Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
#92: Eimear Sheridan: Hyrox training, nutrition, supplements, and hot/cold therapy
819 Plays1 year ago
In this episode, I sit down with Eimear Sheridan, a dedicated online nutrition coach and fitness enthusiast behind RX Nutrition, to discuss practical and sustainable strategies for achieving health goals!
Eimear shares her experience running 12-week nutrition challenges and her approach to balanced, mindful eating that supports both wellness and fitness aspirations.
We also chat about Eimear’s role as a personal trainer at Peak Performance Gym, where she’s helping clients build strength, work on conditioning, and train for Hyrox, a sport blending running and weight training.
We discuss what is involved in a Hyrox event, nutrition for various fitness goals, and how macronutrients and supplements can elevate performance.
Eimear also introduces us to the benefits of hot and cold therapy, including her own experiences with cold water therapy, and gives us a sneak peek into her latest venture, Sauna by the Lakes.
We finish with a discussion on community, happiness, and what it really means to be healthy.
Key Questions Explored:
- What inspired Eimear to start her journey as an online nutrition coach, and what can clients expect from her 12-week challenges?
- How does Eimear incorporate strength, conditioning, and Hyrox training into her sessions at Peak Performance Gym?
- What does a Hyrox Rocks workout entail, and what makes it unique?
- Which nutrition tips and macronutrient guidelines does Eimear recommend for both weight-loss clients and competitive athletes?
- How can supplements, including caffeine, be used safely to enhance performance, and what should we be aware of regarding caffeine and heart health?
- Why is hot and cold therapy beneficial, and how has Eimear personally integrated cold water therapy into her routine?
- How does Eimear view the importance of community and happiness in her own approach to defining true health?
Links & Resources:
- Connect with Eimear Sheridan on Instagram here
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with friends who might benefit. For more health and fitness tips, follow me on Instagram and TikTok @katehamiltonhealth.
Music b LiQWYD Free download: hypeddit.com/link/xxtopb [http://hypeddit.com/link/xxtopb] Promoted by FreeMusicPromo [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbycji-eySnM3WD8mbxPUSQ] / @freemusicpromo
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:00:09
Speaker
Hello everyone. And welcome back to another episode of the Kate Hamilton health podcast. So in today's episode, I chat with Ymir Sheridan. Ymir Sheridan is a personal trainer and online nutrition coach. She works with clients online on their nutrition, their lifestyle and making positive, sustainable change to work towards their goals. She also works in the gym setting. The gym that she helps to run focuses their training mainly around high rocks.
High Rocks Fitness Trend
00:00:36
Speaker
So in this conversation, I really dive into all of this stuff with her. And I had so many questions around the whole high rocks craze that everyone is into these days. So we talk a lot about high rocks and I ask all the questions that I knew nothing about. We talk a lot about nutrition then in relation to the difference between nutrition for weight loss and nutrition for athletes. And athlete being anyone who's training towards any type of competition as amateur or as professional, it doesn't really, really matter.
00:01:02
Speaker
We talk about carbohydrates and their importance and the importance of macronutrient balance and being you know in calorie maintenance, if not surplus, when it comes to sports
Nutrition for Weight Loss vs Athletes
00:01:11
Speaker
performance. So we talk a lot around that. We talk a lot around community as well in all aspects of the world, in relation to sport, in relation to other social activities, and just how important that really is. We talk about supplements. We talk a lot around caffeine as well, the controversial topic of you know is it good for us? it Is it bad for us?
00:01:30
Speaker
how should we be taking caffeine and how does caffeine work in relation to sports performance as well. So not just sports performance, we talk about caffeine in relation to our day-to-day lives as
Community in Sports
00:01:39
Speaker
well. And then we talk a lot around hot and cold therapy as well, which is a really interesting topic. So we talk about, you know, lake dipping, sea dipping, cold showers, ice baths, you know, pairing them with saunas, the health benefits of all of these and again that whole concept of community that that brings and you know the feeling of achievement that it brings that you can get from sport and from cold water, hot and cold water therapy and that community, that the joy and the fun that you can have with others. I really think you'll enjoy this episode. So what without further ado here is the episode with Ymir Sheridan.
00:02:19
Speaker
Emur, welcome to the podcast. Thank you, Kate. It's so good to be back for take two. Yeah. Take two. Yeah. For anyone listening, this is the second time that we're recording this. We recorded it first and Emur's half didn't record. So we have rescheduled and we are back to
Ymir Sheridan's Coaching Background
00:02:36
Speaker
it. But I suppose look to start off, do you want to just tell people a little bit about you and we'll go from there?
00:02:40
Speaker
Yeah. So my name is Eamer. I am an online nutrition coach. My Instagram is or ex-nutrition. So that's my alter ego. And basically what I do is I run 12 week online nutrition challenges. It's not just nutrition. We kind of focus on health overall. So lifestyle,
00:03:00
Speaker
it's sleep, it's nutrition, so it's everything. And it's just 12 weeks where whoever the members are, just focus on putting themselves first and have those 12 weeks where they're putting themselves as a priority. So it's for anyone who wants to lose weight, if you want to tone up, build strength, if you want to improve your relationship with food, if you want to improve your gym performance. So it's not just weight loss. And that's what I love about the group as well.
