Electrolytes & Exercise: Why They’re Essential for Peak Performance

Phizziology – Jake Kay-Lawson

How Proper Hydration Can Help Prevent and Cure Hangovers

Understanding the Link Between Hydration and Hangovers We've all been there: waking up after a night of drinking with a pounding headache, nausea, and a general sense of fatigue. These unpleasant symptoms, collectively known as a hangover, often result from a series of factors, including dehydration. When you drink alcohol, your body loses more fluids and electrolytes than usual, leaving you feeling worse the next day. But with proper hydration, you can help prevent or at least reduce the severity of a hangover. How Alcohol Causes Dehydration Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it causes your body to lose fluids through increased urination. The more you drink, the more fluid your body expels, which can lead to dehydration, especially when drinking strong spirits that are high in alcohol content but do not replenish much water. This not only affects your hydration levels but also disrupts your electrolyte balance. Dehydration from alcohol consumption can contribute to many of the symptoms associated with hangovers, such as headaches, dizziness, and dry mouth. The combination of alcohol-induced fluid loss and the associated depletion of essential electrolytes is one of the main reasons why you feel so drained after drinking. The Role of Electrolytes in Hangover Recovery Electrolytes—minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium—are crucial for maintaining hydration, brain function, and overall balance in your body. An imbalance in these minerals can exacerbate hangover symptoms such as tiredness, lack of attention and headaches. The fastest road to recovery is to rehydrate your body and restore those electrolytes. The most effective way to do this is using oral rehydration solutions that comprise optimal levels of electrolytes, glucose and water. This scientifically researched method is proven to rehydrate your body more effectively, while also replenishing lost electrolytes, helping you feel better, sooner. Common Symptoms of Dehydration During a Hangover The symptoms of a hangover closely resemble those of dehydration because that’s exactly what your body is experiencing. Some of the most common dehydration-related hangover symptoms include: Headaches or migraines Fatigue or weakness Dry mouth and throat Dizziness or lightheadedness Nausea and vomiting By focusing on hydration and replenishing lost electrolytes, you can alleviate many of these symptoms and recover more quickly. Preventing Hangovers with Proper Hydration The best way to deal with a hangover is to prevent it from happening in the first place, and hydration plays a crucial role in doing that. By preparing your body before you drink and staying hydrated throughout the night, you can reduce the likelihood of a bad hangover. Before you head out for a night of drinking, make sure your body is properly hydrated. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, and have a glass or two of water just before you start drinking alcohol. The Importance of Electrolyte Balance Drinking water alone may not be enough to fully counter the dehydrating effects of alcohol. Solutions like Phizz are a great way to hydrate your body quickly, which can help ease the symptoms of a hangover. Replenishing electrolytes is also helpful in the rehydration process and can help restore your body to regular functionality sooner. Consider sipping on electrolyte-enhanced drinks, such as coconut water or Phizz’s Daily 3-in-1, to help maintain your body’s balance before and during drinking. This ensures that your body retains the fluids you’re consuming, and you can prevent the worst of the dehydration-related symptoms that often accompany a hangover. Foods That Help Maintain Hydration Eating the right foods can also help you stay hydrated during and after drinking. Foods with high water content, such as cucumbers, watermelon, and oranges, can provide an extra hydration boost while also delivering essential vitamins and minerals that support recovery. Bananas are an excellent choice for their high potassium content, which helps restore electrolyte balance. Caffeine from drinks like tea and coffee can also help combat some of the tiredness symptoms. Prior to a night out, it is recommended to eat a heavy, complex meal to slow the rate at which alcohol enters the bloodstream via the intestines, thus minimising the effects of alcohol consumption. While eating a hydrating meal the next morning may help with the hangover symptoms, the easiest way to get your body back to normal is directly through water or a rehydration solution like Phizz. Remedies for a Hangover If you weren’t able to prevent a hangover, don’t worry—there are still ways to alleviate your symptoms and recover more quickly. The key is to focus on rehydrating your body and replenishing the electrolytes you lost during drinking. Rehydrating After a Night Out The morning after drinking, the first step is to rehydrate your body. Start with a glass of water or an electrolyte-rich beverage as soon as you wake up. Continue drinking water throughout the day to replace the fluids your body lost overnight. In addition to water, drinks like coconut water, Phizz’s Daily 3-in-1, or even sports drinks can help restore your fluid and electrolyte levels more effectively. Effective Hangover Drinks and Foods Certain drinks and foods are particularly effective at alleviating hangover symptoms. Here are some of the best options for rehydration and recovery: Coconut Water: Naturally rich in electrolytes, coconut water is a great choice for restoring balance after a night of drinking. Phizz’s Daily 3-in-1: These can be dissolved in water for a quick, easy way to replenish lost minerals. Sports Drinks: While not ideal due to their sugar content, some sports drinks provide a good mix of electrolytes to help rehydrate you. Fruits and Vegetables: Water-rich foods like watermelon, oranges, and cucumbers can provide both hydration and nutrients. Broths and Soups: These can help restore lost sodium and provide fluids, especially if you’re feeling too nauseous to eat solid foods. Eating a well-balanced meal with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and proteins can also help your body recover by replenishing vital nutrients and electrolytes. Phizz Can Help With That Dreaded Hangover If you’re looking for an easy, effective solution to prevent and alleviate hangovers, Phizz is here to help. Our solution contains essential nutrients that combat many of the symptoms of hangovers, including Pantothenic acid, Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Biotin, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Copper, Magnesium, Niacin, Zinc and Calcium. These nutrients assist in hangover recovery in several ways, such as contributing to a normal energy-yielding metabolism, reduction of tiredness and fatigue, psychological and cognitive function, as well as normal mental performance. Combined with the oral rehydration formula, these ingredients can help put you back together after a big night out. By drinking Phizz before, during, or after alcohol consumption, you can rehydrate faster. This means fewer hangover symptoms and a quicker recovery time. Whether you're enjoying a casual drink with friends or attending a big celebration, Phizz can be your go-to solution for staying hydrated and feeling better faster. With over 5,000 five-star reviews and trusted by athletes, Phizz offers a scientifically-backed solution to hydration and hangover prevention. Plus, with its plastic-positive packaging, you can feel good about choosing a product that supports both your health and the environment.

Phizziology – Jake Kay-Lawson

Understanding Electrolytes: What They Do and Why They Matter

Electrolytes are essential for maintaining the body's vital functions, but many people are unaware of just how crucial they are. Whether you’re an athlete pushing your limits, someone with a busy lifestyle, or simply looking to boost your health, understanding what electrolytes do can help you maintain peak physical and mental performance. These charged minerals help keep everything in balance, but what exactly are electrolytes, and why are they so important for your well-being? What Are Electrolytes? Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical charge when dissolved in water. Because water makes up a large proportion of your body, electrolytes can be found almost everywhere and help the cells of your body operate correctly. Electrolytes are crucial for a wide range of physical and mental bodily functions, from transporting nutrients to supporting muscle contractions and nerve signalling. They also help maintain fluid balance by controlling how much water is absorbed into and out of your cells. This balance is essential for keeping your body hydrated, which in turn supports everything from digestion and blood flow to mental acuity. Key electrolytes include sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, phosphate, and bicarbonate. The body requires a precise balance of these electrolytes to perform efficiently, so ensuring your electrolyte levels are always topped-up is crucial for optimum health. Key Electrolytes and Their Functions Let’s take a closer look at the primary electrolytes and some of the many important roles they play in your body: Sodium: Primarily responsible for regulating fluid levels and helping muscles and nerves function. Sodium is vital for maintaining blood pressure and ensuring proper hydration. Potassium: Works with sodium to balance fluid levels and supports muscle function, including the heart's ability to maintain a steady rhythm. It also plays a role in regulating blood pressure. Chloride: Often found alongside sodium, chloride helps regulate fluid balance, supports digestion, and maintains healthy pH levels in the body. Calcium: Most people associate it with strong bones, but calcium also functions as a key cellular messenger, helping muscles contract, nerves transmit signals, and blood clot effectively. Magnesium: Involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, magnesium supports memory formation, protein synthesis, and energy production. Zinc: Important for the immune system as well as supporting healthy skin via a role in collagen production. Bicarbonate: Works as a buffer to help maintain the body’s pH levels, which is essential for overall cellular function. Each of these electrolytes works together to ensure that your body operates smoothly. How Electrolytes Affect Your Body Electrolytes are used to move water around the body. A great example is sweat, which is packed full of electrolytes. When you sweat your body pumps sodium and other electrolytes out of the body. Water subsequently follows, congregating on your skin to help cool you down. The same trick is used to absorb water, hence why drinks designed to rehydrate you often contain electrolytes. A major role of electrolytes is to maintain fluid balance within the body and prevent dehydration. Dehydration can have lots of negative effects, including muscle cramps, increasing mental fatigue and irritability, and reducing energy levels. Electrolytes also play a critical role in nerve function. The neurons in your brain use the flow of electrolytes to generate electrical impulses, with sodium, potassium and chloride ions flowing into and out of the cell at incredible speeds. These nerve impulses dictate our thoughts and carry signals by carrying electrical impulses between your brain and the rest of your body. Athletes and people who engage in regular physical activity are particularly aware of the importance of electrolytes because they are often lost through sweat, especially during prolonged exercise or intense heat. If this happens it can have significant effects on physical performance, reducing power output, increasing your heart rate and the thickness of your blood as you become dehydrated. While this is only a small snapshot of what electrolytes do in the body it highlights just how important they are to both physical and mental performance. So a healthy balance of electrolytes is key to overall well-being. Causes of Electrolyte Imbalance Now that we’ve covered why it’s important to keep your electrolyte levels balanced, let’s look at why avoiding an imbalance is crucial to maintaining optimal mental and physical performance. Dehydration: Losing too much water through sweat, vomiting, diarrhoea, or even excessive urination can cause a significant drop in electrolytes. Poor Diet: Not consuming enough nutrient-dense foods can lead to a lack of essential electrolytes. Overhydration: While rare, drinking too much water without replenishing electrolytes can dilute them in your system. Kidney Dysfunction: Since your kidneys filter and regulate electrolytes, any issues with kidney function can lead to imbalances. Medications: Some medications, particularly diuretics, can increase the excretion of electrolytes through urine. Symptoms of Imbalance Electrolyte imbalances can manifest in several ways, depending on which electrolytes are affected. Common symptoms include: Muscle cramps or weakness Fatigue or lethargy Headaches Dizziness or confusion Nausea and vomiting Rapid or irregular heartbeat Seizures (in severe cases) If you’re experiencing these symptoms, especially after heavy exercise or illness, it’s crucial to seek medical attention. Severe imbalances can lead to life-threatening conditions, including heart arrhythmias and seizures. How to Correct and Prevent Imbalances Fortunately, preventing and correcting electrolyte imbalances can often be achieved through simple lifestyle changes. Here are some practical tips: Stay Hydrated: Drinking water is essential, but when you're sweating heavily, consider replenishing lost electrolytes with sports drinks or supplements. Eat a Balanced Diet: Incorporate a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole foods that are rich in electrolytes into your daily diet. Consider Supplements: For those who engage in strenuous physical activities or have a medical condition that affects electrolyte levels, taking an electrolyte supplement, such as Phizz Daily 3-in-1, may be helpful. Regularly consuming foods and beverages rich in electrolytes is one of the easiest ways to ensure that your body maintains proper balance. Sources of Electrolytes Most people can maintain adequate electrolyte levels through a combination of proper hydration and a balanced diet. Here’s where you can find some of the most common electrolytes in everyday foods and drinks. Electrolytes in Food and Drink A healthy diet should provide plenty of electrolytes naturally. Some of the best food sources include: Sodium: Commonly found in table salt but also soups, olives and nuts. Keep in mind while sodium is important, too much can be harmful. Potassium: Found in bananas, oranges, spinach, potatoes, and tomatoes. These foods can help restore potassium levels lost during physical exertion. Calcium: Found in dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yoghurt, as well as in leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach. Magnesium: Found in nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes. Chloride: Found in salt and foods that contain sodium, like seaweed and olives. Phosphate: Found in meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products, as well as beans and nuts. Additionally, natural electrolyte-rich drinks like coconut water provide a hydrating boost after exercise or hot weather. When to Consider Supplements While most individuals get enough electrolytes through food and water, there are times when supplements may be beneficial. If you're engaging in extended exercise sessions, competing in endurance sports, or recovering from an illness that has caused dehydration, an electrolyte supplement like Phizz can help restore balance. However, not all supplements are created equal. Look for products that offer a balanced blend of key electrolytes without excessive amounts of sugar or artificial ingredients. This Is Where Phizz Can Help Phizz offers an easy and effective way to ensure you maintain the right balance of electrolytes. Combining seven key electrolytes, essential vitamins, and minerals into one convenient effervescent tablet, Phizz hydrates you 3x faster than water alone. Whether you're an athlete looking for recovery or simply managing your daily hydration, Phizz provides a science-backed solution that supports both mental and physical performance. Trusted by professional athletes and supported by over 5,000 five-star reviews, Phizz is a proven product that goes beyond basic hydration. Not only does it help with faster recovery and improved performance, but its eco-friendly, plastic-positive packaging ensures that you’re making a sustainable choice for both your health and the planet. For those who want to feel and perform at their best, Phizz is the ultimate hydration companion. Explore our range of products today to take your hydration to the next level.

