12 minute read
Behind the scene
SPORTFISI@ 2021 19
with Esther Goldsmith
Advertisement
Author: Patrizia Zanetti Picture: Esther Goldsmith Esther Goldsmith (27) is a sports physiologist. She works for Orreco which created the FitrWoman App, which she is primarily focused on. Goldsmith completed her MSc at St Marys University, London, in Applied Sport and Exercise Physiology, focusing on the female athlete in her final research project. Goldsmith was actually a professional contemporary dancer prior to her physiology training. When she’s not working for Orreco she is a pilates instructor, but she is also a keen runner and cyclist who has dipped her toe into triathlon. For SPORTFISI@ she took some time to give us a closer look at the FitrWoman App.
DAS SPORT-PLUS
Hightechfaser COOLMAX®
Innovativ: Stabilo®-Band mit easyClick-System
Modernes Sportdesign mit reflektierendem Label
Made in Germany
COOLMAX® ist eine Marke von The Lycra Company
COOLMAX® ist eine Marke von The Lycra Company Sport
Sport
NEUES DESIGN
Sport
REF 122600SP
BORT EpiBasic Sport
– Komprimierende Ellenbogenbandage mit zusätzlichem Stabilo®-Band – Einfache Fixierung und Längeneinstellung des
Stabilo®-Bandes mittels easyClick-System – SOFTflex 3D-Gestrick mit samtigweicher Oberflächenstruktur für mehr Elastizität, Stabilität und hohen Tragekomfort – COOLMAX®: Leitet Feuchtigkeit vom Körper weg – Latexfreies Gestrick Farbe: schwarz/grün
Umfang Unterarm
(5 cm unter Ellenbogengelenk) Grössen 20 - 22 cm xx-small
22 - 24 cm x-small
24 - 26 cm 26 - 28 cm 28 - 30 cm 30 - 32 cm 32 - 34 cm small medium large x-large xx-large
INDIKATIONEN
Chronische, posttraumatische oder postoperative Weichteilreizzustände im Bereich des Ellenbogengelenks, Epicondylitis (akut oder chronisch), Tendomyopathie
REF 112920SP
BORT ManuBasic® Sport
– Komprimierende Handgelenkbandage – Volare Kunststoff-Schiene, thermoplastisch – Viscoelastische Silikonpelotte – Einfache Fixierung und Längeneinstellung des Stabilo®-Bands mittels easyClick-System – SOFTflex 3D-Gestrick, latexfrei – COOLMAX®: Leitet Feuchtigkeit vom Körper weg – Extra elastisch, dadurch sehr leichtes Anlegen Farbe: schwarz/grün
REF 104690SP
BORT StabiloBasic Sport Rückenbandage mit Pelotte
– Rückenbandage zur muskulären
Stabilisierung der LWS, latexfrei – Viscoelastische Kreuzbein-Pelotte, variabel positionierbar – Höhe: ventral 17 cm, dorsal 23 cm – COOLMAX®: Leitet Feuchtigkeit vom Körper weg – Erleichtertes Anlegen durch ergonomische Verschlussplatte und Handschlaufen Farbe: schwarz/grün Umfang Handgelenk bis 13 cm 13 - 15 cm 15 - 17 cm 17 - 19 cm 19 - 21 cm
rechts oder links angeben.
