Cycle syncing has taken the fitness and nutrition world by storm, with social media touting it as the secret to optimizing women's health. But is it really the magic solution it’s made out to be, especially for outdoor athletes? In this episode, special guest and strength & conditioning coach Casey Westbrook and I unpack the hype around cycle syncing and explore why it might not be as practical as it seems for those of us hitting the trails, crags, or roads.

We discuss:

• The natural shifts in energy and performance that outdoor athletes might notice across their menstrual cycle,
• Limitations of syncing your workouts and nutrition to specific phases.
• Instead of following a rigid framework, we dive into the power of understanding your own body through tracking and using tools like RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) to make real-time adjustments based on how you’re feeling.

From identifying the main goal of each training session to mastering the art of adaptability, this episode is packed with actionable strategies that go beyond your cycle. Tune in to learn how listening to your body can help you achieve longevity and success in your sport, without the need to “perfectly sync” your life to your cycle.

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Casey Westbrook is a strength & conditioning coach for female outdoor athletes. Motivated by her personal experiences with injuries, overtraining, and burnout, she is dedicated to helping women improve their strength, performance, and longevity in adventure sports. Casey believes in the transformative power of smart training and aims to empower women to stay injury-free and active now & well into their later years.

Follow Casey Westbrook on instagram here

To inquire about overcoming debilitating hormone symptoms, fill out a coaching inquiry form here to chat with Amanda.

In this episode, host and Clinical Nutritionist Amanda Fitt dives into the world of food tracking for outdoor athletes. Whether you’ve considered tracking your food but don’t know where to start, or you’re curious about how to optimize your nutrition for performance, this episode is packed with practical insights and actionable tips.

Highlights from this episode:

• Why the Cronometer app is my go-to platform for food tracking.
• How to establish a baseline of your current intake without making changes.
• The importance of accurate food measurement and when precision matters most.
• Addressing concerns about food tracking and its impact on your relationship with food.
• Why fitness trackers might not be the best tool for estimating your energy expenditure.

If you’re ready to take your nutrition to the next level and get personalized guidance tailored to your goals, fill out my Coaching Inquiry Form HERE. This is the first step to connecting with me for a complimentary 15-minute discovery call, where we’ll chat about your health, performance goals, and how I can help you fuel smarter. Let’s work together to optimize your nutrition and unlock your full potential as an athlete.

Follow me on Instagram @purely_nourished for more nutrition tips and education for outdoor athletes and active people!

Get ready to uncover the hidden links between stress, blood sugar, inflammation, and your hormones! In today's episode, we're diving deep into the hormone cortisol. We cover: the many hats cortisol wears, different types of stressors (hint: these may not be what you think!), the stress response and the HPA axis, "burn out," cortisol's impact on blood sugar regulation & sex hormones, and more. Per usual, Amanda delivers actionable nutrition & lifestyle tips on how to nurture your stress response for optimal cortisol levels, plus testing considerations to fully uncover where your personal cortisol levels are actually at. Buckle up, it's time to demystify this stress hormone!

Resources mentioned in the show:

• Sign up now for Beat the Bonk! Are you ready to conquer fatigue and supercharge your sports performance? Join us for the 6 week self-paced online course specifically designed to teach outdoor athletes and active people how to eat to increase energy levels, overcome hormonal imbalances, and level up their performance. You don't want to miss out on the very first round of this program - Beat the Bonk is being offered at an extremely discounted rate, PLUS you get to join 4 complimentary group Q+A video calls to receive live personalized support and feedback. Course opens Sept. 11th.

• Take the Blood Sugar Dysregulation Quiz! Are you curious as to which blood sugar type you are? Take the 2 min quiz to see if you are a fast, steady, or sluggish blood sugar type (and what to do about it).

• Curious about cortisol testing? Schedule a free 15 minute discovery call to get your questions answered.

CGM stands for continuous glucose monitor. This snazzy piece of technology allows you to monitor your blood sugar levels in real time. This literally means IMMEDIATE biofeedback on how your food, stress levels, and lifestyle impacts your blood sugar. I recently used one for the first time: in this episode, I share my whole experience from the application, meal tracking, metrics, biggest takeaways, and more.

