If you or anyone you know would like some guidance with the following areas of nutrition please reach out:
• Female and male sports nutrition
• Pre-conception nutrition
• Nutrition & the menstrual cycle & female hormones
• Overall well-being & general nutrition goals

I am available in person at Evado Studios Hawthorn or online via zoom. To book in with me for a one on one consultation please either email me at bec@becstone.com.au or contact your local Evado Studios reception.

For sports nutrition presentations please contact me via email.

I look forward to working with you soon 🙂

I won’t be gone too long though, I’ll be back in clinic in late October 2023.

If you like to be super organised you can book in appointments (in-person or via Zoom) for my return now at:

• Radius Health, Melbourne – 7064 5222
• Evado Studios, Hawthorn – 9882 7556 (or contact your local Evado studio)

If you’re interested in booking in a sports nutrition presentation, please inquire via email at bec@becstone.com.au and I’ll try to get back to you in a timely manner. Please ensure you have provided some available dates (21 October 2023 onward) in your email.

Thanks everyone, look forward to working with you later in the year!

During the luteal phase of our cycle the hormone progesterone is high. While progesterone is fantastic for mood (amongst other things), it can  make us feel more fatigued, sluggish and less powerful when we exercise. However, this does not mean that you can’t get a PB during the luteal phase! We just need to understand and adjust our training and food intake to help us perform at our best.

This is the second post I’m doing on the menstrual cycle, how it affects your sports performance, and how nutrition can help. Make sure you’ve read Sports Performance and the Menstrual Cycle – Part 1 – Menstruation.

So what is the luteal phase and how does it affect sports performance?

• The luteal phase starts after ovulation (when your ovaries release an egg) and before your period starts. This is the phase where progesterone is higher than oestrogen and is normally the 12-14 days before your period.
• When progesterone is higher, we actually need to be eating slightly more good quality food (mainly protein & good quality carbs), as we can burn up to 300 extra calories per day.
• If we don’t eat enough when in this stage to make up for this extra burned energy, then our body starts to steal amino acids (proteins) from our muscles.  This causes muscle breakdown, slow recovery, increased inflammation, hormonal imbalances and makes the body believe we are in starvation mode and starts to store more of our food in our adipose tissue than use it for energy!
• In the luteal phase we find it harder to access our stored carbohydrates when exercising. This causes us to feel a lot more fatigued and sluggish and we struggle to hit high intensity levels like we normal would. So, when at training and competitions during this phase you really need to make sure you regularly get some carbs in. This ensures your body has more carbs to use making it easier to turn these carbs into energy, reduce fatigue and promote optimal performance.
• Progesterone also increases our bodies temperature, so we sweat more when in the luteal phase, meaning we need more water and electrolytes than normal to prevent dehydration.

So should I train hard during the luteal phase?

• Training during the luteal phase is completely fine, including high intensity training, however you need to fuel yourself really well.
• Please also be kind to yourself – if you can’t hit target times don’t stress, they will always come back.  And if you feel super fatigued, please pull back and use this time to do more relaxed paced endurance training or focus on skills and technique.
• If you have the ability in your training schedule during your luteal phase to focus on moderate endurance training, skills and recovery, this would be ideal. However, I know this is not possible for everyone, and you may have a competition that falls during this time of your cycle. If so, don’t stress – see my tips below

Nutrition tips to help you preform at your peak during the luetal phase:

• Increase your daily carbohydrate intake at each meal so you have sufficient energy on board for training
• Carbs to focus on: coloured rices, sweet and white potato, pumpkin, fruit, traditional rolled oats, quinoa, legumes, wholemeal pasta, buckwheat and good quality sourdough or rye bread.
• Your body is also in more of a breakdown state, so be sure to get 30g of protein per meal and after all exercise!
• Increase intake of omega 3 rich foods, as these help you access stored carbohydrates from your muscles better. Good foods to include are: salmon, sardines, anchovies, hemp seeds, raw walnuts, chia seeds and cold pressed flax seed oil.
• When training/competing in the luteal phase you want to be eating small carbohydrate snacks more regularly throughout workouts and races to help you access some carbs for energy.
• Aim to start fueling after the first 45 minutes of exercise and then fuel every 30 minutes onwards.
• If your exercise session goes for more than 45 minutes, you must hydrate with both water and an electrolyte drink.

