Health & Wellness with Amy Hazel!

How Hidden Inflammation Could Be Affecting Your Pole Training

Did you know that what you eat can directly affect how you feel in pole?

Pole places a huge amount of demand on the body. It requires strength, flexibility, grip, coordination, nervous system resilience, and the ability to recover well between sessions. When most people think of inflammation, they usually think of something obvious like an injury, swelling, bruising, or pain. But inflammation can also be low-grade and hidden, happening inside the body long before it becomes something visible. This kind of “unseen” inflammation can show up as poor recovery, ongoing muscle soreness, bloating, fatigue, brain fog, hormonal flare-ups, food intolerances, hay fever, skin issues, or recurring tendon and joint niggles. If you feel like you’re training hard but your body isn’t bouncing back the way it should, hidden inflammation may be playing a role.

One of the most common things I see in pole dancers is a body that is under more stress than people realise. This can come from under-eating, skipping meals, not eating enough protein, poor gut health, blood sugar crashes, food intolerances, high histamine load, ultra-processed foods, poor sleep, or chronic stress. All of these can quietly increase inflammatory load in the body and make recovery harder. When the body is already inflamed, it can become more prone to fatigue, pain sensitivity, hormonal symptoms, slower tissue repair, and recurring injuries.

One of the easiest ways to begin lowering inflammation is by making sure the body is actually being fuelled and supported properly. This means prioritising enough protein for muscle and connective tissue repair, eating more colourful whole foods rich in antioxidants, including omega-3 fats, and supporting gut health and using carbohydrates to your advantage.

Carbohydrates are often associated with things like bread and pasta (which can be pro- inflammatory) — but i am referring more to gluten free grains, fruits and vegetables. These can be especially helpful before or after pole because they help fuel movement, support recovery, and reduce the stress response that can happen when we train under-fed.

At the same time, reducing obvious inflammatory triggers can make a noticeable difference. For some people, this may be ultra-processed foods, excess alcohol, artificial additives, poor quality oils, or simply foods that don’t personally agree with them. For others, the bigger issue is not what they are eating, but what they are missing — enough food, enough protein, enough nutrients, and enough recovery.

So, If you are always sore, bloated, inflamed, fatigued, or dealing with recurring injuries, it may not just be your training load — it could be your internal inflammatory load too. When we reduce hidden inflammation and support the body properly, we often recover faster, feel stronger, and get more out of our training.

If you’d like support uncovering hidden inflammation and creating a nutrition plan that supports your pole training, recovery, hormones, and long-term health, you’re welcome to book a naturopathic consultation with me.

Contact Amy Hazel HERE!