💡 Fuel For Thought Promising doesn't always mean appropriate Last week I shared a recent paper on the potential performance benefits of ashwagandha, and shortly afterwards a newsletter reader contacted me to highlight that ashwagandha may increase testosterone levels, which means it may be unsuitable for people with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Coincidentally, that same week I ran a supplement session with clients, where we reviewed popular supplements and discussed how potential...
9 days ago • 3 min read
💡 Fuel For Thought A race plan is only as strong as the preparation behind it Last week I shared a paper exploring durability as part of why runners hit the wall during a marathon. This week, I want to pull on one specific thread from that idea: your fuelling strategy has to work alongside your race preparation. You can have a beautifully calculated carbohydrate target, but it can’t completely compensate for arriving at the start line underfuelled, poorly recovered or insufficiently prepared...
16 days ago • 3 min read
💡 Fuel For Thought Why I stopped writing nutrition plans Three years ago, I stopped prescribing nutrition plans and started teaching people how to make confident fuelling decisions for themselves. When I began my practice 13 years ago, I saw how powerful nutrition could be. Clients improved their energy, managed cravings, trained better, recovered more consistently and achieved stronger race results. The plans worked. But sometimes, a year later, I would hear: “Gaby, I need your help again....
23 days ago • 4 min read
💡 Fuel For Thought Your rest day hunger is trying to tell you something Have you ever finished a big training week, reached your rest day, and suddenly felt like you could eat everything in sight? It feels backwards. You move less, yet somehow you eat more, graze longer, and still feel unsatisfied. Rest-day hunger often isn’t about what you did today. It’s your body responding to what you’ve asked of it all week. Hard exercise can temporarily dampen appetite. While you’re training, hunger...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
💡 Fuel For Thought What if "clean eating" is getting in the way of better fuelling? This morning, I saw a Facebook post from someone asking for advice on carbohydrate loading. They were struggling to reach the recommended 10 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight per day and finished with: “I need to up the carbs… but good clean carbs, not junk.” That last line stuck with me. When carbohydrate needs are very high, relying only on bulky, high-fibre, minimally processed foods can make...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
💡 Fuel For Thought Are you training hard, or just getting through training? Many athletes come to me believing they don’t have a nutrition problem because they’re still completing their training. But completing training and getting the full benefit from training are two different things. Two things need to happen for a session to truly land: High-quality session: You can sustain the target pace, power or effort from beginning to finish. Efficient session: Your body has the resources to...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
💡 Fuel For Thought Numbers aren't the destination. They're part of the map. Imagine two endurance athletes who both finish the day having eaten exactly the same amount: 2,800 calories, 400 g of carbohydrate and 140 g of protein. On paper, they're identical. But one spent the day ignoring hunger because meetings got in the way, squeezing lunch in between emails, eating because an app told them it was time, and finishing the day mentally exhausted from trying to hit every number. The other ate...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
💡 Fuel For Thought Five lessons from 14 years in the field When I moved to Australia a decade ago, I paused my nutrition practice to complete my Master’s Degree. As I decided to stay longer, I almost gave up on my dream because starting over felt daunting, and I lacked confidence in myself. Then, in 2020, like many others, I began to reassess my life choices. Gradually, the idea of reestablishing my practice took root, and a year later, I was ready to quit my job and fully commit to...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
💡 Fuel For Thought The foundation isn't basic. It's everything. I recently asked my current and past clients to share one thing that had changed for them since we started working together. An overwhelming majority talked about how much the adjustments they made to their everyday nutrition had impacted their health, their performance, and their life. Funny thing is when someone comes to me wanting support, daily nutrition is almost never what they have in mind. They're thinking about...
2 months ago • 3 min read