Phizziology – Dylan Angloher

How to Stay Hydrated While Travelling (2023) | Tips for Staying Healthy & Energised on the Go

How to Stay Hydrated While Travelling (2023) | Tips for Staying Healthy & Energised on the Go Travelling can be a lot of fun, but it can also be dehydrating. This is especially true if you are travelling to a hot climate, or if you are spending a lot of time in a plane. Dehydration can cause a variety of problems, including fatigue, headaches, muscle cramps, and even heat stroke. In this post, we will discuss some tips on how you can stay hydrated while travelling. We will also discuss the importance of electrolytes and how to get enough of them while on the go. Dehydration can cause a variety of physical and cognitive problems, and so is something to avoid when you are away enjoying the sun.  Why is hydration important? Your body is made up of about 60% water. Water is essential for normal bodily functions, including: Regulating body temperature Transporting nutrients and oxygen to cells Removing waste products from the body Lubricating joints Protecting organs How to stay hydrated while avoiding the midday sun. Here are some tips on how to stay hydrated while avoiding the midday heat: Drink plenty of water. This is the most important thing you can do to stay hydrated. Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, even if you don't feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol. Alcoholic beverages can dehydrate you, so it's best to avoid them or drink them in moderation. Eat fruits and vegetables. Many fruits and vegetables are high in water content, so they can help you stay hydrated. Some good choices include watermelon, cucumbers, celery, and berries. Carry a reusable water bottle.. This isn't just good for the planet, but makes it easy for you to stay hydrated. If you're travelling by plane, ask for a cup of water as soon as you board. You can also bring your own water bottle and ask the flight attendant to fill it up for you. If you're travelling by car, stop every few hours to get out and stretch your legs. This will give you a chance to drink some water and cool off. If you're feeling dehydrated, drink an electrolyte-rich beverage such as Phizz 3-in-1 Hydration, Electrolytes and Vitamins. These beverages can help to replenish the electrolytes that you've lost through sweating. The importance of electrolytes Electrolytes are minerals that dissolve in water to give electrically charged ions.Don't worry, the charge on these molecules is much too small to give you a shock, but they will help regulate many of the main functions in your body, including:  Maintaining fluid balance Transmitting nerve signals Contracting muscles Keeping the heart beating When you sweat water, you lose electrolytes. You need to replace them to keep all the process above working properly. There are a number of ways to get electrolytes while travelling.  You can drink effervescent tablets like Phizz 3-in-1, electrolyte-rich beverages, or eat foods that are high in electrolytes.  Some good choices include: Fruits and vegetables such as bananas, oranges, spinach Yogurt (Higher calcium content) Milk (Higher calcium content) Sports drinks Electrolyte-rich drinks like Phizz 3-in-1 tablets By following these tips, you can stay hydrated while travelling and avoid the problems that come with dehydration. It is also important to be aware of your body and drink more water if you start to feel thirsty, tired, or lightheaded.

Phizziology – Tom Devonshire

TESCO Gets Phizzy!

It’s a big day for our small brand! Phizz has launched in 360 TESCO stores nationwide. We couldn’t be more thrilled! This is a massive milestone for a small company and we’re so happy to share it with you. We couldn’t have done it without your support! The UK’s largest supermarket chain is continuing to expand its lifestyle and wellbeing range and we’re honoured to be part of this exciting growth. During your next weekly shop, have a look down the Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements aisle – you may see a few familiar faces on shelf! TESCO will launch our flagship 3-in-1 Hydration, Vitamins & Electrolytes tablets in both Orange and Apple & Blackcurrant flavours, and will be the first UK grocer to stock our Good Guts multibiotic with vitamin D. This is a very exciting time for Phizz. TESCO will be our second ‘Big Four’ supermarket to stock Phizz within 12 months! Brits spend over £500 million* on vitamins and supplements every year, and with Phizz’s heightened popularity in the category we’re helping caterto the nation’s growing appetite. Daniel Cray, our CEO & founder, says “this is a big moment for a young business. We’re excited to bring our challenger brand to the shelf, and believe our innovative formulas and plastic positive packaging will be enthusiastically embraced by TESCO customers”. This is our next big step to hydrating the nation. Visit our store locator to see if we’re in your neighbourhood!https://www.phizz.co/pages/store-locator * Mintel UK Vitamins and Supplements Market Report 2020

Phizziology – Tom Devonshire

Phizz x HANX: Hydrating the Bedroom Athletes

Don’t let dehydration dry up your love life. Rehydration and electrolyte replacement is an effective way to maximise your exercise, sport fixtures and gym workouts – and the same applies for your bedroom ‘activities’. Even 1-2% water loss can have a significant effect on your body – both mentally and physically. From fatigue to irritability, dehydration impacts your sex drive and performance considerably more than you would think!     Fear not, with the help of our trusted friends at HANX, we’ve got the solution to improve your performance in the bedroom. HANX offers trusted contraception without the stigma. Inspired by a frustrating experience in the sexual wellness aisle, Co-Founders Farah Kabir and Dr Sarah Welsh created HANX. They challenge the status quo around sex and tackle misconceptions about vaginas, penises and all their wild, weird and wonderful quirks. How HANX are taking on the Johnny big boys:   Natural: Mainstream brands use numbing gels, sticky flavourings and novelty tingling sensations that are a yeast infection waiting to happen! With Co-Founder Dr Sarah Welsh’s experience in gynaecology, they’ve developed a super gentle formula for their lube that is pH matched to the real thing. Plus, it’s safe to use with condoms or sex toys.   Sustainable: Most of the 10 billion condoms produced each year end up in landfill. HANX is working on making products as sustainable as possible, and their ultra-thin condoms are proudly compostable. This is because they’re made from 100% Fair Rubber latex, approved by the Fair Rubber Association, and are not treated with weird chemicals. They only work with Fair Rubber certified plantations, where a fair wage is paid to the employees and working conditions are safe. The association also promotes environmentally friendly natural rubber production.   Vegan: If you’re making the earth move, you should be taking care of it, too. No casein. No beeswax. HANX Condoms and Lubricant are certified by The Vegan Society, verifying that no animal by-products are used. They are also cruelty free and HANX never test on animals.   Keep reading to claim an exclusive HANX discount.   So, how can sufficient hydration help to spice things up between the sheets?   Up the energy An energetic session in bed is comparable to a 3-mile run; staying hydrated is essential to beat fatigue and increase your stamina – so no more round 1 knock-out. Phizz also contains B vitamins which are essential for energy yielding metabolism.   Lubrication Dehydration can significantly impact female sexual response, which reduces natural lubrication and the ease of orgasm. Increased hydration can also prevent dry skin, mouths and lips; all of which play an important role.   Blood flow 2-3% dehydration can thicken your blood, which reduces blood flow to the part of the body that needs it most. Phizz is a water multiplier, helping your body hydrate 3 times faster than drinking water alone. More water means more oxygen, and the more oxygen pumping through your bloodstream, the more likely you are to reach that all important climax.   Get in the mood Dehydration can cause drastic changes in mood and irritability. If you’re feeling tense and anxious, it’s unlikely you’ll want to get it on. Increase hydration, reduce toxins and increase your libido. What’s not to love?   Increasing hydration levels not only increases your body’s overall health, it also significantly impacts your bedroom performance. Learn more about bettering your sex life at https://www.hanxofficial.com/ and use code PHIZZ30 for an exclusive 30% off HANX’s core sexual wellness range (T&Cs apply).

Phizziology – Alex Nutman

The Ultimate Father’s Day Gift Box

We’ve teamed up with the style icons at the London Sock Company to create an exclusive new collaboration – perfect for Father’s Day! London Sock Company was founded on the belief that great socks have the power to transform your style and your state of mind. Since 2013, it has been crafting stylish socks from the finest materials with the mission of inspiring you to Walk Brighter. Whether that is at work, at the gym, on a hike or down the pub. Loved by celebrities and CEOs the world over, these socks are the first steps to effortless style. Are you ready to up your sock game? Introducing our exclusive collaborative gift box. Three bright pairs of London Sock Company's ergonomically designed Simply Active Quarter sports socks. Two tubes of Phizz’s science-backed hydration tablets – a supplement trusted by elite athletes and healthy humans the world over to help them perform at their very best. Performance and style in one perfect gift box. So, whether you’re looking for a last-minute Father’s Day present or to treat yourself with sport essentials, this gift box is for you. Click the link below to buy: https://londonsockcompany.com/product/up-your-game-lsc-x-phizz-3-pair-box/

Phizziology – Alex Nutman

Get Your Sweat on with Duncan's Wild Weekender

If you're looking for the best weekend workout to sweat off the Friday night hangover, then look no further. Apex Rides have put together a two part Saturday morning workout, run by Head Instructor Duncan and hydrated by Phizz. Ahead of Duncan's Wild Weekender, we asked him some questions and advice about his workouts and how's best to get involved.  Tell us a little about yourself: Hey! I’m Duncan, Head of Content and Head Instructor at Apex, I’m a Cancer, I like long walks on the beach and am looking for dogs of any size to play with in the park. Jokes - although I do enjoy a good game of catch. I’ve been working in the fitness industry for ten years, am a qualified physiotherapist and I love to cycle, which is handy. In your opinion, why is spin the best workout to slot into the week? From a medical POV it is a great low impact strength and stamina builder, usually a sensible option for any knee or hip rehab. For everyone else, it can provide you with a gentle release or a deep, sweaty full out session and everything in between - you are in charge of the difficulty. Having the confidence that your workout intensity is entirely consensual lets you spend less time in your head and more time enjoying movement in your body. After all, motion is lotion for basically anything. What makes Apex special? Our instructors are the best fun, both on and off the bike. As a rider, it makes me more motivated if I get pushed by someone I respect - they get into my head and keep me going when I’m flagging midway through a hill climb or I’m resisting that last resistance increase. That’s what we have, it’s what we are good at. Plus the bikes are delicious to look at and the music is **chefs kiss**. Your top tip for first-timers to spin? Remember that everything that happens in the session is entirely under your command. Every element that we coach, especially in Starter Rides, is just a guide. Listen to your instructor, but if an extra resistance increase isn’t for you, don’t do it, if you don’t want to stand up on that quick beat, then don’t. Work out what your comfort zone is first, and eventually you’ll get confident enough to let us help you step out of it. What’s the best music to smash those hill climbs? Chase & Status, Bon Jovi, Ariana Grande. The trifecta. How can we join the A-Team? Head to www.apexrides.com and order your favourite colour. I’ll be shouting your name out on the leaderboard in no time! Click HERE to grab 5% off when you purchase an Apex bike and annual subscription using code APEXPHIZZ5 

Phizziology – Alex Nutman

Adding a Little Phizz in Leicestershire

Leicestershire County Cricket Club and Phizz once again join forces ahead of the 2022 campaign to help aid recovery and rehydration in order to increase player health, focus and performance throughout a grueling summer of cricket. Phizz initially came on board during the 2019 season, and following the pandemic, have decided to continue growing the relationship with the Running Foxes. Leicestershire saw a lot of growth on the field in 2021 and have received assistance from a number of different companies. Leading into the 2022 season, the club have identified rehydration and recovery as a key area to improve upon in order to continue to develop in the field. Yasmin Badiani, Physiotherapist and Head of Sport at Phizz commented: “We’re proud to have been chosen as the hydration supplement of choice by Leicestershire County Cricket Club’s medical team and are looking forward to being involved with the club for the upcoming season" Head of Strength and Conditioning at Leicestershire County Cricket Club, Alex Carrie said: “We’re extremely happy to be working with Phizz again for the forthcoming season. As a club it’s terrific to have Phizz onboard, we pride ourselves as being the hardest working club. How the lads recover after a game is a crucial part of that hard work and using Phizz to help with that recovery means we have the best recovery product". To find out more about Phizz please visit https://www.phizz.co The Club have a variety of commercial packages available, catering for all businesses. For more information about becoming a Partner, please get in touch with Commercial Manager, Tracey Branson, on 07825 756486 or email traceybranson@leicestershireccc.co.uk. 

