A 2025 study followed people across an entire country.

The ones carrying the most of one specific type of fat had a 56% higher chance of dying.

Not fat you can see. Not fat you can pinch.

One most people don’t even know they have.

Been running more DEXA scans on clients at Saint Haven lately and the same pattern keeps showing up - lean guys/girls, normal scale weight, sitting in the danger zone.

Welcome to visceral fat. The asshole of body fat.

The Hidden Fat That Raises Your Death Risk by 56% (& 4 Steps to Erase It)

You can carry it without looking overweight.

Skinny on the outside. Wrecked on the inside.

Here’s the breakdown.

01. What Is It?

Visceral fat sits deep inside your belly, wrapped around your organs (liver, pancreas, intestines).

A small amount is fine - it cushions your organs. Too much is where things go sideways.

Subcutaneous fat (the soft stuff you can pinch) is mostly a padding issue.

Visceral fat is a metabolic issue.

It’s biologically active tissue - meaning it pumps out hormones and inflammatory signals that mess with the rest of your body. That’s why you can be a normal weight on the scale and still have a serious metabolic problem brewing.

At Saint Haven we measure it directly with a DEXA scan - it gives you a number in cm² (square centimetres) so you know exactly where you sit.

Here’s mine. VAT area: 28.7 cm² - well under the 100 cm² optimal threshold for men.

• Optimal: < 50 cm²

• Normal: 50–99 cm²

• Needs Attention: 100–159 cm²

• Risk: ≥ 160 cm²

That’s where you want to live. Past 100 cm² is where trouble starts. (*Threshold dependant on age/sex)

02. Why You Should Care

Because the more visceral fat you have, the faster you tend to die.

Literally.

A 2025 nationwide cohort study found people in the highest visceral fat group had a 56% higher all-cause mortality risk as younger adults. 56% higher chance of dying.

That’s not a soft correlation. That’s a number that should make you pay attention.

Visceral fat drives:

• → Insulin resistance (your body gets bad at managing blood sugar)

• → Metabolic syndrome (the cluster - big waistline, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, bad cholesterol - that ramps up risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes)

• → Chronic inflammation (the quiet kind that drives cancer, dementia, and most age-related decline)

• → Fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, frailty

That’s why doctors treat it as a more important risk marker than total body fat.

03. How Aging Works Against You

Here’s the kicker.

The older you get, the more your body shifts fat into the visceral compartment - even if your overall weight stays the same.

A few mechanisms make this brutal:

• → Lipolysis slows down (your ability to burn stored fat declines with age)

• → Sarcopenia kicks in (age-related muscle loss starts in your 30s and accelerates). Less muscle = lower calorie burn 24/7.

• → Hormones shift. In men, testosterone drops and that low-T state directly drives visceral fat accumulation. In women, oestrogen falls sharply after menopause and the body starts parking fat around the midsection instead of the hips and thighs.

• → Cellular senescence (”zombie” cells build up in fat tissue and pump out inflammatory signals, making the fat itself more dysfunctional)

You gain fat AND lose muscle at the same time.

That’s the double hit.

Most people think they’re just “getting a bit softer.”

What’s actually happening is a quiet shift in where the fat sits - and it’s not always visible from the outside.

04. How to Destroy It (For Good)

Four steps. None of them surprising. All of them work.

→ Step 1: Lift heavy and sprint.

Resistance training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are the two biggest levers.

HIIT specifically has been shown across multiple meta-analyses to reduce visceral fat more than steady-state cardio. Short, hard efforts with full recovery in between.

Resistance training builds the muscle that pushes your metabolic rate back up.

The combo - 2 to 3 lifting sessions + 2 sprint sessions a week - moves the needle harder than anything else on this list.

→ Step 2: Eat like an adult.

Mediterranean or DASH-style works. Whole foods, vegetables, protein, less ultra-processed garbage.

Cut alcohol back hard. 3+ drinking sessions a week is a fast track to visceral fat - alcohol tanks sleep, raises cortisol, and gets stored preferentially around the gut.

Don’t overthink it. The basics still beat the latest hack.

→ Step 3: Sleep and manage stress.

Cortisol (your stress hormone) drives fat straight to the midsection. Poor sleep raises cortisol, blunts insulin sensitivity, and wrecks your appetite control.

7-9 hours. Non-negotiable.

If you’re chronically stressed and under-sleeping, no amount of gym work outruns it.

→ Step 4: Look at hormones (only once the basics are dialled in).

If you’ve got the training, food, and sleep handled - and the gut still won’t budge - hormones are usually the next place to look.

Aging shifts the hormonal environment in a way that actively drives visceral fat storage. No amount of clean eating fully undoes that.

For men:

Testosterone declines roughly 1% per year from your 30s onward. Low T drives visceral fat directly - and the more visceral fat you carry, the more it suppresses testosterone. Vicious loop.

Studies on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) show it can selectively reduce visceral fat without changing total body weight. The dangerous fat shrinks while the rest of you stays the same.

For women:

Oestrogen falls off a cliff during perimenopause and menopause. That’s the trigger for fat redistribution from hips and thighs to the midsection - the classic “menopause belly” most women describe.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been shown to blunt that shift. Women on HRT tend to hold their fat distribution closer to where it was pre-menopause.

The order matters.

This isn’t a starting point. It’s a finishing one.

Get bloods done. Find a doctor who actually knows what they’re doing with hormones. Diagnose before you medicate.

But if you’re doing everything right and still spinning your wheels - this is where the answer often is.

The Takeaway

If you’re getting older and your gut is creeping wider while everything else stays the same - you’re not imagining it and you’re not lazy.

The good news: visceral fat is one of the easiest fats to lose, because it’s metabolically active.

The bad news: most people don’t realise it’s there until something else goes wrong.

Get measured. Train hard. Eat clean. Sleep. Check your hormones if you need to.

That’s the whole game.

— Anton

Thanks for reading.

Work With Me

I take on a limited number of clients.

If you’d like to be considered, register your interest below.

I review each application personally and will be in touch as opportunities to work together become available.

Apply now

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

No matter how hard they flog themselves with cardio, it seems to do the opposite.

More spin classes. More runs. More time on the treadmill.

And somehow the body composition won’t budge - or it’s slowly getting worse.

I kept hearing it, so I got curious and went down a rabbit hole.

Turns out there’s a real physiological reason. And it’s not a willpower problem.

Why More Cardio Is Making It Worse (For Women Over 40)

If you’re in your 40s, eating reasonably well, staying active - and the strategies that worked at 32 have quietly stopped delivering - you’re not imagining it.

Your physiology has changed.

And the cardio you’ve always relied on might be the thing holding you back.

Let me explain.

01. What’s Actually Going On

As you move through perimenopause, oestrogen and progesterone start to decline.

That does a lot more than mess with your cycle.

• → Oestrogen helps muscles contract and build lean mass. As it drops, you lose force and power - often before you see any change in the mirror.

• → Your baseline cortisol (the stress hormone) runs higher than it used to. Higher cortisol parks fat around the midsection and makes muscle harder to hold.

• → The female body is wired for endurance. Without the old hormonal signals, it gets very good at conserving energy and storing fat.

So the body is already primed to hold on. And steady-state cardio tells it to keep doing exactly that.

02. Why Steady-State Cardio Backfires

Think of your stress system like a bucket.

In your 40s, that bucket is already fuller than it used to be - cortisol is running high before you’ve even gotten out of bed.

Now add a sustained jog or a hard-ish 45-minute bike ride.

The body reads prolonged moderate effort as more stress. Cortisol stays up. The bucket overflows. And the body holds onto fat instead of burning it.

That sustained middle ground - not easy enough to recover from, not hard enough to trigger a real adaptation - is the worst place to live.

Which is exactly where most cardio happens.

03. What Actually Works

Here’s the priority order I’d give any woman over 40:

→ Resistance training first

This is the single biggest shift you can make. It’s the mechanical stress your body now needs to build muscle and bone that oestrogen used to protect for free.

Studies on women in their 70s and 80s lifting heavy showed real gains in lean mass, bone density, and a big drop in falls risk - starting from scratch.

Aim for 2–3 sessions a week. Lift at a weight where the last two reps are genuinely hard.

→ Sprint intervals, not steady-state

Short, all-out efforts with full rest work the opposite way to a long jog. You spike cortisol, then clear it in recovery, and trigger a growth hormone response on the way.

Six rounds of 30 seconds hard / 60 seconds complete rest. Done in 20 minutes.

→ Keep your daily walk

Genuinely low intensity doesn’t fill the bucket at all. Walking still counts. Keep it.

The move most women need: swap the long moderate cardio session for sprints, keep the walk, add the lifting.

More results. Less time.

04. The Nutrition Piece You Can’t Skip

Training is only half of it. Two quick wins that matter most at this stage:

• → Protein at every meal. Anabolic resistance means you need more than you used to - aim for 30–40g per main meal, and around 40g after training.

• → Don’t skip breakfast. Cortisol naturally peaks in the first hour after waking. Skipping food (or training fasted) signals scarcity and pours straight into that bucket. Get some protein in within 2–3 hours of waking.

The Takeaway

If you’ve been flogging yourself with cardio and going backwards, you’re not broken and you’re not lazy.

You’ve just been using a strategy your body has outgrown.

Lift heavy. Sprint instead of slog. Keep walking. Eat enough protein.

The body’s waiting for the right stimulus. Give it that, and it responds - at any age.

— Anton

Thanks for reading.

Work With Me

I take on a limited number of clients.

If you’d like to be considered, register your interest below.

I review each application personally and will be in touch as opportunities to work together become available.

Apply now

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

Good morning.

It’s been a while.

I’ve taken a month off writing these, and honestly, it feels strange.

Life’s been chaotic - adjusting to Sydney, starting my ultra marathon training, settling into the new job.

But it hasn’t been negative. Quite the opposite.

I’ve been enjoying the simplicity.

Training routine back in check. Nutrition on track - fuelling myself and my body. Life admin slowly getting ticked off the list.

It’s all been focused on me. Filling my own cup.

And now I feel like I can finally start pouring some back out again.

we’re so back.

And I’m looking forward to sharing this week’s topic with you.

What The Hell Is Actually In Your Tap Water?

At work, we’ve got a tap we call the “Fountain of Youth.”

It’s reverse osmosis water - the purest stuff you can drink. So pure that the filtration strips everything out, minerals included, and they have to add the good ones back in afterwards.

I drink from it every day without thinking twice.

Then one day it hit me: if work goes to all that trouble to clean the water… what the hell is in the water coming out of my tap at home?

I’ll be honest, my brain went somewhere stupid.

If you wanted to quietly mess with an entire population, the water supply is exactly where you’d do it.

I’m no conspiracy theorist - I drink Sydney tap and feel fine. But the thought stuck, so I did what I’m always telling you to do: stopped guessing and went looking for the data.

Here’s the rabbit hole I went down, and the system I’d use to figure out your water.

Step 1: Find Out Where Your Water Even Comes From

You can’t assess your water until you know its source.

Took me about thirty seconds. I’m in the Ryde Water Delivery System, supplied by Sydney Water.

If you’re in NSW, punch your address into the Sydney Water site and it’ll tell you your delivery system plus the latest quarterly test results.

That’s your starting point. Everything else builds off it.

Step 2: The Website That Tried to Scare Me

First thing I found was a slick third-party site grading my suburb’s water.

It was flashing with warnings.

“Act now: bacteria detected.”

“E. coli was found in your water data.”

“Test your tap before drinking.”

My heart rate went up for a second. Then I noticed every warning had a filter to buy sitting right underneath it.

Scary headline, vague threat, Amazon link. Rinse and repeat.

Once you spot that pattern you can’t unsee it - the whole thing is a sales funnel. So I closed the tab and went looking for the real source.

Step 3: What the Government Data Actually Said

I pulled the official Sydney Water quarterly report for my system. Here’s what’s genuinely in my tap:

• Chlorine: 0.92 mg/L (kills microbes - well within safe limits)

• Fluoride: 0.95 mg/L (added for dental health, inside guidelines)

• pH: 7.66–7.91 (neutral)

• Hardness: 49–58 mg/L (soft water)

• Lead: 0.0002–0.0006 mg/L (trace amounts - safe under Australian guidelines)

Then I looked up the E. coli figure that had the first site in such a panic.

(Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacteria found in the gut. E. coli infection can cause diarrhoea and vomiting.)

The reality: one detection out of 1,191 tests across the year. A 99.9% pass rate. A single sample in a system that gets tested constantly.

The thing flashing red on the other site was basically trying to sell me a filter.

Lesson here: the source data is almost always calmer than the people profiting off your panic.

Step 4: “Safe” and “Optimal” Aren’t the Same Thing

Government guidelines - the WHO, Australia’s ADWG - exist to make sure almost nobody gets sick over a lifetime of drinking the water.

