Show Notes
What if one of the biggest factors affecting your energy, recovery and long-term health wasn’t your training or nutrition… but the light you’re exposed to every day? Most triathletes spend hours dialling in their fuelling, sessions and recovery protocols. But modern life has quietly changed something fundamental to human biology. We now spend around 90% of our time indoors under artificial lighting that is very different to the sunlight our bodies evolved with. In this fascinating episode, Advanced Sports Dietitian Taryn Richardson sits down with Professor Glen Jeffery, a neuroscientist from University College London and one of the world’s leading researchers on how different wavelengths of light influence our biology. Professor Jeffery explains how light interacts directly with your mitochondria, the tiny energy factories inside your cells. And why certain types of light may influence everything from energy production and inflammation to recovery, metabolism and ageing. You’ll also hear why athletes might be using red and infrared light the wrong way, and why the biggest benefits could actually come after hard training sessions rather than before. If you’ve been curious about red light therapy devices or wondering whether they’re worth the investment, this episode will help you separate real science from marketing hype. And if you want the full deep dive specifically for athletes, check out the brand new Red Light Therapy Masterclass here: https://www.dietitianapproved.com/redlighttherapy In This Episode We Discuss Why light is far more than just something that helps us see
The surprising role of mitochondria in responding to light exposure
How modern LED lighting may be quietly impacting metabolism and health
The difference between short wavelength light vs long wavelength light
Why sunlight contains critical wavelengths most indoor lighting lacks
The link between light exposure, inflammation and blood glucose regulation
Whether red light therapy can actually improve athletic performance
Why athletes may benefit more from post-training light exposure for recovery
The problem with many expensive red light therapy devices
Simple, low-cost ways to improve your daily light environment
Key Takeaways for Triathletes Mitochondria respond directly to certain wavelengths of light, influencing energy production.
Long wavelength light (including infrared) may help reduce inflammation and support cellular recovery.
Athletes are already highly efficient metabolically, so red light therapy may have limited benefits before exercise.
The biggest opportunity may be after hard sessions, when mitochondria are stressed and recovery is needed.
Many commercial red light devices deliver far more energy than necessary, meaning more is definitely not better.
About the Guest Professor Glen Jeffery, PhD Professor Glen Jeffery is a neuroscientist at University College London and a leading expert on how different wavelengths of light affect cellular health and biological function. Chapters: 00:00 – The surprising role of light in human health 03:00 – The spectrum of sunlight explained 05:00 – Why mitochondria are the key to energy production 08:00 – The problem with modern LED lighting 11:00 – How indoor environments may influence metabolism and inflammation 16:00 – The benefits of long wavelength light 20:00 – Can red light therapy improve recovery and health? 21:00 – Simple ways to improve your light environment 29:00 – The explosion of red light therapy devices 30:00 – Why athletes may not benefit before exercise 32:00 – Where red light may actually help athletes recover faster 35:00 – Practical advice for athletes experimenting with red light therapy 37:00 – The potential risks of overusing red light devices If today’s episode sparked your curiosity about how light impacts recovery and performance, dive deeper with the Red Light Therapy Masterclass for Athletes here: https://www.dietitianapproved.com/redlig
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Are you still training like you did in your 20s, going hard every session and wondering why recovery takes so much longer than it used to? This is one of the most listened-to episodes of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast, back by popular demand. I sat down with coach Joe Friel, co-founder of TrainingPeaks and author of Fast After 50, to talk about how masters triathletes can stay fit, fast and injury-free in their 40s, 50s and beyond. Joe covers the training side and my Ep 178 on key nutrients for masters triathletes covers the nutrition side, so listen to them as a pair. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN What actually changes in your body as you age, and the one marker that holds up surprisingly well Why rest and recovery become your biggest performance lever after 40 The 5:2 training week Joe uses with masters athletes (plus the nine-day alternative) Where strength and mobility fit into a busy training week, and the session you should never lift weights before How to use heart rate variability to decide when to train hard TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Training as a masters triathlete 04:09 How your physiology changes after 40 09:18 Why rest and recovery matter more with age 11:21 The nine-day week vs the 5:2 training week 14:28 The tortoise, the hare and the lactate myth 19:27 Mobility and strength training for masters athletes 28:57 Why you should never lift weights before a run 30:48 Recovery weeks, testing and the off-season 35:11 Using HRV and wearables to guide training 39:00 Daily habits for longevity in the sport 42:24 Joe’s number one piece of advice ABOUT JOE FRIEL Joe Friel has coached endurance athletes for more than four decades. He is a co-founder of TrainingPeaks and the author of Fast After 50, a go-to resource for athletes who want to keep performing as they age. Connect with Joe RESOURCES MENTIONED Fast After 50 by Joe Friel HRV4Training app Ep 178: Key Nutrients for Masters Triathletes Ep 179: the original release of this episode READY TO STOP GUESSING WITH YOUR NUTRITION? The Triathlete Fuel Kit brings together my Triathlon Nutrition Kickstart course, the Triathlete’s Kitchen recipe database and the Fuel Your Adventure recipe book, so you can get your everyday fuelling working for you, not against you. Get the Triathlete Fuel Kit SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE CONNECT WITH TARYN Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why is your triathlon nutrition strategy still not working when you already know what to do? I asked the triathletes who just finished my Triathlon Fuel Camp what they had spent money on to improve their performance. 70% had paid for a bike fit, 66% had a coach and 50% had bought a power meter and faster wheels. Only 20% had ever invested in a dietitian or nutritionist, and 57% told me they were winging their nutrition. These are smart, driven athletes with more information at their fingertips than any triathlete in history. So why is it still not working? IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: Why more information is not what is missing from your nutrition What a strategy specific to you is actually built on (and why generic advice never holds for long) The 3 ways triathletes try to build a nutrition strategy, and the only one that lasts your whole racing life The 3 questions that keep triathletes on the precipice of dialling in their nutrition for years How Kelly, Steve and Julia from the Triathlon Nutrition Academy finally got off the fence TIMESTAMPS 02:02 Why your triathlon nutrition strategy isn't working 10:15 3 questions holding triathletes back EPISODES MENTIONED Episode 235 with Julia Episode 237 on why DIY nutrition is not working Episode 259 with Kelly and the TNA crew at the 70.3 World Championship in Nice Episode 261 with Steve, Curt and Jade READY FOR A STRATEGY THAT IS SPECIFIC TO YOU? The Triathlon Nutrition Academy is my 9-month program where I teach you how to fuel your own training and racing, step by step, with an Advanced Sports Dietitian checking your work along the way. Find out more about the Triathlon Nutrition Academy here. SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE CONNECT WITH TARYN Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you have heard about the Triathlon Nutrition Academy and wondered what it actually is, this is your answer in under 10 minutes. You already have a training system. You have a coach or a program, a week of sessions you love to turn green and the discipline to follow it. What most triathletes don't have is a nutrition system that is just as organised, and that is exactly what you walk out of TNA with. I take you through how my 9-month program works, the 4 things that change when your nutrition is dialled in and who it is genuinely for (and who it is not for). WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY How TNA is built so you actually put it into practice, rather than buying something and never using it Why being able to function like an adult after a long ride is one of my KPIs How Stephen went from nearly quitting triathlon over cramps to taking 64 minutes off his 70.3 time, and why magnesium was never the fix How the program fits into 1 to 2 hours a week, whatever your time zone and however full your life is What changes when you become the expert on you, from every gel to every supplement ad in your feed What Kelly Estes, 4 years in, says happens by the end Who TNA is for, from your very first season to your 30th, and who should not join right now TIMESTAMPS 03:00 What changes when your nutrition is dialled in 07:16 Is this triathlon nutrition program right for you ATHLETE STORIES MENTIONED Stephen Duquette and the TNA athletes who raced the 70.3 World Championship in Nice: Episode 259 Jade, Curt and Steve, 9 months after joining TNA: Episode 261 If you want to see everything that is included, head to dietitianapproved.com/academy. When doors are open you can join the next cohort there, and when they are closed you can add your name to the waitlist so you are the first to know when they open again. SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE CONNECT WITH TARYN Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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