00:03:29
Speaker
it It is a group dynamic and everyone pushes each other on whatever your goal is. So in general, most people want to lose weight, but there is always maybe three or four girls there who are there just to improve their relationship with food or just to improve their overall health. So that's what I love. And the beauty of it online is that no matter where you are.
Training Philosophy and High Rocks
00:03:51
Speaker
in Ireland, you know, you can still join the challenge. And then other than that, I am a PT and I am a health coach. So I work in peak performance gym in Mullingar. So shout out to all the members and coaches. And yeah, we just opened our second gym in Collinstown, which is like our local village. So yeah, that's opened now since April. So yeah, we're getting the people of Collinstown.
00:04:19
Speaker
Nice and fit. That's amazing. So what kind of training do these gyms face? They're, I suppose, ethos around what type of training. So we are very much strength and conditioning gym. And in the last few months we have gotten into high rocks. So.
00:04:35
Speaker
I think it was maybe last October we became affiliated with High Rocks. So I'm not sure if you know much about High Rocks, but it's kind of a mix between running and weight training. It's just such a brilliant, brilliant sport. We have a lot of GAA players in the gym. It's a good sport for them to use alongside GAA because it helps.
00:04:55
Speaker
with their running and everything. So our goal is we're doing High Rocks in Valencia, which is about six weeks away. So it's the week after Dublin. So at the moment we are all on a train and buzz for High Rocks Valencia. That's so exciting. And this High Rocks craze at the minute it is turning into such a community. It's like the new CrossFit really, isn't it? I have lots of questions about High Rocks myself even. So am I right in thinking?
00:05:20
Speaker
Yeah, it's a competition, first of all, that is held all over the world, different venues, but it is literally the same workout every time. Yes, and I know some people might think that sounds boring, but it's kind of like the marathon. You know, some people run the marathon every year, so you might only do it once a year, but the whole goal is improving your time or you can step it up a level. So there's two different categories. There is open and then there's pro. So it's kind of like CrossFit. It's like scaled and OREX or intermediate. So open is one set of weights and then the pro is heavier. So if you want to challenge yourself, you can work towards yeah know moving up the category.
00:06:02
Speaker
Yeah, that makes so much sense. And when you think about it, it's obviously working on aerobic fitness. High Rocks then very much works on power and speed as well, I would presume, yeah? Yes, exactly. And the beauty I think of High Rocks is everyone can do
High Rocks Community and Gaelic Sports
00:06:17
Speaker
it. Like, I love CrossFit, but it requires a lot of training and to get, you know, skills, like your gymnastics and your Olympic weightlifting, they take a long, long time to progress whereas high rocks it's running and then there's like you know machines and weights so it's more achievable for the everyday athlete and they can try kind of train themselves like you're running you can do that anywhere whereas CrossFit you do have to go to the gym to to progress so that's what I love about it's like everyone can do high rocks so that's why we have just
00:06:53
Speaker
love to be in part of it and it's such a good push as well. In the gym at the moment we have a good few G8 players and they're like really quick really fast so they kind of push on the gym people who might not be as fast at running but they'd be stronger. So it's interesting to see how different people and the sports that they play come in to factorize for their high rocks training.
00:07:18
Speaker
Yeah. And for anyone who doesn't know, what is the Hi-Rocs workout exactly? So the Hi-Rocs workout is, so it's basically an 8K run, but between every K run, there is a different station. So you start off with a 1K run and then it is a 1K ski, then it's another 1K run, then it's 50 meters sled push, then another 1K another one kron then it is a 50 meters sled pull.
00:07:46
Speaker
then another k ro then it is um eight your burpee bra jump that a one k on then it is a one k row another one k-run, then it is meter farmer's carries, which is the nicest one. When you get to that, you're like, okay, this is okay. watch should bra a little bit Then it's another 1K run, and then it is 200 metre sandbag lunges, and then your last 1K run, and then it's between 75 and 100 wall balls, whatever category it is. So it's intense. It's pure commentary. You call it intense. I'm like, tortured but torture, fat torture, fat torture. And so on average, like I know that it's how long it's a piece of string, but like how long does that take in and around for the average person? Would say the average person would be around 130.
00:08:39
Speaker
one hour 30. Oh Jesus. Yeah. So yeah, it is a bit of a marathon then. Yes, it is a bit of a marathon. Like it is endurance a hundred percent and it depends as well. Like if you're doing it in doubles, you definitely, you get more of a break. So you can, you know, you can take a rest. Whereas if you're doing individual, you really have to pace yourself very well. So you can kind of sustain that. Whereas if you're doubles, you can kind of go all out and then rest. So it's completely different.
00:09:06
Speaker
When you're in the gym and you're training people for this, I presume you don't do the, like you're not doing the workout all the time in training. What does a typical training session look like? So on Mondays, we do speed sessions. So we mainly focus on running intervals. So it tends to be kind of short intervals and working on that kind of.