Big safety margins, set for a whole population.

That gives you “safe,” not necessarily “as clean as you’d ideally want it.”

Anyone playing the long game aims under those limits, on the logic that some stuff does you no favours and quietly builds up over the years.

The ones worth caring about:

• → Lead - no real safe level. Minimise it, especially with kids or old plumbing.

• → PFAS - the “forever chemicals” from non-stick pans, packaging and firefighting foam. They don’t break down in your body, so they accumulate. Lower is better.

• → Chlorine & by-products - needed to kill bugs in the pipes, but easy to filter out once it’s in your glass.

Then there’s fluoride.

Huberman flags it directly - he points to levels above 0.5 mg/L as potentially affecting thyroid function. The honest science: those links mostly come from high-exposure or observational studies, and at normal tap levels the evidence is mixed. Regulators rate it safe and it’s added because it measurably cuts tooth decay - so it’s not the emergency some make out.

Worth noting: my water runs 0.95 mg/L - within guidelines, but above Huberman’s line. And most carbon filters and pitchers don’t remove fluoride; that takes reverse osmosis or a dedicated fluoride filter.

Minerals like magnesium and calcium are the flip side - those you actually want in there.

Bottom line: passing the government test means your water won’t make you sick.

Whether it’s the best water you could drink is a separate question.

Step 5: Diagnose Before You Medicate

This is the part everyone skips.

I wouldn’t hand you a pill without knowing what’s wrong with you first - water’s no different.

Don’t buy a random filter and hope it fixes a problem you’ve never actually identified.

So before you spend a cent, answer one question:

What are you actually solving for - taste, or contaminants?

• If your water just tastes off → that’s usually chlorine, and it’s a cheap, easy fix.

• If you’ve got real contaminant concerns like lead or PFAS → that’s a different, more serious tool.

Get the diagnosis right and the filter choice makes itself.

Step 6: The Filter Menu (By Budget + Goal)

Once you know your problem, here’s what’s on the table, roughly by budget:

• Pitcher / jug filters (under ~$100) - no install, good for taste and chlorine. Most won’t catch fluoride, though a few are built to (e.g. ClearlyFiltered).

• Countertop filters (~$400) - bigger capacity for a whole household, like a Berkey.

• Under-sink reverse osmosis - the heavy hitter. Strips nearly everything: lead, PFAS, fluoride, and the good minerals along with it. Costs more and wastes a bit of water.

• Whole-home systems ($800+) - every tap in the house gets treated. Most thorough, most expensive, usually needs a pro (e.g. Aquasana).

Worth knowing: cheapest to buy is rarely cheapest to run - a $50 jug can cost more per litre over time than a pricier system with longer-lasting cartridges.

Step 7: What I’m Choosing (And Why)

Here’s where my own diagnosis landed.

Contaminant-wise, my water’s genuinely nothing to panic about at the system level.

But two things stood out:

1. My place has older lead-based plumbing - utility reports test the network, not the pipes inside your house.

2. The water tastes a bit metallic.

My first thought was two filters - one for the metals, one for the taste.

Turns out I only need one.

I’m going with the PUR PLUS Faucet Mount (PFM400H / PFM350V) - it’s the best-rated of the bunch and certified for exactly my use case (lead, under NSF/ANSI 53).

It handles both jobs in one unit: the lead and the metallic taste. No separate pitcher needed - and a faucet mount’s a lot simpler than filling a jug every time.

It comes down to matching the right tool to the actual problem, which is the whole point of diagnosing first.

Your Simple Takeaway

Don’t overthink it. Three steps:

• 1. Diagnose. Pull the real report for where your water comes from. Source data, not a fear-mongering blog.

• 2. Budget. Decide what you’re willing to spend on the problem you actually found.

• 3. Action. Match the filter to the diagnosis - then re-test after, so you know it’s doing something.

Water quality genuinely matters. But before you go anywhere near a filter, the real first step is just checking what’s in your water.

Diagnose before you medicate.

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s actually holding your health back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you genuinely need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: we talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

[Social links]

I used to be that guy.

The one who’d look at a can of Monster, see a list of ingredients I couldn’t pronounce, and go “yeah nah, too many chemicals in that. Bad for you.”

Confident in it too.

Then someone showed me this label:

Glutamic acid.

Aspartic acid.

Phenylalanine.

Leucine.

Pyridoxine hydrochloride.

Niacin.

Linoleic acid. Phylloquinone.

Looks dodgy, right?

That’s a banana.

The full chemical breakdown of a banana, written out the way we write ingredients on the back of a can.

That was my oh moment.

Because here’s the reality - everything is a chemical.

Water is a chemical.

The air you’re breathing is a mix of chemicals.

Every food you’ve ever eaten is made of chemicals.

A long ingredient list with names you can’t pronounce doesn’t automatically mean bad.

It just means specific.

So if we actually want to know whether energy drinks are bad for you - we can’t judge the can by its label.

We have to go through it ingredient by ingredient and see what the evidence actually says.

Here’s today’s topic.

Energy Drinks Are Bad For You (Or Are They?)

01. What We’re Actually Talking About

When I say “energy drink,” you’re probably thinking:

→ Red Bull

→ Monster

→ Rockstar

→ V

→ Mother

→ Bang

→ Celsius

Different labels, same blueprint - carbonated water, caffeine, sugar (or artificial sweeteners), and a cocktail of amino acids, vitamins, and herbal extracts that sound impressive on a can.

The global energy drink market, valued at $82 billion by end-2021, reached $106–110 billion by end-2025 and continues its strong growth trajectory.

02. A Quick History

Energy drinks aren’t as new as you’d think.

Lucozade launched in the UK in 1927 - originally marketed as a recovery drink for the sick.

The modern energy drink as we know it came out of Thailand in the 1970s.

A businessman named Chaleo Yoovidhya created Krating Daeng - literally “Red Water Buffalo.”

An Austrian named Dietrich Mateschitz discovered it on a business trip, partnered with Chaleo, tweaked the formula, and launched Red Bull in 1987.

The rest is marketing history.

Monster followed in 2002.

Rockstar in 2001.

Now there are hundreds of brands fighting for shelf space, all marketed the same way - more energy, more focus, more performance.

The branding is built around extreme sports, late-night grinding, and pushing limits.

The reality is a bit less glamorous.

03. What’s Actually Inside

Let’s walk through the main ingredients, what they’re claimed to do, and what the science actually says.

Caffeine

The real star of the show. The only ingredient with serious evidence behind it.

Improves alertness, cognitive function, reaction time, and exercise performance. Not a marketing claim - well documented.

A typical can has 80–300mg. For reference, an instant coffee is around 80mg and a long black sits around 120–170mg.

Taurine

An amino acid your body already produces.

Claimed to support cardiovascular function and cognition.

Some evidence for mild antioxidant effects and insulin sensitivity - but at the 1g/can dose in most drinks, you’re unlikely to see much either way.

Safe up to about 3g/day.

Guarana

A plant from the Amazon that contains - wait for it - caffeine.

It’s essentially a “natural” form of caffeine plus some related compounds.

The dose in most drinks is low enough that it doesn’t add much beyond what’s already in the listed caffeine content.

B Vitamins (B3, B6, B12, inositol)

Water-soluble vitamins. Your body flushes out whatever it doesn’t use.

They’re marketed as “energy-boosting,” but vitamins don’t give you energy.

Calories give you energy.

Caffeine gives you stimulation.

They’re on the can because it sells.

L-carnitine

Marketed for fat-burning. Research is heavily overhyped.

You’d need roughly 60x the dose in an energy drink for any meaningful fat-burning effect - and even then, the effect is marginal unless you’re actually deficient.

Ginseng

Can support focus at 400mg+. Most energy drinks have significantly less than that.

Generally safe.

Mostly there for the label.

Glucuronolactone

A compound produced during glucose metabolism.

Claims range from “detoxifying” to “performance-enhancing.”

The evidence is thin. At the doses used, not doing much.

Sugar and artificial sweeteners

Sugar content varies wildly - from zero in diet versions to 60g+ in some cans (that’s about 15 teaspoons).

Artificial sweeteners in the zero-sugar versions (sucralose, acesulfame K, aspartame) have been studied extensively.

At normal consumption, they’re considered safe.

You’d need to drink 20–30+ cans a day to hit any concerning threshold.

04. The Two That Actually Matter

Strip away the marketing, and really only two ingredients move the needle..

Caffeine and sugar.

Everything else is either a trace amount or has minimal evidence behind it.

Caffeine is the active ingredient doing the work.

At moderate doses (under 400mg/day for adults), it’s safe for most healthy people.

Above that - especially rapid, high doses - you start seeing issues like elevated heart rate, blood pressure spikes, anxiety, and in rare cases, arrhythmias.

For actual performance use, the sports nutrition guideline is 3–6mg per kilo of bodyweight, taken about 60 minutes before training.

That’s the zone where the performance benefits actually show up - better endurance, strength output, and focus under fatigue.

Sugar is the long-term concern.

A Monster has 54g of sugar.

That’s about 13 teaspoons.

One a day and you’re adding significant extra calories with zero nutritional value.

Over time that adds up - weight gain, insulin issues, metabolic strain.

The easy fix - go for the sugar-free versions.

Same caffeine hit without the empty calories.

05. Who Should Actually Be Careful

Most healthy adults can have an energy drink here and there without any drama.

But these groups need to be more cautious:

→ Pregnant or breastfeeding women (caffeine limit drops to 200mg/day)

→ Teenagers and kids - more sensitive cardiovascular systems. The American Academy of Pediatrics says avoid entirely.

→ Anyone with a history of heart conditions or family history of cardiac issues

→ Anyone on medications that interact with caffeine

→ Anyone mixing them with alcohol - this combination is directly linked to most of the serious case reports in the literature

06. My Honest Take

I drink energy drinks. Occasionally.

Here’s my actual position:

→ One a day, sugar-free, healthy adult - not a problem.

→ Using them as a daily crutch because you’re running on four hours of sleep - you’re masking a bigger issue.

→ Slamming three before a workout or mixing them with vodka - you’re rolling the dice.

Energy drinks aren’t poison.

But they’re not wellness products either.

They’re a stimulant drink with fancy labelling around what’s essentially caffeine, sugar (or sweeteners), and a sprinkle of stuff that sounds impressive on the can.

If you want one now and then - go for it.

If you’re relying on them, fix the sleep, training, or stress problem underneath first.

The drink isn’t the solution - it’s just borrowing energy you’ll have to pay back later.

References

• Costantino et al. (2023). The Dark Side of Energy Drinks: A Comprehensive Review of Their Impact on the Human Body. Nutrients, 15(18), 3922.

• Examine.com — Energy Drinks (overview & database)

• Examine.com — The (mild) health risks of energy drinks

• Jeff Nippard — Are Energy Drinks Bad For You? (What The Science Says)

• Stephanie Buttermore — The Science Behind Artificial Sweeteners | Are They Safe?

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

Bit of an unexpected rabbit hole this week.

I’ve been deep in sports nutrition study lately. Lots of macros, metabolism, body comp - the usual.

But there’s been a whole section on endurance that caught me off guard.

Specifically, VO2 max.

I’d heard the term thrown around before. Never really paid attention. But learning the actual science behind it got me curious.

And now that I’m gearing up for an ultra marathon, that curiosity has turned into something more practical. I want to know my number. I want to track it. I want to see what happens when I actually train for this thing.

You’ve probably seen those videos.

Someone running on a treadmill with a mask strapped to their face.

Tubes everywhere. Looks like a scene from a sci-fi movie.

But the more I looked into it, the more I realised this one number might be the best indicator of how fit you actually are.

And how long you’ll live.

VO2 max testing is next on my list. So I figured I’d break it down in plain English.

Here’s today’s topic.

WTF Is VO2 Max? (And Why It Predicts How Long You’ll Live)

What Is It?

VO2 max is a measure of how much oxygen your body can use when you’re working hard.

Not how much air you breathe in. How much oxygen actually gets used by your muscles.

Think of it like a sushi train.

The kitchen (your lungs) loads food onto the belt (your blood).

The belt moves past all the customers (your muscles and organs).

Whatever food they grab gets used. Whatever keeps moving tells you how much was left over.

VO2 max measures how much food gets grabbed.

The more oxygen your body can use, the fitter you are.

How Your Body Hits Its Limit

When you exercise, your heart works harder in two ways:

→ It pumps more blood with each beat (Stroke volume)

→ It beats faster (Increased heart rate)

Both increase as you work harder. But there’s a ceiling.

At some point, your heart can’t pump any more blood per beat. Then your heart rate picks up the slack. Eventually, that maxes out too.

When both hit their limit — that’s your VO2 max.

You’ve reached the most oxygen your body can deliver and use.

Why a Higher Number Helps You Perform Better

A higher VO2 max means you can do more before your body starts struggling.