Phizziology – Rory Simmance-Freemantle

How to drink more water: keep hydrated with these 7 drinking tips

Written by Alice Barraclough for Stylist.co.uk  As far as drinks go, water is pretty boring. It doesn’t really taste of anything, and there’s no secret family recipe to love. Yet, we all know that we have to drink enough water. I recently jumped on the hydration trend and challenged myself to drink eight glasses of water a day. And I seriously struggled. So, in a continued effort to drink more water – because, we all know that being hydrated is the symbol of a truly successful person – I decided to gather some simple, expert-approved pointers to help quench my thirst. “It’s no revelation that being well hydrated is critical for health and performance,” says performance nutritionist Kate Shilland, MSc, ANutr. “Every cell, tissue and organ in the body relies on water to work properly; without sufficient water, bodily functions are compromised. In fact, as little as 2% dehydration can negatively impact how we feel and perform, both physically and mentally.” Not only does water transport nutrients, regulate body temperature and support the structure of cells, it also gives you glowing skin, bright eyes and bags of energy. It’s true, people can survive for only three or four days without water. Yet 45% of us aren’t drinking the daily recommended amount of fluid, according to hydration brand ViDrate.  “Your body gives you many warning signs that you are dehydrated, besides the obvious feeling thirsty,” says ViDrate founder Nick Hird. “Feeling tired more than usual, finding it difficult to concentrate on everyday tasks, persistent bad breath, constipation and bad skin are all signs that you aren’t drinking enough water.” According to Shilland, “The best way of checking you’re drinking enough is to routinely keep an eye on the colour of your urine, aiming for light straw colour.” In need of a top up? Here are some easy ways to increase your water intake without too much struggle. 1. PLAN AHEAD It might seem obvious but carrying around a water bottle with you will help to motivate you to sip all day long. “Always keep a water bottle in your bag, car or at your desk so you always have a drink close to hand, before the thirst goes away,” suggests Shilland. It’s about creating habits and mental triggers: “Place a water bottle or glass of water next to something that you routinely do – for example: cleaning teeth or boiling the kettle,” she says. You can even buy motivational water bottles with inspirational messages down the side, such as “11 am – Remember your goal” and “1 pm – Keep chugging”. 2. ADD FRUIT “Plain water can be quite unappealing so try adding some slices of orange, lemon, cucumber or fresh mint to your bottle,” says Shilland. Family GP Dr Ellie Cannon agrees: “Add a zingy lemony twist to your water to jazz up the taste and maximise the bountiful health benefits. Lemons are a great source of vitamin C which is essential for the immune system, fights against coughs and colds, and helps to prevent disease.” Water bottles with built-in infusers – a little basket to fill up with cucumber or lemon – are perfect for flavouring on the go. 3. MAKE IT FIZZY Sparkling water has exploded in recent years – with more of us looking for refreshing alternatives to fizzy drinks like Coca Cola and Lemonade. The best news? “Fizzy water also counts towards your daily water goal and can feel a bit more appealing – I have clients who drink much more water when they drink fizzy water from a nice wine glass,” says Shilland. If you don’t want to buy endless plastic bottles of sparkling water, think about investing in something like SodaStream's sparkling water maker, which takes your tap water from flat to fizzed.  4. SET A REMINDER If you need regular reminders to drink more water – either set an alarm on your phone, wearable or download an app like The Hydro Coach, which allows you to set your target intake, or use the app’s calculator to determine an appropriate daily goal. “Just like a Garmin tells you to move every now and then, set a water alert too,” suggests Shilland.  5. SNACK ON WATERMELON The good news is you don’t have to rely entirely on water to remain well-hydrated. “Adding water-rich fruit and veg can be a more appealing (and nutrient rich) way to add to your daily water target,” Shilland reminds me. “Cucumber, watermelon, celery, melon, tomatoes are good things to snack on.” 6. POUR A CUPPA We are a nation of tea drinkers – I pretty much bleed tea. Strong builder’s, dash of milk, no sugar, please. And unlike the diuretic effect of caffeine, both herbal and caffeine-containing teas are unlikely to dehydrate you. So, if you’re bored of plain water, a cup of tea can provide an interesting alternative in helping you reach your daily fluid requirements. 7. ADD A REHYDRATION TABLET This is possibly one of the easiest ways to keep up on your hydration levels (and probably my favourite). I use both Phizz hydration tablets to flavour my water and SIS to replace any lost electrolytes after exercising. “Keep a dioralyte or rehydration sachet in your bag so that if the day’s water drinking hasn’t quite gone to plan, you have a back up,” adds Shilland. Remember, it’s better to drink little and often throughout the day rather than to go for hours and then down several pints, adds Shilland. And, we’re not all equal when it comes to drinking water: “Some will need more than others depending on their size, the weather and how active they are,” says Cannon. “It’s even different for men and women: data from the European Food Safety Authority suggests 1.6 litres for women daily, but two litres for a man. So make sure you know your body and how much water you need, tell tale signs that you haven’t had enough are dry mouth, lips and eyes, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, feeling tired and not going to the toilet frequently.”  Buy Phizz from £4.99 for 10 tablets. SHOP HERE

Phizziology – Alex Nutman

WFH? Avoid the dreaded 3pm slump with Phizz. (Marie Claire's 7 day review of Phizz)

Written by Sarah-Rose Harrison for Marie Claire UK If, like me, you’ve always struggled (whether in an office or working from home) with the dreaded 3pm slump – you know that moment when you look at the clock around 3pm and your energy seems to leave you? We’ve all felt it. Then Phizz may be the thing for you.  Billed as the lovechild of Berroca and Lucozade. Phizz is a 2-in-1 multivitamin hydration tablet designed to hydrate you on a whole other level. Used by over 50 pro-sports teams in the UK it rapidly hydrates the body, replenishing electrolytes three times more than drinking plain water can. With a medley of 19 vitamins and minerals – think, B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc and more – concocted to provide natural energy and support immune system and brain function, recovery, and wellness. Entirely vegan, gluten, soy and GMO-free. Low calorie Phizz is ideal for a mid-afternoon pick up to maintain productivity and motivation whether that’s ahead of an important meeting or, run. Personally, I was particularly drawn to Phizz due to their focus on sustainability. For each –recyclable – tube of Phizz sold, approximately 6 times its weight in plastic waste is collected, recycled and prevented from entering our oceans. With the brand collecting and recycling 1 million plastic bottles per year. So, I thought I’d give it the ultimate test and try it out for an entire week to see if it could give me the extra hydration I need to perk up my afternoons and prevent the dreaded 3pm slump. Monday After a late night trying to re-work possible wedding options amidst the chaos of pandemic – such fun. I woke feeling blurry-eyed so, with a morning of back-to-back meetings I thought I’d put Phizz to the test first thing. It was a nice distraction to watch my glass of water fizz and change colour and before mid-morning I felt so much more functional and positive than I was anticipating. I also successfully managed to avoid a mid-afternoon slump too. Day one, a real success. Tuesday After a much better night’s sleep I thought I’d wait till lunchtime before I dissolved the 2-in-1 hydration tablet into my glass. I sipped on it till around 1;30 and then ploughed through my to-do list. Before I knew it it was gone 5pm and I needed to take my puppy out for a walk. No slump, no lull of energy at all. Unheard of! Wednesday After such a productive start to the week I thought I’d try and mix it up and dissolve my Phizz mid-afternoon. After trying it first thing in the morning and at lunchtime I thought I’d see how a it would affect my energy if I took it later in the day. After, a rather long, meeting finished at 2:30 I finished my Phizz at 3ish and felt energised for the rest of the evening. Instead of my usual show I skipped This Is Us for a run and put Monday’s washing pile away. Thursday After having after having a far more productive evening than I’d anticipated, I felt like I was able to get my morning routine back on track first thing too. I managed a run this morning, something so much less painful than normal now I was properly hydrated. Friday I’m ending the week in a much more productive place than I started it. I thought I’d stayed quite hydrated during the day but feel like after consistently taking Phizz this week I must have actually been quite dehydrated. The increase in energy has been the biggest difference. I’m don’t think I’ll keep taking it daily but I’ll definitely be reaching for Phizz when I need that extra burst of energy.  Buy Phizz from £4.99 for 10 tablets. SHOP HERE

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

A Statement Regarding Yorkshire County Cricket Club

The details that have recently emerged surrounding the treatment of Azeem Rafiq at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the Club leadership’s subsequent handling of the matter are deeply concerning to us. At Phizz, we have a zero tolerance policy in regard to racism, discrimination and bullying, and though we are a small voice, we support Azeem. As a result, we have taken the decision to stand down our contract with the Club. 

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Why Athletes Need Probiotics

Pro athletes perform at extraordinarily high levels, which means they place their bodies under extraordinarily high levels of stress. Because of this intensity, it’s vital for athletes to carefully look after each system in their body, including their microbiome. We spoke with Elliot Frankland, nutritionist at Burnley Football Club, for some insight into why probiotics are a growing category in sport. “Increasingly, probiotics are a staple category in sport nutrition,” said Frankland. “The microbiome is key to a variety of important functions, so I’ve added the category to my arsenal. I love that the Phizz Good Guts formula is comprehensive, including a prebiotic and a variety of strains to cover all the bases. The added vitamin D and selenium also packs a nice punch for immune systems in need of support!” Immunity While we all know that exercise is good for you, extremely strenuous exercise like the type of training done by many professional-level athletes can actually have a negative effect on immune system function. Studies have suggested that 70% of the immune system resides in the gut, so looking after athlete’s microbiome is a key piece of the overall puzzle. Probiotic supplements help improve the immune function of the gut and have been shown to reduce upper respiratory tract and gastrointestinal infections in athletes. Good Guts also provides 100% of the recommended daily dose of both vitamin D & selenium, powerful antioxidants that support the immune system.  For athletes training under hot weather conditions, there is added cause for caution. Exercise in the heat may reduce gut barrier function, an important component of the gut’s role in immunity. This can be reduced by probiotic supplementation, with probiotics’ roles in immunity partly driven by their ability to support this function. Nutrient Absorption Athletes demand more from the food they consume to support their training regimens. Sport nutritionists create carefully balanced meal plans, but probiotic bacteria can also help break down the food that has been consumed by the athlete helping it be absorbed and best utilised. Probiotics can help athletes maintain leaner body mass compositions through regulating nutrient absorption and metabolism. The vitamin D in Good Guts also enhances the absorption of calcium and magnesium,  2 key minerals, by the digestive system. Recovery Digestive bacteria in probiotics have anti-inflammatory properties, as bacteria in the digestive system express receptors that reduce levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines which help muscle repair post-exercise.  Intrigued to see what a probiotic can do for you? Phizz Good Guts supports your microbiome with a 10 billion colony forming units (or CFU) formulation and offers a broad spectrum of bacterial strains at the perfect strength for daily use. Good Guts is the perfect companion for Phizz 2-in-1 Multivitamin Hydration Tablets (an athlete favourite!), making them ideal wingmen to help you take on your busy life. Learn more about it here and shop now.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

We Gut What You Need

Phizz is helping you take on your gut health with a comprehensive new pre- and probiotic daily capsule, Good Guts!  This isn’t your nan’s probiotic, and in signature Phizz style, Good Guts vegan capsules have been scientifically formulated to provide an all-in-one solution to digestive wellbeing, with added vitamin D and selenium for immune support. Why Gut Health? Well, digestive health issues are on the rise, often driven by lifestyle factors, such as stress and diet. The NHS indicate that 4 in 10 people have some form of digestive issue at any one time such as bloating, indigestion, discomfort and pain in the gut. Yikes! Science shows that your microbiome functions as a separate organ in your body, helping regulate a whole host of important things, and probiotics are taken to support digestive metabolism, gut health, the immune system and for bloating, belly aches and discomfort. Good Guts supports your microbiome with a 10 billion colony forming units (or CFU) formulation and offers a broad spectrum of bacterial strains at the perfect strength for daily use. Probiotics can be confusing and misleading labels are everywhere. Phizz Good Guts was designed for your modern, busy lifestyle, and aims to cut through the noise with one simple product. 10 Billion CFU While CFU is a measure of the amount of bacteria in a multibiotic and indicates the strength of a product, the number of strains of bacteria is also key and something that is often ignored in the category- think of the CFUs as the height of a tower, but the strains as the width of the base. A wide base in addition to height to creates the strongest tower, which is why Phizz Good Guts contains 12 strains, hand-selected to include two of the main families (or phyla) that populate the digestive system, offering broad and diverse coverage. Prebiotic Good Guts contains the prebiotic inulin, extracted from natural, vegan chicory root. Prebiotics nourish the bacteria that comprise the microbiome, helping keep them happy and thriving. Vitamin D & Selenium The plant-based capsules also contain 100% of the recommended daily dose of vitamin D and selenium, which have antioxidant properties, support the immune system, aid in teeth, nail and hair maintenance, maintain muscle function and drive absorption of key electrolytes. Sustainability Phizz Good Guts is packed in recyclable materials with a glass jar and aluminium lid. Phizz also partners with Plastic Bank and for each product sold, approximately 4 times its weight in plastic waste is collected, recycled and prevented from entering our oceans.  That's 1 million plastic bottles per year!  Phizz Good Guts is vegan and soy, dairy and gluten-free. The product contains no artificial colours or flavours and requires no refrigeration. Good Guts is the perfect companion for Phizz 2-in-1 Multivitamin Hydration Tablets, making them ideal wingmen to help you take on your busy life.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Phizz Gets Supercharged

Last month, we told you that we’d improved our Apple & Blackcurrant flavour, but surely you didn’t think we’d just supercharge one of our flavours? Both Phizz flavours are getting an upgrade! The new Phizz formula is now a 1 tablet dose in both of our flavours. It offers the same quality and scientific benefits you love, now double the value. It’s made in the same lab with the same high quality ingredients and our scientists have made the dissolve smoother and quicker. Apple & Blackcurrant has a new & improved flavour that you’ve just got to try. It also comes in a new, natural purple hue, perfectly matched to its tube. Orange is the same flavour you know and love packed into a single tablet. The new Orange and Apple & Blackcurrant tablets have debuted on phizz.co in our 20, 60 and 240 tablet sizes, but will be popping up in all sizes and retailers soon.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Phizz Pops Up at Sainsbury's Local!

