03. Monthly round up
Podcast news, wholesome must watch, how to train your gut by Lily, and more!
Already our third edition of She Trails Podcast newsletter, time flies! As always, I would love to hear from you, you can reply to this email. And do share it far and wide to everyone you think would enjoy reading and listening.
Love,
Julia
She Trails Podcast News
Next round of interviews will be released from the 13th of November, every Wednesday. It will be in 2 parts with a break during the festive season. I can't wait to share the amazing conversations we’ve had! Each of them is special, funny, inspiring, in their own way and I hope will make you smile when you listen to them walking, running, or chilling.
In parallel, I am working on written short story/ portrait series to explore different less talked about topics and point of views, always in the outdoor, sport theme! The first one is on its way and will happen via this Substack space so make sure you are signed up, it will be a good one !
Watching
Ocean Film festival: Movie night but make it wholesome, the festival goes to several UK location. The London venue is pretty magical too. Several short movies themed around the ocean, my favourite this year was Ice Maiden. A story of resilience, passion and solo sailing adventures around Antarctica.
The Outrun: Having read the book I was pretty excited to see how this will come alive as a movie, and I was not disappointed. It’s about recovering from addiction, but above all, about re-connecting with ourselves and our surroundings, the beautiful nature in Orkney, family, and finding community. I couldn’t recommend it more.
Learning
In my last race, I had fun, sometimes found it challenging, but mostly enjoyed being on the trails, the quiet, and the sunshine. I also learned that falling over can happen on any terrain, and all sizes plaster should be in my pack, just in case! - as I did fall over and only had small ones, and a weird shaped superficial cut. A really kind woman stopped and patched me up with a period pad, which was genius, so kind, and a little funny all at the same time. How cool women are. Grateful, and lesson learned for next time.
Dreaming of .. morning coffee outdoor version
Eating
As we know eating is an important part of a happy & active life. I met Lily that studied and work on nutrition for endurance sports, and when talking we realise it could be cool to have her give her some insights in the 3 upcoming newsletters! Thank you Lily <3
How to train your gut by Lily
Why Train Your Gut? Your gut plays a critical role in delivering carbohydrates and fluids to your muscles—fuel that's important for athletic performance. A common reason athletes do not finish (DNF) is gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort. When your digestion falters, it not only creates an uncomfortable experience but also impairs nutrient absorption, which can affect your performance.
The Impact of Heat on Digestion: Hot weather complicates this further. As temperatures rise, so does your sweat rate, which increases your need for hydration. But while you try to drink more, your body is busy diverting blood flow away from digestion towards your skin to help cool you down. The result? Extra fluid in your stomach, leading to GI distress.
Can You Train Your Gut? The good news: yes, you can. Just like other parts of your body, the gut can adapt through training. By gradually increasing your intake of fluids and food before and during exercise, you can improve your gut’s ability to absorb them. This reduces the time nutrients linger in your stomach and helps prevent GI discomfort.
Practical tips to get started:
Fluids first, then carbs: Start with fluids alone to get used to larger volumes. Start by increasing the amount of fluid you drink during exercise. This helps your gut adjust to processing more volume. Once comfortable, add carbohydrates.
Boost carb intake during training: After fluids, gradually increase the amount of carbohydrates you consume during exercise. It’s normal to experience some discomfort at first, but over time, your gut will adapt.
Choose the right carbs: Carbohydrates are absorbed in the small intestine, and each type (e.g. glucose, fructose, galactose) has its receptor for absorption. These receptors become saturated at 60g per hour, so anymore than this will just sit in the stomach for longer, adding to potential discomfort. To prevent GI distress, mix different types of carbs to utilise different pathways and maximize fuel uptake.
Increase carbs in daily diet: There's another theory that certain receptors can upregulate based on your diet composition. So by incorporating more carbohydrates into your daily meals, you could also increase your absorption rate.
Train right after eating: Exercising shortly after eating a meal can help your body adapt to digesting food while you’re active.
How to Build Your Gut Training Plan ? Just like physical training, gut training requires a gradual approach. Begin with small amounts of fluid (250-500 ml/hour) once a week, and slowly increase frequency to 1-3 times per week. Once comfortable with fluids, start adding carbs—30-60g at first—and build up over time.
Remember: your fuelling needs are personal to you.
How much fluid and carbs you need depends on factors like exercise duration, intensity, climate, body size, and gender. Because everyone’s needs are different, it’s best to consult a registered performance nutritionist or sports dietitian for advice tailored to you.
Feel free to reach out if you'd like to discuss this further: @lilymknutrition or lilymknutrition@gmail.com