Simple example:

Two people running the same pace.

→ Person A has a lower VO2 max. Their heart is pounding. They’re gasping. They can’t hold this pace for long.

→ Person B has a higher VO2 max. Same speed, but they’re cruising. Breathing is controlled. They’ve got more in the tank.

Same effort on the outside. Completely different experience on the inside.

That’s the power of a bigger engine.

Why It Predicts How Long You’ll Live

Here’s where it gets serious.

A major 2018 study followed over 122,000 people. Out of everything they measured - weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, smoking - fitness level was the strongest predictor of who lived longest.

People in the bottom 25% of fitness had nearly 4x the death risk compared to the top 25%.

Another study of over 750,000 people found that even a small bump in fitness was linked to a 13-15% lower chance of dying early. Regardless of age or weight.

The American Heart Association now says low fitness is a bigger risk factor than smoking, high cholesterol, or obesity.

Read that again.

You can be skinny with a clean diet and still have a weak cardiovascular system. And that still puts you at risk.

The good news is unlike your genetics, this is something you can actually improve.

What’s Next

I’m booking my VO2 max test in the next few weeks.

Just about to map out the ultra marathon training plan.

I’ll share the numbers here - before and after - so you can see what changes.

Stay tuned.

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

Recently, I sat down and looked at the goals I wrote in December 2025 - the things I wanted to achieve by the end of this year.

And more than 75% of them don’t align with me anymore.

In less than six months.

Not because I failed at them.

Not because I gave up.

But because the person who wrote those goals isn’t the same person sitting here now.

And that was a weird thing to sit with.

Because here’s what I’ve learned about values and alignment:

When your actions line up with your values, things just feel right.

There’s a calmness to it.

You don’t have to psych yourself up because the direction actually makes sense to you.

But when they’re out of alignment - when you’re grinding toward something that used to matter but doesn’t anymore - everything feels heavy.

You’re doing all the right things on paper but something’s off.

You’re achieving stuff but it doesn’t land the way it should.

Some people call that burnout.

And it could be.

But sometimes it’s just misalignment.

So I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting lately.

On what’s changed, why it’s changed, and what I actually want now versus what I thought I wanted six months ago.

Here’s today’s topic.

The Real Reason You’re Not Satisfied With Life (Even If You’re Crushing Goals)

01. The Old Me

When I was 20, 21, I wanted it all.

The shirtless travel photos.

The penthouse.

Multiple businesses.

Staff under me.

Money to flex. (Subtly)

If you know Mike Thurston - that was the blueprint. That was the life.

I was willing to do whatever it took.

Dropped $2,000/month on mentorships without blinking.

High risk tolerance.

Zero hesitation.

Every dollar I earned went straight back into “building myself.”

And to a degree - it worked.

I learned a lot.

I grew a lot.

But the driver behind all of it... validation.

I wanted to prove I mattered.

Prove I had something most people didn’t.

Prove that the kid who grew up with a single mum, who moved countries, who started from zero financially - could be someone.

That energy got me far.

But it was exhausting to sustain.

Mike Thurston

02. What Changed

Somewhere around 25, things started to shift.

After bodybuilding, I realised I was actually pretty happy with my body.

Not chasing size.

Not obsessing over being leaner.

Just… content.

I still love a challenge - that’s why I’ve got an ultramarathon planned for the end of the year.

But that’s for me.

Not for the highlight reel.

Taking a full-time role at Saint Haven was a big one.

The old me would’ve seen a salary as a cage.

“You’re giving up control.”

“You’ll never build wealth working for someone else.”

But the reality...

Running your own show sounds incredible until you can’t switch off at 5pm.

Until every weekend is spent stressing about leads, funnels, and making sure you can cover rent.

Here’s something nobody tells you about running your own business - your revenue number and your take-home number are two very different things.

A stable income where you actually keep the cash.. That was actually a good feeling.

03. Friends, Family, and the Group Chat

I used to palm off my mates. “Friends come later. Once I’ve made it, I’ll have all the time in the world.”

The plan was always: get rich first, then buy the penthouse where everyone hangs out.

Maybe that was just me being immature. Thinking the world worked a certain way when it didn’t.

Thinking that somehow I’d have more free time later if I just put enough focus into work first.

But work only gets busier the more you work at it.

The concept is completely skewed.

You don’t eventually arrive at some place where everything slows down and you finally have time for the people who matter.

That place doesn’t exist.

Now.. I’m the one texting in the group chat.

Calling people.

Flying interstate to see family.

Planning things with friends instead of saying “next time.”

It sounds small.

But for someone who used to treat relationships as a “later” priority - it’s massive.

04. Social Media and the Validation Trap

Social media is obviously painted as a growth opportunity.

It helps your business grow.

It helps you get visibility.

And that’s true.

But there’s another side to it - the validation trap.

And we’re all guilty of it.

I used to mask the fact that I was chasing validation behind the idea that I was “building a business.”

Every post, every reel, every story - it was all wrapped up in growth strategy.

But underneath that, I was comparing myself to everyone else.

Constantly.

Now I realise that without it, you’re actually a much happier person.

I can’t step away entirely while the business runs, but I can use it differently.

Using it with intention rather than letting it control me - my thoughts, my mood, how I feel about myself on any given day.

That’s the shift I’m working on.

05. What I Value Now

If I’m honest, here’s where I’ve landed.

Long-term thinking over short-term thinking:

• Thinking 10 years ahead > 10 weeks ahead (Index funds, money aside when appropriate without interfering with fun experiences)

Real connection over text-only presence:

• Even with my online clients, I do video calls now. It feels more in person and you still get that connection.

• Face-to-face coaching wherever I can. Not because it makes more money — because it makes me feel more aligned.

Security over chaos:

• Having a steady paycheck while still being able to work on my own business feels like the right move for me at the moment. It might look different for someone else. But my old self wouldn’t have been able to accept that — and that’s exactly why it feels like growth.

Contributing to something bigger:

• Being proud to be part of a team rather than needing everything to be mine.

06. Why I’m Telling You This

Because I guarantee some of you are feeling the same tension.

You set goals based on who you thought you should be. You’re chasing things that used to excite you but now just feel… heavy.

Your values are allowed to shift. They’re supposed to shift.

The stuff that drove you at 21 doesn’t have to drive you at 26. Or 30. Or 45.

And the sooner you give yourself permission to change direction - the sooner everything starts to feel lighter.

Maybe it’s just called maturing. I don’t know.

But I like it.

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

Hi!

Big news this week.

I’ve officially moved to Sydney.

If you’ve been following along for a while, you know I’ve been building Maxwell Performance Nutrition from Brisbane.

But this was too good to pass up.

I’m starting at Saint Haven - a luxury private wellness club in North Sydney.

Think of it as where high-performance health meets five-star hospitality.

• Organic-only restaurants.

• Reverse osmosis water on tap.

• Filtered water saunas.

• CT and DEXA scans on site.

• Blood work.

• Peptides.

• Allied health professionals all under one roof.

• And much, much more.

Top memberships run roughly $600/week.

Roughly $32,000 a year.

And they’re about to open a brand new facility in a month’s time - loaded with recovery modalities that most people haven’t even heard of yet.

So today, I’m giving you a peek behind the curtain.

What these modalities are.

What they actually do.

What the science says (and doesn’t say).

And a look at where wellness is heading.

Let’s get into it.

The Recovery Tools of 2030 (Available Right Now)

01. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

What it is:

You climb into a sealed pressurised chamber, put on a mask, and breathe 92% oxygen while the pressure is cranked up to about twice normal levels.

To put that in perspective - the air you’re breathing right now is only about 21% oxygen at normal pressure.

In an HBOT chamber, you’re getting 92% oxygen at double the pressure. The amount of oxygen dissolved in your blood plasma increases by roughly 10 times.

How it works:

Normally, oxygen only gets where your red blood cells can travel.

But when you flood the plasma with oxygen, it reaches places red blood cells struggle to get to - damaged tissues, inflamed areas, and spots with poor blood supply.

Your cells are basically swimming in oxygen they wouldn’t normally have access to.

The pitch:

• Faster tissue repair and wound healing

• Less inflammation and swelling

• May support immune function

• May improve mental clarity and focus

• May increase energy production at a cellular level

What the science says:

HBOT has been used in hospitals for decades.

The strongest evidence is for chronic wounds that won’t heal, tissue damage from low oxygen, and post-surgical recovery.

The broader wellness claims - immune boosting, brain performance, anti-ageing in healthy people is still emerging.

Promising, but not proven for general wellness yet.

One of the more credible modalities on this list.

Just don’t expect it to do everything the marketing says. Yet.

How it’s used: 45–50 minute sessions, 2–3 times per week. Requires medical clearance.

02. Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (mHBOT) with Molecular Hydrogen

What it is:

A gentler version of HBOT.

Lower pressure (about 1.3x normal instead of 2x).

Filtered air instead of pure oxygen.

The twist - molecular hydrogen gas is infused into the chamber while you’re in there.

How it works:

The mild pressure still increases dissolved oxygen in your blood - not as dramatically as full HBOT, but enough to make a difference.

The hydrogen side is where it gets interesting.

Hydrogen is a very small molecule - one of the reasons researchers are so interested in it.

Its size means it may be able to move through tissues more freely than larger antioxidant molecules, potentially reaching areas like the brain and mitochondria that are harder to access.

The theory is that it acts as a selective antioxidant.

Instead of wiping out all free radicals (some of which your body actually needs), it may target the most harmful ones - particularly hydroxyl radicals, which are linked to DNA damage and accelerated ageing.

The pitch:

• Increased oxygen delivery to tissues

• Hydrogen has antioxidant properties - may help fight harmful free radicals

• May support mitochondrial health

• May support energy, mental clarity, and sleep

• Lower risk than full HBOT

What the science says:

Genuinely interesting area of emerging research.

Early human studies suggest it may help reduce oxidative stress and support recovery.

But strong marketing claims run well ahead of where the data actually is.

Promising. Worth watching. Not proven enough to make big guarantees.

How it’s used: 2–3 sessions per week for general wellness. Up to daily for short recovery blocks.

03. Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF)

What it is:

A mat or device sends low-frequency electromagnetic pulses through your body.

You might feel a gentle warmth or tingling - but most of the action is happening at a cellular level.

How it works:

The theory behind PEMF is that your cells maintain a natural electrical charge across their membranes.

When cells are damaged, inflamed, or worn out, that charge drops - and they become less efficient at producing energy, exchanging nutrients, and clearing waste.

PEMF aims to restore that.

The electromagnetic pulses stimulate the cell membrane, which may help kick-start ATP production (your cells’ energy currency), improve nutrient exchange, and support blood flow at a microvascular level.

Different frequencies do different things:

• Higher frequencies → energy and pain relief

• Lower frequencies → relaxation and nervous system calming (which is why some people use it in the evening for sleep)

The pitch:

• More energy production inside your cells

• May improve blood flow and nutrient delivery

• Reduces pain, swelling, and stiff joints in some people

• Low-frequency settings may help with relaxation and sleep

What the science says:

Some solid evidence here.

FDA-cleared in the US for bone fracture healing - so the science is real for specific uses.

For pain and recovery, a number of studies show benefits.

But results vary a lot by device, dose, and condition. It’s not a one-size-fits-all tool.

Some applications are well supported. Others are still being figured out.

How it’s used: 3–4 sessions per week for general wellness. Daily for pain or injury. Evening sessions on low-frequency for stress and sleep.

04. NormaTec Lymphatic Compression Boots

What it is:

You slide your legs into large boots that inflate chamber by chamber - starting at your feet and squeezing upward in a wave-like sequence.

Each chamber holds pressure while the next one inflates, then releases.

How it works:

It mimics what your muscles do naturally when you walk - squeezing fluid upward through your lymphatic system and veins.

Here’s the thing most people don’t know: your lymphatic system doesn’t have its own pump.

Unlike your heart (which pumps blood), your lymphatic system relies entirely on muscle contractions and movement to circulate fluid.

When you’re sedentary, recovering from training, or standing all day, fluid pools in your legs.

These boots do the squeezing for you. The sequential compression pushes lymph fluid, excess water, and metabolic byproducts back into circulation where your body can clear them.

That’s why your legs feel lighter and less puffy afterward.

The pitch:

• Reduces swelling, water retention, and puffiness

• May speed up recovery after training

• Improves circulation

• Great for heavy legs, post-surgery, or anyone on their feet all day

• Adjustable pressure zones

What the science says:

Helpful for temporary swelling reduction.

Most people feel noticeably better after using them.

The “flushes lactic acid” line you’ll hear everywhere is oversimplified - your body clears lactate on its own pretty quickly.

The real benefit is improved circulation and less perceived soreness. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one: it just feels great.

How it’s used: 30 minutes, 2–3 times per week. Post-training or late afternoon for leg fatigue.