Our small business launched in Sainsbury’s superstores in February, and now we’re coming to your local (Sainsbury’s, that is!). For a limited time, you can now find our tubes hanging out at 496 additional Sainsbury’s small and convenience locations across the U.K. These new stores will be stocked up on our original Orange flavour in the 10 tablet size, and the tubes will be hanging in bold displays in our signature Phizz yellow. If all this good news weren’t enough, Sainsbury’s is celebrating the launch with 20% off! Until 12th October, grab a tube of 10 for just £4.  We are eternally grateful to the legends at Sainsbury’s for helping us to bring our young brand to more shoppers, as well as to our loyal Phizz fans (new & old!) for supporting us along the way. Want to see if we’re popping up in your local Sainsbury’s? Check out the full list on our store locator.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

This Pro Physio Proves Preparation is the Key to Success

You already know that your favourite athletes spend months in gruelling physical training in preparation for their biggest matches, but behind the scenes, the dedication and foresight from the coaches and medical staff are just as crucial to earning that win. From training while in quarantine to regular monitoring of player health, physio Cliffe Deacon explains why planning ahead is more important than ever.  Deacon is an ex professional cricket player (Free State, Eagles and Lions) and now a Cricket South Africa level 3 accredited cricket coach. He has been a physio for major teams in South Africa such as CSA High Performance, Momentum Protea Ladies and the Warriors, and is now the lead physiotherapist for the Pakistan Cricket Board and Multan Sultans. He is also the technical director for Physio-in-a-Box. Deacon says that for any kind of team travel, “purposeful planning is without a doubt, my most important point. If you fail to plan at least 4-6 weeks in advance, you are in trouble.” “Everything we do is basically based on the motto that once you go into a tour, a player should be ready - especially from a medical/sports science point of view. So, the better prepared players are going into a series, the better they can handle what’s going to happen to them in a series. Therefore, it’s much more important to fuel their bodies with the right food before touring. It makes the maintenance on tour so much easier.”  This also means a regular schedule of monitoring player health. “We try and do blood (every 3 months) and body composition (monthly) testing, which serves as a guideline to enhance every player’s diet,” said Deacon. “Our strength and conditioning coach also takes care of the food served on the tours by sending menus to all our hosts.” The pandemic has thrown a few extra twists into player preparation, and one challenge for Deacon and his colleagues is athlete quarantine and the accompanying lack of access to training facilities. The answer? Workouts built for hotel rooms. “Travelling by plane and then having to spend much more time in hotel rooms/isolation facilities could naturally break down immune systems when you practically think about air conditioning, sleep cycle adjustments, prolonged periods in confined spaces and limited training options.” “It’s important that players know what to expect physically with regards to limitations at different venues,” said Deacon. “What has worked really well for us so far has been to prepare workouts and sessions where players only need bodyweight and elastic bands. Once you start looking into these, there are some surprisingly taxing routines one can develop. Players would normally receive a prehabilitation/rehabilitation programme from me and a workout programme from our strength & conditioning coach. All of these programmes are individualised and periodised to comply with what is required for each player to be as readily available as possible.” “Although I am not a major supporter of any type of supplements unless really required, I do believe that having our players take Phizz, we can help them boost their immune systems and that it will also help them recover better.”  As always, sleep is a vital component of what physios monitor in their athletes and work to create good habits, both on the road and at home. “If you look at sleep and sleep research, the majority of Pakistani people are ‘owls’ (larks versus owls in sleep cycle research),” said Deacon. “So, our challenge is more about getting players to sleep at the right times before games, rather than during timezone changes.” So, what does this  expert carry regularly in his bag of tricks? “Mini-loop bands, powerbands, skipping ropes, a TRX, sanitisers, a PowerDot (electric muscle stimulation for activations and/or recovery), a small massage gun, 2 different trigger point rollers and a portable speaker because training alone is hard enough - training alone and without music is just not for me!”  For more expert advice and insider access to life as a physio to pro cricketers, follow Cliffe Deacon on Instagram @cliffe55, on Twitter @cliffe55 or on his Facebook page, Cliffe Deacon Physiotherapy.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Apple & Blackcurrant Gets an Upgrade

New & improved! We’ve heard your feedback, and we must say, we’re great listeners. Recently, you may have noticed some upgrades to your favourite phizzy tablets. Firstly, we’ve heard your queries about the taste and unexpected orange hue of Apple & Blackcurrant. If you’ve tried it before, you’ve got to give it a go again, because we’ve greatly improved the flavour profile. And while we think our Apple & Blackcurrant is beautiful no matter what, our scientists have given it a makeover courtesy of natural beetroot powder. It is now a dashing shade of purple, perfectly coordinated to its tube.  Also, our scientists have supercharged our formula, packing all the goodness you expect from us into a single Apple & Blackcurrant tablet. In addition to making your Phizz go further, this wonder tablet now has fewer calories and a faster dissolve. We’re continually working to provide you with the best products and we hope you love these well-researched improvements. The new Apple & Blackcurrant has launched exclusively on phizz.co and Amazon Prime in our 20, 60 and 240 tablet sizes. This new Phizz formula is not yet available to purchase from all buying platforms and all sizes, but the updates are slowly rolled out across all retailers, so please bear with us and keep an eye out, as we can't wait to hear what you think!

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Have You Met Mighty Small?

We’d like to introduce you to our friends at Mighty Small. This online supermarket is a champion of small business, and we are honoured to be amongst their offerings, alongside many of our challenger brand friends.  Intrigued? We’ve got the inside scoop on this game-changing retailer straight Theadora Alexander, Co-Founder of Mighty Small. Here is what she had to say about the business of supporting small business! At Mighty Small, we’re all about supporting the most exciting British independent brands that offer tasty and unique food and drink. That’s why we created our online shop with exclusively small brands that want to make a big difference. We’re proud to offer Phizz to our customers as a unique way to make sure we all get the vitamins and hydration we need. We launched in April 2020, during the first pandemic lockdown, to ensure people could still get hold of their favourite small brands as well as discover more. Whether you’re looking for a 24 pack of your favourite soft drink, flavour-packed meal kits or a gift box full of snacks and other goodies, we have it all! Since opening, we’ve welcomed 70 brands and 400 products, hosted exciting giveaways and shared the message of supporting small businesses to thousands of customers. We deliver across the UK, having sent packages from the northernmost Scottish islands down to the Channel Islands. We supply both individuals looking for a delivery direct to their homes or to gift loved ones, and also trade business (cafes, offices, shops) looking to line their shelves with exciting, small brands at wholesale volumes. Our mission is to get passionate brands into as many hands as possible! From their feedback, we’ve heard that our customers absolutely love Phizz, with the Orange Multivitamin + Hydration Effervescent Tablets being our fan favourite! We also offer the Apple + Blackcurrant flavour for anyone who’s not a fan of citrus. They love that the tablets are packed full of nutrients and even come in a handy tube that you can carry throughout the day. What’s more, is that Phizz’s ‘plastic positive’ scheme means that for every tube sold, six times more plastic is collected and recycled! What more could you ask for? If you love Phizz, we’re sure you’ll absolutely adore some of our other products. Why not accompany your vitamin-packed drink with a healthy snack from 5th Season? Their freeze-dried fruit packs come in Fabulous Fruit Salad, Heavenly Pineapple and Scrumptious Strawberry, and retain over 90% of the nutritional value of fresh fruit! Can you think of a better summer snack duo? Or if you’re a business looking to buy Phizz and other independent brands in bulk, check our Corporate & Trade page.  With 95% five-star reviews on Trustpilot, we love to provide our customers with the best of British start-up brands.  Love supporting small businesses that create mouth-watering treats? Check out Mighty Small today!  

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

54 Miles in 24 Hours

54 miles. 24 hours. Are you tough enough to handle the Cateran Yomp? A yomp is the military term for a long-distance march, and the Cateran Yomp is the biggest, toughest event of its kind. Even better, it’s in support of a great cause. Phizz will be supplying the brave yompers with the hydration, vitamins and minerals in their goody bags to get them through this gruelling march. Taking place on the 11 & 12th September 2021 in the foothills of the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland, teams will battle through 54 miles in 24 hours across the rugged terrain of the Scottish wilderness. Silver or bronze distances are 36 and 22 miles respectively. This test of endurance is in support of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, the Army’s national charity. The Soldiers’ Charity offer support for soldiers, former soldiers and their families for life. The organisation is one of the largest funders in the sector, supporting 60,000 people in 63 countries last year. The overall scale, breadth and range of their support is vast. They help very young serving families cope with a sudden bereavement or traumatic loss. They provide wide-ranging support to wounded soldiers, many of whom will need increasing financial assistance for decades to come. They provide help with housing, education and training for employment for soldiers and veterans of all ages. They are there for older veterans and their widows or widowers when they find themselves lonely or isolated. Think you’re up for the challenge? Sign up with friends, family, and colleagues to experience an unforgettable weekend whilst raising money for soldiers, veterans, and their families. Whichever distance you choose, you will get to test both your physical and mental limits whilst trekking through some truly breath-taking scenery. Learn more and register at www.soldierscharity.org/yomp.   

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Travel Like an Athlete

For most of us, it’s been quite a long time since we’ve had the chance to travel. As you begin to plan your first new adventures, it’s more important than ever to also be conscious your health when you’re on the road (or in the air). Seeking some tips on wellbeing while in transit, we turned to Damian Roden, Senior Director of Sports Science at Minnesota United in the MLS.  Damian is one of the most experienced and well-respected performance coaches to emerge from the English Premier League and is an expert on keeping players fighting fit despite busy travel schedules and intensive training. His strategies for athlete recovery can also be applied to travel as disrupted sleep, meals and activity levels can wreak havoc on your health and vacation plans. Nutrition Although it’s easy to eat poorly whilst on holiday, remember nutrition is key to refuelling, repairing and rehydrating after a long flight or after a long day of sightseeing.  Damian suggests a recovery drink (like Phizz!)  to quickly and easily rehydrate after time in a dry airplane cabin, even when your appetite may be suppressed from jetlag. As always, it’s important to consume balanced meals, including “carbohydrates to help refuel, protein to help repair damaged muscles, fruit & vegetables to counteract muscle damage, essential fats to reduce inflammation and fluids to rehydrate.” Get Moving While you might be tired, it’s still important to get moving to allow your body to recover from the flight. Damian says this can be as simple as a light jog to elevate your heart rate and increase blood flow. This is great alongside some simple stretching and mobility exercises to accelerate recover. And don’t forget the hotel pool! This is an easy (and fun!) holiday friendly exercise that offers some additional benefits. “Immersion in water helps the body to produce ‘endorphins’ that enhance mood and wellbeing and the pressure of the water increases circulation from the ankles back to the heart to help remove metabolic waste.” Sleep “Sleep is arguably the single most important strategy to master not only to help the body recover but to help the body improve,” says Damian. This can be a challenge while travelling as our sleep is controlled by our circadian rhythm. As this is affected by dark and light, jetlag presents a major hurdle. To aid in resetting your body clock, Damian has a few tricks for reducing melatonin-inhibiting barriers to sleep. These include avoiding screens, dimming hotel room lights and wearing sunglasses a few hours before bed. And about that holiday cocktail? It may sound like a great way to fall sleep, but in reality, you might want to be a bit more careful if you’re feeling tired. “There are a lot of false claims that alcohol is good for sleep because it makes you feel drowsy, but it is completely counter-productive to good quality sleep. Similar to a heavy meal in the period before sleep alcohol forces your body to start working to process the alcohol instead of on repair and recovery and also increases blood pressure.” And finally, temperature is another culprit that commonly breaks our sleep cycle in an unfamiliar environment. Damian suggests opening the window for 10 minutes before bed to air the room and setting the thermostat to 19 degrees. He recommends that his players wear dry-fit garments to help regulate and maintain a consistent body temperature. So go ahead, pack some extra gym kit for your next trip! Want to learn more? Damian’s book, Fit for Every Game is available for purchase now on his website.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Immunity in Elite Sport

Immunity is on everyone’s mind these days, but in elite sport, keeping player health at its peak is something that team nutritionists have long been focused on. Curious about what these experts recommend to their athletes? We spoke with George Morgan, who has been a practicing sport nutritionist with Saracens Rugby since the 2012/13 season where he has developed a holistic nutrition service underpinned by the scientific consensus that prioritises the players goals, preferences, and circumstances. Morgan is a practitioner registrant on the Sports Exercise and Nutrition Register and has a career specialising in supporting team sports athletes. He also in the past held a consultancy role with Bordeaux Begels and most recently West Bromwich Albion Football club for the past 3 seasons.  How do you support players’ immune systems during the season? In recent work by Professor Neil Walsh, the goal of any nutrition intervention related to supporting the immune system should be to make it more robust to defend against infection and then allow the athlete to tolerate an infection i.e. reduce the infections burden on an athlete. When it comes to diet, it is important that energy needs are met and that chronic low energy diets are not recommended during periods of intense training/travel or games, as there is an association between low energy intake and increased incidence of upper respiratory tract infections.  Supplements-wise, there is very little evidence of specific supplements having a “boosting” effect on the immunes system, but it is important to guard against preventable deficiencies that will impact the athlete’s ability to tolerate and deal with infections. During winter, I recommend up to 4000IU of vitamins per day, a daily probiotic, and vitamin C. If there was any supporting data, such a blood test, I may recommend a course of iron supplementation as low levels can impact the functioning of the immune system.  I support the players I work with by providing a variety of daily meals at the training bases, designed to meet their nutritional needs and energy requirements. There needs to be sufficient protein to meet tissue growth and repair, adequate carbohydrates to provide enough energy to perform the work required and a variety of colourful fruit and vegetables to meet the athlete’s micronutrient requirements. If it is not possible to meet an athlete’s need exclusively from a food provision, then we have a toolbox of supplements to add extra support to the players. Are there any additional recommendations your make to support their immune systems when the team is travelling? For travelling, I pay extra attention to the athlete’s hydration, ensuring that they have access to plenty of fluids throughout the travel and aid them in retaining fluid by including electrolytes in beverages.   If traveling internationally, also a course of probiotics to support the functioning of the gut, as GI distress is common when athletes travel. If crossing time zones, I have jet lag protocols in place, such as moving sleep and waking towards destination time in the days prior to travel, getting the players on destination time as soon as possible and encouraging mealtimes and naps consistent with this.  I make sure they have access to melatonin-rich food stuffs, such as tart cherry juice, to promote sleep onset on the plane or on arrival if sleeping is difficult. I also ensure they have access to chewing gum on the flight to support levels of to stimulate saliva and moisten the mouth in dry and/or air conditioned environments. Are there certain foods that are beneficial to your immune system? Specific immune-boosting foods are not well supported in the literature, but it is desirable to make the body as robust as possible to cope with infection and manage it by meeting energy needs by consuming a varied balanced diet. It is advisable to minimise low energy periods (a fat loss phase) when training load or competition intensity is raised.  Moderate exercise and improving your physical fitness can have beneficial impact on immune status. Zinc acetate lozenges at the apparency of a cold may reduce the duration of an upper respiratory tract infection. Are there things that are especially detrimental to player health? There are 9 risk factors that athletes should be aware of and be mindful of. These are: The autumn and winter when prevalence of cold and flu is higher. Start vitamin D supplementation if not using already Demonstrating symptoms recently, even if mild Air travel Poor mental wellbeing/stress Low energy availability Poor sleep Increased training load Step-up in competition intensity Low levels of salivary IgA What are small daily practices you’d recommend adopting to support your immune system? I’d recommend: Daily vitamin D, probiotic and vitamin C supplementation to increase the ability of the athlete to tolerate an infection better, so it has less impact on them. A diet that is sufficient in energy to meet the needs of training, growth and repair and fluid requirements. Ensuring any symptoms of deficiencies are investigated properly and supported by accredited practitioners (Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register, Registered Dieticians) Want to learn more from George? You can follow him on Twitter at @MorganGMR.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Back to the Pub with a Pint of Phizz

