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  • Episode 2: How to Fix Your Gut: Practical Steps for Better Health and Performance

    Episode 2: How to Fix Your Gut: Practical Steps for Better Health and Performance
    2025/12/17

    In part two of my conversation with Harvey Fortis – nutritionist, researcher, and performance specialist working with INEOS Cycling – we move from theory into practical action. Harvey and I dig into the specific foods, habits, and daily choices that nourish the microbiome and help it thrive.

    We talk about fibre, fermented foods, stress, sleep, pre- and probiotics, the Mediterranean diet, and how simple, consistent choices can transform gut health for athletes and everyday individuals alike.

    Key Topics

    • Why variety in your diet is key to microbial diversity
    • Fibre vs fermented foods – understanding their different roles
    • How to audit your current diet and identify triggers
    • The truth about IBS, intolerances, and exclusion diets
    • Prebiotics vs probiotics vs symbiotics – what they actually do
    • How stress, sleep, and lifestyle shape gut balance as much as food does
    • The Mediterranean diet as a model for long-term gut health

    Key Quote ( 01:27:58 )

    “Every meal needs to feed you – and your microbes. When you look after your gut, you’re really looking after your whole body.” – Harvey Fortis

    Key Message

    Gut health isn’t about cutting things out – it’s about adding the right things in. Feed your microbes with colour, fibre, and variety, and you’ll build the foundation for lasting health and performance.

    How to Connect with Harvey:

    Instagram – @fortis.sportsci Website – www.totalendurancenutrition.com

    Recommended resources for listeners:

    A couple mod highly recommended books

    Gut by Giulia Enders The Athlete’s Gut: The Inside Science of Digestion, Nutrition, and Stomach Distress – Patrick Wilson

    2 interesting research documents The Athlete Gut Microbiome and its Relevance to Health and Performance: A Review GSSI Sports Science Exchange: Gut Microbiome Function, Stability, and Profiling and Relevance to Athletes

    Join the SWAT Inner Circle

    The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span. You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

    Connect with me HERE: https://linktr.ee/simonward

    You can find links for the following channels - Website, Facebook, Podcast, Instagram, YouTube

    Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

    Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

    Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

    Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

    💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!
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    1 時間 11 分
  • Your Gut, Your Performance: The Science Behind the Microbiome

    Your Gut, Your Performance: The Science Behind the Microbiome
    2025/12/10
    In this first of two conversations, I sit down with Harvey Fortis, a performance nutritionist and researcher completing his PhD at Liverpool John Moores University, where he studies gut and metabolic responses in endurance athletes. Harvey also works with INEOS Cycling and Total Endurance Nutrition, so he sees the impact of gut health on performance every single day. Together, we lay the foundations for understanding the microbiome – the trillions of microbes that live inside us and influence our digestion, immunity, mood, sleep, and long-term health. We explore how the microbiome develops, how modern life affects it, and why a healthy gut is essential not just for athletes, but for anyone who wants to feel and function at their best. Key Topics What the microbiome is and how it functions as an “internal city” of trillions of microbesWhy gut health begins before birth and evolves through childhoodThe impact of environment, lifestyle, and modern diets on microbial diversityThe gut’s powerful role in immune function and chronic inflammationThe gut–brain axis – how your digestion and emotions are intertwinedWhy fermented foods like kefir, yoghurt, and sauerkraut are so valuableHow a balanced microbiome can help prevent fatigue, illness, and autoimmune issues Key Quote ( 00:09:59 ) “We host around 30 to 40 trillion bacterial cells – roughly as many as your own human cells – and they all work together like a thriving city inside you.” – Harvey Fortis Key Message Your gut is more than a digestive system – it’s a living ecosystem that drives energy, recovery, mood, and resilience. When the good bacteria thrive, everything else follows. How to Connect with Harvey:Instagram – @fortis.sportsci Website – www.totalendurancenutrition.com Recommended resources for listeners: A couple mod highly recommended books Gut by Giulia Enders The Athlete’s Gut: The Inside Science of Digestion, Nutrition, and Stomach Distress – Patrick Wilson 2 interesting research documents The Athlete Gut Microbiome and its Relevance to Health and Performance: A Review GSSI Sports Science Exchange: Gut Microbiome Function, Stability, and Profiling and Relevance to Athletes Join the SWAT Inner Circle And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION Connect with me HERE: You can find link for the following channels - Website, Facebook, podcast, Instagram, YouTube Check out my Instagram and YouTube channel Website: www.simonward.co.uk Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM). 💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!
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    1 時間 6 分
  • The Hidden Cost of ‘Normal’ Drinking After 40 with Clifford Stephan