05. Infrared Sauna

What it is:

Unlike a regular sauna that heats the air around you, infrared saunas use infrared rays to heat your body directly - penetrating 3–4cm into your tissues.

How it works:

That direct tissue warming causes vasodilation - your blood vessels open up.

Blood flow increases.

Blood pressure drops.

More oxygen and nutrients reach your muscles and joints.

Your heart rate also increases - similar to light-to-moderate exercise - and your body starts sweating heavily to cool itself down.

The heat triggers endorphin release and lowers cortisol. That’s why most people feel genuinely relaxed afterward.

Because infrared heats your body rather than the air, the ambient temperature is lower than a traditional sauna (45–65°C vs 80–100°C), making it more tolerable for longer sessions.

The pitch:

• Deeper muscle warming than a traditional sauna

• Promotes heavy sweating

• May improve circulation and heart health markers

• Lowers stress hormones and helps with relaxation

• More tolerable temperature - you can stay in longer

What the science says:

This is where it gets interesting.

A 20-year Finnish study (Laukkanen et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2,315 men) found that sauna use 4–7x per week was linked to:

• 40% lower risk of all-cause mortality

• 63% lower sudden cardiac death risk

• ~50% lower fatal heart disease risk

...compared to once-a-week users. From sitting in a hot room.

Important caveat: that study was on traditional Finnish saunas at ~80°C, not infrared specifically.

Infrared operates at lower temperatures.

The cardiovascular benefits are plausible for heat therapy generally, but the specific evidence base for infrared is smaller.

The direction of the research is strong - the exact proof for infrared is still catching up.

The “detox” claim - You sweat. A lot.

But meaningful removal of heavy metals through sweat isn’t well supported.

You’re mostly losing water and electrolytes.

The heart health, relaxation, and circulation story is the real value here.

How it’s used: 20–30 minutes, 2–3 times per week. Evening for winding down, or post-workout for recovery.

06. Cryotherapy

What it is:

You step into a chamber cooled to extreme temperatures (-110°C or colder) for 2–3 minutes. Quick, intense, very cold.

How it works:

The extreme cold triggers vasoconstriction - your blood vessels tighten, pulling blood away from your extremities and toward your core to protect vital organs.

When you step out and warm up, those vessels dilate rapidly - flooding your tissues with oxygen-rich blood.

This constrict-then-dilate cycle is thought to help clear inflammatory byproducts and deliver fresh nutrients.

But the bigger story is what happens in your brain.

The cold triggers a massive release of norepinephrine and endorphins.

Norepinephrine is the chemical behind alertness, focus, and mood.

That’s the “cold high” - the rush of clarity and energy people feel after cold exposure.

The pitch:

• Reduces inflammation via the vasoconstriction-vasodilation cycle

• Triggers a rush of feel-good chemicals - better mood, focus, alertness

• May support immune function through controlled stress

• May activate calorie-burning brown fat (speculative)

• Calms your nervous system afterward

What the science says:

A 12-week study (Leppäluoto et al., 2008) found cold exposure caused a significant spike in norepinephrine - somewhere in the range of 2–3x baseline levels - consistently, every single session, for the full 12 weeks. No drop-off.

Both cold water swimming and cryotherapy produced the same result.

Separate research showed cold water immersion can cause a large dopamine increase - potentially up to 2.5x baseline - lasting for hours.

The short-term mood, alertness, and soreness benefits are well supported. The bigger claims - immune adaptation, fat loss through brown fat, long-term metabolic changes - are plausible but not proven in humans yet.

Short game: solid. Long game: needs more research.

How it’s used: 2–3 minutes per session. Start with 2–3 times per week.

07. Red Light Therapy

What it is:

Panels emit specific wavelengths of red (~630–660nm) and near-infrared (~810–850nm) light onto your skin.

You stand or sit in front of them for 8–20 minutes.

How it works:

Red light penetrates a few millimetres into your skin. Near-infrared goes deeper - into muscles, joints, and connective tissue.

Both wavelengths are absorbed by an enzyme in your mitochondria called cytochrome c oxidase.

When it absorbs the light, it’s thought to become more efficient at producing ATP - the energy currency your cells run on.

More ATP means:

• Faster cell repair

• More collagen production

• Less inflammation

• Better overall cell function

This is why red light therapy is popular for skin.

Collagen and elastin are the two proteins responsible for skin firmness and elasticity - and multiple studies show red and near-infrared light can increase their production.

The pitch:

• More cellular energy and faster tissue repair

• May help with joint pain, muscle recovery, and nerve function

• Boosts blood flow and collagen production - better skin

• May support sleep and energy levels

• No UV, no drugs, no downtime

What the science says:

A controlled trial (Wunsch & Mahrle) found measurable improvements in skin texture, roughness, and collagen density in treated subjects vs. controls.

Lab studies confirmed that red plus near-infrared light increased collagen and elastin production in human skin cells.

For pain and recovery - encouraging evidence. Sleep and whole-body performance claims are Less consistent.

Skin and recovery are the strongest cards in this hand.

How it’s used: 8–20 minutes per session, 3–5 times per week. Morning for energy. Evening for relaxation.

The Part Most People Skip

Here’s the thing.

All of these modalities are cool.

Some have strong evidence.

Others are earlier in the research but showing real promise.

But none of them replace the fundamentals.

• Sleep is still the single most powerful recovery tool you have. Free. Every night. You can’t replace sleep.

• Quality food - protein, whole foods, fibre, hydration - is still the foundation everything else is built on.

• Stress management - whether it’s a walk, breath work, time offline, or just being honest about your capacity - still moves the needle more than any machine.

These are priority number one.

Always have been.

Always will be.

You can hop in a bathtub full of ice water for $0 or use a cryotherapy chamber.

Both give you the norepinephrine spike.

What changes is access, comfort, and consistency.

Do you need any of these modalities?

No.

But are they cool?

Heck yeah.

I’ll be sharing more from inside Saint Haven as I settle in.

Exciting times ahead.

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

I used to think tracking was non-negotiable for fat loss. Weighed every gram. Logged every meal. Made eating feel like a second job.

Then I worked with a client who flat-out refused to track. So I had to figure out a system that worked without it.

Honestly? It worked better than I expected. I prefer it now.

Here’s the full 30-day playbook.

If I Had 30 Days to Drop as Much Fat as Possible (Without Tracking a Single Calorie)

Tracking works. But it’s not for everyone.

If you find it draining, obsessive, or joyless — this is your blueprint. No apps required.

Let’s go.

01. Eliminate Liquid Calories Immediately

Day one. Non-negotiable.

Cut soft drinks, fruit juices, alcohol, and fancy coffees.

A caramel frappuccino? 400+ calories that did nothing for your hunger. 4+ beers on a Friday night? That’s 800+ calories you didn’t even feel.

Look, I love a few beers too. But there’s a significant difference between 1-2 and 8-10.

The fix: Water, black coffee, Coke Zero, sparkling water. If you’re going to drink, keep it lean — vodka soda, dry wine, light beer. Keep the benders for later once you hit your goal.

This one change alone can create a 300-500 calorie deficit daily without touching your food.

02. Start Every Meal With Protein

Easiest lever you can pull.

Before you touch carbs or fats, eat your protein first.

It’s the most satiating macronutrient — keeps you fuller for longer. It has the highest thermic effect (100g of chicken = roughly 30g burnt just in digestion). And it preserves muscle mass in a deficit, keeping your metabolism higher.

The rule: Every meal starts with a palm-sized portion of quality protein. Chicken, beef, fish, eggs, Greek yoghurt — whatever you like. Just eat it first.

03. Use the Plate Method

Less thinking, more results:

→ Half your plate = non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, capsicum, etc.) → Quarter = protein → Quarter = quality carbs (rice, potato, quinoa, etc.)

This automatically creates a caloric deficit while keeping you full.

You’re not restricting. You’re crowding out the calorie-dense stuff with volume.

04. Hit 10,000+ Steps Daily

Most underrated fat loss tool going.

Walking at a conversational pace (Zone 2) has the highest fat oxidation rate — your body burns more fat for fuel compared to higher-intensity cardio.

It doesn’t spike hunger. It improves insulin sensitivity. It doesn’t require recovery. And it compounds quietly in the background.

Pro tip: Park further away. Take the stairs. Walk during phone calls.

05. Maximise Sleep

7-9 hours minimum. Every single night.

Poor sleep disrupts ghrelin and leptin (your hunger hormones). It increases cortisol, which promotes fat storage — especially around your belly. You’ll crave hyper-palatable foods when you’re tired.

Plus, here’s the hack nobody talks about: You can’t eat while you’re sleeping. It’s literally free appetite control.

06. Strategic Caffeine Use

An iced long black in the morning while fasting is one of my favourite tools.

Caffeine increases thermogenesis slightly (about 3-11% for a few hours) and blunts appetite, making it easier to delay your first meal.

I used this constantly during my bodybuilding prep.

Skip breakfast. Have a black coffee instead. Break your fast at lunch. You’ve just cut out 400-600 calories without feeling deprived.

07. Cook at Home

For 30 days, I’d be cooking the majority of my meals.

Complete control over ingredients and portions. No hidden oils, sauces, or extra calories. Cheaper, more satisfying, and keeps you out of situations where you’re tempted by takeaway impulse orders.

High-protein pizzas are a perfect example.

My go-to:

→ Simson’s Pantry High Protein Pizza Base (half = 62.5g): 15g protein, 23g carbs

→ Carb Base Sauce: 2g

→ Coles Slow Cooked Pulled Chicken (125g): 29g protein, 13g carbs

→ Primo English Style Sliced Leg Ham (50g): 9g protein, 5g carbs

→ Load with capsicum, red onion, mushrooms, baby spinach

→ Season generously

Total per pizza: ~61g protein, 55g carbs, minimal fats. Satisfying, volume-eating friendly, hits your macros without feeling restrictive.

Bonus: What I’d Stack on Top

Strength training 3x weekly.

Building muscle increases your metabolic rate and prevents metabolic slowdown during fat loss.

Environmental control.

Don’t buy snacks. If they’re not in your cupboard, you won’t eat them. Stop the temptation at the grocery store — not at home at 9pm when willpower is depleted.

Make lean swaps when eating out.

Subway? Get lean meats, pile on the salad, minimal sauce, no cheese. You can still eat out without derailing progress.

High-quality multivitamin.

Reduced caloric intake increases the risk of micronutrient deficiencies. A quality multivitamin covers your bases while eating less food.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to weigh every gram of food. You just need to be strategic.

Tracking works. But so does this.

Pick the method you’ll actually stick to. That’s the one that wins.

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

Fresh DEXA scan. Numbers confirmed.

I was happy with it.

Then, over the next six months, a lot happened.

I went to Japan for about a month over Christmas - snowboarding, a ridiculous amount of steps, and eating whatever I could find because I had zero access to my usual routine or a proper gym.

I came off TRT completely in October.

So at that point I was coming down from a slightly enhanced hormonal environment, heading into a calorie-deficit holiday with no weights and a lot of snow-induced chaos.

Most people would’ve come back a mess.

March 2026 - I’m sitting at 10.6%.

That’s a 1.6% swing across six months that included a month off the gym, a hormonal reset, under-eating on holiday, and rebuilding from scratch when I got back.

Here’s exactly what I did.

9% to 10.6% - How I Held My Body Composition Through a Month Off, Christmas, and Coming Off TRT

01. Training: Non-Negotiable, Even When Life Gets Loud

Four sessions a week. That’s the floor.

Occasionally, on a genuinely insane week, it drops to three. But that’s rare — and it’s not a badge of honour, it’s a bad week.

When I got back from Japan, I wasn’t starting from a great baseline. A bit softer, a bit weaker. But the structure stayed exactly the same.

Monday — Legs (yes, first day of the week, on purpose)

I hate legs. So I do them Monday, when the week is fresh and I have no excuse. Gets the worst thing done first. Everything after that feels easy by comparison.

45 minutes. Movements I actually trust:

→ Romanian deadlifts (DBs) + Bulgarian split squats — functional strength and balance

→ Leg extension + leg press or leg curl — safer, controlled hypertrophy

→ 3 sets, 8–15 reps, progressive overload week on week

Upper Body Days x3

The first two days are split by muscle group:

→ Day 2: Back + Triceps

→ Day 3: Chest, Shoulders + Biceps

→ Day 4: Full upper body day

Every muscle group gets hit at minimum twice a week, with adequate recovery built in between.

Why biceps paired with chest and shoulders rather than back?

Back training uses the biceps as a secondary mover.

By the time you’ve finished your rows and pull-downs, the biceps are already partially fatigued - you won’t get quality work out of them.

Pairing biceps with chest and shoulders means they arrive fresh and perform at full capacity.

Progressive overload is tracked through the Heavy App.