INDIKATIONEN Grössen x-small small medium large x-large
Chronische, posttraumatische oder postoperative Reizzustände im Bereich des Handgelenks, z. B. Distorsion, Handwurzelarthrose, Tendovaginitis
Umfang Taille 70 - 80 cm 80 - 90 cm 90 - 100 cm 100 - 110 cm 110 - 120 cm 120 - 130 cm 130 - 140 cm
INDIKATIONEN
Schmerzzustände im LWS-Bereich, rezidivierende Lumbalgie, Osteochondrose, Spondylarthrose, Spondylolysen ohne Wirbelgleiten, leichte lumbale Deformität (degeneratives Wirbelgleiten), Ischialgie, Dorsalgie
INDIKATIONEN
Schmerzzustände im LWS-Bereich, rezidivierende Lumbalgie, Osteochondrose, Spondylarthrose, Spondylolysen ohne Wirbelgleiten, leichte lumbale Deformität (degeneratives Wirbelgleiten), Ischialgie, Dorsalgie
Grössen Grösse 1 Grösse 2 Grösse 3 Grösse 4 Grösse 5 Grösse 6 Grösse 7
NEUES DESIGN
Sport
REF 104680SP
– Rückenbandage zur muskulären
Stabilisierung der LWS, latexfrei – Taillierter Schnitt: speziell für Damen – Höhe: ventral 17 cm, dorsal 24 cm – Viscoelastische Kreuzbein-Pelotte – COOLMAX®: Leitet Feuchtigkeit vom Körper weg – Erleichtertes Anlegen durch ergonomische Verschlussplatte und Handschlaufen Farbe: schwarz/grün Umfang Taille 60 - 70 cm 70 - 80 cm 80 - 90 cm 90 - 100 cm 100 - 110 cm 110 - 120 cm 120 - 130 cm Grössen Grösse 0 Grösse 1 Grösse 2 Grösse 3 Grösse 4 Grösse 5 Grösse 6
Die sportliche Seite von BORT.
Zum Imagefilm
COOLMAX® ist eine Marke von The Lycra Company Sport
REF 114520SP
BORT StabiloGen® Sport
– Kniebandage zur Weichteilkompression mit viskoelastischer Pelotte – SOFTflex 3D-Gestrick – Je ein seitlicher Spiral-Feder-Stab – Eingestrickte Silikon-Haftzone im Bereich des
Oberschenkels – Weicher Beugebereich in der Kniekehle – COOLMAX®: Leitet Feuchtigkeit vom Körper weg – Latexfreies Gestrick – Anatomisch und funktionell optimierte Pelottenform Farbe: schwarz/grün
Sport
Sport
Sport
REF 114010SP
BORT Patella-Sehnenband Sport
– Sogenannte Kasseler Patellasehnenbandage zur gezielten Entlastung der Patellasehne – Sport-Variante ohne Umlenkschlaufe – Optimierte Konstruktion für hohe Aktivität – Weiches, elastisches Bandmaterial – Auch geeignet für Kontaktsportarten – Hoher Tragekomfort bei aktiver Bewegung – Individuell dosierbarer Pelottendruck – Verbesserte Gelenkkoordination und
Schmerzlinderung Farbe: schwarz/grün REF 054100SP
BORT TaloStabil® Plus Sport
– Aktiv-Sprunggelenkbandage zur
Weichteilkompression, mit Stabilo®-Band, teilelastisch, frei positionierbar – SOFTflex 3D-Gestrick, latexfrei – Therapieunterstützende Positionierung des Fusses in Pronations-/Supinations- oder Neutralstellung – COOLMAX®: Leitet Feuchtigkeit vom Körper weg – Ideale Passform bei sportlichen Aktivitäten Farbe: schwarz/grün
REF 054600SP
BORT TaloStabil® Sport
– Sprunggelenkbandage zur
Weichteilkompression – SOFTflex 3D-Gestrick, latexfrei – Zwei Silikonpelotten zur intermittierenden
Massage – COOLMAX®: Leitet Feuchtigkeit vom Körper weg – Ideale Passform bei sportlichen Aktivitäten Farbe: schwarz/grün d-Mass f-Mass Grössen 26 - 29 cm 32 - 36 cm Grösse 1 29 - 33 cm 36 - 40 cm Grösse 2 29 - 33 cm 40 - 44 cm Grösse 2+ 33 - 37 cm 40 - 44 cm Grösse 3 33 - 37 cm 44 - 48 cm Grösse 3+ 37 - 41 cm 44 - 48 cm Grösse 4 37 - 41 cm 48 - 52 cm Grösse 4+ 41 - 45 cm 52 - 56 cm Grösse 5 41 - 45 cm 56 - 60 cm Grösse 5+ 45 - 49 cm 60 - 64 cm Grösse 6 45 - 49 cm 64 - 68 cm Grösse 6+ INDIKATIONEN
Chronische, posttraumatische oder postoperative Weichteilreizzustände des Kniegelenks, rezidivierender Gelenkerguss, z. B. bei Gonarthrose, Arthritis, Bandinstabilität, Meniskopathie
Knieumfang direkt unterhalb Patella Grössen bis 34 cm Grösse 1 34 - 41 cm Grösse 2 41 - 48 cm Grösse 3
INDIKATIONEN
Chondropathia patellae, Patellaspitzensyndrom, femoropatellare Arthrose
Fesselumfang Grössen bis 21 cm small 21 - 23 cm medium 23 - 25 cm large 25 - 27 cm x-large
INDIKATIONEN
Chronische, posttraumatische oder postoperative Weichteilreizzustände im Bereich des Sprunggelenks, Arthrose, Bänderschwäche, nach Gipsverband, Bandverletzungen, OSG-Distorsion, Supinationsprophylaxe