    The Hidden Cost of ‘Normal’ Drinking After 40 with Clifford Stephan
    2025/12/03
    “You know what you can get away with in your teens and 20s is a little different than your 30s and 40s. Your body is like a classic car now - you can't get away with not servicing it anymore.” This week on the Be Battle Ready Podcast, I’m joined by Clifford Stephan, the founder of Booze Vacation. Clifford’s work focuses on helping people take intentional breaks from alcohol in order to reboot their sleep, metabolic health, energy, cognitive function, and long term wellbeing. Far from preaching sobriety, his approach is rooted in real-world experience, practical strategies, and understanding the way modern life, ageing, stress, and habitual drinking fit together. Clifford shares his own journey from Silicon Valley consultant and lifelong social drinker to discovering how even “normal” drinking patterns were quietly sabotaging his sleep, hormones, recovery, performance at work, and motivation to train. His story will resonate with anyone in their forties, fifties or beyond who has ever wondered whether alcohol is pulling more from their life than it is giving back. Together we explore: Why the habits you “get away with” in your twenties begin to cost you dearly in your forties and fiftiesHow alcohol disrupts sleep architecture, metabolic health, hormones, cravings, energy, and recoveryWhy taking one long break from alcohol often unlocks improvements that short-term “cutting back” never deliversThe powerful link between stress, poor sleep, overeating, belly fat, and reward systemsHow to navigate social situations without alcohol, re-write your internal story, and update your identityThe impact alcohol has on performance at work, clarity of thought, productivity, and ability to show up for your familyWhy health span, not lifespan, should be the real goal in midlifeSimple steps you can take today if you want to feel and function better in the next 30 to 90 days This episode is packed with insights for anyone wanting to build more energy, better sleep, sharper thinking, and greater resilience as they age. Clifford’s experience, honesty, and practical approach make this a genuinely eye-opening conversation. Listen now Tune in to learn how smarter alcohol choices can become a genuine performance enhancer for training, work, mood, and long term health. Connect with Clifford Website- BoozeVacation.com TikTok- TikTok.com/@cliffordstephan1 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliffordstephan Instagram- instagram.com/boozevacation/ Men's health Quiz- http://boozevacation.scoreapp.com/ Sleep blog - https://boozevacation.com/sleep-and-alcohol/ Other resources- https://boozevacation.com/resources/ TikTok- TikTok.com/@cliffordstephan1 Clifford’s book recommendation: Good Energy by Dr Casey means - The groundbreaking connection between glucose levels, metabolism, limitless health and longevity Join the SWAT Inner Circle And if you want structure, accountability, and a tactical plan for staying strong, mobile, and resilient all year round, the SWAT Inner Circle is where you’ll find the support to stay Battle Ready for life’s adventures. CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION Check out my Instagram and YouTube channel Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM). Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic - https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle Website: www.simonward.co.uk Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter 💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!
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    59 分
  • Broken Endurance: The Smartest Way to Run Faster for Longer with Bobby McGee