It logs exactly what I lifted the previous week and makes progression easy to follow. I use it with most of my clients. Free to download

[link here]

02. Nutrition: Growth Phase First, Then Dial It Back

When I landed back in Brisbane, the goal wasn’t fat loss.

It was getting back to where I was.

So the first phase was a growth phase — add lean mass, rebuild what I lost, eat enough to support it.

Pre-training → 1–2 scoops of Gatorade powder + a banana → ~30g of fast carbs. Simple. Done.

Post-training → 45g whey protein shake → 10–15g creatine mixed in

Breakfast → Full-fat Greek yoghurt + protein powder → Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans, almonds → Honey + peanut butter on top → North of 1,000 calories, 60g+ protein. Zero effort.

Lunch → Rice + protein source + vegetables → In a growth phase: add sauces, bacon, a drizzle of olive oil → Pushes calories up without adding much volume

Afternoon → 1–2 protein shakes spread across the afternoon → Hits your daily protein target without thinking about it

Dinner → 25% protein, 25% carbs, 50% vegetables or salad → In a growth phase: higher fat mince, avocado, black beans, calorie-dense toppings

Before bed → One more whey shake → Keeps muscle protein synthesis elevated while you sleep and recover

Weight check once a week. Energy levels as a daily indicator. Gradual, controlled build.

03. The Shift: Moving Into a Fat Loss Phase

After a few months of building back, I’d gained more body fat than I wanted.

So three weeks ago, I flipped the approach.

Not a dramatic overhaul. Just intelligent swaps:

→ Full-fat Greek yoghurt → zero-fat Greek yoghurt

→ Nuts, seeds, peanut butter → removed or significantly reduced

→ Whole fruit pre-training instead of sugary carb powders

→ Just water before sessions (banana only if I genuinely need it)

→ Two Rokby shakes → down to one

→ Calorie-dense dinner toppings → swapped for more vegetables and colour

→ Heavy carb sources → lighter options like shirataki noodles, sweet potato, baked potato

→ Fatty mince → leaner protein sources

No crash diet. No cardio overhaul. No dramatic intervention.

The same structure - just different selections within it.

The Takeaway

Coming off TRT, a month off the gym, inconsistent food access, rebuilding from a lower baseline.

If you don’t have a system, that’s a recipe for a mess.

But if you’ve built the right habits and know how to adjust them rather than abandon them, the body is more resilient than most people give it credit for.

9% to 10.6% across six months of genuine life disruption.

I’ll take that.

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

We’re going through the results.

Everything’s ticking along, nothing alarming.

Then the doc points to the urea number — slightly elevated — and starts explaining what it actually means.

And I sat there thinking: I’ve been getting this wrong.

Not completely wrong.

But wrong enough that it changed how I think about protein for certain clients.

That call got me reflecting on a few things I’ve shifted my thinking on recently.

Through working closely with clients, digging into real data, and being honest enough to say “the old way wasn’t the full picture.”

Here are 3 of them.

3 Things I’ve Changed My Mind On (Recently)

1. Zone 2 Cardio for Women Over 40

I Used to Think It Was Fine. Now I Think It’s Working Against Them.

For a long time, I’d recommend steady-state cardio without much thought.

Hop on the bike for 45 minutes.

Go for a jog.

Get the heart rate up.

Job done.

But the more I’ve worked with women in their 40s, the more I’ve seen this approach stall - and in some cases, backfire.

Here’s what’s actually happening:

Think of your stress system like a bucket.

In your 40s, that bucket is already fuller than it used to be.

Hormonal shifts mean cortisol is running higher before you’ve even laced up your shoes.

Sustained moderate cardio — a “hard-ish” 45-minute session, a long jog — slowly fills that bucket further.

The body reads prolonged moderate effort as stress.

Cortisol stays elevated.

And when cortisol stays elevated, the body holds onto fat rather than burning it.

Not ideal.

Sprint intervals work differently.

Short, all-out effort followed by full rest triggers a growth hormone response.

Cortisol spikes, then drops hard in recovery.

You spike it and clear it — rather than letting it simmer for an hour.

Walking works for the opposite reason.

Genuinely low intensity doesn’t add to the bucket at all.

The zone to avoid?

The sustained middle ground.

Not easy enough to recover.

Not hard enough to trigger the right hormonal response.

The priority order I use now:

• → Resistance training — the non-negotiable foundation

• → True sprint intervals — short, maximal, fully recovered between efforts

• → Daily walking — keep it, it counts

2. More Protein Doesn’t Always Mean More Muscle

The standard advice is 1.6–2.2g of protein per kg of body weight.

I’ve said it myself. It’s well-supported.

It’s generally right.

But “generally right” isn’t always right — and a recent client case showed me exactly where the nuance lives.

Back to that blood work call.

My client’s testosterone was low:

• Testosterone: 13 nmol/L (ref: 10.0–33.0)

• Free Testosterone: 311 pmol/L (ref: 150–700)

• SHBG: 23 nmol/L (ref: 13–71)

Nothing dramatically alarming.

But sitting at the lower end of the range.

And his urea was slightly elevated: 8.8 mmol/L (ref: 2.5–8.0).

Here’s what that means:

Urea is what gets produced when the body breaks down amino acids for energy instead of building tissue.

An elevated urea reading tells you a meaningful chunk of the protein being eaten isn’t going toward muscle — it’s being burned as fuel.

The endocrinologist’s explanation:

“It’s not that he’s eating too much protein. It’s that the body isn’t utilising it for tissue building — because there’s no anabolic drive there.”

Low testosterone = no signal to build.

So the protein just... doesn’t get used properly.

The fix isn’t eating less protein.

The fix is addressing what’s blocking utilisation.

Once TRT is introduced and the anabolic environment improves, the urea number should come down — because now the body has a reason to build with the protein it’s receiving.

The lesson: sometimes more muscle comes down to getting the body into a more anabolic state — not just increasing the input.

3. GLP-1s — I Used to Dismiss Them. I Don’t Anymore.

For a long time my position was simple: get your nutrition structured, build your habits, train consistently.

That’s the tool.

I still believe that.

But I’ve updated my thinking on GLP-1 medications.

Why?

Because I’ve seen clients struggle with food noise in a way that no amount of mindset coaching can fully override.

The constant mental negotiation around food.

The cravings that don’t respond to “just be disciplined.”

For some people, the biology is working against them in a way that makes the standard approach genuinely harder.

And then my mum used it.

Her partner too.

Both dropped significant weight.

Both got healthier overall.

I saw it firsthand.

But here’s my issue — and it’s a real one:

Studies show that 15–40% of weight lost on GLP-1s can be lean mass, not fat. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; BioSpace)

That’s not a rounding error. Think about what that actually means:

• → Less strength

• → Lower metabolic rate

• → Higher injury risk

• → Accelerated sarcopenia — especially in older adults

• → Better number on the scale. Worse body underneath it.

You can drop 20kg and come out smaller and weaker.

That’s not a win.

My updated position:

There’s a legitimate place for GLP-1s — particularly for initial weight loss where food noise is a real barrier.

But it’s not a standalone tool.

It requires resistance training alongside it, full stop.

Without the muscle stimulus:

• → You’re not protecting lean mass

• → Your metabolic rate drops further

• → You’re setting up for regain when you come off

For older adults especially — lower testosterone, lower oestrogen, already fighting to maintain lean tissue — muscle has to be the primary target.

Not an afterthought.

The medication can help you get there faster. But it can’t do the work the gym does.

The Common Thread

All three of these come back to the same thing:

Context matters more than rules.

Standard advice works for standard situations.

But when the context changes — hormones shift, age changes the game, biology is working differently — the standard answer isn’t always enough.

That’s what working with real clients, reviewing real blood work, and staying genuinely curious about the science forces you to confront.

I’ll keep updating my thinking as the evidence evolves.

And I’ll keep telling you when I do.

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

I tracked every single thing I ate on MyFitnessPal for years.

And honestly?

It worked.

I learned what was in my food, how different meals affected my energy, where my protein was actually coming from.

That data was genuinely useful - especially early on.

But somewhere along the way, I started resenting it.

Opening an app before every meal.

Scanning barcodes at restaurants.

Feeling like a failure when I couldn’t log something properly.

It started to feel less like a tool and more like a leash.

Here’s the thing nobody tells you: we’re not meant to track food forever.

We’re meant to learn, grow, and gain wisdom.

Then apply that wisdom automatically - without thinking twice about it.

That’s what intuitive eating actually is.

Not eating whatever you feel like. Not ignoring your body.

It’s operating from a place of genuine understanding - so the right decisions become second nature.

WTF Is “Intuitive Eating” - And How Do I Actually Do It?

To Win the Game, You Need to Know the Rules

Intuitive eating without any foundation is just winging it.

And winging it doesn’t build the body you want.

So before you ditch the app, you need to understand the non-negotiables.

These are the targets that, when you understand them well enough, you start hitting them automatically - on the go, at restaurants, during client dinners, while travelling.

Protein: 30–40g per meal, across 3–4 meals

This is the single most important lever. Builds muscle, keeps you full, supports metabolism.

A 150g chicken breast.

A 180g salmon fillet.

Two scoops of protein.

A 200g Greek yoghurt + protein bar combo.

Real serves — not a sprinkle of chicken on a salad.

Build your plate right - every time, anywhere

• → 50% vegetables, salad, or greens

• → 25% protein

• → 25% carbohydrates

A bowl at a food court.

A wrap from Subway.

A plate at a restaurant.

The format doesn’t matter - the structure does.

Fibre: 30g per day

Most people are getting 20–25g.

Fibre keeps your gut healthy, slows digestion, stabilises blood sugar, and keeps hunger in check.

Swap white for brown wherever it’s easy.

Wholegrain over white.

Sweet potato over chips.

Small swaps, big compound effect.

Hydration: 2.5–3 litres per day

Afternoon energy crash?

Headache?

Poor concentration?

Before you blame stress or bad sleep - check how much water you’ve had.

Dehydration mimics all of these.

Carry a bottle. Non-negotiable.

The Framework I Use on Autopilot

Once you understand the rules above, the actual system becomes simple.

Read the day first.

Before you decide what to eat, take ten seconds to assess.

Eaten light so far?

Make dinner count - eat something solid, satisfying, and don’t feel guilty about it.

Big client lunch coming up?

Keep breakfast and morning snacks lean.

You’re not restricting.

You’re thinking ahead.

Find your protein anchor first, then build around it.

Walk into any restaurant, food court, or airport terminal.

Ignore everything on the menu except the protein source.

Once you’ve found it - chicken, fish, steak, eggs - build the meal from there.

Add colour.

Add a carb closest to a whole food.

Done.

Apply the 85/15 rule.

85% of your week is for your long-term health.

That’s roughly 17 out of 20 meals where you apply this framework.

The other 15% - three meals - is yours.

The wagyu that’s too good to think about macros.

The Friday drinks that turn into Saturday brunch.

That’s not failure. It’s called life.

The people who struggle aren’t those who enjoy good food or a social drink.

They’re those who treat every day as the 15% and wonder why nothing changes.

This Is What Stopped the Overthinking

You know what killed the guilt around eating out?

Understanding the above deeply enough that it became automatic.

I stopped wondering if I was making the wrong call at restaurants.

I stopped feeling overwhelmed when I landed in a new city and didn’t have a meal prepped.

I stopped mentally punishing myself after a big dinner - because I knew exactly how it fit into the bigger picture.

That’s the goal.

Not perfection.

Not tracking every gram.

Just consistent, smart decisions made without having to think about them.

↓ Free resource attached below ↓

I’ve put together the On-The-Go Nutrition Guide:

a complete breakdown of exactly what to order at airports, fast food chains, service stations, and restaurants, with real meal examples and the 85/15 rule explained in full.

No tracking required.

[DOWNLOAD FREE RESOURCE HERE]

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

I used to run first.

Felt productive. Felt disciplined.

Showed up to the gym feeling like I’d already won the day.

Then I’d get under the bar.

And wonder why 60kg felt like 100.

Same weights I’d moved comfortably many times before.

But my legs had already clocked out. My nervous system was done.

I was lifting at maybe 50% and calling it a session.

The opposite was just as entertaining.

Heavy leg day. Squats. Deadlifts. The works.

Then I’d lace up and head outside.

Same route. Same pace as usual.

Legs like wet concrete. Heart rate spiking at a speed that normally felt like a warm-up.

Took me embarrassingly long to connect the dots.

Should You Run Before or After You Lift? (The Actual Answer)

There’s a reason this question gets asked constantly.

Most people are trying to build muscle AND stay fit. So at some point, cardio and lifting end up in the same day.

And the order matters more than you’d think.

Here’s how to stop guessing.

The Simple Rule: Whatever Matters More, Do First

Your first session gets your best energy. Your sharpest focus. Your freshest legs.

Whatever comes second gets the leftovers.

