How Your Hormones Really Affect Energy, Mood, Training & Performance | Dr Hazel Wallace

Dr Hazel Wallace joins Georgie to explore why female physiology still isn’t properly accounted for in health, nutrition and performance.

Hazel is a former NHS doctor, nutritionist, personal trainer, bestselling author and founder of The Food Medic. She explains how women have historically been treated as “small men” in medical research, and why that can have serious consequences, from misdiagnosis and adverse drug reactions to gaps in our understanding of hormones, nutrition and performance.

They discuss how the menstrual cycle can influence energy, motivation, sleep and recovery, why Hazel prefers women to be “cycle aware” rather than rigidly training around different phases, and the nutritional issues that disproportionately affect women, including iron deficiency.

The conversation also covers perimenopause, HRT, fertility, IVF and egg freezing, including why the months before conception or egg collection can be important from a nutritional perspective.

Plus, she shares the exercise she believes matters most for longevity, the supplement she recommends for many people in the UK, and the one principle she believes every woman should remember:

Just because something is common doesn’t make it normal.

FAQs

Who is Dr Hazel Wallace?

Dr Hazel Wallace is a former NHS medical doctor, nutritionist, personal trainer, bestselling author and founder of The Food Medic, an educational platform focused on evidence-based health and nutrition.

How does the menstrual cycle affect performance?

Hazel explains that changing hormone levels can influence factors including energy, motivation, mood, sleep and recovery. However, she says the research does not currently support rigid week-by-week training prescriptions for every woman.

Should women train according to their menstrual cycle?