00:09:24
Speaker
power so mondays are always like the tough session then wednesdays we do strength that is a lot of sled pushes sled poles a lot of push presses working on that kind of wall ball without the wall ball even just push presses kind of mimics that and builds that upper body strength and then Fridays we tend to do like big conditioner so it might be a partner's workout where you just get used to working out for a long period of time for the endurance kind of yeah yeah and just kind of teaching everyone not to red zone it straight away to kind of just pace yourself and that's something that you do have to learn and that's why I always say when you're doing your first high rocks I've only done one high rocks but
00:10:12
Speaker
I think the first one everyone should just see how it feels and have no expectations and just learn from it because you know whenever you're finished it you're like okay well maybe I shouldn't have gone as fast there or maybe I should have you know pushed on a little bit there so I think the first one is a big learning curve and you don't know until you try
Setting Personal Fitness Goals
00:10:32
Speaker
it.
00:10:32
Speaker
Yeah, I'm actually kind of excited even talking about this because but I've forgotten that feeling. I was talking with a running coach yesterday on the podcast and I was just saying, I was saying I'm getting into a little bit of running again myself and it's more kind of like, you know, setting kind of personal goals and challenges, which I would have had back in the CrossFit days. Whereas, you know, the past couple of years have been all very career change business, you know, keep tipping along with exercise to keep healthy and strong. But now it's like.
00:11:00
Speaker
I want to do something for me again. Like you forget what that's like when you fall out of it. And there could be people listening now who maybe used to be into running or used to be into a sport of some sort. And you know what, when you're talking about that, they're probably getting that feeling and they'll be like, Oh yeah, the challenge that you give yourself and the training towards something and the community and yeah the excitement of an event and the nerves, but the feeling afterwards, it's just undescribable. Yeah. You hit the nail on the head, Kate, like having that environment where you just push yourself on.
00:11:29
Speaker
like I think everyone needs a goal, you need something to work towards. And even like we do sims as well. So a high rock sim is basically just like a practice session. And we do a lot of half high rock sims. So it's half of the high rocks workout. Because if you're doing the full one, it can be quite a lot. And people train for the half rocks. So yeah, like it's just always something good to to aim for.
Nutrition for Competition vs Weight Loss
00:11:56
Speaker
Yeah. I'll have a little events. It keeps you focused. Doesn't it? I was talking about this with in relation to the running and you know how important it is to like book into a 5k race book into a 10k race or wherever you train into it. So you have a date to work towards and you know, like it might add that little bit of pressure. You might be really nervous now to comfort zone, but I think it's good and that feeling afterwards. Yeah. Just. Absolutely. So I suppose in relation then to nutrition, like when you're talking in the gym and where you're dealing with people who are training for competition, what you're advising them nutritionally is going to be very different to your online fat loss clients, I would presume. Yes, very much so. ah Generally with my weight loss clients, your goal is obviously to be a calorie deficit to lose weight. Whereas when you're training for an event, you either want to be in calorie maintenance or ideally calorie surplus. So you have a lot more energy. So it's a completely different approach. But yeah, when it comes to nutrition for everyday athletes or just competitors working towards a goal, there's
00:13:03
Speaker
five different things that you really need to think about. The most important one is calorie balance so you need to make sure that you are eating enough calories and this is something that I see so many girls don't do. So many girls who play sports are just completely under fuelling and when they see how many calories that they should be eating they're like oh my god they feel like it's so much you feel like you have that kind of fear You're scared of kind of eating calories. To break that yourself can actually take a while. But once they do, you have so much more energy and yeah, I think it just clicks. So getting your calorie balance is the most important thing. After that, it is macronutrients. So making sure that you're getting in enough proteins, fats and carbs in.
00:13:50
Speaker
So that's ah that's about 30% of all your results and calorie balance is 50%. So it's really important to get your calories and macros down to a T before you think about taking supplements or timing your meals because supplements only count for about 5% of your results. So there is no point taking supplements unless you are onto your calorie balance and your macronutrients. And then after that, it's a nice little addition.
00:14:19
Speaker
Yeah. In relation to macro balance, what are we talking now when you're training that intensely? That intensely, like calories or? As in macronutrient balance, how much protein, carbs and fats, like if you were to ratio that this. It's very different because everyone is so different depending on their weight and their height and like if they're a girl or how active they are.
00:14:41
Speaker
like in general I would recommend like 100 to 120 gram of protein for girls to help their muscles recover after an intense workout but I suppose the the easiest way to do it is just have treat meals
Supplements and Lifestyle Factors
00:14:59
Speaker
every day. Have your breakfast, lunch and dinner and make sure that every meal you've got carbs, you've got a good source of carbs, you've got protein on the plate and you've got a small amount of fat as well and I think you know that's the simplest way to do it and if you just keep it simple, simple always works.
00:15:16
Speaker
Yeah, I think macronutrients really is a great way to go. Like in general, rheumatome, you're probably talking kind of, it depends on personal preference on how people kind of digest food as well. But like in general, kind of 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein, or 50% carbs and you know, 20, 30, depending on weight, height, age, all of that, or 25, 25.
