Why Women Shouldn’t Work Out Fasted: Cycle Syncing, Blood Sugar, and Hormones with Alisa Vitti

Join The Circle and use code "PODCAST": https://holplus.co/circle/ What if the fasting, workouts, and eating patterns that are supposed to improve your metabolism are actually working against your hormones? In this episode of hol+ with Dr. Taz MD, women’s hormone expert Alisa Vitti explains why women in their reproductive years have a second biological clock that most health and fitness advice completely ignores. Known as the infradian rhythm, this approximately month-long cycle affects metabolism, cortisol, immune function, brain activity, energy, appetite, and exercise performance.

Alisa breaks down the follicular, ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual phases and explains how nutritional needs, metabolism, and stress tolerance change throughout the cycle. She shares how the Cycle Syncing Method can help women adjust their food, exercise, recovery, and daily routines to better support these biological changes.

Dr. Taz and Alisa also challenge some of the most popular advice given to women about intermittent fasting and fasted exercise. Alisa explains why she believes women should fuel before working out, why glucose is needed to build lean muscle, and how combining carbohydrates with protein and fat may support blood sugar stability and workout performance.

Alisa shares her personal experience with PCOS, maintaining a significant weight loss, losing additional body fat by eating more, and intentionally building muscle as she approaches 48. She explains why blood sugar regulation is the first step she recommends for women experiencing PMS, PCOS, infertility, fibroids, perimenopause, or other hormonal concerns.

The conversation also explores progesterone, estrogen dominance, cortisol, HRT, ovarian aging, hot flashes, strength training, environmental exposures, and the habits that may help women protect their hormonal health throughout every stage of life.

In this episode:

Why women have both circadian and infradian biological rhythmsHow the menstrual cycle affects metabolism, cortisol, immunity, and the brainWhat happens during the follicular, ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual phasesWhy women may need more calories during the luteal phaseHow blood sugar instability may affect cortisol and progesteroneWhy Alisa says women should never work out in a fasted stateWhat to eat before strength training to support lean muscleHow Alisa structures protein, carbohydrates, and meal timing throughout her dayWhy strength training is important during every phase of the cycleHow