Each week, holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy tells us about a common health problem she's seen in her practice and how she came to a solution.

This week's client: Brad, a busy entertainment lawyer by day and warrior by weekend who thrives on high intensity exercise.

The Problem: Brad gets headaches after any exercise whether it be lifting weights, cardio or playing hockey.

When Brad hired me as his nutrition coach and personal trainer, he was (sorry boys) a stereotypical beer-drinking, wing-eating guy who worked hard by day and played hard by night and weekends. He knew exercise was important and he wanted to lose 30lbs, so he came to me in hopes that he could shed his beer belly and get more energy.

What Brad didn't realize was that I was going to help him solve a problem that had prevented him from taking his fitness to the next level -- post-workout headaches. They weren't debilitating enough to prevent him from his belly-fat-burning workout but they were most certainly unpleasant enough that often he couldn't make any social plans immediately after exercise until his pain medication kicked in. Of course, being a holistic nutritionist I cringed at the thought of how many pain meds he'd popped over the years and what his poor liver had to say, but we will save that post for another day.

Solution after the jump

Headaches can be triggered by a variety of causes, including everything from food allergies and sensitivities (ie. MSG, dairy, red wine, chocolate, food additives), stress, lack of sleep, hormonal and blood sugar imbalance. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for people who suffer from headaches. It's important to first rule out what is NOT causing your headache.

As for Brad, I had him complete a seven-day food diary to evaluate what could be causing his post-workout headaches in addition to an in-depth interview. I was impressed to see after his first nutrition session he was already making some improvements and adding veggies to two meals a day and making time for breakfast. This was a huge step forward for a guy whose breakfast consisted entirely of caffeine. However, just like the last client with a bloated belly, there was nothing that seemed obvious right away.

A week or so later while doing a personal training session with him, I couldn't help but notice how much he was sweating while we were boxing together. He's the type of client that gave 110 percent every time we worked out, but he was literally sweating ON ME! Not very joyous. I made a point to discuss post-workout nutrition the next time we met.

It occurred to me after that damp session that Brad probably wasn't replacing his electrolytes during or after exercise. He was only drinking water!

Electrolytes are absolutely critical to include for proper hydration, optimal performance and prevent dehydration. When you sweat you lose electrolytes including sodium and potassium. It is essential for proper hydration to make sure you put minerals in that you lose when you sweat. I suggested to Brad he make his own sports drink made of 1.5 cups of water, pinch of sea salt, one tablespoon of maple syrup. (Here is another great sports drink recipe from The Healthy Foodie.) Forget the sugar-infused popular sports drinks! And guess what? He never got another headache again!

The body is a rather simple machine in many ways. You provide your body what it's asking for and it turns off the signal for what it needs (the headache). Decoding the signal is always the challenge, but if you are patient, more often then not you can resolve your health issue without just suppressing the symptoms with pain medications.

Joy McCarthy, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Health Coach of Joyous Health, loves to inspire others to eat well and live well. Joy is the resident holistic nutritionist at 889 Yonge, a Yoga & Holistic Lifestyle Spa in Toronto. Joy welcomes your questions or comments.

Please note: This advice is not meant to treat or diagnose, please consult a certified practitioner or your family doctor for any serious health issues.