00:15:40
Speaker
But I think what a lot of people are afraid to do, i'd like is well as you're saying, you know, in relation to increasing calories to have enough fuel, but also not eating enough carbohydrates and how important it is for sports performance. Yes. Like carbs are your best friend when you are playing any sort of sports or doing any competitions. They're so essential. So in relation then to supplements, I'm not the same as you. Like I believe very much that I'm like, what is the point in taking supplements? If your diet is shit, you're under fuelling or you're overeating on really processed foods that are doing you no good not eating enough like you're not eating enough of what you need then there's not really any point and also then like you know talking lifestyle factors like sleep hydration you know rest and recovery all of this stuff you know stress management that are hugely important in relation to any goal whether it's sports go fat loss go just general health go
00:16:28
Speaker
I find with supplements, like and it's one of the most asked questions I get on social media. Like I just put a video up about creatine there the other day in the event, messages I'm getting asking about creatine and magnesium, which is great that people are showing an interest and they want to know more, but like the foundations have got to be fixed first for us. What's like, of course you can take these things at the same time, but it's not what we should be focusing on. And most of us, myself and yourself included.
00:16:54
Speaker
probably always have something to be tidying up in the fundamentals of stuff you know because everyone is human everyone slips life gets busy you know things happen in your your life and your your week and your day and there's always stuff to be optimizing but i suppose in relation to supplements what do you recommend when people are really kind of working on those other fundamentals Yeah well the most popular one is whey protein and I suppose for a lot of us obviously food is the preferred way to get protein in but if you are struggling whey protein is a good option and it's something that you can you know incorporate into your meals so
00:17:33
Speaker
if you're driving to work and you're not having breakfast you could have a protein shake on the way so it's really handy to have on the go and it's also something that you can all put it into add into your porridge or you can add into your bacon so that's what I love about whey protein it's just easy to use. So that would be my number one whey protein. Other than that, I would say creatine. I know you did the video on that, which is really good. Creatine is something that yeah I think everyone should be taken and it is like the most researched supplement. So the research is there.
00:18:10
Speaker
it's definitely good to take alongside when you're training. Other than that, caffeine. Caffeine is good to take. It is a performance enhancer. Supplementing with caffeine before an event or competition, I'd say, is a good idea. I wouldn't recommend having it all the time, you know.
00:18:30
Speaker
but on unga it I love that you brought this up because this is really controversial and i I love this because you know what we're talking about just normal day-to-day exercise or whatever and you know I love my coffee and I do believe in moderation coffee is good for you but in relation to you know like that this huge kind of surge of monster drinks and pre-workouts and all these highly concentrated caffeine drinks and shots that, you know, you see everyone taken kind of as they're going in the gym to just do their normal leg day or whatever. Talk to me a bit more about the thoughts behind why
00:19:06
Speaker
we need a pre-workout or caffeine. And when you say supplement with caffeine, what do you mean? This is actually an interesting topic because every week on my challenge, I have a no caffeine week, which is very controversial. So a lot of the girls hate to see that message come in and it gets such backlash, but I have to do it every week. It's just more than anything. I just want people to become aware of how much caffeine that they are drinking.
00:19:32
Speaker
And a lot of them are actually shocked so I know a lot of people just wake up and have a cup of coffee straight away but I really prefer like on my challenge if they could just hold off for like an hour or two and just see if they can wake up naturally. It's more so just like become reliant on caffeine and if you if you can kind of take that away and just see if you really need it. I know a lot of people do really need it. Like I know my boyfriend, if he doesn't get a coffee first thing in the morning, he is a demon. So, but but this is where caffeine is a drug in the sense where we are dependent. I'm not, it's funny that you say that because all your morning routine at the minute now is I'm, I'm actually doing like a course of sim proof for my gut health.
00:20:13
Speaker
which is a whole other conversation. But anyway, so I have my little drink, my little shot of SimProve, and then I have to wait 10 minutes before I drink anything else. But then I will have like, when I'm doing my little bit of work on the computer, I have my pint of water. So I go for about six or whatever to do all this, you know, and I have my pint of water when I'm working then at seven o'clock.
00:20:28
Speaker
I'm like, oh, I'm ready for my coffee now. And it's like a ritual. And I go out to my espresso machine and I make my coffee. I haven't woken up. I'm awake. I've worked. I'm looking forward to it. It's like my little, yeah, just little moment before the children wake up and I get to myself and I love it. And you know, I have my milk frother and everything. Oh my God. I know you could tell by me. I love that. But I think the really important thing here to notice or to note with caffeine, which a lot of people, they might know and again, forget is how much it dehydrates you.
00:20:58
Speaker
ahha So if you're going to be drinking two or three coffees a day, like your water needs to be upped. We should all be drinking two liters of water. With drinking coffee on top of that, you're counteracting the water, you're going to need more water. So it's important to really hydrate when it comes to drinking coffee. Yes.
