Body & Fitness

Ask the experts: Bruising, milks and clicking ankle

Sovereign ambassadors Nicola Smith, a personal trainer, nutrition and lifestyle coach; and Pua Magasiva, an actor and personal trainer, answer your nutrition and fitness questions.
Answers to you nutrition and fitness questions.

Q. Since I’ve started doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes, I’m getting a lot of bruises on my legs – but I’m not banging into anything. What’s going on?

A. The cause could be a number of things. If the HIIT classes have a lot of plyometrics (jump training) in them, this may lead to bruising in some people. Another possible cause is vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Low levels of vitamins B12, C or K, along with folic acid, iron or zinc, can cause a weakness in the tissue and blood vessels, because these are the minerals and vitamins required for wound repair and recovery.

Solution: We are what we eat, but more importantly, we are what we absorb. So, if you don’t have good gut health to digest and use certain vitamins and minerals, you will never get the absorption you need. I would start simply by taking good care of your digestion. Eat whole, real food, and eliminate processed packaged foods, remove coffee and then add in things like fresh green smoothies, and fermented foods and drinks. Get good-quality probiotics and start adding broths and homemade soups to encourage repair and recovery of your digestive system.

Nicola

Q. Is one type of milk (almond, soy, dairy) better than the rest?

A. It depends on the person. For someone who is intolerant to dairy, I’d go for a nut or rice milk. Personally, I’m not a fan of soy milk, both through my own experience and that of my clients, as it can affect your hormones. I prefer homemade nut milks because you ideally want to consume things that are as close to their natural state as possible, without preservatives and additives.

Solution: There is nothing better than fresh coconut, almond or cashew milk. Simply soak unsweetened shredded coconut or nuts overnight, then blitz in a high-speed blender the next day. Sieve and enjoy. Soaking the nuts makes the milk friendlier on the digestive system.

If you’re in doubt when it comes to a certain type of milk, the best thing to do is cut it out for 30 days, then reintroduce it and observe how your body reacts.

Nicola

Q. Sometimes my ankle kind of ‘clicks’ when I start running and it feels weak. Is this just a warm-up problem?

A. This may be something you want to check with a physio. It could be due to a previous injury to a tendon that has tightened up and the clicking is the tendon sliding across the bone in your ankle. If it’s causing you pain, please do check with a specialist.

Pua

Photos: Thinkstock

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