Dear Sarah,

What's the deal with being ravenously hungry after swimming? I've been spending a lot of time in my backyard pool followed by a lot of time in front of the kitchen fridge. I fear I am undoing all the good of my pool workout.
Nada

Dear Nada,

While your post-swimming hunger may be because you put in a good workout, there are two main reasons why hunger strikes upon leaving the water. One, your body's changing temperatures as you move from land to pool and two, dehydration.

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

Dear Sarah,
When I go running in winter, when it's very cold, it sort of feels like I'm being punched in my lungs. Is it bad for my health to exercise outside in really really cold weather? What do you think?

Thanks, Sam

Dear Sam,
As the weather gets colder, the 'lung punch' is a common complaint. Exercising in cold weather is safe for your lungs as long as you learn how to 'dress them up.'

The 'punch' or 'burn' experienced in the lungs when exercising in the cold is due to a lack of moisture in the cold air and in the lungs. Typically, in the winter your body is not as hydrated, which may be attributed to the fact that we do not consume as much water, and our food selections tend to drift towards the dry side. Additionally, the air we breathe both outdoors and indoors is dry.

Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet. Each week in her column for That's Fit.ca, Dr. Turner advises readers on how to remedy common health issues as well as improve their overall health.

Have you ever been caught grabbing a bit of shut-eye at your desk? What was your excuse to your boss? New sleep research may be your best answer.

A 2002 study from Harvard University considered worker burnout over four days of training and the effect of napping. As the four days of training wore on, the workers began to experience burnout. But the good news is - the study found that workers who were allowed to take a 30-minute nap on the second day of a four-day training session experienced less decline in visual tasks. A one-hour nap was actually found to return performance back to normal in the last two sessions.

That is not to say that curling up for an hour or so at the office should be sanctioned, but keeping it to less than 30 minutes might not be so far-fetched. It seems that half-hour naps should not only be recognized as acceptable by companies, but also beneficial. This is old news to many European countries where afternoon siestas are standard practice and many shops close for an hour or so each afternoon.

Afternoon drowsiness is a major problem for many corporations: it is estimated that lost productivity costs billions of dollars every year. A possible solution is to allow 20 to 30 minutes of napping per day when it is deemed necessary, creating a work environment that may actually help boost workplace productivity rather than hinder it. In today's fast-paced society and tough economy, however, most companies frown on napping in the workplace rather than encourage it.

Can't squeeze in a nap? Use these nine tips to boost your energy and productivity during the day:

Most of us know that sodium is bad for us but because of our mass consumption of fast and processed foods we're eating more than double the recommended amount we should. Sodium has become the new trans fat; it's the ugly word that's stealing headlines in the news.

Certified nutritionist, Meghan Ford, gives us the lowdown on the sodium situation.

Q: According to an article co-written by Dr. Kevin Willis, of the Canadian Stroke Network, cutting Canada's dangerously high salt levels is of urgent public concern. Is salt intake at a crisis level?

A: I think sodium has always been an issue but as soon as a study comes out from a reputable source it sets off alarm bells. It gives people an excuse to change their diet.

Q: Research shows about a quarter of all Canadian adults have high blood pressure and 30 per cent of all cases can be traced back to salt. What is all this salt doing to us? What sorts of diseases can it cause?

A: Water retention is one of the bigger ones because it's disrupting the sodium-potassium balance in the body. When there's an imbalance it puts a lot of stress on the kidneys, causing water retention. High sodium also causes hypertension (high blood pressure), migraines, dehydration and other conditions. In a worst-case-scenario, this imbalance can lead to heart disease and stroke. There is concern that such worst-case-scenarios will continue to rise if we don't curb our sodium intake.

Q: What are the highest and lowest sodium foods? I know that pizzas, burgers, soups and sandwiches are some of the worst contenders.

It seems like such a simple, small step: Drink more water. But it's often a difficult one for people -- people who might be kinda fond of their pop addiction, for instance. But being properly hydrated really is an important part of being fit.

For one, water quenches your thirst, making you less likely to reach for that soft drink. As they're saying over at Livestrong, where more than 11,000 members have dared to sip more H2O, water also helps flush away toxins and replenish muscles.

And since being even mildly dehydrated can make you tired and headache-y, drinking plenty of water can ensure you have enough energy for your workout every day.