Are you heading to the pub this weekend? As the U.K. releases lockdown restrictions and reopens pubs and restaurants, there’s a new list of essentials to keep in your bag, whether you’ll be dining outdoors this weekend or holding out for indoors next week. We know you have the hand sanitiser and masks covered, but there’s one more item that you might be missing to support a healthy immune system. Phizz, of course! If you’ve had a big night celebrating the reopening of the pub, we’re good friend to have on hand. The science-backed Phizz formula also contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals to help maintain a healthy immune system and contains ingredients that possess antioxidant properties to protect your body from damaging free radicals. One glass of Phizz contains as much vitamin C as 3 oranges and as much zinc as 600g of spinach, along with 17 other vitamins and minerals. Big nights out can result in dehydration and fatigue the next day. Alcohol impacts sleep quality and is also a powerful diuretic, causing water loss from the body. Phizz is designed to rapidly rehydrate you and contains a blend of B vitamins and antioxidants to combat tiredness and fatigue. It's the perfect pick-me-up after a night out.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Wellness is Trending at Selfridges

You know Selfridges as the iconic retailer with impeccable taste and knack for spotting what’s new and what’s next. Now, this giant in the luxury world is deepening its reach into wellness, and our young company is honoured to be a new brand on Selfridges.com. We wanted to learn more about what emerging trends the visionaries at Selfridges are spotting, so we caught up with Adrian Boswell, the health & wellbeing buyer. Selfridges’ expanded wellbeing range includes some great new products! What inspired you to focus on this category? As part of our Project Earth commitments to reinventing retail with sustainability at the core, supporting the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of our customers and team members is priority. So expanding our health & wellbeing category was fundamental in helping us to achieve our goals. Has the pandemic changed the way your customers shop and what they want to see from Selfridges? I think all retailers have had to adjust to how customer trends have changed due to the pandemic. It’s no secret that digital channels had an amazing uplift throughout 2020, however, as restrictions begin to ease we are confident that customers will still yearn for the experiential side of retail that cannot be replicated online, and this is something we are famous for. Self-care is a hot topic, why do you think it’s so important? Self-care is important on a variety of levels, it creates positive self-esteem & confidence, boosts energy levels and allow us to be the best version of ourselves, which also impacts how we react and engage with other people.  What do you look for in a product when adding it to your range? As mentioned previously, with our Project Earth commitments, sustainability is at the core everything we do, so new launches must be able to talk to this is some shape or form. Innovation, great branding and an ingredients list which is as clean as possible are also key. What must-have wellness products do you recommend shoppers add to their carts before checkout? Well of course Phizz 😊, CBD continues to grow from strength to strength, vitamins in liposomal formats are on the rise, as is sea moss.  There you have it! Thanks to Adrian, we’ve got a new wellbeing wish list and we’re already filling our cart. Next time you head to Selfridges.com, don’t forget to stock up on Phizz and all the other great young brands stocked by this iconic British retailer.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Socially Fit

Home fitness has had many challenges over the last year, but one of the things we miss most is the joy of sweating it out with our friends. Luckily, we’ve found a game-changing solution that brings social connection into your living room. We spoke with innovator and founder Sanne Fouquet to learn more about her brainchild, Classmate. Tell us about yourself & about Classmate! Classmate is the combination of a social network and a virtual boutique studio. Our application enables our users to connect with friends (a.k.a. Classmates) through private, live and bespoke fitness classes. Users can either book a class at a time that suits them and invite their friends, or scroll through the newsfeed to see friends' activities and spontaneously join their sessions. It’s almost like a clubhouse for virtual fitness! We aim to bring an interactive studio experience to our user's home and create a safe space with friends and instructors, in which our users feel comfortable to keep their camera on. This adds to the social experience and enables our instructors to provide personalised feedback and encouragement.  I’m an engineer who started my career on the trading floor, quickly moved to work in tech and now pivoting to become a wellness entrepreneur! I was constantly travelling between Europe and the US at my last job, and my health took a hard hit due to poor movement, food and sleeping habits. My life changed when I started to implement in-flight meditation and a strict workout routine. Not only did it help my wellbeing and mental health, but also my performance at work and my relationships. This sparked my interest in holistic health. What inspired you to create Classmate? Like many others, I struggled with mental health over the past 12 months. Even though I was constantly in Zoom meetings with my colleagues, I felt a sense of loneliness and I was struggling to find a motivating online workout alternative that kept me accountable.  I went searching for a social, virtual workout alternative and realised that most solutions out there are more or less solo experiences. Even though I loved the convenience of working out from my home,  I missed the social aspect of going to a class together with friends. At the same time, I noticed that people around me were setting up private, virtual yoga classes together with their friends. This was a very tedious process that required them to find an instructor, a time that suited the instructor and friend group, splitting the payments etc., and there was no way to know what classes your fitness network were taking.  This led me to create Classmate, a platform that lets you connect with your friends across the world over a fun, healthy and soul-enriching virtual activity that we try to squeeze into our calendar anyway. Classmate is not just about providing a fun fitness alternative, we are creating a healthy way of socialising with your friends around the world. What classes do you recommend for those just beginning to work out again after a year at home? Barre is an isometric and full-range flexibility movement that is a perfect, join-friendly workout for women and men in all ages. It’s a super fun workout, feel-good guided by upbeat tunes. Yoga is also a perfect start to get back, especially our founding instructor Amy’s  LYT Yoga classes which help reset postural imbalances that many of us have developed when sitting scrunched in front of our computers the last couple of months. What are the benefits of working out in a group instead of alone? First and foremost: It is just so much more fun to work out with friends and family! It is scientifically proven that working out with friends makes you more accountable, and keeps you more motivated throughout the class. Furthermore, there is no better way of increasing bonding than enjoying those good vibes only, workout endorphins. One of our most popular features are the “pre-workout” socials during which friends are sent to a private, virtual room to catch up for a few minutes ahead of class. After the class is finished, the instructor leaves but lets all Classmates stay to hang for as long as they want. What types of groups are using Classmate? We have many friend groups scattered around  the world who use Classmate as a natural way of staying in touch whilst staying in shape. We also have a few examples of parents and their grown-up kids living across Europe who are using Classmate on a weekly basis, as well as remote teams having sessions to strengthen team connectivity while staying healthy. It’s also interesting to see users living in the same city who enjoy working out from home and are teaming up to get personalised experience on par with a PT session, for a fraction of the price. Any tips for setting up a home workout space? Many! There are a few simple tricks that can make a huge difference to your virtual fitness experience. I would say that the most important factor is the device set up. Make sure to join your workouts from a device with a relatively large  screen. You can connect your device to your TV through Chromecast and AppleTV in a few clicks. Other devices with good sound quality such as your laptop or iPad work well too. If you join via your phone, it's hard for you to see your instructor and Classmates properly. Keep your camera on and don't hesitate to interact with your instructor and Classmate through the chat or by unmuting yourself. Take a few minutes before class to set up your space and ensure you have a bottle of Phizz to keep you hydrated throughout the workout! Want to try Classmate for yourself? They launched their app THIS week, now available to download on App Store and Google Play. You can follow their journey on Instagram at @joinclassmate.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

A Billion Bottles

Next week, on 22nd April, the world will celebrate Earth Day. At Phizz, we aim to celebrate our planet every day, and our partnership with Plastic Bank is a big step toward that goal. For each tube of Phizz sold, approximately 4 times its weight in plastic waste is collected, recycled and prevented from entering our oceans, that's 1,150,000 plastic bottles so far! Plastic Bank has just reached a collection milestone of over one billion bottles of ocean plastic - that's over 20 million kilograms of plastic waste prevented from entering our oceans! We’re proud to be working with Plastic Bank to stop ocean plastic and improve lives. Together, we're helping support over 17,000 collectors from vulnerable coastal communities in Haiti, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil and Egypt. Collectors exchange their plastic for bonuses that provide basic family necessities like groceries, cooking fuel, health insurance and school tuition. Learn more about how we make an impact with Plastic Bank at plasticbank.com and please, don’t forget to recycle your empty tubes!

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

A Healthy Fast

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan has begun, which for many people around the world, means a fast from sunrise to sunset. In the U.K., this means no food or drink for about 14 hours. Dehydration and dipping energy levels are common challenges, so it is important to make the most of the food and drinks you consume during suhoor, the morning meal, and iftar, the evening meal. With a healthy plan in place, you can look after your body while honouring this special time of year.  Stay Hydrated Maximising your water intake is critical for avoiding dehydration. This is key as even mild dehydration (just 1-2%) can have significant effects, including headaches, mental and physical tiredness, changes in mood, irritability and decreases in cognitive performance like attention, memory and critical thinking. Avoid caffeinated drinks which can act as a diuretic and increase water loss. Fizzy drinks are also not recommended as they can often slow down the digestive process. Keep water by your bedside, opt for water-dense foods and try adding Phizz to your water before dawn. Phizz can help your body absorb up to 3 times the hydration of water alone as it contains electrolytes and harnesses the power of osmosis to drive water absorption in the body. Opt for Nutrient-Rich Foods When food intake is limited, it’s vital to make sure that you make those meals count. While fatty foods may seem tempting when breaking fast, they don’t provide the lasting energy or balance that your body needs. Sweets and salty foods are also not recommended.  The World Health Organisation recommends a variety of vegetables to provide vital nutrients, whole grains to offer energy and fibre, and lean meat to give your body much-needed protein. They also recommend eating slowly to avoid the heartburn and discomfort that can arise from large meal. Don’t Forget to Move Although a fast can be tiring, the WHO still recommends trying to maintain a level of physical activity in the evenings. A light daily walk is suggested to keep your body moving, but be mindful not to overdo it.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

The Ultimate Athlete & Performance Retreat

For the highest calibre of professional athletes, the off-season doesn’t mean a break from training. In order to achieve peak physical fitness and compete at the most elite levels, these athletes need to find creative ways to blend down time with gym time. This unique set of requirements sparked an idea for Jordan Demetriou, and Mykonos Performance was born. Phizz is proud to announce that this innovative fitness retreat is our newest sport partner. After many years working in sports physiotherapy and reconditioning with significant full-time working experience at major U.K. football clubs, Jordan recognised that that the athletes in his care were searching for warm weather destinations that could offer training and rehabilitation services for the moments that they didn’t need to be at their team training grounds. He gathered a group of highly qualified trainers and therapists, and a revolutionary concept came to life. Mykonos Performance launched in 2016, creating the first-of-its-kind, exclusive rehabilitation and performance resort providing athletes from around the world with ideal conditions to optimise performance, in style. Jordan is now Head of Performance and his clients are able to enjoy individualised, premium fitness and wellness services whilst vacationing on the iconic island of Mykonos. The team chose Mykonos for its unmatched blend of great weather, transport connections and reputation for the highest-end hospitality and services. Mykonos Performance has grown rapidly, with an ever-increasing the calibre and volume of athletes choosing the resort. It’s now fair to say Mykonos Performance is the most popular destination for off-season warm-weather training for footballers and athletes in Europe. Jordan and team are now entering an exciting new phase by building a bespoke fitness and wellness concept, Charisma Hotel, fully equipped with state-of-the-art fitness facilities. The new home of Mykonos Performance will be able to cater for even the most demanding sport requirements while also offering on-site accommodation, nutrition and wellness services. This new space will allow for a longer season spanning from spring to autumn and expanding the team’s ability to welcome more athletes from all elite sports. Fitness-enthusiasts members of the general public will also benefit from access to the new facilities when booking on-site accommodation or taking part in organised wellness retreats hosted at Charisma Hotel.    Phizz will be on hand to keep these athletes hydrated in the heat and intense training sessions as well as fuelled with our comprehensive formula of vitamins and minerals.  Want to learn more about this revolution in elite fitness? Visit MykonosPerformance.com or follow along on Instagram @mykonosperformance. To book at Charisma Hotel, please visit their website.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

The Perfect Vegan Pancakes

We've found the perfect recipe to start your day on the right foot, thanks to the all-stars at OGGS! Introducing the most delicious pancakes that come completely guilt-free. And we mean it! OGGS Aquafaba is an egg-alternative that makes your favourite morning indulgence completely vegan and produces 5 times less CO2 than eggs. Talk about a win. As for OGGS, this plant-based brand is not to be missed. You can pick them up at Sainsbury’s (along with Phizz!) and be sure to check out their ready-made cakes for an extra treat. Now, onto the pancakes! PREP TIME 15 MINS COOK TIME 15 MINS SERVES 12 PANCAKES INGREDIENTS 380g plain flour 2tsp baking powder 130g caster sugar 250ml OGGS Aquafaba 7tbsp vegetable oil A squeeze of lemon 150ml dairy-free milk (We love almond or oat milk in this recipe, but all types of milk will work.) Margarine, for frying Favourite toppings… fresh fruit, maple syrup, melted chocolate…the options go on and on.  METHOD Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Next, whisk up your OGGS® Aquafaba in a clean bowl for 30 seconds until it’s pale and frothy and then add the oil, lemon juice and milk. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, little by little, until you’ve made a smooth thick batter. Rest the pancake batter in the fridge for 30 minutes…sorry! Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of margarine. Once melted, add a small ladleful of batter into the frying pan and smooth into a rough round with the back of the ladle. Wait until the base of the mixture sets and the top begins to bubble, then flip it over and cook until both sides are golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is used up Serve with lashings of your favourite toppings! For a video guide and more helpful tips, view the full recipe here. Ready to try these for yourself? You’re in luck! We’ve got a discount for Phizz fans. Use code OGGS20 at www.loveoggs.com for 20% off aquafaba. While you’re there, be sure to check out all of their great plant-based recipe ideas!