Good carbohydrates sources to eat during exercise are:

• Spring energy gels
• Dried Figs
• Bliss balls – either home-made or brands like Tasti, Tom & Lukes or Carmen’s
• Clif bloks
• Dates
• Carmen’s oat slice or Clif bars
• Super Hero Energy Muffins
• A good quality electrolyte drink that includes carbohydrates, such as Pure Sports Nutrition Electrolyte or Pro4mance Produrance (HASTA approved)

Daily supplementation that can really help reduce fatigue, PMS and support carbohydrate access in the luteal phase:

•  250mg magnesium bisglycinate
• 45mg zinc
• 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Please take all of the above supplements with a meal.

If you are a drug tested athlete, you must only use HASTA approved supplements! Even if you are not a drug tested athlete, I highly recommend you seek advice on the best quality supplements you are taking, not all supplements are good quality!

Do you want to learn more about improving sports performance during the luetal phase, or how to track your menstrual cycle so you can train and eat according to your body’s needs? Then please reach out to me so I can give you some individualised advice 🙂

I know menstruation can definitely be a hard time for some females, they can feel lethargic, bloated, suffer from cramps and can bleed quite heavily. This is quite common but this doesn’t have to be your normal!

I know there are many messages out there that a girl on her period should rest and take it easy, however when we look at the science this is actually not true. The time to pull back and focus more on skills, recovery style training, and optimal rest is actually in our late luteal phase (the week before our period – I will discuss the luteal phase in more detail in my next post).

During the week of our period our sex hormones are at their lowest point and this is actually an advantage for sports performance. Having low hormone levels makes us more resilient to physical and mental stress and is the optimal time for females to participate in high intensity exercise as we recovery much quicker when both our progesterone and oestrogen levels are at their lowest.

That said, some women do not feel amazing during their period because they suffer from heavy bleeding, severe cramps and fatigue. If you do not have a medical condition associated with these issues, then they can often be addressed through diet and lifestyle changes, so you can then perform better during menstruation.

Things that you can do to ensure you have an easy menstrual flow are:

• Fuel adequately in the week before your period! Females athletes need to be consuming up to 300 extra calories per day during the luteal phase, I will explain this is greater detail in my next blog post.
• Please do not limit your food intake the week before your period. Particularly focus on eating before all training sessions and refueling with both carbs and protein within 30 minutes after all training sessions, to ensure you don’t go into your period malnourished and fatigued.
• If cramping is an issue for you, focus on magnesium and omega 3 rich foods and good quality supplements in the lead up and during your period. They help reduce inflammation and prostaglandins, which cause period pain, and help relax the muscles of the uterus.
• If you have heavy bleeding* I highly recommend you work with a practitioner to help you understand why this is happening and also get your iron levels tested. It is likely you will be deficient in iron which will cause you to feel lethargic during your period and can actually cause periods to be even heavier!

*Heavy bleeding is considered a loss of more than 80ml of blood during your whole period. A regular tampon holds about 5 ml of blood so this equates to 10 fully soaked regular tampons throughout your whole period. If you loose more blood than this than it is considered a heavy period.

If you supplement with magnesium, look for the form magnesium bisglycinate and aim to have 300mg daily the week before and during your period. With fish oil supplements please talk to a health care professional as there are a lot of poor quality options on the market!

Hope that helps and please reach out to me if you’d like some more individualised advice on how to eat and train throughout your menstrual cycle 🙂

When you exercise, regardless of whether it is aerobic or strength training, your body uses glycogen to fuel the majority of the training session. This glycogen will come from the food sources you eat before training sessions as well as the stored glycogen in your muscles and liver.

After training, your body is primed to make move carbohydrates (glycogen) back to your muscles, to replace the used glycogen stores. Your body does this from the carbohydrate-rich foods you eat after you finish your training session. This newly stored glycogen will then be used as energy for your body during the rest of the day and in your next training session.

Post-training nutrition recovery window

In both males and females, glycogen storage rates are at their highest within 60 minutes after a training session has finished. However, males can continue to store carbohydrates reasonably effectively for up to 18 hours post-exercise! But if you’re doing AM and PM training sessions, you wouldn’t want to wait this long, otherwise you’ll enter your next training session with depleted glycogen stores and reduced energy.