That’s it. That’s the rule.

Improving your 5km time? Run first.

Building strength and muscle? Lift first.

Can’t decide? Lift first. Here’s why.

Why Cardio Before Lifting Is Usually a Bad Idea for Muscle

Running for 30–60 minutes is thousands of muscle contractions at low intensity.

By the time you walk into the gym after that, your muscles have already been working for an hour.

Then you’re asking them to produce force, power, and control under load.

You’ll feel like a soft noodle attempting serious weights.

Resistance training doesn’t negotiate. It needs you fresh to actually drive adaptation.

And there’s actual science behind it.

The interference effect is real.

Here’s why it matters on a physiological level.

High volumes of cardio upregulate AMPK - an enzyme your body activates when energy is low.

The issue is that AMPK directly suppresses mTOR, the pathway responsible for muscle protein synthesis and growth.

In simple terms: cardio first sends a signal that actively works against the muscle-building signal you’re trying to create in the gym.

• The result: Reduced strength output, blunted muscle adaptation, and a session worth less than it should be.

Harder to build muscle? Yes. Impossible? No.

But why make it harder on yourself?

If You’re Doing Both, Keep the Cardio Moderate

The goal isn’t to avoid cardio. It’s to structure it so it doesn’t eat into your muscle-building.

A few things worth knowing:

→ Zone 2 cardio is your friend.

Keep your heart rate under 60–70% of max if muscle gain or preservation is the priority. Lower intensity = less interference, more recovery-friendly.

→ Volume matters.

Marathon training and heavy hypertrophy blocks don’t mix well. That doesn’t mean you can’t do both - it means you need to be realistic about what you’re prioritising.

→ Your energy availability matters.

If you’re under-eating, high volumes of cardio will make muscle building significantly harder. (If anything, you’ll be competing just to preserve it) Fuel the work you’re doing.

The Cleanest Solution: Split Them

AM lift. PM run. A proper meal and a few hours in between.

Two half-sessions become two real ones.

That single change made both feel completely different for me. Better performance, better recovery, better results from both.

Not always possible. But when it is, it’s the move.

Quick Reference

→ Building muscle or strength? Lift first.

→ Improving run performance? Run first.

→ Doing both in one session? Lift first, keep cardio shorter and lower intensity.

→ Doing high volumes of both? Separate them. AM and PM. Eat between.

→ Trying to grow muscle with regular cardio? Fuel properly. Under-eating kills the adaptation.

The order of your training is a small thing that compounds over time.

Get it right consistently, and you’ll notice the difference within weeks.

Which one do you usually do first - and has it ever bit you?

Hit reply and let me know.

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

“I’ve heard the body can only absorb 30g of protein at a time... is that true?”

Simple question. Not so simple answer.

So I did a deep dive into the research. And what I found surprised me.

Let’s break it down.

Can Your Body Only Absorb 30g of Protein? Let’s Settle This.

Where Did the 30g Rule Even Come From?

Back in 2009, researchers tested different protein doses after resistance training.

They found that muscle protein synthesis (the process your body uses to build and repair muscle) seemed to max out around 20g.

Going to 40g? Didn’t seem to build more muscle in that window.

So the fitness industry rounded it to 30g, slapped it on every protein tub, and called it a day.

I bought into it too. For years, I’d smash a protein shake within 30 minutes of finishing a session.

Religiously.

Thought if I missed that window or went over 30g, I was wasting my money.

Turns out... not quite.

Quick Detour: How Does Muscle Actually Grow?

Your body is constantly building muscle up and breaking it down. All day, every day. Two processes running at the same time:

MPS (Muscle Protein Synthesis) = Building muscle up

MPB (Muscle Protein Breakdown) = Breaking muscle down

Think of it like a bathtub. Water flowing in (MPS). Water draining out (MPB).

If more water flows in than drains out? The tub fills up. You grow muscle.

If more drains out than flows in? The tub empties. You lose muscle.

That’s it. That’s the whole game.

Protein and training turn up the tap. Not eating enough or sitting on your arse all day pulls the plug.

Digestion vs Absorption vs Utilisation

Now, back to whether that 30g limit is actually true.

First, we need to understand how protein actually gets processed in your body. There are three stages:

Digestion is breaking protein down into amino acids. Like grinding bricks into sand. Your body will digest whatever you throw at it. No limit.

Absorption is moving those amino acids from your gut into your bloodstream. Think of it like a conveyor belt. Eat more protein? The belt just slows down to handle the load. Nothing falls off.

Utilisation is the actual building. This is where the “30g myth” lives. Your body can only lay so many bricks per hour. Eat 100g of protein in one sitting, and you won’t build 3x more muscle than eating 30g. Not in that moment, anyway.

But here’s the thing the early studies missed...

They only measured for 3-4 hours.

That’s like watching the first 20 minutes of a movie and writing the review.

The €60,000 Cow That Changed Everything

Dr. Luc van Loon is one of the world’s leading protein researchers. And he doesn’t do things by halves.

To actually track where protein goes in your body, he needed to “tag” the amino acids. Think of it like spray-painting each molecule with a tiny GPS tracker so you can follow exactly where it travels.

Problem is, you can’t buy pre-tagged proteins.

His solution? Spend €60,000 infusing a cow with tracers over seven years. Then collect the milk, extract the protein, feed it to subjects, and track exactly where it ended up.

His words from a recent interview:

“Basically a very expensive and invasive way to provide clinical proof that your mom is right. You are what you eat.”

What He Found

Van Loon’s team compared 25g vs 100g of protein in a single sitting.

The 100g dose? Still stimulating muscle protein synthesis 12 hours later.

Not wasted. Not flushed. Just processed slower.

Think of it like a slow-release fuel tank.

The bigger the meal, the longer your body drip-feeds those amino acids into the system. It doesn’t overflow. It just takes its time.

The early studies saw the initial spike but stopped measuring before the slow burn kicked in.

The Bottom Line

The 30g rule isn’t wrong. It’s just incomplete.

30-40g per meal is still a solid target.

It reliably triggers that muscle-building signal.

But if you eat a 60g protein dinner?

Your body won’t waste it.

It just processes it slower.

What actually matters:

• Hit your daily total (1.6-2.2g per kg of bodyweight if you’re active)

• Spread it across 3-4 meals for multiple MPS spikes throughout the day

• Front-load your day. Most people skip protein at breakfast. Fix that first.

• The post-workout shake? Helpful for convenience. Not magic. I still have mine, just without the panic if I miss the “30-minute window.”

Quick note on plant-based: whole-food plant proteins are harder for your body to break down and absorb, so you may need slightly more total protein or include some processed options like pea protein powder.

Stop stressing about the perfect number per meal.

Your body’s smarter than the internet gives it credit for.

Thanks for reading.

If you want help building a nutrition approach that actually fits your life (without obsessing over every gram), reply to this email.

Let’s make it simple.

Coach Anton

__________________________________________________

References:

• Moore et al. (2009). Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

• Trommelen et al. (2023). The anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit in magnitude and duration. Cell Reports Medicine

• Van Loon, L. (2025). Interview on The Proof Podcast with Simon Hill

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

Your mate at work swears by it. That fitness influencer calls it “the secret to longevity.” Your mum thinks you’re starving yourself.

So let’s cut through the noise. No hype. No fear-mongering. Just what the research actually says - and whether it’s worth your time.

The Truth About Fasting (And Whether You Actually Need It)

What Is Fasting?

Fasting is not eating for a set period of time.

That’s it.

Your body has been doing this since the beginning of human existence.

Before supermarkets, Uber Eats, and the office biscuit tin, our ancestors went long stretches without food.

Their bodies adapted. So did ours.

When you stop eating, your body burns through its sugar stores, then starts tapping into stored fat for energy. Researchers call this “metabolic switching” - flipping from running on glucose to running on fat.

A review in the New England Journal of Medicine (de Cabo & Mattson, 2019) found that this switch increases stress resistance and decreases the incidence of diseases including cancer and obesity.

The problem? Most of us never flip that switch. We eat from the moment we wake up until we crash on the couch. Fasting just gives your body the space to do what it was designed to do.

Types of Fasting

None of these are magic - they’re just different tools.

16:8 (Time-Restricted Eating) → Eat within an 8-hour window, fast for 16. Example: first meal at noon, last bite by 8pm. Most common and easiest to stick to.

5:2 → Eat normally 5 days a week. On 2 non-consecutive days, limit yourself to 500-600 calories.

Alternate Day Fasting → Alternate between normal eating days and very low/zero calorie days. More aggressive. Harder to sustain.

Extended Fasts (24-72 hours) → NOT necessarily better - and can backfire.

Going too long without eating can signal your body to hold onto fat in response to perceived starvation.

For most people? 16:8 is the sweet spot.

Body Composition (Muscle Gain / Fat Loss)

Fat Loss:

Fasting can help you lose fat - but not for the reason most people think.

What fasting does do is drop your insulin levels, which allows your body to unlock stored fats and release them into the bloodstream to be used as energy.

But here’s the catch - just because fat is released doesn’t mean it gets burned. But there’s no point releasing fats if you’re still eating in a surplus - it just gets stored again.

Fasting works best when it’s paired with a controlled deficit.

That’s when your body actually uses those freed-up fats as fuel. Pairing it with zone 2 cardio can help even further - that low-intensity work is where your body preferentially burns fat for energy.

Fasting can help keep you in a deficit by shrinking your eating window - fewer hours to eat usually means less food consumed.

But if you’re just making up for it by smashing bigger meals later in the day and blowing your deficit, it’s useless.

Studies show people typically lose 3-7% of their body weight over a few months of fasting, and when you add resistance training, you’ll drop more body fat while keeping muscle (Ashtary-Larky et al., PMC).

Muscle Retention:

This is where people get it wrong.

You’ve probably heard fasting “burns muscle.” The truth: if you keep lifting and eating enough protein (roughly 1.4g per kilo of bodyweight daily), you’ll hold onto your muscle just fine.

A recent study found no difference in muscle building between fasting and normal eating when protein was matched (ScienceDirect, 2024).

That scary “65% of weight lost from fasting was lean mass” headline - That study used untrained people who weren’t eating enough protein. It shows what happens when you fast poorly - not when you do it right.

The practical challenge is that the tighter your eating window, the harder it is to hit your protein targets.

Certain fasts make it extremely difficult (Alternate-day or extended fasts).

Most people need 3-4 meals to get there comfortably - compress that into 4-6 hours and something’s gotta give.

Bottom line: Keep training, keep protein high. Otherwise you’re losing muscle, not fat.

Health Benefits

This is where fasting gets genuinely impressive - especially if you’re not already in great metabolic shape.

→ Blood sugar control

Fasting can lower your insulin levels as effectively as some diabetes medications - without the side effects (PMC, 2022). If you’ve been told you’re pre-diabetic or your blood sugar is creeping up, this matters.

→ Blood pressure

Studies show fasting can reduce blood pressure by clinically meaningful amounts (≈5–10 mmHg) - in some cases comparable to low-dose blood pressure medications. (PMC, 2025). Not bad for skipping breakfast.

→ Cellular cleanup

When you fast, your body clears out damaged, worn-out cells and recycles them for parts. Think of it as a deep clean for your insides. Scientists call this autophagy - and fasting is one of the most reliable ways we know to trigger it, based on strong animal data and supportive human evidence. meaningful autophagy likely requires longer fasts (24+ hours).(Bagherniya et al., 2018).

→ Liver health

If you’ve got a bit of a fatty liver (more common than you’d think, especially if you’ve carried extra weight), time-restricted eating can help reverse it. Your liver gets time to repair instead of constantly processing food.

→ Longevity

A study of 2,000 heart patients found those who fasted regularly had a 49% lower risk of death compared to non-fasters. Animal studies consistently show longer lifespans with fasting. We can’t run 80-year human trials, but the early signs are promising. (Observational study - can have inaccuracies)

One caveat: A 2024 study made headlines linking 8-hour eating windows to higher heart disease risk. It was preliminary, not peer-reviewed, and contradicts most other research - but worth knowing the science isn’t 100% settled.

Performance Benefits

→ Mental clarity

Many people report sharper focus when fasted. Your brain runs well when it’s not competing with your gut for blood flow and energy. Studies back this up - improvements in memory and focus are common (NEJM, 2019).

Short-term fog is normal as your body adjusts, but once adapted, most people actually think clearer in a fasted state. If you’re getting persistent fog, you’re probably pushing the fast too long or not managing electrolytes.

→ Better fat burning during cardio

Fasting trains your body to use stored fat for fuel more efficiently. Pair it with easy cardio (think: a walk, light jog, or bike ride where you can still hold a conversation) and you’ll tap into fat stores faster.

→ Less inflammation, better recovery

Fasting shifts your body from “build and grow” mode into “repair and protect” mode. Less inflammation at a cellular level means better recovery over time.

