Ladies, stop training fasted. Seriously, stop.

The hypothalamus is our brain's control centre. If we don't provide our body with energy BEFORE a workout, the hypothalamus perceives it as a stress. It will begin to down regulate all other body systems e.g. the endocrine system (hello impaired thyroid function!) because it doesn't have enough fuel to complete the muscle contractions in your workout and it will use lean muscle mass as a fuel source.

You read that right - your hypothalamus will instruct your body to break down MUSCLE before it breaks down FAT to fuel your workout, therefore rendering your workout pointless, as you have actually lost lean body mass and retained fat.

You will also decrease your blood sugar control, increase your resting blood glucose, increase sympathetic nervous system activity which impacts sleep and recovery, and impair your thyroid function, all of which can lead to more metabolic dysfunction and weight gain.

Today's smoothie: raw beetroot, cucumber, coriander, strawberries, vanilla, coconut water, WPI, creatine, collagen. Fresh, delicious and POWERFUL ✨

So, before your workout, even if you're working out early, you should have at least 15g protein + 20-30g carbs to signal to the hypothalamus that you have enough nutrition to facilitate a workout. Amazingly, this nutrition will also stimulate the hypothalamus to start breaking down your stored fat for energy. If I'm training super early, I'll down some good quality WPI with a little water or milk, and a banana or a medijool date, because no one likes training with a full tummy, but every woman needs a least something in the tank to make training worthwhile.

Then, within 45 mins of training, we want to refuel and stimulate muscle protein synthesis (muscle growth) with 35g+ of protein and some carbs.

FUN FACT: Most people fast to stimulate autophagy, but exercise is actually a stronger stimulus for autophagy than fasting. I personally enjoy a daily 12-14 hour fast between sunset and sunrise to set my circadian rhythm which improves blood sugar control, weight status, markers of inflammation, restful sleep, recovery and overall body function.