    Broken Endurance: The Smartest Way to Run Faster for Longer with Bobby McGee
    2025/11/26
    In this episode, running coach Bobby McGee is back to help us understand the revolutionary concept of "broken endurance" - a strategic run-walk approach that challenges everything we think we know about endurance racing. As Bobby said "This is absolutely a performance tool, a performance approach. It is not a concession. You know, when people view it as a concession, then the whole mindset goes... You will perform better utilising this, not only as a training strategy, but very, very definitely for the large majority of endurance athletes, as a racing strategy, as a superior racing strategy." - Bobby McGee In the conversation we talk about psychological barriers that prevent runners from adopting this approach, some compelling success stories, and we have some practical guidance on how to implement broken endurance in both your training and racing. Key Points Discussed: Broken endurance as a performance tool: This isn't a concession - it's a strategic approach that allows athletes to perform better, cover longer distances, and recover faster than continuous running. The physiological benefits: Better heat management, improved cardiac drift control, enhanced fluid absorption, superior blood circulation during walk breaks, and reduced neurological fatigue. Real-world success stories: From a 2:40 marathoner who ran 2:22 using walk-run, to age group athletes consistently outperforming their continuous running times by 4-5 minutes. Overcoming the ego barrier: Why cultural perceptions of endurance and the "Iron Man" mentality prevent athletes from adopting superior racing strategies. Practical implementation: How to find your optimal run-walk ratio (starting with 4:1 or 3:1), the importance of systematic data collection, and adapting intervals based on conditions. Walking technique matters: Maintaining 14-17 minute mile pace during walk breaks, keeping rhythm and cadence, and using the walk as active recovery rather than collapse. Recovery advantages: Dramatically reduced post-workout fatigue, ability to maintain higher training frequency, and reduced injury risk from better form maintenance. Connect with Bobby McGee: Website - bobbymcgee.com Instagram - bobbymcgeerunning Pendola Project - Run Form Bobby also recommends the following books Endure - Alex Hutchinson The Transformational Power of Pure Intelligence Cory Reich Bobby is a consultant for STRYD power meters, He highly recommends the Duo if you want state of the art mechanical data to work on your run Join the SWAT Inner Circle The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span. You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION Check out my Instagram and YouTube channel Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM). Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic - https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle Website: www.simonward.co.uk Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter 💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!
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    53 分
  • Episode 3: Should Athletes Fast? The Performance vs. Weight Loss Dilemma

    Episode 3: Should Athletes Fast? The Performance vs. Weight Loss Dilemma
    2025/11/19

    In the final episode of the fasting series, Simon and Dr. Jules Strauss tackle the complex question of whether endurance athletes should fast, and if so, how to do it safely without compromising training quality or health.

    Jules brings her expertise in sports nutrition to provide practical guidance on timing fasting protocols around training seasons, the difference between fasting for weight loss and fasted training for metabolic adaptation, and how to monitor whether a fasting approach is helping or hindering performance.

    Key Points Discussed:

    1. Should endurance athletes fast? It depends on individual circumstances, but fasting is not a performance enhancer - it's about careful management to maintain performance while pursuing other goals.
    2. Timing within the training year: Off-season is ideal for experimenting with fasting protocols, while build phases, competition prep, and race periods should avoid restrictive approaches.
    3. The planning complexity: How fasting requires more careful attention to meeting macronutrient needs (6-7g carbs/kg, 1.6-2.2g protein/kg) within restricted eating windows.
    4. Fasted training vs. fasting protocols: The difference between acute fasted training sessions (for metabolic flexibility) and chronic fasting approaches (for weight management).
    5. Monitoring and red flags: How to track whether fasting is working through training metrics, recovery markers, immune function, and menstrual health in females.
    6. The performance-health-body composition triangle: Jules' framework for balancing competing priorities and staying within the "sweet spot" of all three goals.