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Phizz Drops in Sainsbury’s

This is big! We’ve been keeping this secret for far too long, but we can finally share this milestone moment with all of you. Phizz launches in Sainsbury’s superstores nationwide today. Sainsbury’s is the first major grocer to stock our young British wellness brand. Phizz is part of the retailer’s Future Brands initiative, a scheme designed to support challenger brands and offer customers unique and distinctive products.  Our tablets will be available for purchase in 319 superstore locations, with product on shelves in the vitamins, minerals and supplements aisle. Sainsburys.co.uk will also be launching our effervescents in the beginning of March. The retailer will stock twenty-tablet tubes in-stores and online in both of the Phizz flavours, Orange and Apple & Blackcurrant.  “It is incredibly exciting to see a legendary grocer like Sainsbury’s throwing its support behind our young brand and believing in our fresh take on the effervescent category,” said Daniel Cray, Phizz co-founder. “We began as a trusted supplier to airlines, hotels and sport clubs with a strong e-commerce position, so our new launch into Sainsbury’s is a landmark for our business. Wellbeing is top of mind like never before, and consumers are looking for an easy all-in-one product that supports their active lifestyles now at home and also back out in the world when it is time. Phizz is proud to be a product that consumers can trust to make wellness simple.” Emma Williams, Head of Origination & Investing, Future Brands at Sainsbury’s said: “We are delighted to welcome Phizz to our Future Brands programme. We’ve kept an eye on this impressive young brand for several years and are proud to now be the first retailer to launch their innovative multivitamin. We know that our customers are increasingly looking for wellbeing products to support their busy lives, so are excited to see what they think of these sparkling effervescents.” Want to see if we’re popping up in your local Sainsbury’s? Check out the full list on our store locator.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Phizz Returns As Saracens Official Hydration Partner!

Phizz is pleased to announce it has renewed its partnership with Saracens for the 2021 season.  Our young British brand has been an official partner of the club for three years, powering the team both on and off the field. Phizz was scientifically formulated to be the most comprehensive blend of hydration, vitamins and minerals out there. The effervescent tablets rapidly hydrate the body up to three times more than water alone and replenish electrolytes along with an alphabet of vitamins & minerals to provide natural energy and support immune and brain function, recovery and wellness.   Saracens fly-half and England captain Owen Farrell said: “Staying hydrated is key to playing at your best. Phizz supports with this, providing the hydration, vitamins and minerals we lose during all training sessions and during games. A Phizz tablet keeps us hydrated and helping us to perform at our best.”  Phizz Head of Sport Yasmin Badiani said: “Phizz is proud to continue to fuel the Saracens family. The ongoing partnership with Saracens is a major highlight for our   growing company and we are honoured to be able to supply the team for another season.” Saracens Group Head of Partnerships Lucy Englander added: “We are so pleased to announce this extension with Phizz. On a personal basis I use the product day in, day out and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Thank you, Team Phizz, for the continued support!”  Although Phizz is used by more than 50 pro sports teams across Premier League & Championship Football clubs, Saracens Rugby & South Africa Cricket, it’s not just for pro athletes. Phizz is for home workouts, long Zoom meetings and general wellness. 

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Meet Our Head Of Sport

Phizz has become a favourite among top athletes and our tablets are used by more than 50 pro sports teams across Premier League & Championship Football clubs, Saracens Rugby & South Africa Cricket.  The expert behind the scenes is our Head of Sport, Yasmin Badiani. Yasmin is a former Premier League physio herself, who now works directly with the medical staff of these world-class teams to develop a plan for their players’ hydration needs. She gave us the scoop on pro-athlete nutrition & hydration as well as some tips on how you to apply these techniques to your own workouts. What do training and match day nutrition look like for athletes? Good nutrition has a huge impact on sports performance.  Professional sport teams have nutritionists and chefs on hand to create individual plans for players, tailored for their unique needs including personal requirements, travel agenda, training schedule and match days they have ahead of them. There is no one formula for the perfect athletic diet as needs vary person to person, sport to sport and week to week. These nutritionists look at the full picture for each individual and build meal plans that work for a player’s precise circumstances. That said, while athlete nutrition does come mostly from food, supplements like protein powders, energy gels and hydration tablets (like Phizz) do play a vital role in giving players the extra edge they need to be at peak performance. These products are carefully chosen for the additional support that they give during intense exercise regimes with high levels of sweat and stress on the body. Why is hydration important for athletes? What advantage is there to using an electrolyte tablet like Phizz vs. plain water? The body is made up of around 70% water, so while hydration is important for everyone, it is even more critical for athletes who are losing large volumes of sweat during intense exercise. Just 2-3% loss of body weight through fluid can result in serious physical and mental struggles, and athletes can lose around 6-10% of their body weight when competing. Dehydration can have huge physiological consequences such as an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as reduced thermoregulation within the body. It can also cause joint pain, fatigue, dizziness, muscle cramps and decreased endurance as a result of the body burning muscle glycogen instead of using fat for fuel. Most seriously, dehydration can result in heat exhaustion or heat stroke.  Dehydration doesn’t just affect you physically, but also has a considerable effect on your mental game too. Your brain is 85% water, so even mild dehydration can induce changes in mood, decline in concentration, alertness and motivation, all of which are very important in peak performance with professional athletes.    These are all reasons why taking in fluid before, during and after exercise is key for all athletes, pro or not. But it’s important to note that you lose more than just water when you sweat - you also lose electrolytes. These electrolytes help the body to absorb the water that you’re drinking rather than allowing it to simply pass through the body. Phizz tablets contain a wide range of these essential electrolytes and actually form a hypotonic electrolyte solution when dissolved in water. This means Phizz harnesses the power of osmosis to drive water absorption in the body.  The carefully measured amounts of sodium and glucose in the formula drive water absorption through the sodium glucose co-transporter. This combined approach has been shown to absorb more water than the isotonic or overly sugary solutions typically used in sports drinks.   Why do athletes also need a multivitamin? Health is on everyone’s mind right now, and pro sport teams are no different. With busy travel schedules, immunity is always a key focus and teams need athletes to be consistently available and in peak health for matches. Intense training can also negatively impact your body’s ability to fight infection so using a product such as Phizz that contains a wide range of vitamins including vitamins A, C and E can really support the immune system. After a workout, a multivitamin supplement is also helpful in recovery. Phizz is formulated with powerful antioxidants that help limit the damage caused by free radicals produced during exercise and assists in recovery post-exercise. Its dose of vitamin C supports maintenance and repair of connective tissue including blood vessels, bones and ligaments, all of which are essential for optimal physical performance. Magnesium and zinc are also important for muscle recovery.  How can you adapt these tips for someone who isn’t a professional athlete, but does high intensity workouts regularly? Whether you are a professional athlete or someone who occasionally enjoys a good workout, keeping your body in the right state is vital. This means a good, balanced diet rich with healthy, energy fuelling foods. Stay hydrated by drinking 500-700ml before exercising and continue sipping throughout. Supplements like Phizz can help you make the most of the water you do drink. Monitor the colour of urine, too dark means you may not be drinking enough. Pace yourself and listen to your body- do you need more fluids or food?

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Veganuary Recipes Made Simple

Are you giving Veganuary a go? If eating plant-based has given you an appetite for change, you don't have to a be a master chef to make it delicious thanks to our friends at Merchant Gourmet. Pioneers in plant-based simplicity, their simple lentils, grains and chestnuts come straight from Mother Nature, are easy to prepare, and most importantly are better for you and for the planet. We’re bringing you two of their incredible plant-based recipes to help brighten up your new year. First up, we have the Puy Lentil Curry. This lovely recipe was created by Merchant Gourmet’s new partner, superstar vegan chef and cookbook author Gaz Oakley.  Gaz is creating easy-to-make, incredible, meat-free recipes using Merchant Gourmets ingredients, and this one features their tasty Puy lentils. High in fibre and protein, these lentils have a delicate, slightly peppery flavour, and have been simply cooked with water, onion, bay leaf and a dash of olive oil. When cooked with potatoes, an aromatic blend of spices, stock, coconut milk and tomato puree, the result is a family favourite you’ll reach for again and again. See the full Puy Lentil Curry recipe here.  Next up are these mouth-watering Korean Tacos. Created by Aimee Ryan of Wallflower Kitchen, these moreish tacos use Merchant Gourmet Zingy Korean Style Grains. The grains are the key to making this recipe beginner-friendly as they come ready-to-go with a blend of wheatberries, black barley and edamame beans with red pepper cooked in a spicy gochujang style paste. Simple additional ingredients include sesame oil, tofu, sriracha sauce served in tortillas with your choice of toppings. This low stress recipe is sure to be crowd-pleaser! See the full Korean Tacos recipe here. Love what you’ve seen here? Be sure to check out all of Merchant Gourmet’s offerings on their website, along with loads more healthy and plant-based recipe ideas.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

How to Thrive in the Chaos of 2020

As the end of the year approaches, we are reflecting back on the chaos of an unforgettable year and looking hopefully (and perhaps somewhat warily) to the months ahead. No matter what 2021 brings, it is possible to not just survive, but to thrive, with the aid of a few adjustments in perspective, courtesy of our friend, Sana Govender. Sana is an organisational & behavioural psychologist and performance coach driven by unlocking human potential and the capacity we have to achieve great things, making him just the man to turn to for some wise words. Here is his advice for taking on whatever the world throws at you.  So, 2020 has been one heck of a year. One that has brought with it a crazy amount of good, bad and chaotic experiences but also a huge amount of clarity. It has forced us to reassess our priorities, our paths, our goals and our lives in general. It has shown us that automatic living has no place in our lives and for us to live as healthy, happy and efficiently as possible, conscious action is required instead of passive acceptance. However, chaos is something we are well acquainted with because the world we live in is one of chaos. Our individual brains are processing and organising that chaos as best as is possible, trying very hard to bring structure to that chaos and forming your life as you know it.  With that said, I want you to think about life as the open ocean, wild, untamed, unpredictable and purely fluid in movement. Now I want you to think of a pool, whether naturally formed or man-made. The idea of the pool is to tame the water, bring clarity to its fluidity and structure to its chaos, making the pool safer and easier to swim in, with a more enjoyable experience.  Without conscious effort and a plan, it is quite difficult to get the most out of life normally, without taking into account the current Covid climate we find ourselves in. However, the good news is, there are quite a few things we can think about and implement in our lives to help us not only bring structure to chaos but also thrive in it. Here are my five pillars for thriving in chaos: Bounceback: Bouceback is your ability to rebound from physical, mental or emotional setback, perceived failure or crisis and return to pre-crisis state. How do I build it? Celebrate the small wins. No matter how small, make an effort to really appreciate them and condition yourself to start seeing more positive outcomes in life. Create reference points. You are a walking, talking embodiment of resilience. Always remember that. Whatever adversity you have gone through, create a reference point for future adversity. Adopt the ‘I did it before, I can do it again’ mindset. Face your fears. Whatever the fear, to overcome it you have to expose yourself to it, little by little. To build bounceback, you have to slowly dip your toe into the waters and normalise your fears. Change the narrative and reframe. If you encounter tough situations, try to reframe that situation. Look for growth opportunities and ways to shift the overall outcome from negative to positive. Be realistic. When setting targets, goals and aspirations, try to be ambitious but realistic. If you overstretch your current abilities, you may be setting yourself up for failure and negative reinforcement.  Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, use and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. How does it help me? Self-awareness. You recognize your own emotions and how they affect your thoughts and behavior. You know your strengths and weaknesses and have self-confidence. Self-management. You’re able to control impulsive feelings and behaviours, manage your emotions in healthy ways, take initiative, follow through on commitments and adapt to changing circumstances. Social awareness. You have empathy. You understand the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues, feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization. Relationship management. You know how to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team and manage conflict How do I build it?     Observe how you react to people. Examine how you react in situations. Realise, identify and review. Examine how your actions could affect others before taking action. Examine how various life environments make you feel. Take responsibility for your actions. Habits: A habit is a routine of behaviour that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. It is more or less a fixed way of thinking or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience. How do I build good habits? Look for cues that trigger a habit. Identify your routine. What do you usually do when presented with this specific cue? What would you like to change? Reward better choices. Provide positive reinforcement for a desired behavior, making it more likely that you will produce that behavior again in the future, thus building a good habit!  Belief System: Contrary to popular belief, believing in yourself is a necessary and very powerful ability to have. This is your belief in your own ability to take on new tasks and experiences and complete them. It is your belief in your own self-image. How do I build it? Look to understand your current belief system and whether or not it is serving you in a positive way. If not, ask yourself: are those negative beliefs backed by fact? Often, they are not and negative beliefs lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure. Use solid facts to overcome these mental hurdles.  Vulnerability Vulnerability is the process of cultivating positive emotions to enhance your experiences and performance and learnings in life. How do I build it? Vulnerability isn't about being perfect, it's about showing up! Be your best, not perfect. Ask yourself: am I showing up for myself? What could I do to show up for myself? What conscious action could I take that will allow me to take one step forward? Dare to be yourself. Your struggles are relative, don’t hide them. Hiding them because they aren’t as bad as someone else’s will only make your life worse. Verbalise it, normalise that you may have hardship, figure out how it is affecting you and what you could do to positively influence it. It’s ok to not be ok. You have to face vulnerability with openness and non-judgement. Not being or feeling 100% is a normal part of life. Accept it and move forward.  By making yourself more aware of these pillars, examining how they manifest in your life and implementing them in your day, you can create a sense of control and direction for yourself, like the pool bringing structure to the chaos of water. Bring your own individual structure to the chaos of life, helping you live more efficiently, happier and in line with your best self.   For more great life advice and tools for mental wellbeing, check out Sana’s podcast The WildCast. You can get in touch with him via his personal Instagram @sana_govender or follow along with his performance coaching @wildculture._  

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Should You Try a Digital Detox?

