Did you know that if we have low energy availability we are 3x more likely to have to take time off training due to illness?

That could mean about 3 weeks lost training throughout the year due to injury or delayed recovery - and that's not even considering the higher risk of stress fractures and bone breaks.

If you’re in off season or not training as much as normal, that doesn’t mean you have to stop eating or go on a diet.

Your body needs food and fuel to thrive - even if you haven’t done any exercise.

In a world where optimal performance and environmental consciousness are paramount, few innovations have struck a balance as well as Bivo Drink Bottles. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Carina Hamel, co-founder of Bivo and lifelong athlete, to discuss her journey and the unique features of Bivo's stainless steel drink bottles. What follows is an insightful look into how Bivo is revolutionizing sports hydration and tackling the plastic problem one bottle at a time.

Often the ways people want to change their nutrition are set with good intentions... but they aren't realistic and are doomed to fail. Nutrition needs to be REALISTIC for it to last.

When aiming to improve the nutritional quality of your diet to support heart health, you don't need to go on any extreme dietary regime, but what you eat does matter and can make a big difference. These are the top 10 heart friendly foods I recommend people incorporate more into their diet to benefit heart health and help reduce high cholesterol levels: 

Freaking out because your weight has increased when you are trying to lose weight cycling? Before you hit the panic button and use it as a reason to go on a crash diet, take a moment to pause and put that one number in context of the bigger picture. Our weight changes a lot on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis - way beyond changes in body composition.

Why I won't recommend female athletes follow 1200-1600kcal diets as a sports dietitian. Whether it is intentional or not, low energy availability is no joke when it comes to your health, performance and body composition.

Can you relate to my perfectionistic thinking when it comes to cycling and nutrition? Yesterday it cost me (at least) and hour worth of riding time!

When it comes to race weight, 62% of female elite cyclists are unhappy with their current race weight and believed they would race better if they were an average 1.6kg lighter.

Many cyclists want to lose weight to improve power-to-weight ratio. But, what do you do when you see a number on the scale that you don’t like?

Why do you think your nutrition needs to be really hard and complicated for it to work as a cyclist trying to lose weight and improve your power to weight ratio?

Is sugar water the ultimate fuelling strategy for cyclists? I looked at the research and took it to the test to see if sugar really is the best fuelling strategy for cyclists and if it does get the sports dietitian seal of approval.

Race nutrition report: Masters State Championships. Glen Leechburch Auwers achieved 4th place at the State Masters Championships due to determination and perseverance, with a dose of carb loading and good bike nutrition. My expectation was to be dropped on the first lap. There were so many ‘better’ and ‘stronger’ riders there that day. I think the carb loading gave me that extra edge to finish strong. 

Carbs not only improve your cycling endurance performance - they also enhance any strength training you do.

Are you trying to lose weight as a cyclist to improve your power to weight ratio and frustrated by the rate of progress?As an advanced sports dietitian specialising in performance nutrition for cyclists, I regularly have conversations about weight, 'lack of progress' and the thoughts, feelings and emotional responses that follow on from that thought.

Muesli bars at the supermarket are a fantastic, cost effective fuel source as a cyclist. You don't need to spend a fortune on commercial sports drinks, bars and gels. There are plenty of affordable convenient options at your local supermarket to try.

Are you nailing your recovery nutrition as a cyclist? Remember the four R's for recovery nutrition when considering what you eat or drink after riding your bike:

I almost didn’t get on the start line for this race. I almost let my mental chatter talk me out of doing this race and in the process learned another lesson in the art of developing a high performance mindset.

What does leadership in a disrupted world look like? Refuelled after our ride with good food and coffee, I enjoyed hearing the insights of Sarah Lloyd (Qantas), Jason Tuendemann (Amazon Web Services) and Anthony Seibold (England Rugby) at my first Breakfast with the Bunch hosted by the International Cycling Executives (ICE) Sydney branch.

With a range of alcohol free beers to choose from, you are bound to find a new favourite to satisfy your thirst without the hangover.