    Key Quotation:

    "I think the key thing to recognise is that this (fasting) isn't going to be a performance enhancer. This isn't an approach that an athlete should pursue from an improved performance perspective. That's not to say that we can't maintain our performance if we carefully manage a fasting approach" — Dr. Jules Strauss

    Connect with Dr. Jules Strauss:

    • Website: totalendurancenutrition.com
    • Instagram: @drjulesstrauss_nutritionist

    If you are training for endurance sport and tempted by fasting please check out this research first:

    Fuel for the work required

    Join the SWAT Inner Circle

    The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span. You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

    Check out my Instagram and YouTube channel

    Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

    Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

    Website: www.simonward.co.uk

    Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

    Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

    Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

    💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!
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    47 分
  • Episode 2: Types of Fasting Explained - What Works and What's Just Hype

    Episode 2: Types of Fasting Explained - What Works and What's Just Hype
    2025/11/12

    In part two of the fasting series, Simon and Dr. Jules Strauss dive deep into the different types of fasting protocols available today. From time-restricted eating to extreme approaches with catchy names, they explore what the science actually supports versus what's simply clever marketing designed to sell products.

    Jules walks through the continuum of fasting approaches and importantly discusses who should avoid fasting altogether, drawing on her expertise in female-specific nutrition and eating disorder awareness.

    Key Points Discussed:

    1. Time-restricted eating (TRE): The most common and manageable approach, typically 16:8 or 14:10 windows, with early eating windows showing slightly greater benefits for insulin sensitivity.
    2. Intermittent fasting (5:2 approach): Five normal eating days with two very low-calorie days, and why this can be challenging for endurance athletes to manage around training.
    3. Red flag approaches to avoid: The "Warrior Diet," "Lean Gains," and other extreme protocols with fancy names that often promote disordered eating behaviour’s.
    4. Who should avoid fasting: Anyone with a history of disordered eating, youth athletes, pregnant/lactating women, older athletes with higher protein needs, and those with recurrent injuries.
    5. The reality check on benefits: Fasting doesn't provide superior results compared to traditional calorie restriction - it's simply another tool that works for some people.
    6. Individual considerations: How training schedule, lifestyle, and personal circumstances should guide whether fasting is appropriate.

    Key Quotation:

    "I think it's important to recognise and acknowledge that, on the face of it, that is the time restricted eating approach. But when we kind of layer on all these additional kind of rules and restrictions, that's the point at which this becomes incredibly challenging for anyone to really implement... and actually lean more towards promoting and supporting people to engage with more kind of disordered eating behaviour’s." Dr. Jules Strauss

    Connect with Dr. Jules Strauss:

    • Website: totalendurancenutrition.com
    • Instagram: @drjulesstrauss_nutritionist

    **If you are training for endurance sport and tempted by fasting please check out this research first:

    Fuel for the work required

    Join the SWAT Inner Circle

    The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span. You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

    Check out my Instagram and YouTube channel

    Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

    Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic - https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

    Website: www.simonward.co.uk

    Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

    Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

    Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

    💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!
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    42 分
  • Episode 1: Understanding Fasting and Nutrition - The Science Behind What Happens When We Fast

    Episode 1: Understanding Fasting and Nutrition - The Science Behind What Happens When We Fast
    2025/11/05

    In this first episode of our three-part fasting series, Simon Ward welcomes Dr. Jules Strauss to explore the evolutionary science behind fasting and what actually happens in our bodies when we restrict food intake. While fasting has become a popular topic on social media, Jules brings her decade of research in exercise metabolism to separate the science from the hype.

    Together, they unpack how our hunter-gatherer ancestors evolved to handle periods without food, the hour-by-hour changes that occur during fasting, and why our relationship with hunger is far more complex than we might think.

    Key Points Discussed:

    1. Our evolutionary relationship with fasting: Humans evolved with intermittent access to food, developing metabolic flexibility to switch between glucose and fat burning during feast and famine cycles.
    2. The fasting timeline - what happens hour by hour: From overnight fasting (insulin drops, fat burning begins) to extended fasting (liver glycogen depletion, ketone production) and the physiological stress responses that occur.
    3. Understanding hunger signals: How appetite hormones like ghrelin and satiety signals work, why hunger often disappears during fasting, and the difference between true hunger and habitual eating patterns.
    4. The real benefits backed by science: Improvements in insulin sensitivity, glucose control, and body composition - but with the important caveat that most studies are done on metabolically unhealthy populations, not athletes.
    5. Fasting as physiological stress: Why fasting increases cortisol and adrenaline, and how this compounds with training stress in athletes.