On the flip side, if females delay eating after training, less carbohydrate/glycogen can be stored – females really need to aim to get carbs coming in the first 60 minutes after exercise.

Missing this recovery window results in a decrease in glycogen stores, which leads to lower energy levels for the rest of the day and a reduction in sports performance in your next training session or race. When we’re tired and low in energy, we’re also more likely to crave sweet treats and other high sugar snacks.

Cortisol levels and stress

Regardless of the above information on glycogen storage rates, I always encourage both male and females to get carbs coming in as quickly as possible after exercise. This is because cortisol levels (our stress hormone) become quite elevated during exercise. After exercise both males and females need to stabilise their cortisol levels as quickly as possible, by consuming some good quality carbohydrate-rich foods (oats, fruit, starchy veggies, rice, legumes).

High quality starchy carbs bind to the excess cortisol and clear it from the body. The longer you wait until you eat some starchy carbs after training, the higher your cortisol levels will rise. You want to avoid elevated cortisol levels after training because this kills off your good gut bacteria, which will then reduce the body’s ability to digest and absorb protein, carbs and iron-rich foods at your next meal.

Elevated cortisol levels after exercise also interfere with the balance of the female sex hormones progesterone and oestrogen, both required for optimal sports performance, a healthy menstrual cycle and needed in ideal levels to promote fat burning. Elevated cortisol also weakens the immune system, some studies suggest athletes need to aim to eat within 10 minutes of finishing exercise to support optimal immune function!

Protein

After exercise you need to focus on more than just carbohydrates – protein is just as important! After exercise, the body is in a catabolic state (breakdown state),where the muscles and immune system are being broken down. To stop this breakdown state we need to eat food ASAP (within 30 mins) to turn the body into a building and repair state, and we need to eat a combination of carbohydrates and protein, both are equally important. If this catabolic state is not turned into a building and repairing state, the immune system will become compromised, the muscles will not repair and rebuild properly, and the clearing of lactic acid will be reduced.

Protein’s main purpose after exercise is to rebuild and repair our muscles and our immune system. One of the most import amino acids to be getting in post-exercise is leucine! Leucine is needed to stimulate muscle protein synthesis in both males and females. Similar to carbs, the amount of protein required after exercise differs for both males and females.

Females need to be getting in 30g of total protein and 2.5-3g of leucine, within 30 minutes of finishing exercise. Whereas, males still need approx 25-30g of total protein but only need around 2 – 2.5g of leucine and again they have a longer nutrition recovery window. Males could push their protein intake out to 2 hours post-workout from a muscle recovery point a view, but for optimal immune function I still recommended males aim for 25-30g of protein within 30 minutes.

Common protein sources, including Leucine levels:

* Protein powders I recommend using are INCA Organics and True Protein.

3 quick ways to get protein and carbs in after exercise:

• A smoothie with 1 heaped scoop of good quality whey protein powder, fruit of choice, some hemp or pumpkin seeds and milk/almond milk
• A main meal with meat or fish or organic tempeh in it with some starchy veggies or coloured rice
• 40g of whey protein powder mixed in water, and 2 dates or 3 dried figs – perfect for recovery when on the go!

In summary, I always recommend both female and males aim to eat a mix of protein and carbs with in 30 mins of finishing training. This ensures the body is adapting to your training load, repairing and rebuilding your muscles correctly, supporting and repairing immune function and reducing raised cortisol levels.

This will also ensure female hormone levels are balanced, meaning the body will be less inflamed, produce more energy and be more primed to burn fat instead of hold on to it. For both males and females eating within 30 minutes of training will ensure you have energy for the rest of the day, avoid the mid-afternoon slump, ensure you go in to your next training session with fully stocked glycogen stores, support optimal immune health, hormone health and promote fat burning and muscle building.

It can be very varied, as I always tailor meal plans to individuals depending on their needs, how much time they have, their food preferences, age, gender and their activity levels and exercise goals. However, below is a basic guide and some information on what a day’s food intake should look like for an active individual who doesn’t have any food intolerances or allergies.

Before an early morning work out session do I need to be eating something?

If you are a male and you are exercising for 60 minutes or less you don’t have to eat.

However, if you are doing some really high intensity exercise in the morning (a HIIT class or an intense interval running/bike session), research shows having a small snack before these sessions really helps you perform at your best.