We’ve all been spending a lot more time at home, and for many of us, that means a lot more time screen time. As winter fully sets in, the idea of a digital fast seems both a bit daunting and a bit magical. Seeking more information on what the process is like, we turned to Max Lowery, the multi-hyphenate personal trainer, online coach, founder of 2MealDay, creator of Connect Retreats and devoted advocate of screen breaks. Let’s start with the why of digital detox. You likely are already familiar with the constant pull to check your phone. Whether it’s email or social media that beckons you most, our devices can have a huge impact on our productivity, attention span and in some cases, our mental wellbeing.  For Max, some of the biggest gains from his digital fasts include the amount he gets done in a day. One notification no longer leads down the rabbit hole of mindless scrolling. He also says he feels more present and able to remain “in the moment” with his environment and the people around him. “Before I started digital fasting, if there were ever any time where I was alone in a public space, I would get my phone out and start scrolling,” he said. “I now use these times to try and practice mindfulness – the process of purposely bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment. For me, this brings out a sense of calm and relaxation and can help prevent compulsive thoughts.”  Also, Max sees a big improvement in his sleep. There are studies documenting the negative effects of blue light on sleep, and Max verifies that this is indeed a big one for him and refraining from pre-bedtime phone usage has been a game-changer. Intrigued? Here is Max’s approach digital fasting can grow with you from initial steps to expert level extended breaks. Try turning off your notifications. “At the end of the day, if it’s REALLY important, they will call you. If it’s not, then it’s not worth being interrupted while you are catching up with a friend of working on a task.” Try the new Screen Time feature on your phone. “This will lock you out of certain apps at specific times. Tell yourself that you will not respond to work-related emails or calls before/after a particular time every day.” Team up to institute a no phone rule when spending time with friends. “It’s incredible how much of a difference this makes, you might be met with resistance at first, but persist in a non-aggressive way, challenge them to go for 1 hour without looking at their phone!” Get outside. “Going on a phoneless walk can be a great way to reduce stress and anxiety at the same time as improving physical fitness and connecting with the world around you. It’s one of my favourite things to do, and many of the guests on Connect Retreats decide to leave their phone behind on our three-day hike.” Go easy on yourself. “Don’t make this another thing to feel guilty about. If you set yourself the goal of not using your phone on the weekend, but give in and use it after 24 hours, then move on. Don’t feel guilty about it. The goal is to improve your relationship with your phone, not put extra pressure and guilt on you.”  Whether you try these tips for evenings, full weekends or extended breaks, there’s much to be gained from taking a break from the constant connection. Want to learn more? Max gives great advice as a personal trainer and online coach. You can reach him via his website www.2mealday.com or @max.lowery. For more info on an unplugged getaway of your own, check out www.connectretreats.co.uk.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Healthy Fuel for the Festive Season

The holiday season is notorious for being the busiest time of the year with endless to-do lists and never quite enough time. This year will likely look a bit different, but whether you’re Christmas shopping online or decking the halls of your home, we’ve got some tips to help you get the most energy from your food.  Alfie Meade, a nutritionist at HIIT Kitchen, Phizz’s newest stockist, shared some healthy meals to help you power through your festive agenda. And there’s no prep necessary! HIIT Kitchen’s meal delivery service will drop these energy boosters straight to your door. Here’s what he recommends: The primary role of dietary carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body. Our gluten-free sweet potato pancakes with blueberries, raspberries, yoghurt & coconut are an easy winner when it comes to a high source of carbohydrates to keep you fuelled for your home workouts or tree trimming!  Protein is responsible for many functions throughout the body including energy production, cell signalling and nutrient transport. For these reasons and many more, protein is an essential dietary nutrient for healthy living. When it comes to a tasty, wholesome high-protein meal our chicken korma with cauliflower rice and tandoori broccoli certainly tops it.  Dietary fat is essential for survival and has many important functions in human bodies as a major source of energy, metabolising fat-soluble vitamins, and providing heat insulation for the body. Choose healthy fats like the salmon in our pink grapefruit, white miso-glazed salmon with spicy udon noodles & crunchy Thai slaw. Looking to try some of these yourself? We’ve got a special discount code to celebrate our launch on the HIIT Kitchen site. Use code PHIZZ25 at checkout for 25% off your meal order.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Better Sleep for Shorter Days

Shorter days & higher stress can mean trouble sleeping. Luckily, Phizz friend, lifestyle coach & personal trainer Robbie Thompson has some tricks to help you unlock a major key of wellbeing- a great night of sleep. Here is his advice for getting ahead this autumn. One of the simplest and most effective things you can do to upgrade how you look, feel and perform is to improve your sleep.  Sleep is literally the magic pill that everyone is looking for, yet we fail to utilise it and worse still, we actually deprive ourselves of it. Ideally, we should all be aiming for 7-9 hours of restful sleep per night. Of course, some don’t have control over sleep schedules due to young children or shift work, but many of us could get more sleep but instead choose to watch another episode on Netflix. Here’s a scary quote from sleep guru Matthew Walker, “The shorter you sleep, the shorter your life.” Getting insufficient sleep for prolonged periods of time can have serious implications for your health. But equally, there are endless benefit if you can improve the quality of your sleep including improved memory, enhanced creativity, increased strength and fitness, reduced body fat, strengthened immune system, increased life expectancy, improved mood and ability to handle stress. Here are 5 simple tips to improve your sleep: Reduce your caffeine intake after middayCaffeine is a fantastic stimulant. That cup of coffee isn’t just delicious, it’s a great way of getting you fired up to take on the day.But caffeine has what is called a “half-life” of up to 5-7 hours. This means that if you have a strong coffee at 4 p.m., you may still feel the effects of half of the coffee’s caffeine content at 11 p.m.To avoid the risk of affecting your sleep, simply limit your caffeine intake after midday and instead choose water, soft drinks or herbals teas. Have a routineSticking to a set pattern of going to bed and waking will mean that you find it easier to both fall asleep and wake up. This applies to weekends too!By having late nights and lie-ins at weekends, you’re throwing your sleep pattern off every week. This means that come Sunday night, you can’t get to sleep, and on Monday morning, you can’t get up. You’re basically jet lagging yourself.Instead, try to keep to a similar routine both throughout the week and at weekends too so your body knows when it’s time to wind down and when it’s time to start the day. Dim the lightsBright lights in the evening are effectively blocking all the signals telling your body it’s time to wind down for bed. Instead, try to use lamps and candles to create a calm, relaxing environment to help you begin to feel sleepy. Do a brain dumpIf you have a lot on your mind with work or life in general, the moment your head hits the pillow can be when these thoughts start flying around.Before bed, take a piece of paper and write down everything that’s on your mind. The tasks you need to follow up tomorrow, the person you forgot to call- get it all written down.You’ll be able to get to sleep more easily knowing the to do list is out of your head and you have it written down. Plus, you now have a plan for the next day.It’s also worth keeping a pad and pen by your bed in case you wake up with something on your mind. You can simply note it down and go back to sleep. Get your phone out of your bedroomThat addictive device of yours that lights up and flashes all day with notifications is extremely stimulating. You don’t want or need this whilst you’re trying to sleep.If it’s right next to your bed, you’ll be subconsciously thinking about it and reaching for it more than you should or scrolling through it before you go to sleep when you should be winding down and switching off. Or worse, checking it during the night.Get it out of your room so that you aren’t able to do any of this. And trust me, this will be game changing for not just your sleep but your general wellbeing.You’ll go to bed and wake up feeling calmer and more in control. Give these 5 simple tips a try to improve your sleep and see what a huge impact they can make on how you look, feel and perform.  Robbie is a personal trainer and lifestyle coach based in the U.K. but works with clients all over the world. His techniques go beyond helping his clients look great, and extend to performance, mindset, motivation and lifestyle. Robbie has been a coach since 2008 and has worked with hundreds of clients including celebrities, actresses and TV presenters. He contributed workouts and fitness content for Vicky Pattison’s hugely successful book, “The Real Me.” To hear more from Robbie, follow him on Instagram @robbie__thompson or check out his website www.robbie-thompson.com.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Cosy & Healthy Recipes for Autumn

While you’re curled up at home this autumn, comforting and warming meals are exactly what you crave, but those cosy dishes can actual be the fuel your body needs to power workouts.  We’ve sourced some simple (and delicious!) recipes from our friends & founders of RugbyGrub, Harry Elrington & Theo Brophy Clews. These two are professional rugby players with a passion for combining good food with great performance, all while keeping it simple and affordable. They’ve got the ultimate breakfast with their RugbyGrub Fluffy Pancakes and a crowd-pleasing dinner with their Ultimate Fajitas. We know you’re getting hungry, so here are the recipes: RugbyGrub Fluffy Pancakes Makes: 6 pancakes Difficulty: Easy Ready In: 20 minutes Nutrition Information (per 3 pancakes) KCal: 559 Protein: 26 grams Carbs: 87 grams Fat: 11 grams Ingredients: 200 grams plain flour 1 teaspoon baking powder Pinch of salt 500 grams milk 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla essence ½ teaspoon cinnamon Directions: Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a larger mixing bowl and combine. Separate the whites from the yolks and whisk until firm and fluffy with an electric whisk or an energetic arm. Add the yolks to the milk and whisk. Slowly whisk into the flour mix until you have a smooth batter. Add in the vanilla essence and cinnamon and mix in. Finally, lightly fold the egg whites into mixture until fully combined. Cook the pancakes how you normally would, waiting for bubbles to come through before flipping. Note: To up the protein content, swap 30 grams of flour for a scoop of vanilla whey protein.   Ultimate Fajitas Makes: 6 wraps Difficulty: Easy Ready In: 15 minutes Nutrition Information (per wrap with no toppings): KCal: 321 Protein: 19 grams Carbs: 35 grams Fat: 11 grams  Ingredients: 400 grams chicken thigh fillets 1 red pepper 1 red onion 3 garlic cloves 4 spring onions 30 grams chorizo 2 teaspoons cumin 2 teaspoons paprika 2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder (Vegetta/bouillon) 2 teaspoons oregano 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper Directions: Chop the chicken into strips and mix with the seasonings and a little bit of oil. Add to a preheated frying pan on high heat. Whilst the chicken starts to brown, chop you veg. Once the chicken is browned on all sides, add in the red onion, pepper and garlic and cook until the veg is soft and the chicken is cooked through. Once cooked, stir the spring onion in so it stays nice and crunchy. Serve with tortilla wraps, cheese, guacamole, spinach or anything you want really (we’re not going to stop you!). Note: This is where you can customise the dish to your needs. Need lots of carbs to fuel your training? Have more wraps. Need more calories to help achieve a calorie surplus? Add more cheese and guac. Need to increase your micronutrient intake? Use lots of spinach. This is the beauty of fajitas- they are completely customisable! For more easy-to-follow (and genius!) nutrition tips like these, follow along with the guys on Instagram @rugbygrub or check out their website at www.rugbygrub.com.  