00:21:15
Speaker
It's all that balance, isn't it? Yes, definitely. Back to what you were saying then. So in relation to to competition day, sports performance and supplementing with caffeine, are we talking a pre-workout here? are what What are you talking about? No, I'm not too familiar with pre-workout. I don't really know what exactly is in it. Like I know there's caffeine in it, but other than that, I don't really know what's in it. So I just don't recommend pre-workout because no. I don't recommend pre-workout. I don't, yeah, I don't recommend recommend any of that stuff because I'm like, it's processed. God knows how much in a small amount. And yeah, no, no, no, no, no.
00:21:49
Speaker
No. So I would just say a cup
Caffeine in Sports and Daily Use
00:21:52
Speaker
of coffee. Now I know it's different, like, oh, depending on which cafe you go to, how much milligrams of caffeine is in the coffee. But let's just say a regular cup of coffee in America and it probably has about 80 to a hundred milligram. And also like it depends on the person's tolerance. Like, for example, like I might have a cup of tea here and there.
00:22:12
Speaker
So for me to take like a caffeine tablet or something, like my heart would be having palpitations. So if you're a regular tier coffee drinker, for you to take 100 milligram, you might tolerate it fine. But if you're someone who hasn't had it before, doesn't drink caffeine much, then you'd have to lower that down and just see how you tolerate it.
00:22:34
Speaker
But in general, I would just say an hour before your event, your competition, your game, have your cup of coffee or your caffeine tablet. I know you can get caffeine tablets. I think they're 400 milligrams. So you could even half the tablet and take the 200 milligram. And because it's 400 milligrams. You're talking about four cups of coffee in one tablet. like Yes. Which is very strong.
00:22:57
Speaker
To know what, i I wonder what the milligrams are in the likes of like a can of Monster or like a pre-workout. I think a can of Monster is about a hundred milligram. Okay. So it's similar to a cup of coffee. Similar to a cup of coffee. Yeah. To a strong cup of coffee.
00:23:13
Speaker
I'd say pre-workout is very strong. So keeping in mind that anyone listening, a cup of coffee is a hundred milligrams. Cause I know there'll also be, there'll be people listening to me like, you know, doing homework ads. I mean, like ah Jesus pre-workout, like, but a lot of my clients have met teenage sons and I'm conscious I have a 14 year old boy who will in the next couple of years be looking to go to the gym. He like, he plays a lot of sport.
00:23:34
Speaker
And if I ever see him with any of those bottles, I'll kill him. Yeah. You know, and we supplement companies will sometimes send me the little pre-workout shots and like, I won't leave them in my house because I'm afraid he'll drink them. So I like give them to Lindsay for couch Lindsay. And when she comes over, I'm like, you're take these, you and your husband can have these. So she's delighted, but I'm like, no, not my house because it's the sheer amount of caffeine. And you know, I know there's a lot of uncertainty around heart issues and in young people and especially athletes when it comes to caffeine for sports performance as well, which I think and I know it's still quite understudied but I think with all of us we like to err on the side of caution particularly with our children. A hundred percent yeah I think you know pre-workout you hear just like some some stories about people getting jitters and everything so yeah I don't know just take care yeah. Just but try to keep it healthy. we Of course we want to perform at our best, but let's try and do it in a healthy way. And I know sometimes competition isn't always healthy and we push ourselves to like unhealthy boundaries to win a competition and it's every now and again. and you know like that's I know that's what sport is all about, but just in general, keep it it healthy and I suppose making it but so that you can play whatever sport you're playing for as long as you can, really, isn't it? Stay in the game as long as you can. It's the idea, isn't it? Yeah, longevity. Absolutely.
00:24:46
Speaker
So look, let's talk a little bit around recovery. So I know you are a big fan of hot and cold therapy, particularly for sports recovery. So this doesn't have to be anyone who's doing high rocks or running marathons. You know, if you're anyone who experiences a little bit of like you know muscle soreness after a workout, I think this is an interesting conversation.
00:25:07
Speaker
100%. So I think cold and heat therapy, you know, is something that we really need to tap into for recovery. And I suppose there's a few things when it comes to recovery, I suppose sleep is the most important way
Sleep and Recovery for Athletes
00:25:21
Speaker
to recover. So there's no point if you're getting five or six hours of sleep doing an ice bath. I think you have to make sure that you're ticking your box with your sleep.
00:25:30
Speaker
and getting your seven hours before you start doing any other recovery techniques. Because that's how we recharge. It's like your phone battery. You wouldn't just let it work at 5% because it's not going to work efficiently. So you have to recharge every single night. And once you're getting sufficient sleep, then using cold and heat therapy as recovery is 100% a great addition. I got into cold water therapy accidentally.
00:25:59
Speaker
It probably happened about, yes, of two years ago, me and Fergam moved into our new house and he lived beside a lake.
Cold Water Therapy
00:26:06
Speaker
So on Christmas Day, everyone kind of jumps into the lake. This was completely new to me because we're... As we do. Yeah, Christmas Day, we just jump into the lake. It's an Irish thing to do, isn't it? Like, oh, I know, over all the days. Honestly, we'll wait till Christmas Day and then we'll jump in the lake because that's the normal.