Fesselumfang Grössen bis 21 cm small 21 - 23 cm medium 23 - 25 cm large 25 - 27 cm x-large
INDIKATIONEN
Chronische, posttraumatische oder postoperative Weichteilreizzustände im Bereich des Sprunggelenks, Distorsion, Bänderschwäche, nach Gipsverband, Bandverletzungen, OSG-Distorsion, Arthrose
22 SPORTFISI@ 2021
SPORTIFISI@: Please could you explain your job at Orreco to us in more detail?
Esther Goldsmith: My official title at Orreco is as a Sports Physiologist. I work with both our male and female clients and the end goal is always to optimise health and performance by providing sports science insights and support.
In our female athlete programme, I wear a number of different hats; working with female athletes directly as part of our consultancy, working with coaches and teams, creating resources around nutrition, sleep and recovery in the menstrual cycle… it’s very varied. I am also involved in female athlete research as we are very passionate that we need to keep progressing our understanding in this space and using it in our applied work.
How, when, and from whom did the idea come to develop an app to track the menstrual cycle?
The app was developed partly as a result of Dr Georgie Bruinvels’ (co-creator of FitrWoman) Phd which looked at Iron metabolism and heavy menstrual bleeding. During one of her studies, she interviewed 1073 women at the London Marathon Expo in 2015(1) and 32% of them said that their menstrual cycle affected their training and performance as runners… but yet they weren’t doing anything about it! Thus the concept of FitrWoman was born, with the aim to provide information and tools for exercising women to understand and embrace the hormonal fluctuations in their unique menstrual cycle, and know what that means for them in regard to nutrition, exercise and lifestyle.
What is tracked in the app?
In FitrWoman you can log and track your period/menstrual cycle dates and associated symptoms. From your current and historical period dates/cycle characteristics, FitrWoman tells you which phase you are in and information & considerations accordingly; each phase correlates to differing hormonal profiles and therefore potential altered physiology.
You can also track your workouts alongside this (using the Strava or Apple Health integrations) so that you can start to learn how your menstrual cycle may affect these. Lastly, you can make notes for yourself that can be helpful in order to really understand your own unique physiology.
Why should one track the menstrual cycle and its symptoms?
So many reasons!
Firstly, tracking your menstrual cycle and symptoms allows you to be more connected to your body and understand it better. Lots of us go through life without really listening to our bodies but we believe that logging symptoms and cycles can help improve this. By tracking your cycle, you can know which phase you are in, what your hormones are doing in that phase, and subsequently the potential changes in your physiology and psychology.
Secondly, tracking can provide insights into particular symptoms that you are experiencing so that you can identify little changes you could make to mitigate those symptoms; for example focusing on sleep hygiene, or making sure to eat some oily fish during that time which could reduce inflammation and therefore reduce symptoms.
Thirdly, tracking your cycle can help you identify what ‘normal’ is for you, and detect if you deviate away from this. For example, if you know how long your cycle usually is and when you should be on your period, you can identify if there are any times when your cycle is longer (i.e. your period is ‘later’) and look for reasons why this might be: for some, it is to do with psychological stress, and for others it might be under-fuelling or overtraining.
What recommendations are given to athletes at the different stages of the menstrual cycle?
