for fruits with lower fructose content such as avocado, berries, grapefruit, pineapple, lemons and limes and limit the amount of high fructose fruits which include; bananas, apples, pears, grapes, melons, cherries and prunes. Most other fruits have a moderate fructose content, so only eat a moderate amount. If you simply opt for the lower fructose options for the bulk of your fruit intake you'll never have a problem anyway.

Take home message:
Fruit is not just pure fructose, it is also high in water content and fibre, most fruits per piece will still have a relatively small amount of fructose and carbohydrates, therefore use common sense, fruit is not bad, too much of anything is bad when you're overeating anyway and there are many other foods you should be eliminating from your diet before you vilify fruit.

Here's the research i refer to in this article:  Cox, C., Stanhope, K., et al. Consumption of Fructose-Sweetened Beverages for 10 Weeks Reduces Net Fat Oxidation and Energy Expenditure in Overweight/Obese Men and Women. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. September 2011