00:26:25
Speaker
whole thing at r So I went down with him and he jumped into the lake. And when I say I am the coldest creature, I mean, I am so cold. Like you'd never catch me in cold water. I couldn't think of anything anything more uncomfortable. But anyway, so he went into the lake. I said in the nice warm car with my cup of tea and just watched him and he got out about two months later. And I was like, do you know what? That doesn didn't look too bad.
00:26:53
Speaker
And I was like, right. Okay. Do you know what? I'll try it tomorrow. um Steven's day. We'll go down again. So went down Steven's day to the lake and it was wild. It was just wild. It was like being in the sea. And I was like, right. Well, I'm here. I've got my swimsuit on. So we'll just get in.
00:27:09
Speaker
I'd say we lasted about a minute, even maybe 90 seconds and got out. But honestly, the feeling afterwards was just amazing. I couldn't believe I did it. I just felt like so proud of myself. And yeah, ever since then, I've just been hooked, really.
00:27:26
Speaker
it It is a real buzz isn't it? It's like I'm not as regularly in the sea at all anymore. During lockdown and Covid but I got into it through the winter that particular year, the 2020 through 2021 year when we were all we all of us had nothing else to be doing anyway and I got into the sea all year round so at least once a month if it was kind of twice or three times a month most months for the whole year and I remember like I loved it and like it does it becomes such a like you want more of that high like it is it's a real kind of it's a real high and I remember like if I got into the sea for a day and then I got back into the car and I remember like driving home and being like oh I feel everything I feel really like everything's really like I feel like I shouldn't be driving right now oh my god do I need to pull over like
00:28:10
Speaker
hi life ah high but it is look it's the most amazing feeling in relation to to being in cold water it is that being absolutely catapulted into the present moment right if you get into cold water you cannot do anything else except concentrate on your breathing yeah and trying not to die basically yeah and you want but it's ah's such a great feeling and it's such a fantastic sense of achievement afterwards but it is that I think that the shocking up to the body that being fully present and yeah in the sense of achievement after. Like when you're in the lake you are not thinking about
00:28:45
Speaker
anything else like you're not thinking about oh I have to put the washing on I have to do this for work. You are just thinking about surviving really which sounds very dramatic but when you're in that cold water you're just thinking about breathing and I really think it just grounds you completely and just kind of settles anything so you cannot go and do a leg tip and leave feeling like negative it's honestly just the best thing and like you said Cade like Some people must think we're mad and I genuinely would have said that as well. I could not think of anything worse, but even just like pushing yourself to do something that you're uncomfortable with afterwards, it just makes you feel so good. But yeah, no cold water is just, it's been a real saving grace for me and Virgo and definitely a coping mechanism over the last few months. We ran a cold tober event last year. That was the first one we lost our friend Robbie to suicide.
00:29:43
Speaker
in August and then in cool in a October where we decided we'd run a cold tober for every Sunday so every Sunday all of Robbie's friends and family came down to the lake and just jumped in and when I say like these are people who would never you would never catch at the lake everyone came down got in whether it was just to their knees or they ended up swimming out was like it was just the most heartwarming thing and it definitely like it really helped everyone's coping I do believe because like at the end of it they'd have like some people probably not allowed to say this but there was putchine and
00:30:19
Speaker
You know, there was everything. So it was just the most heartwarming month, I think. And especially when it was so fresh, there was a lot of people hurting, but it definitely it brought everyone together. So yeah, we're in the middle of it. like To connect, isn't it? It's such a lovely way to build community connect. I would think I've saved this to you last time we recorded this. You would love Greystones. yeah Greystones is all about getting in the sea, getting in your dry robe afterwards, singing songs on the beach, going over to get a coffee. like the There's less two types of people in Greystones. There's those people who get in the sea and do all those wonderful things as a community, and all the other people who make fun of them. like it's It's hilarious.
00:30:56
Speaker
but I love it. Maybe I'll just have to go get a house there. Come on your holidays to Greystones for a weekend. You'll love it. And it's all year round as well. Like, it's just, it's a real thing. And sorry, it's not just in Greystones. I'm joking. that You know, I think nearly every seaside town or town near a lake in Ireland has this community. So, you know, anyone listening, suss it out. If you're like, I want a bit of this, you know, find out, just go to the water on a Saturday morning, you'll find the people. They'll be there. And they'll probably be there like seven o'clock in the morning or something ridiculous like that. They're usually there at sunrise actually.
00:31:25
Speaker
oh amazing yeah so in relation to the health benefits of cold water talk to me a bit about it so many benefits with cold dipping first one i suppose if you are into sports or into the gym and you're after having a tough workout getting a cold shower even or an ice bath or hopping into the lake or the sea it just reduces that inflammation so like you would like let's say you you got an injury and you put an ice pack on it it works the same way when you're immersing yourself in cold water it helps to reduce any inflammation so that's going to reduce your muscle soreness so you're going to be able to work out better the next day and the day after so yeah it's great to do as part of your routine if you can it also boosts your immune system so when you're in the lake you are in that kind of shock
00:32:18
Speaker
place so it boosts your white blood cells which actually like means that when when you do get an infection or you know there's colds and flus going around in the winter you're able to fight it more because I know a lot of people are like oh I'm not feeling too well I won't hop into the lake but sometimes it can be just having that cold shock can be the best thing for you We're at the form afterwards, isn't that it? Just get more straight away at all the the tips and tricks that go with that. Yeah. And obviously it's not been too long as well as that. Like when you do get into the war and you spend a little bit of time in there, you you know, when you start to shiver, that's actually your body like adapting. So we have white.