Benefits are strongest in:

• Overweight or metabolically impaired individuals

• People with mild inflammation or insulin resistance

• Already lean, highly active athletes may not see noticeable systemic recovery benefits.

The trade-off: Training hard while fasted usually means worse sessions. Fewer reps, less power, sloppier technique. Your muscles need fuel for intense work. Save fasting for rest days or easy cardio — not your heavy lifting sessions.

Limitations

Not ideal for building muscle.

Your body builds muscle best when you’re feeding it protein regularly throughout the day - roughly every 3-5 hours. Fasting limits how often you can trigger that response. If gaining muscle is your main goal, fasting works against you.

Can hurt your training.

Hitting the gym on empty often means worse sessions. Less energy, less drive, lower output.

Recovery takes longer.

Delaying food after training extends how long it takes to bounce back. Train frequently and that adds up.

Not for everyone.

Some people - particularly women - may notice mood changes, sleep issues, or cycle disruptions with aggressive fasting. If that’s you, ease off or skip it altogether.

Consistency matters.

Jumping around with your eating window cancels out the benefits. Eating late at night can also mess with blood sugar. Keep at least 2-3 hours between your last meal and bed.

Already lean and healthy?

Fasting probably won’t move the needle much - and could even slow your metabolism slightly.

My Take

If fat loss is your goal - eating less, lifting heavy, and getting enough protein will do more than any fasting protocol.

If you’re already lean, healthy, and training hard - fasting might get in the way more than it helps.

Personally, I don’t use it much right now. I want more muscle. I want to move faster, better, longer. Fasting doesn’t help me get there.

But if your blood sugar is creeping up, your liver’s a bit fatty, or you just can’t stop eating once you start - fasting could be a genuine game-changer.

Combine it with some easy cardio (walking, light cycling) and you’ll burn more stored fat than either approach alone.

Try it. You’ll know pretty quickly if it works for you. And remember - where you are in life matters.

The longevity benefits might mean more at 55 than at 25 when you’re chasing performance.

The best approach is the one you can actually stick to.

Anton

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

25 years old. Turn 26 this year. Born in 2000, which makes it very easy to tell how old I am depending on the year.

I’m a sports nutritionist and personal trainer based in Brisbane, soon moving to Sydney.

But that’s just the surface stuff. Here’s the actual story.

The Japan Years

I was born in Logan, but at 9 months old, my parents moved us to Japan.

They started an English language school in Odawara - a small coastal town about two hours south of Tokyo.

I grew up there. Went to a normal Japanese primary school. Spoke Japanese at school, English at home.

The only white kid in the entire area aside from my dad.

Got bullied quite a bit for it. Didn’t even realize it was racism at the time. Just knew I was different.

But looking back that experience taught me something valuable: I got used to standing out. Never felt the need to fit in. Still don’t.

Home life wasn’t easy.

Won’t go into all the details, but let’s just say there was a lot of stress, fighting, and things no kid should have to see.

Took me years to process that. Still learning from it.

The Move to Australia

When I was 13, my parents split.

Mum told us we were going to Australia “for a week.”

We never went back.

Didn’t get to say goodbye to friends. Didn’t pack properly. Just left.

Ended up living with my grandparents for the next few years. I was angry. Really angry.

Australia felt completely different.

Went from respectful, passive Japanese culture to aggressive Aussie culture overnight. Footy everywhere. Guys sizing you up. Rough banter.

It took me a while to adjust.

That’s when I started therapy. And honestly? It saved me.

Taught me how to understand myself. How to stop being so reactive. How to communicate properly.

Those skills still show up in how I coach today.

The Fitness Journey Starts

Fast forward to high school.

I was a skinny skater kid. Long hair. Partied every weekend. Had a little side hustle as a party photographer - $50 per event, which I’d use to buy alcohol, then sleep in my car afterward.

Not my proudest phase, but it was fun.

At 17, something shifted.

Got into a fight at a party. Got hit across the temple. Felt completely powerless.

That was the moment I realized: I need to be able to protect myself.

Started training shortly after. Had no idea what I was doing. Form was terrible. But I showed up consistently.

Hired my first PT at 18. Paid him cash, session by session, because I couldn’t afford weekly debits.

That’s when things started clicking.

University, Burnout, and Finding My Path

Went to uni. Studied property economics. Thought it’d be a safe career.

Did it for about two years. Then Covid hit. Everything went online.

I was passing with flying colors, but I just... didn’t care anymore.

So I quit.

Worked at Bunnings for a while. Saved some money. Figured out what I actually wanted to do.

Around that time, I met my ex, who was a personal trainer.

I loved training. At this point I’d been consistent for 3 years. But I couldn’t imagine mixing my career and passion into one.

Then I saw her helping clients in need.

Heard stories about people she’d coached.

Watched her get genuine enjoyment and fulfillment from the work.

She was running her own thing, making good money, and actually loving what she did.

That’s when I thought: why not go for this?

So I got my PT cert in 2021. Started coaching at World Gym - probably the worst gym I could’ve picked as a beginner.

It was a hardcore bodybuilding gym. Everyone already knew what they were doing. Leads were non-existent.

But I learned a lot. Stuck it out. Then went fully online after nine months.

The Bodybuilding Chapter

Decided to compete in my first IFBB show.

Spent two years in a growth phase. Went from 74kg to 96kg.

Then cut down to 84kg over six months and stepped on stage in 2023.

Results:

• 3rd place First Timers

• 4th place Novice

• 7th Overall

First show ever. I was stoked.

But after that? Complete burnout.

My relationship with food was cooked. Everything was numbers and macros. I had no joy left in training or eating.

So I stopped coaching entirely for a year.

Took a break. Worked in real estate. Made some good connections. Even got offered a promotion.

But here’s the thing: every night after my 9-to-5, I’d still come home and work on my fitness business.

That told me everything I needed to know.

Fitness wasn’t something I was trying to escape. It was something I couldn’t stop thinking about.

So I came back. Properly this time.

Where I Am Now

Currently coaching out of EMF Brisbane. Soon moving to Sydney to work at Saint Haven Gym in north Sydney.

Completed my first marathon in December 2024. Planning an ultramarathon for later this year.

What’s changed about how I coach:

I don’t make people track calories anymore. I used to. Now I know better.

I focus on meal plans and nutritional adherence scores instead. Way more sustainable. Way less stress.

I care about longevity and performance-based training now - not just aesthetics.

Your fitness should enhance your life, not become your life.

That’s the shift I’ve made. And that’s how I coach now.

The Bottom Line

If you’re new here, now you know who I am.

Not just the credentials. The actual story.

The messy parts. The lessons. The pivots.

I’ve been coaching for years now. Helped hundreds of people hit their goals - fat loss, muscle gain, endurance events, all of it.

And I’m still learning. Still growing. Still figuring things out.

If you’ve been here a while, thanks for sticking around.

If you’re new, welcome. Let’s get after it.

— Anton

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

Then I asked him some questions to find out more information.

1,400 calories.

Skipping breakfast.

Barely hitting 80g of protein.

Walking 12,000+ steps daily on top of lifting 4x per week.

No wonder he felt like sh*t.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth most fitness influencers won’t tell you:

10,000 steps won’t work if you’re ignoring your nutrition.

Not because walking is bad.

Because steps without food is just slow starvation with extra fatigue.

10,000 Steps Won’t Work If Weight Loss Is Your Goal (Yes, I Said It)

Where This Number Even Came From

The 10,000-step target didn’t come from exercise physiology.

It came from marketing.

In 1965, a Japanese company launched a pedometer called “Manpo-kei” – which literally translates to “10,000 steps meter.”

Nice round number.

Easy to sell.

Easy to remember.

Your body didn’t sign up for it.

I Made This Exact Mistake

I used to be that guy.

Lifting 5x per week. 20-25 sets per session.

Trying to stay lean.

Working myself to death.

And because I wanted results faster, I thought: “I’ll just add more steps.”

Started chasing 12,000-15,000 steps daily on top of everything else.

Meanwhile? My nutrition was a mess.

Skipping meals.

Barely hitting protein targets.

Running a deficit way too aggressive for the volume I was doing.

The result?

I felt weaker every week. Strength dropped. Recovery tanked. Constantly exhausted but pushing through anyway.

I was on a hamster wheel, running faster and getting nowhere.

The additional steps didn’t make me leaner.

They just made me more stressed.

More fatigue. More cortisol.

Less muscle.

Worse performance.

It wasn’t until I fixed my nutrition and backed off the step obsession that things turned around.

Turns out, doing more isn’t always better. Sometimes it’s just more.

What Happens When You Chase Steps Without Eating Enough

Walking burns calories. That’s good.

But if you’re already in a deficit and add 10,000+ steps without adjusting food intake, here’s what happens:

→ Your deficit becomes too aggressive

You might think you’re eating “enough” at 1,500 calories.

But if you’re burning an extra 400-500 through steps, you’re actually netting 1,000-1,100 calories.

That’s not sustainable. That’s under-eating.

→ Chronic stress hormone elevation

When energy intake is too low for too long, cortisol stays elevated.

High cortisol breaks down muscle tissue, stores fat around your midsection, and keeps you stressed.

Research shows that prolonged caloric restriction combined with high activity levels significantly elevates cortisol and suppresses metabolic rate

(Tomiyama et al., 2010, Psychosomatic Medicine).

→ You lose muscle, not just fat

Without adequate protein and calories, your body can’t maintain muscle mass. Steps don’t build muscle. They burn energy.

If you’re under-fueling, your body breaks down muscle for fuel.

A meta-analysis found that aggressive caloric deficits without sufficient protein led to 40% of weight lost being lean mass, not fat (Weinheimer et al., 2010, Nutrition Reviews).

Translation: You’re getting smaller and weaker, not leaner and stronger.

Steps Are Useful – But Only When Nutrition Is Dialed In

Let me be clear: I’m not anti-steps.

Steps are valuable when used strategically and paired with proper nutrition.

Why I include them with clients:

→ Burns additional calories without excessive fatigue (unlike HIIT or extra lifting)

→ Keeps you in Zone 2 for cardiovascular health and fat oxidation

→ Offsets metabolic adaptation as you lose weight

People with better cardiorespiratory fitness live longer – up to 5x lower risk of all-cause mortality (Mandsager et al., 2018, JAMA).

But here’s the key: Steps only work when your nutrition supports them.

If you’re walking 10,000 steps but eating like a bird, you’re digging yourself into a deeper hole.

The Right Way to Use Steps

Here’s how I program step targets for fat loss clients:

Step 1: Calculate your actual calorie needs

Factor in activity level, training frequency, and step count. Don’t guess.

Step 2: Set protein targets first

Aim for 1.6-2.4g per kg of bodyweight if you’re training and in a deficit.

Step 3: Set realistic step targets

• Sedentary (2,000-4,000 steps/day): Increase to 7,000-10,000 gradually

• Moderately active (6,000-8,000 steps/day): Target 8,000-12,000 depending on recovery

• Highly active (10,000+ already): Maintain current level, don’t add more if already stressed

Step 4: Monitor recovery markers

If you’re exhausted, strength dropping, sleep worsening, mood tanking – you’re under-recovering and likely under-eating.

Reduce steps or increase food. One or the other has to give.

My Personal Approach Now

I don’t obsess over steps anymore.

My current routine:

• Lift 4-5x per week

• Run 2x per week (Zone 2)

• Average 7,000-9,000 steps naturally

When I’m in a fat loss phase, I’ll bump to 10,000-12,000. But I also adjust my food to account for the extra activity.

I don’t just keep eating 1,500 calories and add 5,000 more steps. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Steps are part of the system. Nutrition is the foundation.

The Bottom Line

10,000 steps isn’t bad. It’s just not the answer if you’re ignoring your nutrition

.

Steps without adequate food = chronic stress, muscle loss, and metabolic slowdown.

Steps with proper nutrition = sustainable fat loss, cardiovascular health, and better recovery.

Fat loss comes from a sustainable calorie deficit, adequate protein, resistance training, and consistency.

Steps help burn more calories and support cardiovascular health. But they’re part of the system. Not the system.

And if you’re walking 10,000+ steps daily but eating like you’re sedentary, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Out of curiosity – how many steps are you actually averaging per day right now?

And more importantly: are you eating enough to support that activity level?

— Anton

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

Your gym mate mentioned it last week. Someone in your office is asking their doctor about it. Social media won’t shut up about it.

Retatrutide.

The “next-gen” weight loss drug that’s supposedly better than Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro combined.

I knew it was in Phase 3 clinical trials, but the noise got loud enough that I had to dig in properly.

Here’s what I found.

Critical disclaimer up front: This is purely for educational purposes. This drug isn’t FDA-approved yet, and buying it from sketchy online sources is a terrible idea. If you’re genuinely interested in GLP-1 therapies, talk to a qualified physician. Not a “wellness clinic” that’ll inject anything for a fee. An actual endocrinologist.

