The Fuelled Female Podcast is for women who train hard, think bigger than fat loss, and want to live fully - with energy, strength, and clarity. Hosted by Poppy (MSc, Sport Nutritionist & Performance Coach at NutriFit), this is where evidence meets empathy and real-life results. Expect raw conversations on fuelling, training, cycle health, mindset & recovery - plus unfiltered Q&As from our WhatsApp group. For active women who want more than macros and burnout. You’re not broken. You’re under-fueled. 🧠 Join us: chat.whatsapp.com/JC6gwH6HWpvD9BH5LMMpHG 📲 @poppy.nfc
10,000 steps is everywhere. Every fitness tracker, every health app, every wellness article. And if you're a woman in structured training — running, lifting, doing both — it might actually be working against you. In this episode Poppy breaks down where 10,000 steps actually came from (a Japanese pedometer marketing campaign from 1965 with zero scientific basis), why it's a useful target for some people in some seasons of life and completely counterproductive for others, and the two specific mistakes she sees training women make with step targets that are quietly stalling their progress. Including why running steps count toward your daily total and are not a separate category, why forcing extra steps on hard session days and long run days competes directly with recovery, why using steps as a calorie-burning tool is diet culture logic dressed up as performance advice, and what step count is actually useful for measuring in a training context. This isn't about shaming the 10,000 step goal. Context is everything. It's about understanding which season of training you're in and adjusting the target to serve your body — not a number invented for a completely different population. 📩 Comment FUEL on Poppy's latest Instagram post for the full running nutrition guide. DM @poppy.nfc with questions.
Am I doing enough? Am I doing too much? Why does adding more sessions not seem to be working? Why do I feel better on rest days but guilty for taking them? This episode came directly from the WhatsApp community — and it's one of the most important conversations Poppy has for women who train hard alongside a normal life. Because the fitness industry has sold the idea that more is always better. And for women doing hybrid training, that idea is genuinely causing damage. In this episode Poppy breaks down what training volume actually means — it's not how many sessions you do, it's total stress load from all training combined — the difference between overreaching and overtraining and why most women don't recognise the latter until their body forces them to stop, the specific signs that your volume is too high, why women are disproportionately vulnerable to the consequences of chronic high volume, and what a properly structured hybrid training week actually looks like. Including the stress bucket analogy that changes how you think about every area of your life, why the Lucy Davis comparison is setting you up to fail, and Poppy's honest take on her own training right now — and why she's pulling back during the gym build even when every instinct says push. 📩 Comment HYBRID on Poppy's latest Instagram post for the full hybrid training guide. DM @poppy.nfc with questions.
If you train hard and struggle to sleep — this episode is probably going to be one of those ones where things click into place. Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. Most active women aren't getting enough of it. And the consequences show up as fatigue that doesn't fully clear, soreness that hangs around longer than it should, and sleep that doesn't feel restorative even when the hours are there. In this episode Poppy breaks down exactly what magnesium does, why training women are specifically at higher risk of running low, and the three areas where it matters most — muscle recovery, sleep quality, and the luteal phase of your cycle. Including Poppy's personal Garmin data on and off magnesium glycinate - the difference in deep sleep that made her stop treating this as optional. Plus why form matters more than most people realise, why magnesium oxide is a waste of money, and why stacking it in your morning supplements is probably the wrong time. 📩 Comment FUEL on Poppy's latest Instagram post for the full fuelling and supplement guide. DM @poppy.nfc with questions.
This episode wasn't planned. It came directly from something Poppy has been living through over the past few weeks — doing everything right nutritionally and still bloated, heavy, retaining fluid she couldn't shift, with no explanation. Until she realised the problem was never the food. It was her nervous system. In this episode Poppy breaks down the vagus nerve and why it controls digestion far more than most people realise, why hard training women are particularly vulnerable to this — not because of what they eat but because of how their nervous system never fully shifts out of fight or flight, why chronic tension in your diaphragm and pelvic floor physically clamps your digestive system, how the lymphatic system connects to the puffiness and fluid retention that doesn't respond to food changes, and the full practical evening reset protocol that shifted 700 grams of fluid in half an hour. This is not a wellness trend episode. This is neurophysiology. And if you've tried every food elimination going and still feel bloated, heavy and uncomfortable — this one is going to feel like it was made for you. 📖 Book recommendation: Gut Smart 📩 DM @poppy.nfc on Instagram or link in bio for coaching enquiries.