00:32:58
Speaker
fat cells and we've got brown fat cells and the white fat cells are the ones that store fat and then the brown ones are the ones that insulate our body so they keep us warm so we tend to have more white fat cells but when you start to shiver from that cold water they can actually change and increase the brown fat cells. So that means that we're actually going to like build this kind of layer of insulation in our body. darkest Yes. Yes. Did not know this. My mind is blown. Yeah. Yeah. So that's why, you know, if you ever happened to the sea or the lake and you feel really cold, like straight after the next hour or two, you might feel really cold. But then later on in the day, you're like wearing a t-shirt.
00:33:43
Speaker
You've kind of adapted to that what you thought was called isn't really called now. I know there's so many benefits and then you also like get this adrenaline boost so when you are in the lake you get this little pump of adrenaline and when you leave like I know the way you said that you felt like really like alert and things but it completely wakes you up.
00:34:05
Speaker
you think clear, you have this like mental focus. And this is why it's it's like really good if you can, like even to get a cold shower first thing in the morning, and because you completely wake up. You need caffeine. You do got cold water. Yeah. And then it is so good for your mental health as well, like having that kind of discipline. It's kind of like, you know, going to the gym. Like sometimes you don't want to do it, but afterwards you feel amazing.
Saunas and Cold Therapy
00:34:31
Speaker
The hardest part is getting to the lake or the sea.
00:34:35
Speaker
And then once you're there, you're like, right, it's happening. It's just about like having on that discipline and you feel like that sense of reward afterwards. Once you've done it. And I think that the best tip I have for this, do it after your workout. That's the easiest time to get into the seat when you're hot, you're sweaty or in bits anyway, you just get in before your body knows what to do. That is the best time to do after a run, after a heavy workout, whatever it's after your leg day, go down, hop into the sea or the lake at that stage. I think like you said there ah about the cold showers and stuff as well. You know, I think it's important if you, if you don't live near the sea or you don't live near a lake, a cold shower in the morning is, you know, and just like you can build up the time. You can set a little timer outside, build the time that you spend like balancing your breathing, getting onto the cold shower. Or a lot of people now have like these ice bath, ice buckets or ice baths in their back gardens as well. It's become a real trendy thing. Or some people even just have a wheelie bin full of like water and ice that they get into or whatever. But there's all of these different tips and tricks. I suppose as a little disclaimer.
00:35:35
Speaker
If you are going swimming and in a lake or a sea, don't go swimming alone ever and no don't go swimming somewhere that's not safe. This is a problem I think as well with it being a little bit addictive, the high. Sometimes people take risks and get in when the sea is not safe, when the weather's not safe, it's not worth it. no It's not worth that. Go go have a cold shower in those days, you know.
00:35:53
Speaker
I just want to make a little note here that for the last 10 minutes of this conversation, the audio gets a little bit echoey. I just want you to know that that's an issue on our end, not on your end, but the content that we recorded was just too valuable to cut out. Thank you as always for listening and I hope you don't find it too annoying to get through. Like I said, too much value to be cutting it out. So I do hope you enjoy the episodes.
00:36:18
Speaker
Okay and like the cold shower I actually find a cold shower harder to be honest. I think like with a once you're in you're in whereas the cold shower it's like constantly hitting you I would probably choose a late dip over a cold shower to be honest. Be easier to get in. And so then in relation to the hot side of things we're talking saunas yes? Yes we are indeed. So That is heat therapy. So many benefits to that as well. So with our like joints and all that kind of after exercise, when you put heat onto them, it can also help to reduce any muscle soreness. So really good if you're into the gym and sports or playing games, if you can do but a bit of cold, anti-therapy,
00:37:02
Speaker
That is the the sweet spot for that. What I suppose the biggest benefit for this on it is your circulatory system. So when you are in this on it, your heart rate starts to go up and your core temperature starts to go up. So similar to when you're exercising.
00:37:21
Speaker
So it's really good actually if you're like injured or if you can't train to the intensity that you would have before to use the solid because it's a good way to mimic exercise in a way. So when your heart rate gets up and your core temperature gets up, you start to to sweat. That's when it's actually like detox in your body.