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Cool Running

Autumn means cooler weather and darker mornings. While it shouldn’t stop you from getting out for your daily run, there are some things you might want to know before heading out the door. We caught up with RunThrough events coaching partner, former international athlete and founder of New Levels Coaching, Lewis Moses, to get answers to our biggest questions on how to keep running (safely) as the thermostat dips.  Do you advise bundling up for a run in the cold? The short and very easy answer to this is yes, absolutely. During winter months, it's important to wrap up in warmer clothes and my theory is always that you can easily take off layers, but you can't put them on if you don't have them. Scientifically, evidence is mixed in relation to warm up and warming the body up for exercise, but one thing is clear, certain structures in the body, particularly tendons and muscles, prefer to be warmer, so going out cold or in freezing conditions can be a bit of an injury risk. The main thing in the winter is to STAY SAFE. Make sure you are wrapped up, you have reflective gear on and people know where you are going. The dark mornings and nights can be dangerous for runners and we need to be extra careful in winter months.  Should the change in temperature impact the pace your running? Most definitely. We have seen many examples of the negative effects the heat can have on athletes when they push too hard in warmer temperatures. When you run, your body is constantly working to regulate your core body temperature (hence why we sweat a lot in the heat) and running too hard in the heat, will make this a lot harder. The body is also working hard in cooler temperatures. In the winter, it can often feel hard to breathe, especially when setting off. Therefore I always recommend athletes 'easing' into sessions or runs to allow the body time to adjust to the colder temperatures. Naturally, as you warm up, you will feel better and you can pick the pace up. When it's extremely cold outside, you should also be careful, especially when cornering on potentially slippery ground. This could also affect your pace, but it's more important to be safe than fast! Are there things you can do to help the body adjust before going out? I believe this comes down to the individual and finding out what works for them. Personally, I recommend stretching and mobility work before leaving the house, so that you feel like you have gotten the body and the joints more mobile. People may feel like a hot drink warms them up, which technically it will, but then to regulate the body temperature the body will sweat to cool you down again, so that really does come down to preference. One thing my wife does, which is a great trick if you suffer from something such as Raynaud's disease, is put hand warmers underneath your gloves when it's really cold. She figured this out when skiing one winter and now does the same at the start of very cold runs in the winter. Do you advise running with a buddy if you find it hard to stay motivated? Yes 100%! Meeting someone can help you stay accountable and give you the motivation to get out of bed and see the other side of the door. More importantly though, it's great for mental health to be sociable and be speaking to other people, not to mention the safety factor of running with other people. When darker mornings and nights do set it, we always recommend running with people when you can. Right now, we obviously have to be aware of the government guidelines and we should always adhere to these, but I would strongly recommend running with someone whether it be in the summer or winter months. Interested in hearing more of Lewis’ excellent advice? We’ve got the connection. Lewis and his team and New Levels Coaching strive to help runners and triathletes find their true potential by working with individually to improve their physical and mental wellbeing. You can reach them via their website www.newlevelscoaching.co.uk or Instagram @newlevelscoaching. And if you’re looking to get involved in some virtual races, check out our friends RunThrough at www.runthrough.co.uk or @runthroughuk.  

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Brain Food to Power Your Work Day

We all know the importance of a good diet when it comes to seeing results in the gym, but did you know that diet can also have an impact on your performance in the office? We turned to nutritional therapist Alicia Cooper for some insight. Cooper is also the owner & curator of Lifebox Food, the leading health & wellbeing subscription box in the U.K. (where you may have recently spotted Phizz!).  Cooper notes that the food you choose to eat throughout the day has an impact on your energy levels, mood, concentration and productivity, primarily through your blood sugar. “Too much sugar and you'll have an energy high, but what comes up must come down and that's when you have a slump,” says Cooper.  We’ve rounded up some of her best office eating advice, take a look below:  Eat three balanced meals a day (yes, you should eat breakfast). This keeps your blood sugar stable and the “hanger” at bay while you tackle your to-do list. Each of these meals should include protein, healthy fats and complex carbs. Opt out of carb-heavy or meat-rich options during the day. These meals can lead to mid-afternoon sleepiness, as your body needs more energy to digest them. These are better saved for dinner! Limit your caffeine. We know you love your coffee and tea rituals to break up the day, but try to keep it to one or two per day. Caffeine can really mess with energy levels. Set yourself a water goal every day, 2 litres should be the minimum. Keep a water bottle on your desk and options like Phizz can help you cut the bad stuff from fizzy drinks while maximising your water absorption. Avoid processed foods, they are only a short-term energy boost. We know it’s easy to grab some fast food on your lunch break, but the payoff is low. Better options include bananas, apples, oats, houmous, eggs, sweet potatoes, almonds, edamame, natural yoghurt and roasted seeds.  Want to learn more? Get to know Alicia on her website at www.acoopernutrition.co.uk or follow her on Instagram @aliciacoopernutrition. To subscribe and experience all the goodness of Lifebox yourself, visit www.lifeboxfood.com or follow @lifeboxfoodco.  

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Sustain Your Zen at Work

Phizz believes that wellness goes beyond the physical. We tapped Phizz friend and meditation teacher Nick DiMattina to give us the scoop on how to maintain the zen whether you're WFH or back in the office. Here are his thoughts. Have you been struggling to keep your calm amidst the chaos lately? You are not alone. Remote work has become the new norm, isolated from our colleagues and friends. Being constantly “plugged-in” has caused an increase of stress, fatigue and being overwhelmed. We brush our teeth twice a day for our dental hygiene. We exercise daily for our physical health.  But what about our mental hygiene? What do you do every day to maintain your zen? A daily meditation practice might just be the solution you’re looking for. Here are some suggestions for a daily mental hygiene regime that will reduce your stress and have you feeling energised to take on the world: 1.Set an intention. Where focus goes, energy flows. At the beginning of each workday ask yourself, “how do I want to feel today?” Calm, centred, clear-minded, energised, inspired? Write it down in a journal or a sticky note. Intention setting powerfully aligns you with a state knowing that you get to choose how you show up each day. 2. Create the space to unplug. Carve out specific time in your calendar to unplug and connect with yourself. Make your daily meditation the most important meeting of your day as it will recharge your personal batteries. 3. Meditate. There are many different types of meditation techniques you can practise. To get you started, either download a meditation app (such as Calm or Headspace) or learn a technique from a qualified meditation teacher (I teach an online meditation course every two weeks). The most basic type of meditation is a breath awareness technique. Sit down with your back upright and your lower back supported. Close your eyes. Become aware of your breath and just notice how your mind wanders periodically and come back to your breath. Be with this process for 5-10 minutes. 4. Gratitude. Think quietly in your mind or grab your journal and jot down a minimum of 5 things that you are grateful for. This releases serotonin and dopamine - the mood enhancing neurotransmitters that make us feel happy and accomplished. 5. Schedule a "water-cooler" chat. We are starving for human connection during isolation, so leverage technology and schedule a virtual video meeting with a work colleague to discuss how they are navigating life in these crazy times. Our goal here is to simply listen to each other and express our emotions so we are not bottling anything inside. The truth sets us free.  In summary, having a daily mental hygiene practice that includes meditation will: Reduce your stress and fatigue; Increase your energy and mental clarity; and Improve focus so you can achieve more of your goals and become a smiling success! Nick is a Meditation Teacher & Self-Mastery Coach based in Byron Bay, Australia. He empowers his clients with tools and techniques that enable them to drive their own personal development, overcome fear, and realise their true selves. Nick runs 3-session LIVE online group meditation courses every two weeks so connect with him to sign up for his next course. You can stay up to date with him on Instagram right here @nickdimattina. You can also visit his website or email him at info@nickdimattina.com.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

In the U.K.? Get Your Phizz Faster

As loyal Phizz fans, your feedback is extremely important to us, so we are taking a moment to let you know we’re listening. We’ve been facing slow delivery times as our carriers are still experiencing pandemic-related delays and you’ve reached out to let us know that you need your Phizz faster. We’ve taken steps to get orders from our website to your door in a much faster manner. We’ve upgraded our domestic standard shipping to Royal Mail Tracked 48 Hour service. It’s free for orders over £15 and just £1.99 for orders under £15. So when can you expect your Phizz to be in your hands? Orders placed after 1PM U.K. time will be shipped out the following day. You can expect to receive your domestic order with our standard Royal Mail Tracked 48 shipping within 2-3 days from dispatch. Still not fast enough for you? We’ve also got Royal Mail Tracked 24 shipping available for £4.50. This service should have Phizz in your glass within 24 hours of dispatch. As a small business, giving our customers the best experience is extremely important, so please know we’re always listening! More feedback for us? You can find us on social media or email us at info@phizz.co. 

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Nutritionist Tips for Getting Back in Shape

Diet and nutrition play a major role in your fitness routine. For advice on how to eat right as you head back to the gym or restart team sports after a hiatus, we turned to our trusted pals at RugbyGrub, Harry Elrington & Theo Brophy Clews. As two professional rugby players, eating well is paramount, and they use their platform to share their knowledge of eating for performance. RugbyGrub operates on the belief that a healthy and effective diet can be tasty, inexpensive and simple. Here are their top 3 tips for getting back to the grind: Start training and exercise in a hydrated state. If you begin your session feeling hydrated, this will offset the negative effects of dehydration. After you begin, drink when you feel thirsty to keep hydrated. One of our staple technique is to use pre-and post-training hydration tablets like Phizz - they tend to do the trick for us! Monitoring your urine colour is also a good indicator of how hydrated you are. Have adequate energy available. Having the correct amount of energy in your diet will allow you to perform to your best in the gym or on the training pitch. When heading back into training, your body needs a greater amount of energy than usual to perform to its best and optimise your results. This is especially important when balancing your training with other commitments, such as work. To boost the energy in your diet, add some more carbohydrates into your next pre-training meal to be fuelled and ready to go. Cook smart. When you start to train more, planning your meals out in advance will allow you to know exactly what you are consuming and give you the ability to plan what you need from the shops in advance. This is where ‘smart cooking’ becomes key. By batch cooking and preparing more food in advance, you can change the game by keeping meals in the fridge or easily pulling out them out of the freezer. When you have less time or energy after a long day, having food readily available will make sure you’re a fuelled up for your training whilst also being able to recover as quickly as possible after a session. This will not only allow you to recover better, but it will also give you more time in the day to do other things. For more easy-to-follow (and genius!) nutrition tips like these, follow along with the guys on Instagram @rugbygrub or check out their website at www.rugbygrub.com.  

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Cricket West Indies Names Phizz as Official Hydration Partner

Cricket is back and we’ve got even more good news! Phizz is proud to be named as the Official Hydration Partner to Cricket West Indies. The partnership launched on the pitch on 8th July 2020 in the team’s highly anticipated first test of the delayed 2020 season. The Phizz formula was designed with elite athletes like the Windies in mind. Phizz is scientifically designed to be the most comprehensive formula of hydration, vitamins and minerals out there. It was created as a hydration amplifier, ensuring players rapidly absorb 2-3 times more than drinking water alone, while also replenishing the main electrolytes lost in sweat. This makes Phizz perfect for supporting players through hot days on the pitch and long days of travel. “Player nutrition and hydration is key in supporting performance, recovery and immune systems under stress from training and travel,” said Dr. Oba Gulston, CWI’s Sports Science and Medicine Manager. “We are pleased to bring Phizz on board. We feel that Phizz provides the ideal blend of hydration, essential vitamins, minerals and electrolytes to support our athletes.” “We are excited to have Phizz on board to support our athletes on the pitch and on the road as one of our technical partners,” said Dominic Warne, Commercial and Marketing Director for CWI. “This great addition to our family of technical partnerships brings genuine benefits for our teams’ preparation and performance development.”  "Phizz is proud to have been chosen to supply a legendary club such as West Indies Cricket," said Yasmin Badiani, Phizz Head of Sport. "This is a big moment for our growing company, and we are looking forward to working closely with the team on this partnership.” Phizz supplies more than 60 professional sports clubs as well airlines, gyms and 5-star hotels around the world.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

What To Expect from Your First In-Person Fitness Class After Lockdown

Gyms have faced many challenges during lockdown, but one of our favourite London studios, Frame, rose to the occasion and gave us the inside scoop on what they’re doing to get you back in shape (safely!). Fortunately, there are class options to suit every comfort level of social distancing, so no more excuses for avoiding that first workout! For those who feel safest in the comfort of their own sitting rooms, online classes have been the answer. Frame has brought their signature high energy classes home via Frame Online and the instructor-led classes offer the same intensity without any worry. As temperatures have risen, some of us would rather chase that elusive British sunshine and enjoy the in-person experience while sweating it out. Frame has launched an outdoor studio at Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross, allowing a socially distant workout worthy of Instagram. Keep your eyes out for a special Phizz workout popping up later this month! And for those of you ready to head back into the studio? Classes have resumed with a new normal designed to keep you safe while still getting those endorphins flowing. What do those precautions look like? For Frame, it’s all about planning. Here’s a peek at what you can expect: Book ahead! Classes are smaller to allow for social distancing. Come prepared. Arrive no earlier than 10 minutes and no fewer than 5 minutes before your class is due to start. It’s best to come in your kit with minimal belongings! You might notice some additions to the studio. Frame has added signage to aid in social distancing, touchless hand sanitisers and Perspex screens to keep the front desk experience safe. Please stay home if you’re feeling ill. Non-contact temperature checks will be mandatory upon arrival to the studio. Extra cleaning is a must! Studios have added extra time for cleaning and are using top-grade cleaning products to keep you safe.  No matter what method suits you best, it’s important to keep your body moving. To help inspire you, we’ve got some exclusive discounts on all of Frame’s class options. And don’t forget to look out for Phizz in studio! Pick up a tube after your next class to rehydrate and get a boost of vitamins and minerals. We've got a special discount just for you. Use code Phizz when you join Frame Online to pay just £5 for the first month and £10.99 thereafter. Prefer in-person? Get two classes for £20 here.    

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Phizz Has Gone Plastic Positive!

We are thrilled to announce that we have partnered with the award-winning innovators at Plastic Bank® to become plastic positive! 

Phizziology – Dan Cray

3x Your Water

Phizz is a hydration amplifier that is scientifically formulated to help the body absorb more water, faster. Adding Phizz to your glass hydrates your body 2-3 times more than water alone.

Phizziology – Dan Cray

Why You Need Electrolytes

Electrolytes are VIPs at hydrating your body and contribute to brain, nerve, and muscle function. Phizz contains the main electrolytes lost in sweat, helping you put the good stuff back in.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Using Phizz At Work

Need a little support for long days on the job? Phizz helps keep you at your mental peak to take on the day.

Phizziology – Bailey Thomas

Using Phizz in Travel

Meet your new favourite travel companion. Our comprehensive formula keeps you hydrated and fights fatigue during long flights or travel days.