You nailed the session. But what happens in the next 60 minutes determines how the next one goes. This episode is for women doing back to back training — running consecutive days, lifting after a long run, or doing any kind of hybrid programme where sessions stack up across the week. Because the most common reason the second session feels heavy from the first kilometre, or legs feel dead despite sleeping well, isn't fitness. It's glycogen that was never properly replenished after session one. Poppy breaks down exactly what glycogen is and why it doesn't replenish itself just because you've stopped moving, the post-exercise window and why timing matters differently depending on when your next session is, what to actually eat and how much, why the 24 hour picture matters just as much as the immediate post-session snack, and why hybrid athletes — women doing both running and lifting — need to stop treating those sessions as nutritionally separate events. Covers: the glycogen synthase window and why it closes fast · the 8 hour vs 24 hour vs 48 hour replenishment framework · practical food options that actually work post-session · why dinner the night before is part of tomorrow's training preparation · signs you're not replenishing properly · and why the run you do tomorrow is built on what you eat today. 📩 Comment FUEL on Poppy's latest Instagram post for the full fuelling guide. DM @poppy.nfc with questions.
The UK has finally decided to have a summer and your training is suffering for it. Your pace feels awful, your gym sessions feel like cardio classes, you're not sleeping and you can't figure out if your fitness has just completely fallen off a cliff. It hasn't. You're just not adjusting for the conditions. In this episode I break down exactly what's happening in your body when you train in the heat, why your heart rate is elevated before you've even done anything hard, why chasing pace this week is actively working against you, and why the sleep disruption from hot nights is compounding everything else in a way that makes the whole week feel harder than it should. Covers: the cardiovascular dual demand that makes heat training so much harder, why heart rate zones matter more than pace right now, how to adjust gym sessions when the aircon is doing absolutely nothing, why plain water isn't enough when sweat losses are this high, the sleep piece nobody talks about and what it does to recovery, and how to keep fuelling when your appetite has disappeared. This one applies whether you're in the UK heatwave or you live somewhere hot year round, UAE and Australia girls, this is for you too. 📩 DM @poppy.nfc on Instagram with any questions.
Training's consistent. Food's on point. Nothing's changed. And yet the scale jumps a kilo, sometimes two — and the panic sets in instantly. Have I gained fat? In the vast majority of cases, no. What you're actually seeing is your menstrual cycle influencing water retention, glycogen storage and inflammation in your body. That's it. In this episode Poppy breaks down exactly why this happens — the luteal phase hormone shifts, why hunger gets louder before your period (and why that's biology, not a lack of discipline), and why restricting harder during this phase makes things worse, not better. Including a real-time personal story from this exact weekend, where the scale jumped 2.5kg after a hen do — and why she didn't panic, restrict, or change a single thing. This episode covers the luteal phase and why progesterone increases fluid and glycogen storage, why fat loss and water weight move on completely different timelines but show up on the same number, what to track instead of obsessing over a single day's reading, and how to start recognising your own personal cycle pattern across training and the scale. If you've ever felt like you've undone weeks of progress over a weekend, or panicked at a scale number during your period — this one's for you. 📩 Questions? DM Poppy on Instagram @poppy.nfc
At what point do you accept that you train hard enough to need proper support? In a world full of supplement stacks, diet trends and quick fixes — sometimes the answer is simpler than you think. And for a lot of the women I work with, that answer is iron. This episode is for the everyday athlete. The woman training four, five, six times a week who is doing everything right on paper and still running on empty. The woman whose GP told her her bloods were fine — but nobody ever checked her ferritin. In this episode we cover exactly why active women are at disproportionately higher risk of iron deficiency, the ferritin grey zone that your standard NHS blood test won't flag, and four specific reasons your iron demand as a training woman is higher than general population advice accounts for, including one that will genuinely surprise you. We also cover what food first actually looks like in practice, when supplementation makes sense and when it doesn't, and why buying iron tablets off Amazon without a blood test is not the move. This is part two of the micronutrients series, The Layer Beneath the Macros. If you haven't listened to episode one yet, start there. 📩 Questions about your blood results or fuelling? DM me on Instagram @poppy.nfc
