💡 Fuel For Thought

This mindset shift can transform your fuelling

It’s the start of the year, and for many of us, that means thinking of making changes to better ourselves. Diet is one of the popular areas.

After more than 13 years working in sports nutrition, I’ve noticed a clear pattern: about 90% of people who want to change their diet start by banning foods. Examples include chocolate, soft drinks, salty snacks or even sugar altogether.

While it’s true that some foods support health and performance better than others, restriction rarely leads to long-term success. In fact, banning foods often makes fuelling harder for two key reasons:

1. There’s usually a gap your body is still trying to fill. Those “off-limits” foods often provided quick carbohydrates, calories, or pleasure, all things endurance athletes genuinely need. When they disappear without a replacement, your body keeps pushing for them.
2. The forbidden fruit effect. The more you tell yourself you shouldn’t have something, the more mental space it takes up.

Combine unmet energy needs with restriction, and it’s no surprise that you end up in a binge–guilt cycle that chips away at confidence and consistency.

So what should you do instead?

Shift the question from “What do I need to remove?” to “What do I need to add?”

Try asking yourself:

• How can I make this meal more nourishing and satisfying?
• What will help me start this workout with more energy?
• What will help me keep my energy steady through the day

When you focus on adding, something interesting happens. Those less “ideal” foods often lose their grip, not because they’re banned, but because your body is finally getting what it needs.

Better fuelling is built on intention. Start by adding what supports your training, recovery, and energy, and let the rest fall into place.

🚀 Endurance Highlights

1️⃣ Ketone supplements and performance

Ketone supplements have become increasingly popular in recent years, but the evidence behind their performance benefits hasn’t been as robust as the marketing suggests. This new review examined the current research on ketone supplements (such as ketone esters, ketone salts, and MCTs) and their effects on endurance, metabolism, and recovery in athletes.

Across studies, results were inconsistent. Some athletes showed small metabolic changes, such as slightly reduced carbohydrate use during steady efforts, but performance outcomes were mixed or neutral, and in some cases, negatively affected. Gastrointestinal discomfort and tolerability issues were also common, which is a significant consideration for endurance athletes where fuelling consistency matters.

For most athletes, nailing the fundamentals, adequate energy intake, carbohydrate availability, and a well-practised fueling strategy, remains far more impactful than adding ketones to the mix.

2️⃣ Pre-exercise hyperhydration in female endurance athletes

When you think about how crucial water is for every function in our body, including digestion, circulation, and temperature regulation, it’s no surprise that adequate hydration is a common denominator in optimal endurance performance, especially in the heat. In this study, my friend and colleague Lilia Convit and her team explored how pre-exercise sodium hyperhydration affects hydration in female endurance athletes exercising in the heat.

The researchers found that consuming a sodium-rich fluid around two hours before exercise significantly improved fluid retention, reduced urine losses, and helped athletes maintain body mass during prolonged cycling in hot conditions. These benefits carried over to both steady-state exercise and a time trial, suggesting that starting exercise slightly “ahead” in hydration can delay dehydration and support cardiovascular and thermoregulatory function under high heat stress.

From a practical perspective, this study supports the idea that hydration planning starts before the session or race begins, especially in hot environments where fluid losses are harder to keep up with.

🕵🏻‍♀️ Retail Finds*

This week's product review: Nerds Gummy Clusters

Features & benefits

• Facts per serving (30g /16-20 pieces): 24g carb, 34mg sodium & 100 kcal.
• Sweet and citric taste
• Crunchy texture
• Very small (approx 8mm in diameter)

Things to keep in mind

• Less carb-dense than other gummies

Final take

These gummies can be a fun addition to your race or training nutrition. They can be good for filling in the gaps when you need a few extra grams of carbohydrate to meet your hourly targets.​​

👩🏻‍🍳 Kitchen Creations

​Download the recipe​​​

Almond Butter & Raspberry Jam Sandwich This is a fun and quick option for your pre-training fuel. The English muffin and jam add a nice balance of carbs, and the almond butter helps slow-release the energy.

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Happy fuelling!

Gaby | Endurance Nutrition Specialist

p.s. Ready to fuel with confidence? The Fuel To Thrive Academy gives you a proven system you can rely on. Let's make this your strongest year yet. ​