When it comes to the female body, it’s safe to say how we feel, look, think and perceive things can change dramatically over the course of our cycle. Our body’s hormones control everything from our metabolic function to our pain threshold, to how we eat, and even to how much training we can tolerate. Up to 80% of women report symptoms such as acne, bloating, fatigue, and mood changes in the couple of weeks leading up to menstruation (1,2). Understanding what happens throughout the phases of your cycle can give you valuable insight into why we feel strong and powerful during one phase, to weak and weepy in the other.

This is the time of the year where people start to freak out. There’s the fitness fanatics that start to sweat with anxiety about the parties they have to go to, and there's yo-yo dieters who throw their hands up into the air and yell ‘screw it’ as they face plant into cake and momentarily blackout. It can be a stressful time for those concerned about their physiques, but it really doesn’t have to be. There’s many tricks to help stay on track and prevent doing serious damage, or having to avoid social occasions for the fear of indulging. Here are 5 simple tips and tricks.

Building muscle is hard enough as is - let alone having something possibly impair your potential. Many spend their whole lives trying to get 'too big,' only to find out it's very difficult to get too big! Endurance training (cardio) has an 'interference' effect on strength, power, and muscle hypertrophy gains (1). When added to a resistance training program, it has been shown to negatively impact the amount that can be gained (1, 2). This doesn't mean you can't make progress with some cardio training however - studies have shown you can still make good gains in strength, power, and muscle hypertrophy with the inclusion of cardio training in your resistance training program (1, 2) - it just means you have to be smart about how much and what type of cardio you decide to use. Different types and amounts of cardio have different effects on power, strength, and muscle hypertrophy gains.

Born out of a desire to have a protein dense, low-calorie, ready-to-eat meal straight from the fridge for multiple days running, this thick, veggie and protein loaded frittata is a weekly staple. I’ve put a little spin on it with some sundried tomatoes and asparagus, but the macros reflect the basic components and you can add whatever other veggies you desire or have on hand!
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The perfect post-workout pancakes for those who need to refuel. Loaded with carbs, a nice amount of protein, beautifully thick and fluffy, and they can be made in a hurry or prepped in advance!

We’ve all made low-carb protein pancakes. We convince ourselves they fill a void, but for the vast majority of us there is no real need to create a void in the first place! The perfect time to refuel our glycogen stores is post-workout to give our muscles what they need to recover and grow. That being said, these pancakes are crowd pleasers and can be easily adapted to meet your specific dietary goals or needs.

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​I’m hesitant to call these “healthy” and prefer to stay well clear of calling anything “clean” but these are a little more macro friendly than your standard donut! Made with simple ingredients, baked in a donut tray, soft, light, a little doughy, and beautifully cinnamon!

If you do want to give these a little protein boost I’d opt for adding some protein icing on the side for dunking! Just mix a little of your favourite whey protein with some water to a thick icing consistency.