The Layer Beneath the Macros: Micronutrients for Active Women You're training consistently, hitting your protein, and carbs are dialled around your sessions. So why are you still tired, still not recovering, and still feeling flat? This episode is for the woman doing everything right on the surface — and the answer is almost always the layer underneath. Micronutrients. In this episode Poppy breaks down exactly why active women are at disproportionately higher risk of running low on key vitamins and minerals, what a genuine food first approach actually looks like in practice, and — most importantly — what the supplement conversation should look like versus what social media is selling you. Because here's the truth: 30–40% of supplements on the market are fake, contaminated or ineffective. You do not need a 1,000mg electrolyte sachet every morning. And stacking five supplements without a blood test to back it up is not performance nutrition — it's expensive guesswork. This episode covers why training increases micronutrient demand, the six key deficiencies Poppy sees most in hard training women (iron, vitamin D, magnesium, calcium, zinc and B vitamins), and the evidence-informed shortlist of what's actually worth considering — and when. Food first. Always. But let's be honest about what that really means. 🎙️ Part one of the Micronutrients Series — subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. 📩 DM supplements on Instagram @poppy.nfc for Poppy's practical shortlist for active women.
That Bank Holiday run wasn't punishment. It wasn't earning anything. It was regulation — and knowing the difference might be the most important thing you do for your long-term health as an athlete. In this episode, Poppy breaks down something the fitness industry rarely talks about honestly: the difference between discipline and fear. Because from the outside, they look completely identical. But they feel entirely different — and one of them is quietly exhausting you. In this episode 👇 🧠 Why chosen movement genuinely regulates the nervous system — and why compulsive exercise does the opposite (the HPA axis, cortisol, endorphins — proper physiology, not a vibe) 🧠 The hormonal cost of chronic compulsive training for women — irregular periods, worsening PMS, persistent puffiness despite training hard 🧠 The Push vs Pull framework — how to read what your body is actually telling you and stop overriding it with a schedule 🧠 What the research actually says about time off — VO2 max, muscle memory, and why the puffiness after a social weekend is not what you think it is 🧠 The five-step protocol for coming back after a rest period without punishing yourself for taking it 🧠 The honest check-in questions every hard-training woman needs to be asking herself — and why the answer matters more than any training plan This episode is for the woman who can't switch off training. And for the woman who uses rest as an exit. Both of them needed this conversation. Join the free WhatsApp community at the link in bio on my instagram @poppy.nfc Fuelled Female is hosted by Poppy Hawe — Sports Nutritionist MSc, SENr Registered Performance Coach and hybrid athlete.
If your long run is wiping you out for the rest of the day — sofa, nauseous, can't function — this episode is for you. Because that feeling isn't normal, and it isn't your fitness. In this episode I'm breaking down exactly why long runs destroy so many women, the science of what's actually happening in your body when glycogen runs low, and the three practical changes you can make this weekend to completely transform how your long runs feel and how you recover from them. I also share a real client story — a woman who could smash a 90-minute HYROX conditioning class but fell apart on a zone two long run every single week. Same fitness. Different fuelling. Completely different outcome. If you're training for a half marathon, marathon, or just want your Sundays back — listen to this one. Message me or follow me on instagram https://www.instagram.com/poppy.nfc/ for more tips and answers to your questions! ⛽️ Comment FUEL under my latest Instagram post for the Run Guide that breaks down fuelling for running!
