STYLE of SPORT | Gear & Apparel Curated for the Stylish Sports Enthusiast

SERENA WILLIAMS IS RO’s GLP-1 AMBASSADOR

 
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy have completely transformed the weight loss industry since their introduction and are seemingly part of the news cycle every day. The latest is the launch of Wegovy in a pill form, with others slated to follow. These drugs have reshaped not just the landscape of obesity treatment, but metabolic health beyond the scale.

Almost all of us have friends and family whose dramatic weight loss has been hard to miss as a result of GLP-1s. Then there have been the powerhouse celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, and athletes like Serena Williams, inspiring an even wider population to take these drugs, now readily available on numerous telehealth platforms like AgelessRx, Noom, and RO, for which Serena Williams is the spokesperson. Recent polls indicate 1 in 10 adults in the US have used a GLP-1 drug for weight loss or diabetes.

GLP-1 drugs were initially designed to help manage blood sugar in type 2 diabetes, but along with that came the side effect of dramatic weight loss. That led to the development of these medications specifically for weight management. Although there are many brand names for GLP-1s, there are essentially only two drugs, semaglutide and tirzepatide. Both mimic the hormone GLP-1, or glucagon like peptide 1 (tirzepatide mimics both GLP-1 and GIP, or gastric inhibitory polypeptide hormone) which controls the release of insulin from the pancreas and regulates blood sugar levels. They also slow gastric emptying so you stay full longer, reducing appetite and increasing satiety. Read More

It’s very easy to become dehydrated, even if you are drinking the traditionally prescribed 8 glasses of water a day. A common belief is that you only need to replace electrolytes — minerals like magnesium, potassium, and sodium — after an intense and sweaty workout. To many people, the term hydration refers to water, but that is not enough when it comes to hydration on a cellular level. Every cell in our body requires fluid to function properly. 

In order to maintain a balance between water inside and outside the cells, the body relies on electrolytes which regulate osmotic pressure and control fluid levels in each cell. “Hydration is very different from cellular hydration”, says nutrition expert, Sarah Wragge. “We can drink 3-4 liters of water everyday, which is what I recommend, but you need to add minerals to hydrate at a cellular level.”

“We lose water all day through sweat, urination, and even breathing, and in that process we also lose essential electrolytes and minerals.” Adds Sarah, “Our habits are very dehydrating. Things like coffee, sugar, alcohol, and all the fun foods we love are very depleting. Not to mention our food is no longer mineral rich because of modern farming processes and pesticides. We need to hydrate to replenish not just water, but minerals too.” Sarah has just introduced her own mineral replenishing supplement, Restore.
Read More

Last October we did a story on Halloween candy and seemingly healthier alternatives to Trick or Treat favorites like peanut butter cups, Snickers, m&m’s, and gummy bears. After consulting with our resident nutritionist Sarah Wragge, we discovered many of the lower calorie, less sugar, and even “healthy” brands had so many fillers, fake sweeteners, and inflammatory ingredients you were better off having the real thing. A Snickers as compared to a Quest Bar was the perfect example.

A few weeks later I happened to be standing in line at CVS in the aisle with all the crackers, chips, and cookies. The Pepperidge Farm Milanos caught my eye. I LOVE Milano cookies, but would never buy them assuming they were high calorie, fat and sugar filled. Out of curiosity I picked up the bag and looked at the nutrition label. To my surprise, 1 serving of 2 cookies had 120 calories, 7 grams of sugar, and 7 grams of fat. Not that bad I thought! Sure there were a few ingredients that weren’t super healthy, but as an occasional splurge it wasn’t such a big deal.
 

“It’s not the calories that are of concern”, says Sarah, “but how those substitute ingredients affect the body.

 
Then I looked at the Lays potato chips. The ingredients were potatoes and vegetable oil. 1 serving of 15 chips had 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 15 grams of carbohydrates – again, not the worst thing, especially when I compared them to the supposedly healthier Baked Lays on the shelf. Yes, those had fewer calories per serving and less fat, BUT they were higher in carbs with long list of ingredients, additives, and SUGAR. I knew there was no way these Baked Lays were better for me than the regular potato chips. Read More

Cage-free, non-GMO, gluten-free… when it comes to grocery shopping these days there are so many labels stamped on a product it can be overwhelming. While all are there to tell you how healthy a product is, these labels can sometimes be misleading too. “Farm fresh”, “whole grain”, “all-natural” may sound good, but you need to look closer to know what’s really inside the packaging.

Even the health food store can be a minefield when shopping. Take eggs for example: there are a plethora of cage-free and free-range choices, but neither label means those chickens were not raised in a cage, and it can get quite complicated when you really get into each category of food.

The key, says our resident health and nutrition expert Sarah Wragge, is understanding the “sourcing” of all these foods. That’s how you know what to look for and what to avoid. On the basest level she has two non-negotiables:

Rule number 1 is a product must be Certified Organic. This goes for all food groups. Says Sarah, “When you buy something that is not organic, you are consuming pesticides, you’re consuming hormones, you’re consuming antibiotics.” The Certified 100% Organic stamp guarantees fruits, vegetables, and all the ingredients in a product have been grown or raised according to the USDA’s strict organic standards. For meat and poultry, that includes the provision that the animals must be raised exclusively on organic feed, have access to the outdoors, and cannot be given antimicrobial drugs or hormones. Read More