Meet Our Nutritionist!

The Girls @ IHTD are so excited to present our latest blog feature -- introducing Registered Holistic Nutritionist Sarah Sinclair!

Sarah Says: It wasn’t until I started attending Highland Dance competitions on a regular basis, accompanying my boyfriend-now-husband “Glen the Piper”, that I began to appreciate dancing as not just an art form and expression of culture but as a sport. At first I was taken with the beautiful traditional costumes, the stories that accompanied the various dances and the unique sound of the pipes. But as I became more familiar with the steps, movements and nuances – it became very clear that this was no “hobby”. This was indeed a sport – just like any you’d see at the Olympics – and certainly just as physically and mentally demanding. Having a daughter who took lessons for two years, I started to learn about the importance of daily practice, regular instructional classes and almost weekly competitions. A dancers’ life is not his/her own – s/he dedicates hours every day on his/her craft.


However as time passed, I started to notice that one very important element seemed to be missing from the dancer’s “toolkit”. Ask any world-class athlete about their training and they will tell you that they keep a coach, manager, psychotherapist, RMT (Registered Massage Therapist) and Nutritionist in their corner. If you want to have world-class results, you’ve got to train like a world-class athlete. Now, before you get scared off and think – “OMG, this is going to be so hard” let me tell you a little about myself. I am a Registered Holistic Nutritionist – so what the heck is that? A RHN is professionally trained to consult with individuals about their dietary needs. We look at each person individually since we believe that everyone has different needs, and believe in the body’s innate ability to heal itself when provided with the proper nutrients. Having said that, there are certain “rules” that apply to most everyone – and those will be discussed here.

When you look in the mirror – what you see is 10% determined by genetics (your basic shape and the way your weight is distributed), 10% determined by level of activity (the amount of muscle tone) and a whopping 80% determined by your diet. Diet not only affects the amount and type of fat we store, but also your energy levels, moods, and overall health.

Over the next few months, this five-part series will discuss several different nutritional aspects crucial to the success and health of athletic dancers. Each part will also include “homework” – something that you can do right away to improve your current health and performance.

Part #1 The Importance of Proper Hydration

Part #2 Avoiding Illness to Maximize Training and Performance

Part #3 Achieving Higher Levels of Energy and Motivation

Part #4 Fueling the Body During Training/Practice Season

Part #5 Fueling the Body on Competition Day

So stayed tuned right here for more! We'll be bringing you Sarah's posts about once a month, with Part 1 coming the first week of July. If you are a Highland dancer attending SDCCS 2009 pop by our booth to pick up an advance copy!

Sarah R. Sinclair RHN is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist living and practicing in the London Ontario area. She graduated with Honors from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and is available to consult with individuals about their specific nutritional needs, speak to groups on a variety of health related topics and provide articles for publication. Sarah believes that optimum health and the avoidance of disease can be achieved simply and effortlessly by making small, manageable changes to one’s diet and lifestyle. Sarah can be reached at (519) 474-9169, or emailed by clicking here.

Can’t wait to get started?

Try this: Start every morning with a piece of fruit instead of juice. The fibre found in the flesh of the fruit will help keep you feeling fuller longer, and increase the bulk in your digestive system leading to healthier bowel movements. Processing fruit into juice results in the loss of many nutrients. Giving your body these extra vitamins first thing in the morning gets you started off right. Eat the fruit about 20 minutes before any other foods since it digests much quicker.