44% of you said balancing performance and physique is the hardest thing. This episode is for you. This week I walk through a real client case study that perfectly illustrates a pattern she's seeing everywhere right now, women who are fuelling hard, training consistently, and still not seeing the results they expected. Not because they're doing everything wrong. Because the type of fuel, the timing, and whether it matches the actual demand of the day is off. In this episode:⛽️ Why carbohydrates aren't the villain - but there is a threshold🚦 The traffic light system for matching fuel to your session💪 Why protein is still the most underused tool for female athletes🧠 The difference between restriction and awareness🔄 What to do when the session doesn't go to plan If you're training hard and still feeling stuck this one's for you. Instagram: @poppy.nfc
Your cycle is the most underrated performance tool you own — and most women are fighting it instead of using it. In this episode, Poppy breaks down exactly why you feel like a different athlete in week 2 versus week 4, why your hunger in the luteal phase is not a willpower problem, and how fuelling with your cycle rather than against it changes everything — from your training consistency to your body composition to your hormonal health. You'll learn the physiology behind each phase of your cycle, why the same 10km run feels completely different depending on where you are hormonally, and how to fuel every phase practically, including what to eat more of in the luteal phase when progesterone raises your resting metabolic rate by up to 300 calories. I also shares real client stories, women who got their periods back after years without one, and women whose severe PMS reduced significantly, all through cycle-aware fuelling and training. If you've ever blamed yourself for having an off week, felt like you'd lost your fitness overnight, or wondered why fat loss feels impossible in week 4, this episode is for you. You'll leave knowing: ↳ What actually changes in your body across each phase↳ Why week 4 is harder — and what to do about it↳ How to fuel menstruation, follicular, ovulation and luteal differently↳ Why hunger in the luteal phase is physiology, not weakness↳ The practical framework I uses with every coaching client Need help? Reach out on instagram @poppy.nfc and chat!
Most women think calorie banking is smart. Eat less now, eat more later… balance it out, right? Wrong. In this episode, I break down why calorie banking is actually just under-fuelling in disguise — and how it’s quietly wrecking your performance, your body composition, and your hormonal health. If you’re training hard, trying to lose fat, and constantly feel like your body isn’t responding… this is likely where you’re going wrong. We cover: – Why your body can’t “save” fuel for later – How under-fuelling impacts performance, recovery, and fat loss – The difference between calorie banking and periodised nutrition – How to fuel properly and still enjoy social events without spiralling Plus, the real-life side no one talks about — navigating weekends, social months, and scale fluctuations without losing control. If you want to train hard, feel strong, and actually see results… this is a must-listen.
If you train hard, eat well, and still feel bloated, uncomfortable and like your body is working against you — this episode is the one you've been waiting for. Poppy opens up about her own experience of a year of gut issues so severe that doctors were testing her for SIBO and Crohn's disease. She had a clean diet. She's a nutritionist. She was doing everything right. And it turned out the root cause had nothing to do with food at all. In this episode she breaks down exactly why gut problems are so common in hard-training women, why cutting foods out almost always misses the point, and what is actually driving the symptoms that so many women are managing instead of fixing. This is not a generic gut health episode. It's a female performance and physiology deep-dive for women who run, lift, train hard, and are completely fed up of being told to just cut more things out. What's covered 👇 🔥 The full picture of what your gut is actually doing — and why 70% of your immune system lives there 🔥 How modern "healthy" convenient foods — protein bars, sugar-free snacks, diet drinks — are quietly degrading your gut microbiome 🔥 Why chronic background stress directly changes gut motility, permeability and tolerance — and why your gut is genuinely worse in stressful weeks 🔥 How oestrogen and progesterone shift gut function across your cycle — and why week three symptoms are physiology, not food intolerance 🔥 The IBS self-diagnosis epidemic — what IBS actually is, how it's being mismanaged, and what should be assessed before any elimination protocol 🔥 Why training at high volume can become a gut stressor — and what runner's gut is actually telling you 🔥 The four-step framework to actually reset gut health — in the right order, without restriction If this resonates, send me a DM with the word GUT — @poppy.nfc on Instagram — and she'll take a proper look at what's going on for you.