    Key Quotation:

    "We all typically will fast overnight, and you know, depending on bedtime and waking time, the duration of that overnight fast that we all have will be slightly variable... but ultimately, that overnight fast will mean that we lean slightly more towards fat metabolism." Dr. Jules Strauss

    Connect with Dr. Jules Strauss:

    • Website: totalendurancenutrition.com
    • Instagram: @drjulesstrauss_nutritionist

    If you are training for endurance sport and tempted by fasting please check out this research first:

    Fuel for the work required

    Join the SWAT Inner Circle

    The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span. You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION

    Check out my Instagram and YouTube channel

    Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM).

    Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic: https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle

    Website: www.simonward.co.uk

    Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com

    Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter

    Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter

    💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com and you might just hear it on a future episode!
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    41 分
  • Creatine, Brain Health, and Ageing Strong — with Dr Tommy Wood

    Creatine, Brain Health, and Ageing Strong — with Dr Tommy Wood
    2025/10/29
    In this week’s BeBattleReady podcast, Simon Ward welcomes back Dr Tommy Wood to explore one of the most researched yet misunderstood supplements - creatine. While most athletes associate it with muscle strength, Tommy explains why its benefits go far beyond the gym, extending to brain health, cognitive function, and ageing well. Together, they unpack how creatine works, who should consider supplementing, the differences between athletic and cognitive benefits, and why it might be particularly valuable for older athletes and post-menopausal women. Key Points Discussed: Creatine as a brain protector: Originally known for supporting strength and power, creatine also acts as an energy buffer for the brain, helping maintain cellular energy after head trauma and possibly reducing cognitive decline.Who benefits most: While everyone can gain from adequate creatine levels, the strongest evidence shows benefits for older adults, athletes at risk of head injury, and women in peri- and post-menopause — particularly for memory and bone health.Dosing, loading, and myths: You don’t need the old “loading phase.” Regular small doses (3–5 g daily) are safe and effective. The minor weight gain some notice is simply better muscle hydration, not “bloating.”Sleep, mood, and cognition: Studies show creatine can offset mental fatigue and cognitive decline during sleep deprivation, and even support mood when used alongside standard therapy for depression.Safety and practical takeaways: Creatine monohydrate (especially the Creapure® form) remains the gold standard. It’s safe for most people, though those with kidney issues should consult their doctor. Foods like sardines, herring, mackerel, and red meat also provide natural sources. Key Quotation: “Creatine is probably one of the most studied supplements in the world — and on balance, it’s safe, effective, and beneficial for both the body and the brain.” — Dr Tommy Wood Connect with Dr. Tommy Wood: Website: drtommywood.comInstagram: DrTommyWoodSubstack: Better Brain FitnessPodcast: Better Brain Fitness Podcast Dr. Tommy Wood's Book (Pre-order now): The Stimulated Mind: Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age (Release: March 24, 2026) Book Recommendations: Attention Span by Gloria Mark - how to find focus for a fulfilling life. The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter - embrace discomfort to reclaim your wild, happy, healthy self. Join the SWAT Inner Circle The SWAT Inner Circle is now open. It is the community for athletes and adventurers over 50 who want to train smart, live well, and extend their health span. You can join today CLICK HERE TO START YOUR MISSION Check out my Instagram and YouTube channel Join the Unstuck Collective – for Beth’s weekly inspiration and coaching insights (not a chat group; replies welcome via DM). Download Simon’s Free ‘Battle Ready Lifestyle’ Infographic — https://simon-ward.kit.com/battlereadylifestyle Website: www.simonward.co.uk Email: Simon@thetriathloncoach.com Sign up for Simon’s weekly newsletter Sign up for Beth’s weekly newsletter 💬 Got an awkward question for Simon? Send it to beth@thetriathloncoach.com — and you might just hear it on a future episode!
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    39 分