That said, if you are hungry when you wake or don’t like working out on an empty stomach, then please eat regardless of how intense you’ll be exercising.

A great morning workout snack is half a banana.

If you are a female, you need to eat before all exercise sessions in the morning.

The reasoning behind this is complex, so if you want some more detailed information on this please come and see me. But in short, females should never train fasted!

This is very bad for our oestrogen and progesterone levels which results in hormonal imbalances, and makes out cortisol levels skyrocket. This can promote weight gain, negatively effects our digestion, good gut bacteria levels, and promotes excess muscle break down.

If you are a female please eat before any workout! A simple thing to have is half an apple or half a banana and a heaped tablespoon of raw almond butter. This is all you need to counter the above negative effects.

After my morning workout, when should I eat next?

Males and females should both be eating within 30 minutes of finishing any workout!

Males have a longer recovery window for protein synthesis (muscle rebuilding/repair) than females do, however both males and females need to eat within 30 minutes of finishing all exercise/training sessions to support their immune system, lower their cortisol levels and support optimal digestion of nutrients for the rest of the day.

Again, for more detailed information on this come and see me, I love explaining why timing food correctly around exercise is so important for your sports performance, recovery, energy levels, immune function, weight management and digestion.

Some examples of breakfast ideas to have within 30 minutes of finishing a morning workout are:

• Apple and cinnamon overnight oats – see recipe below
• A protein smoothie – see below as well
• 2 eggs done any way you like with a slice of good quality sourdough toast, spread with avocado, goat’s cheese and topped with cooked mushrooms and wilted greens

Morning and afternoon tea:

If you are hungry, please eat a snack at either morning tea and or afternoon tea. Learning to listen to your hunger signals is key here! Check in with your body –  are you actually hungry, or are you really just thirsty, bored or stressed?

If you are actually hungry, please eat, this helps you avoid overeating later in the day and helps stabilise your blood sugar and energy levels.

Some basic snack suggestions are:

• A piece of fruit with a small handful mixed nuts and seeds
• A True protein bar
• 5-6 Carmen’s seeded crackers with some SSS hummus (available at Woolies)

Lunch:

Lunch is a main meal, please eat a main meal not a snack here! For example:

• 1 – 1½ cups of quinoa salad with a palm sized serving of leftover meat or a can of salmon in extra virgin olive oil
• A slice of baked frittata – make sure it’s packed with lots of colourful veggies
• Quick simple buddha style bowl – see recipe below

Dinner examples:

• Beef, chicken or organic tempeh and veggie stir-fry serve with ½ – ¾ of a cup of cooked quinoa, black rice or brown rice
• 150g fillet of salmon with ½ – ¾ of a cup of mashed sweet potato and some stir-fried greens – asparagus, broccolini, green beans and bok choy
• 1 – 1 ½ cups of veggie lentil dahl serve with ½ – ¾ of a cup of cauliflower rice, quinoa or coloured rice

This is a very basic guide of what to eat in a day, if you would like some more targeted advice and a complete 2-week meal plan that is tailored to your needs and provides you with a range of recipes and brand options, then please feel free to book in and see me. I do lots of zoom appointments so you can easily see me from the comfort of your own home in these crazy times!

Recipes

Apple and cinnamon overnights:

• ½ a cup of traditional rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• ½ a large apple diced (leave skin on)
• ½ a cup of raw almond milk (Nutty Bruce is a good brand)
• 2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup
• ½ – ¾ of a cup of plain Greek yoghurt
• 1-2 heaped tablespoon of ground flaxseed
• Mix all ingredient together in a jar or container and keep in the fridge overnight
• Have the next day topped with fresh berries and chopped almonds or raw almond butter
• Last in the fridge for 5 days
• Enjoy 🙂

Protein smoothie

• At least 30g of raw natural protein powder
• 1 cup of raw almond milk or coconut water
• ½ – ¾ of a cup of frozen mixed berries
• ½ a frozen banana
• 1 tablespoon of traditional rolled oats or plain Greek yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon of raw nut butter (almond or peanut)
• 1 teaspoon of raw hemp seeds or chia seeds
• Blend all ingredients and drink

Buddha bowl

• ½ a cup of cooked brown or black rice (you can make rice in advance and freeze in portion sizes)
• 3 tablespoons of well rinsed legumes (dress legumes in EVOO, salt & pepper)
• 3-4 different veggies (cooked or raw)
• ¾ of a palm sized serving of meat, fish or organic tempeh or 2 boiled eggs
• Cook/reheat/prep everything, throw it in a bowl, and eat!