If you’re running a marathon and stressing about carb loading… this is the episode you need. Because here’s the truth: It’s not carbs that ruin your race — it’s how you use them. In this episode, I break down: Why carb loading actually matters (especially for women) What most people get completely wrong How to fuel without feeling heavy, bloated or out of control The exact strategy I used to fix my gut issues and hit a 35-minute PB Race day fueling (what to eat, when to eat, and how to avoid toilet stops mid-race) I also share the honest reality of my first marathon vs my second vs my ultra — and what finally made everything click. If you’ve ever: Felt confused about how much to eat Had a dodgy stomach mid-run Or panicked about weight gain during taper… This episode will change how you approach race week. 🎯 DM me “FUEL” on Instagram for my full race fueling guide 🎯 Or message me if you want 1:1 support before your next race
In this bonus episode of Fuelled Female , I’m diving into a topic that comes up with clients all the time — the evening sweet treat and what a healthy relationship with food actually looks like. Because somewhere along the way, we started to believe that eating freely, fitting desserts into our macros, and never saying no automatically equals balance. But is that really true? Today I’m talking about: why daily treats can become habits rather than choices how the definition of a “healthy relationship with food” has shifted the role of fibre, plant diversity, and nutrient quality in performance and why balance sometimes means learning to say no — not from restriction, but from intention This isn’t about cutting foods out. It’s about understanding what actually supports your health, energy, and results. Message me on instagram @poppy.nfc if this resonated, i'd love to hear your views!
If your training suddenly feels harder than it used to — you're more tired, your sessions feel heavier, and your progress has stalled — this episode is for you. Because the problem is rarely a lack of discipline. It's usually a mismatch between your training load and the support your body is getting. In this episode, I break down the real reasons training starts to feel harder, including: Under-fuelling around training Doing too many high-intensity sessions Modern-day stress and mental load Trying to train like an athlete while still eating like you're dieting I also share the story of a client who went from training nine sessions a week and burning out to training smarter, fuelling properly, losing weight, and hitting a 10K PB of 46 minutes . This episode will help you understand: Why fatigue isn’t a motivation problem How diet culture quietly sabotages performance The difference between discipline and support And how to fuel for the work required If you're training hard but not progressing, this is the conversation you need to hear. Reach out on instagram @poppy.nfc if this resonated with you!
HYROX looks incredible on social media. Matching kits, finish line smiles, electric atmospheres. And it is incredible — but it's also one of the most physically demanding sports you can put your body through. And nobody is talking about that loudly enough. In this episode I'm getting into the truth about what HYROX actually demands from a female body — the physiology, the glycogen cost, the recovery requirement — and why the research specific to women in this sport barely exists yet. I cover how to fuel every type of training day differently, why the deload is the most underused tool in any HYROX block, and why the hunger you've been fighting isn't a willpower problem. Plus I share Nav's story — she came to me four weeks out from her race, under-fuelled, performance declining and feeling completely out of control. She wanted sub-1:20. She ran 1:18. If you've chosen the zone 5 life, this episode is for you. 📩 DM STRONG to @poppy.nfc to work with me inside NutriFit Coaching.
One of the biggest mistakes active women make isn’t training too much it’s fuelling the same while their training changes. In this episode, we break down the real difference between fuelling for strength training, running, and high-intensity classes and why your nutrition needs to evolve as your training demand increases. You’ll learn: why gym and running place different demands on the body how intensity and training level change your fuel needs why under-fuelling is one of the biggest drivers of burnout how to structure nutrition for fat loss without ruining performance practical food ideas to support your sessions Because the goal isn’t to eat less. It’s to fuel the work required. If you're training hard but feeling tired, stuck, or constantly hungry this episode will help you understand exactly what your body needs and how to support it. If this episode resonated with you, send me a message on Instagram @poppy.nfc with the word: FUEL And we'll start the conversation.