I’d really recommend downloading FitrWoman for all the phase recommendations, as there is lots of great information and advice in there!
In brief though, there are a few phase considerations that we work with a lot of our athletes on (through Orreco’s Female Athlete Programme):
Phase 1 (menstruation): When you are on your period, you may feel great but you may also experience symptoms such as cramps or fatigue. Increasing intake of omega 3s (e.g. oily fish) and fruit and veg may help with this. You may also need to increase overall energy intake slightly. In terms of exercise, stretching and yoga postures with deep breathing can really help reduce symptoms of cramps, bloating and lower back pain.
Phase 2 (follicular phase): Most women feel great during this phase, as it is when oestrogen increases - this is associated with an increased release of serotonin and dopamine. If you push on in training because you feel good, it is really important to recover adequately and keep fuelling yourself throughout the day. Warming up fully and including activation and stiffness exercises may be important if you are more injury-prone or play a sport that has lots of short, sharp changes in direction.
Phase 3 (luteal phase): After ovulation, progesterone levels increase and this is linked with a slight increase in core body temperature and potentially with resting and/or exercise heart rate. The increase in progesterone may also have a more catabolic effect on muscle protein (meaning that muscle protein may break down slightly quicker), so bolstering exercise with protein before and after is important. This may also affect recovery time so it’s important to really listen to how your body feels and pay attention to any cues.
SPORTFISI@ 2021 23
Phase 4 (pre-menstrual phase): At the end of your menstrual cycle, hormone levels decline and this is associated with an increase in inflammatory markers. Again, a nutritional focus on omega 3s, fruit and vegetables may help with this, as will sleep, reducing psychological stress where possible, and ensuring adequate recovery following intense exercise. You may also be more hungry and blood sugar levels more unstable, so protein and complex carbohydrates regularly throughout the day are really important. You may experience pre-menstrual symptoms here; that’s perfectly normal but it’s about trying to be proactive to mitigate these and make sure they don’t impact your whole life!
What does the app offer for coaches?
We have a coaching app, FitrCoach, that has been called a ‘gamechanger’ by Judy Murray, OBE. It has lots of great functions, which can all be seen here: https://www.fitrwoman.com/coach
FitrCoach allows consenting athletes to share their FitrWoman logging data with their coach, facilitating a conversation that isn’t always easy to have and helping coaches and athletes optimise performance together. Coaches can see where their athletes are in their cycle, whether they have logged any symptoms, and coaches can also look at historical cycles to identify trends or key areas to target with nutritional/lifesytle/recovery interventions. Coaches can identify any athletes who are becoming oligomenorrheic/ amenorrheic and act accordingly. There are also educational components in FitrCoach to support coaches in knowledge and information about things such as hormonal contraception and menstrual dysfunctions.
At the moment, some studies are looking at the effects of the COVID vaccination on the menstrual cycle. What can you tell us about this so far?
There isn’t currently any published evidence about the effects of the COVID vaccination on menstrual cycles, so we can’t say anything for definite. Anecdotally it does seem that the vaccination may affect the length of the current cycle, either causing your period to be ‘earlier’ or ‘later’ than usual. Scientifically speaking this could be because the chemical signals from your immune system as a result of the vaccine can affect the lining of the uterus and/or your hormonal system.
There are currently studies looking into this though, so hopefully we will have some evidence-based knowledge soon.
Your scientific work also deals with symptoms that women experience during their menstrual cycle and how these can be minimised. Some women suffer from chest pain. Why does this happen and what tips can you give?
I haven’t personally come across women who suffer from chest pain during their menstrual cycle, and am not an expert on why this might be. However, the decline in hormones at the end of the cycle can affect our whole physiology. Oestrogen in particular is linked with endothelial vasodilation, and so the decline in oestrogen may negatively affect vasculature (blood vessels) thereby increasing the potential for chest pain as a result of underlying ischaemia and endothelial dysfunction.
1. Bruinvels G, Burden R, Brown N, et al The prevalence and impact of heavy menstrual bleeding among athletes and mass start runners of the 2015 London Marathon British
Journal of Sports Medicine 2016;50:566.