00:37:42
Speaker
so you're getting rid of all these chemicals and toxins that are in your body and that's when I don't know if you've ever been to the sauna and you leave and your skin just feels like amazing it just feels so cleansed afterwards and that's what I love you you always leave the sauna just feeling like so much like more detoxed basically the sauna helps to get your blood flowing around gets the blood flowing around to all the parts of the body. So the heat makes your heart rate increase? Yes. Does the coat of your heart rate slow down? It depends on breathing. Depends on the breathing. Gently, yeah. Nearly your heart would kind of go, because it gets a bit of a shock, it kind of slows down. And I suppose when you're in the cold water, you kind of gas, you kind of forget to breathe a little bit too. So that can kind of make your heart go down. And then when when you're back in the sauna,
00:38:34
Speaker
um jobs to hi right back Yeah and this is why they're paired together quite often this is why isn't it that you'll see all these pop-up saunas all over the place now and they're always parked beside a river or a lake or the the sea and you see people at Greystones hopping across the road between the sauna and into the sea and it's the combination of business. Yeah we actually are opening a sauna tomorrow a new business center So our open day is tomorrow. We're done at our local lake now. So that'll be tomorrow.
Defining Health and Community Involvement
00:39:03
Speaker
Basically taking over the local community at the minute anyway. We're going to do an open day. We're going to have classes beside the lake. And then once people are nice and warm, they can jump into the lake and then finish off with a little song session. So it'll be lovely. Hope you eat the weather now. What's the name of your song they're going to be? Is it the same name? It's Instagram official. It's song by the lakes.
00:39:25
Speaker
sauna by the lake so okay check it out everyone that's amazing and anyone who's yeah in the midlands at all or anywhere near Mullinkar Mullinkar direction is not you yeah and it's probably honestly it's the nicest lake i would say in like me or west me it's a blue flag lake it's really nice to dip in and go for swims and so yeah would hi your lake of it's called Lough Lane, Lough Lane, Lough Lane yeah i' comprehensive yeah nice this is a little shout out to your local lake But anyway, before we finish up, I want to ask you one last question. What does the word health mean to you? Health to me means being happy, like completely overall happy. So being happy with you yourself physically, emotionally, and I suppose, extrinsically as well. What I mean by that is like,
00:40:14
Speaker
being a good person and being kind and helping out. It's well and good to, I suppose, to look good and feel good. But I really think everyone should focus on helping like their local community or helping in their neighbors or, you know, just just kind of helping out in the general. but I think a lot of us are just, we're so focused on ourselves and we feel like our problems are so big.
00:40:39
Speaker
But when you take a step back and try and help other people, I think it puts a lot of things into perspective. I couldn't agree more. Like I really do believe we're all here to contribute. We all have unique gifts, talents, personalities, strengths, weaknesses. Like none of us are perfect, but if we really do kind of.
00:40:57
Speaker
Spend the time to really find out who we are. And I do believe that's done through a healthy lifestyle, through exercise, through a bit of reflection. I think that we're able to give and that's what we're supposed to do. And it's like, can you imagine what an amazing place the world would be if everyone viewed it that way.
00:41:12
Speaker
I know. Yeah, exactly. Well, one client at a time will get their case.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:41:19
Speaker
Revolution. and I think a lot of it comes down to our media as well. You know, I think there is a lot of good out there. There's a lot of kindness. There's a lot of community. There's a lot of generosity. There's a lot of selflessness out there. We don't get to hear about it as much. And I think that's why it's important to get involved in communities like yours to be around more of that.
00:41:38
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. Surround yourself with a positive positive people. I think, you know, when you surround yourself in that positive environment, it really just inspires. Yeah, you get inspired by being around other people and it becomes just a supportive environment where everyone is allowed to safely be themselves and then everybody thrives. And I know it's so cheesy, but it's so true. Couldn't agree with you more on that.
00:42:01
Speaker
Last first thing then, if anyone wants to like reach out to you on social media, there are probably a few different Instagram handles there to you. Is Instagram the best place to find you? Yes, it is Instagram is the best place to find me. My nutrition page is ORX Nutrition in with Sheridan. Our gym page is peak performance.
00:42:20
Speaker
And then our last and a newest Instagram is Sounded by the Lakes. So there's a lot there to take on board. So anyone who is interested in nutrition, you can work with people anywhere in the world, I presume, because it's all online. And then in relation to obviously the gym and the sauna, if you're anywhere in the facility, definitely go pay them a visit anyway. And Emory, thank you so much for coming on. And there's just so much.
00:42:42
Speaker
So I've learned so much today, so much about higher up, so much about caffeine and about cold water and fat cells. I'm like mind-blowing. I would obviously thank you so much. just want to say thank you so much for listening to the podcast. It really means so much to me that there are people out there actually listening to what I have to say and to the conversations that I'm having with others. So thank you so much. If you are enjoying the podcast, could you please make sure that you are subscribed? And if not, if you could hit that subscribe button, it really does make that much of a difference. Also, if you would like to leave a review
00:43:22
Speaker
on any of the episodes that you listen to that you particularly enjoy. I would love to hear what you have to say. And also, if there's an episode that you've enjoyed, please do share it on your social media, in your WhatsApp groups, with your friends. If you're sharing it on your stories, please tag myself in it and whoever I'm interviewing. This it would be greatly appreciated.
00:43:42
Speaker
Also, if you're interested in working with me and my wonderful team, please do you contact me about applying for coaching. So you can contact me at KateHamiltonHealth at gmail dot.com or on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, all Kate Hamilton Health. And you will be able to apply for coaching. We can organize to have a chat and see if it's a good fit for you and get you moving towards your goals.