• Purchase CGM's on your own from Veri with my discount code --> click here to apply the discount right away, or use PURELYNOURISHED at checkout
• Click here to learn more about 1:1 coaching opportunities for personalized feedback on continuous glucose monitoring
• JOIN THE WAITLIST for the 6 week blood sugar balancing program with CGM's (beta round & big ol discount on the total investment) ----> application opens mid August.

As a reminder, the information provided in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitution for medical advise. Please reach out to your provider before making any changes.

In this episode, Amanda answers listener questions on all things PROTEIN! Bro-tein (sorry bros, it’s just fun to say!) is a crucial macronutrient that serves a variety of functions in the body, including comprising skeletal muscle, certain hormones, antibodies, transport proteins, enzymes, and so much more. Because of the far reaching functions that proteins have in the body, under consuming protein can have detrimental consequences on a vast number of bodily systems, especially for athletes and active individuals. In this episode we cover how much protein you should be consuming daily, if all protein sources are created equally, who might require a higher amount of protein, debunking whether or not it’s possible to eat too much protein, protein timing (when to eat protein around activity), and if supplementation is necessary.

Resources/ Notes mentioned in the show:

Stay up to date on all podcast episodes, Purely Nourished offerings, and receive free nutrition tips, and education by adding yourself to my mailing list! Super special Black Friday announcement coming soon- stay tuned!

International Society of Sports Nutrition's stand on protein: great educational article to read

Edit: when discussing the kidneys and protein, “our KIDNEYS & liver are what converts proteins/ breaks down amino acids into ammonia and urea to be excreted via the kidneys…” not our proteins are what converts proteins… (silly me, whoops!).

Here’s a review article examining high protein diets on kidney function for educational purposes

My favorite protein powder: Be Well by Kelly (they make a plant based one now, too!)

My favorite plant based protein powder: Truvani

For more free resources, tips, and strategies, make sure to check out my website & blog, as well as follow me on instagram @purely_nourished!

This show should not be substituted for. medical advice and is for educational purposes only. Consult with your medical provider before making any changes.

In this episode, Amanda shares her top 5 nutrition & lifestyle mistakes to avoid when transitioning from an off season (or training block) to a performance season. Optimizing the transition between seasons is critical for increasing your potential for success, reducing your chance of injury, and especially lessening the potential for a burn out mid season. Amanda walks you through the most common mistakes she sees athletes make during this make-or-break period, and shares tips for how you can avoid them. At the end of the episode, she answers a few listener questions that were submitted on this topic. If you resonate with: wanting to increase your energy levels during this phase, soreness, water consumption when it gets cooler, and feeling bloated/ heavy when climbing outside, make sure you listen to the end to catch some helpful tips.

Resources/ Notes mentioned in the show:

• Join us for the virtual Weekend Warrior Workshop on October 18th @ 5:30pm PST/8:30pm EST! Click here to register. Early bird discount ends 10/1o! If you are a climber who has limited time on real rock, you don't want to miss this.

• As I mentioned in mistake to avoid #3, if you struggle with your fueling strategies and are looking for more information, check out EP | 02 How to fuel for indoor climbing sessions (this will provide you with a super basic fueling strategy outline that can be applied to outdoor climbing days, and even other outdoor sports as well).

• If you want to increase your success this upcoming performance season, click here to schedule a free 15 minute discover call with me! We can chat about your goals, what you struggle with, and how I might be able to help. We will see if nutrition coaching is a good fit, and discuss the right coaching program for you.

For more free resources, tips, and strategies, make sure to check out my website & blog, as well as follow me on instagram @purely_nourished!

This show should not be substituted for. medical advice and is for educational purposes only. Consult with a physician before making any changes.

In this episode, Amanda breaks down what the phrase "healthy hormones" actually means: we discuss what hormones, organs, and bodily systems are all involved in the regulation of hormone balance, what symptoms & conditions present from dysregulation of these different systems, how dysregulated hormones can impact your performance as an athlete, and finally, what to focus on to improve your hormone balance as well as actionable tips to get you started. At the end of the episode, I answer a few listener questions that cover hormonal acne, eating & training with your cycle, and tips for managing painful/ irregular periods: if you struggle with any of those topics, make sure to listen to the end of the episode for helpful insights.