I think good quality protein powders can be beneficial for a lot of people’s diets, but it’s not a necessary supplement for everyone.

For example, a good quality protein powder can really help athletes or avid gym goers, vegetarians or vegans, busy people who struggle to get time for proper meals, and people who are immune compromised.

However the quality of protein powder is paramount! There are a ton of poor quality, highly processed, and artificially-sweetened powders out there that you want to be avoiding! If you’re adding a protein powder into your diet, you want to make sure that it is actually going to be beneficial – you want to ensure it is made up of real, nutritionally-dense ingredients, and is minimally processed.

I have had the pleasure of working with the owner of INCA Organics protein powders and I can hands-down say that INCA Organics is the purest protein powder I can find on the market. It is packed full of nutrients from real food, contains absolutely nothing artificial, and is very minimally processed.

My  favourite is the Organic Natural Whey protein powder – it is just 100% organic whey protein concentrate – absolutely nothing else. Plus it blends really well into my favourite post-run berry smoothie (see below).

The only thing to note is that if you are a drug tested athlete, INCA Organics protein powders are not yet ASADA approved. One of the best ASADA approved protein powders currently on the market is ISOWHEY Sports Refuel and Rebuild – best straight after training.

If you’d like to know more about why we need protein and when and why it could be appropriate to have a good quality protein powder in your diet, then check out my blog post on the INCA Organics website about protein and protein powders.

Post-run Berry Smoothie:

• 1 – 1.5 cups of Nutty Bruce un-sweetened almond milk
• 1 cup of frozen organic mixed berries
• 2-3 heaped tablespoons of traditional rolled oats
• 1 scoop (30g) of INCA Organics Natural Whey Protein Powder
• 3 heaped tablespoons or organic plain Greek yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon of prebiotic fibre (feeds your good gut bacteria)

Blend all the ingredients together, and enjoy cold! If you’re running longer than 10km, then I also add in a banana to this recipe too.

For prebiotic fibre, I recommend Natural Evolution – Green Banana Resistant Starch.

However most hot cross buns are loaded with many types of sugars, poor quality vegetable oil, white flour, preservatives and food additives! They are generally highly processed and are no good for your good gut bacteria, blood sugar levels, energy levels and waistline. The majority of the time they are not very filling, so you find yourself reaching for a second one!

So should you eat hot cross buns at Easter time?

Of course you can! BUT make sure you choose good quality hot cross bun brands that have no added sugars, preservatives or food additives and use good quality flour such as sourdough or spelt, and good quality oils like olive oil or coconut oil.

What to look for when buying good quality hot cross buns:

A great brand of hot cross buns to buy is the Ancient Grains organic wholegrain spelt hot cross buns. You can get these from most health food stores or organic food stores, some local greengrocers, and some IGAs, and online at SunnyBrook Health Store.

I know a hot cross bun with no sugar in it sounds like it won’t be tasty, but trust me if you get a good quality hot cross bun and have it toasted with some grass fed butter and a cup of tea it will be delicious and filling!

My afternoon Easter treat is:

• 1 Ancient Grains organic spelt hot cross bun toasted
• Spread with some organic grass fed butter – the easiest organic grass fed butter brand to find is New Zealand Mainland Organic Grass fed butter
• A cup of organic match green tea – which has lots of polypehnols (a type of antioxidant) in it to feed my good gut bacteria 🙂

Try it out and enjoy how delicious and filling a real hot cross bun is!

You need to hydrate before, during and after all training sessions and races, but also just during day-to-day activities.

While today it is the first day of Autumn and unfortunately Summer is now behind us, it is still hot hot hot here in Melbourne! So for some quick easy tips on how to stay well hydrated everyday, as well as in training and races click HERE to check out my latest blog post at register now!

While the variety of sports in a triathlon makes it super fun to compete in, it also puts a lot of demand on the body nutrition-wise. So to help you fuel yourself for whatever distance triathlon you decide to tackle, check out these simple but effective race-day nutrition tips I have posted  HERE on the register now blog.