We cover:

• Your sex hormones (8:50), insulin & blood sugar regulation (13:35), the HPA axis (i.e. your adrenals)(18:40), your liver (24:00), gut health (28:55), as well as thyroid hormones (31:50), and how all are intimately interconnected to your overall hormone balance.

• How dyregulated hormones impact your athletic performance (36:40)

• Actionable tips to try (40:40)

• Listener Q+A (50:15)

Resources/ Notes mentioned in the show:

• Probiotics: my favorite are Megaspore spore based probiotic, Klaire Labs Ther-Biotic, and Saccharomyces Boulardii from Pure Encapsulations.

• My favorite castor oil packs for liver support, by Queen of Thrones

• All of these products are available at a discount from my online dispensary. Click here to access my Fullscript portal.

• For inquiries about hormone testing & nutrition support, schedule a free discovery call here to get more information about DUTCH testing and what it can do for you.

For more free resources, tips, and strategies, make sure to check out my website & blog, as well as follow me on instagram @purely_nourished!

This show should not be substituted for. medical advice and is for educational purposes only. Consult with a physician before making any changes.

Properly fueling for your indoor climbing sessions can be an absolute game changer. Just by timing your food correctly (i.e. eating the right things at the right times) you have more energy to train, have more efficient sessions (because you aren’t bonking halfway through), recover faster, and honestly have more fun at the gym (because being a hangry monster is never fun). This episode will breakdown what strategic fueling or "nutrient timing" actually means, WHEN to eat before, during, and after your sessions, WHAT TYPE of fuel is the most effective during those various time frames, as well as some of my favorite fueling snack ideas.

Resources/ Notes mentioned in the show:

• I'm having a POST LABOR DAY SALE on all of my New Client Introductory Sessions & Bundles! Sale runs from Friday, 9/9 until Sunday 9/11 @ midnight PST.

• Click here for more info, pricing, and to book.

• Use code: POSTLABOR20 at checkout to receive 20% off any Intro Session or Bundle.

• If you aren't sure if coaching is right for you, schedule a free 15 minute discovery call so I can hear about what you are struggling with, where you need support, and to see if we are a good fit.

For more free resources, tips, and strategies, make sure to check out my website & blog, as well as follow me on instagram @purely_nourished!

In this episode we cover the concept of baseline nutrition. What you eat "day-to-day" is just as important (if not more) as your precision fueling strategies (i.e. what you eat before, during, and after your sessions). Optimizing your baseline nutrition is essential for ensuring your fueling strategies actually work long term, and is crucial for creating good health. You'll learn what baseline nutrition actually is, how overall energy intake, macronutrients, micronutrients, and balancing your blood sugar all play a role in your baseline nutrition, as well as where most athletes go wrong. You'll walk away from this episode with 4 tangible takeaways & tips for you to start focusing on right away that will actually make a difference in your overall nutrition strategy & health.

Resources mentioned in the show:

• How to balance your plate as an athlete

• Free guide to optimize your breakfast (aka tips for balancing your blood sugar)

• If you are struggling with your baseline nutrition, I'd love to help. Check out my new client offers here

For more free resources, tips, and strategies, make sure to check out my website & blog, as well as follow me on instagram @purely_nourished!

Welcome to the Purely Nourished Podcast! A space for outdoor athletes and outdoor minded individuals who want to improve their athletic performance, and feel their absolute best. If you are a climber, mountain biker, trail runner, hiker, alpinist, or a jack of all trades who struggles with sorting through the abundance of nutritional information out there, and who wants to eat in a way to not only just crush your goals, but to also improve your overall health & wellbeing- then you have come to the right place.

Each episode will be hosted by Amanda Fitt- nutritionist, health coach, grad student, and owner of Purely Nourished (a nutrition coaching company serving outdoor athletes). Episodes will cover nutrition concerns that specifically pertain to outdoor athletes, actionable tips and strategies, functional health topics, improving your relationship with food, and so much more in an easily digestible & understandable format.

For more resources & info on Purely Nourished, head to https://www.purelynourishednutrition.com/blog. Follow @purely_nourished on Instagram for tons of free education, & actionable tips.