Cool? Let’s get into it.

Retatrutide: The Triple-Threat Weight Loss Drug Everyone’s Talking About

Quick Refresher: How Current Weight Loss Drugs Work

Semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy):

• GLP-1 receptor activation

  • Suppresses appetite — tells your brain “you’re full, stop eating”

  • Delays gastric emptying — slows digestion so you feel satisfied longer

  • Triggers insulin release when blood sugar rises — helps control glucose

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro):

• GLP-1 receptor activation (same as above)

• GIP receptor activation (this is why it works better)

  • Better blood sugar control — tells your pancreas to release more insulin when needed, giving you tighter glucose management than GLP-1 alone

  • Burns fat instead of storing it — signals your body to use fat for energy and directs calories toward muscle rather than fat tissue

  • Reduces inflammation — “repairs” dysfunctional fat cells, reducing the chronic inflammation that makes weight loss harder

Translation: Mounjaro doesn’t just make you eat less. It actively helps your body process food more efficiently and burn fat more effectively.

That’s why people lose more weight on Mounjaro than Ozempic.

What Makes Retatrutide Different?

Retatrutide:

• GLP-1 receptor activation (weaker binding than semaglutide)

• GIP receptor activation (weaker binding than tirzepatide)

• Glucagon receptor activation ← This is the new part

Why does that third one matter?

Because glucagon does something completely different: it directly increases fat breakdown and boosts your metabolism.

Think of it this way:

• Ozempic/Mounjaro make you eat less

• Retatrutide makes you eat less and burn more fat naturally

Here’s how the glucagon receptor works:

1. Prevents Blood Sugar Crashes

One of the worst side effects of GLP-1 drugs?

Waking up feeling like death because your blood sugar dropped too low overnight.

Retatrutide’s glucagon activation breaks down stored glucose in your liver to keep blood sugar stable.

Translation: You get appetite suppression without the crashes.

2. Actually Burns More Fat

Glucagon receptors sit on your “brown fat” the good fat that burns calories to produce heat.

When activated, it:

• Increases fat breakdown (lipolysis)

• Boosts heat production (thermogenesis)

• Raises your metabolic rate

Translation: Your body burns more fat, even at rest.

This is the key difference. Other drugs just make you eat less. This one makes your body more efficient at burning fat.

The Results (And Why They’re Impressive)

Current trial data:

24 weeks:

• Up to 18% body weight lost (8mg dose)

• Ozempic/Mounjaro: about 12-15% in same time

48 weeks:

• Up to 24% body weight lost (12mg dose)

• Mounjaro: 21% but took 72 weeks

Translation: More fat loss, faster.

The catch: These are smaller trials (330 people). We need bigger Phase 3 data before FDA approval.

The Upsides

1. Faster, more dramatic fat loss compared to what’s currently available

2. Fewer blood sugar crashes thanks to glucagon keeping levels stable

3. Potentially fewer side effects — weaker binding to the receptors that cause nausea and bloating

4. Option for people who didn’t respond to Ozempic or Mounjaro, or couldn’t tolerate the side effects

The Downsides

1. Weaker appetite suppression

Because it binds weaker to GLP-1 receptors, you might not feel as “effortlessly full” as you do on Ozempic.

Translation: You’ll still need to manage your nutrition. It’s not a free pass to eat whatever.

2. Not FDA-approved yet

If someone’s selling this to you now, it’s gray-market or black-market. Don’t touch it.

Wait for proper approval. Work with a real doctor.

3. We don’t have long-term safety data

330 people over 48 weeks is promising, but we need larger trials to confirm:

• Cardiovascular safety

• Long-term metabolic effects

• Cancer risk

This is why Phase 3 trials exist.

Who Might Benefit (When It’s Approved)?

• People who maxed out Ozempic/Mounjaro doses and saw zero results

• People who had brutal side effects on lower doses

• People with Type 2 diabetes needing better blood sugar control

• People looking for faster fat loss under medical supervision

But again - wait for FDA approval and work with a qualified GP.

The Bottom Line

Retatrutide is the most promising weight loss drug in the pipeline.

Faster fat loss. Better metabolic effects. Potentially fewer side effects.

But it’s not magic.

You still need:

• Resistance training to keep muscle

• High protein intake (2+ g/kg)

• Proper nutrition strategy

• Medical supervision

And most importantly: Don’t buy this from sketchy websites.

When it gets FDA-approved, work with a real doctor. Get bloodwork. Monitor side effects. Do it right.

Until then? Lift heavy, eat smart, prioritize recovery.

That’s the real game-changer.

— Anton

Source

Information for this newsletter was compiled from:

“Everything you need to know about Retatrutide, the newest GLP1 agonist” - Dr Kevin Joseph (US-licensed physician)

Watch here

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

1. Unnecessary if you’re lifting weights, or

2. Something you suffer through at max effort to “burn more calories”

Both are wrong.

There’s a specific type of cardio that actually makes you better at building muscle, burning fat, and not dying of a heart attack at 55.

It’s called Zone 2 training.

And if you’re not doing it, you’re leaving serious gains on the table - both in the gym and in your long-term health.

Here’s today’s topic.

The Cardio Most People Skip (That Actually Builds Muscle, Burns Fat & Adds Years to Your Life)

Why Zone 2 Actually Matters

Before we get into the how, here’s what Zone 2 does:

For muscle building: Grows more blood vessels in your muscles so nutrients reach them faster - meaning you recover quicker between sessions and can train harder more often.

For fat loss: Trains your body to burn fat as fuel 24/7 and improves insulin sensitivity so more nutrients go to muscle instead of fat storage.

For longevity: People with elite cardiorespiratory fitness have up to 5x lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those with poor fitness - and Zone 2 is one of the most sustainable ways to build that fitness (Mandsager et al., 2018, JAMA).

Now let’s break down exactly how this works.

What Is Zone 2?

Zone 2 is steady aerobic work at roughly 60–70% of your maximum heart rate.

The intensity where you can still hold a conversation without gasping for air.

The common calculation:

220 minus your age = max heart rate × 0.6–0.7 for your Zone 2 range.

Example: If you’re 35 years old:

• 220 - 35 = 185 max HR

• Zone 2 = 111–130 bpm

This formula is wildly inaccurate for most people. Your actual max heart rate can vary by 20+ beats from the estimate.

Want a better method?

Use the 1-Mile Test to determine your actual zones: Download protocol here

Why Zone 2 Beats Zone 5 (HIIT) for What Actually Matters

HIIT has its place. But if that’s all you do, you’re missing something critical.

Here’s the difference:

HIIT trains your heart to beat faster (170+ bpm). But when your heart is racing that fast, there’s not enough time between beats for it to fully refill with blood.

You’re training speed, not efficiency.

Zone 2 (120–140 bpm) gives your heart enough time between beats to completely relax and fill with blood.

Over time, this literally enlarges your left ventricle - the main pumping chamber.

Bigger chamber = more blood pumped per beat = more oxygen delivered with each contraction.

This is why endurance athletes have resting heart rates in the 40s and 50s. Their hearts don’t need to beat as often because each beat is more powerful.

Translation: Your heart works less to do more. That’s efficiency. And that’s what keeps you alive longer.

You can’t get this adaptation from HIIT alone.

How This Improves Body Composition (Muscle + Fat Loss)

Once your heart becomes more efficient, everything downstream improves.

Better Recovery = More Muscle Growth

Zone 2 increases capillary density in your muscles - literally growing more blood vessels.

More blood vessels = faster nutrient delivery and waste removal = you recover faster between lifting sessions.

Faster recovery = you can train harder and more frequently = more total hypertrophic stimulus over time.

Zone 2 also increases mitochondrial density in muscle cells, giving you better energy production during resistance training.

More mitochondria = more ATP (cellular energy) available during your sets.

This means:

• You can complete more high-quality reps before fatigue

• You maintain better form throughout the set

• You can handle higher training volumes per session

Translation: More total mechanical tension on the muscle = more growth stimulus.

“Wait, Won’t Cardio Kill My Gains?”

Only if you’re doing it wrong.

The interference effect (cardio sabotaging muscle growth) only happens with:

• High-intensity intervals done right before/after lifting

• Excessive endurance volume (think marathon training)

Zone 2 done on separate days (or 4+ hours apart from lifting) doesn’t trigger this. You’re good.

Fat Loss That Actually Lasts

Zone 2 trains your body to use fat as fuel throughout the day - not just during exercise.

This is called metabolic flexibility.

The better your body is at oxidizing fat for energy, the more stable your energy levels and the less you rely on constant carb intake.

You become a better fat-burner 24/7.

Zone 2 also improves insulin sensitivity, meaning more of your food gets shuttled into muscle cells instead of stored as fat.

Why This Actually Adds Years to Your Life

Here’s the reality: your fitness level is a better predictor of how long you’ll live than whether you smoke, have diabetes, or have high blood pressure.

A study following 122,007 people over 23 years found that those with elite cardiorespiratory fitness had a 5-fold lower risk of dying compared to those with poor fitness (Mandsager et al., 2018, JAMA).

That’s 5 times less likely to die from any cause - heart disease, cancer, accidents, everything combined.

The key insight: This isn’t saying Zone 2 alone reduces your mortality risk by 5x. It’s saying that people with elite-level fitness (which Zone 2 training helps build) live significantly longer than those with poor fitness.

Any training that improves your cardiorespiratory fitness contributes to this - Zone 2 just happens to be one of the most sustainable and joint-friendly ways to get there.

Another study found that every small improvement in aerobic capacity reduces your risk of dying by 13% (Kokkinos et al., 2008, Circulation).

Zone 2 training is one of the most efficient and sustainable ways to build this capacity.

My Personal Protocol

I keep it simple.

Tuesday: 5km easy run. Zone 2 pace. Around 30 minutes.

Saturday: Longer Zone 2 run. 60–90 minutes depending on how I’m feeling.

That’s it. Two sessions per week.

Is this optimal for elite performance?

No - competitive endurance athletes do 3–5+ hours per week.

But for general health, body composition, and supporting my strength training? This is more than enough.

I’m not logging 100km weeks. I’m just building a solid aerobic base that supports everything else - lifting, recovery, body composition, long-term health.

And it doesn’t interfere with my strength training. If anything, it makes my lifting better because I recover faster.

My resting heart rate dropped from mid-60s to low 50s within a few months. That’s my heart literally getting stronger and more efficient.

Don’t like running? Walk on an incline, cycle, row, or swim. Even 10,000+ steps per day keeps most people in Zone 2 for a good chunk of their movement.

The Bottom Line

Zone 2 isn’t about burning extra calories.

It’s about:

• Building a more efficient heart that pumps more blood per beat

• Training your body to burn fat as fuel 24/7

• Recovering faster so you can train harder and build more muscle

• Living longer - up to 5x lower risk of dying from any cause

Two sessions per week. 30-90 minutes each. That’s all you need.

If you’re only doing Zone 5 (HIIT) or only lifting, you’re leaving adaptations on the table.

Add Zone 2 into your routine. Your heart—and your physique - will thank you.

— Anton

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

Then I looked at their food log.

One serve of fruit all week. Vegetables maybe twice. Protein at dinner only. Living off coffee and pre-packaged meals.

Classic case of thinking you’re doing fine when you’re actually in the danger zone.

Here’s the thing - most people don’t realize they’re slowly breaking down their health until something forces them to pay attention.

A health scare. Blood work that comes back rough. Energy so low they can barely function.

Don’t wait for that wake-up call.

Grab a pen and paper. Tick off how many of these apply to you.

If you’re hitting more than three? We need to talk.

Here’s today’s topic.

10 Red Flags That Your “Healthy” Diet Is Quietly Destroying You

These aren’t dramatic. They’re subtle.

But left unchecked, they compound into serious problems.

Let’s go through them.

Red Flag 1: Eating Less Than 1 Serving of Fruit Daily

Fruit provides essential vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants that prevent disease.

Yet most people skip it entirely or think “too much sugar.”

Short-term effects (weeks to months):

• Weakened immune function - you get sick more often

• Poor gut health - constipation, irregular bowel movements

• Low energy and mental fog from micronutrient deficiencies

Long-term effects (years):

• Increased risk of cardiovascular disease

• Higher rates of type 2 diabetes (ironically, fruit prevents this)

• Increased cancer risk due to lack of protective phytonutrients

The research: A study of 500,000+ people found that eating fruit daily reduced heart disease risk by 40% and stroke risk by 34% (Hu, 2014, NEJM).

The fix: One piece of fruit per day minimum. Berries, apples, bananas - whatever you’ll actually eat.

Red Flag 2: Relying on 3+ Cups of Coffee for Energy

If you need caffeine just to feel normal, that’s a problem.

Coffee isn’t the issue. Dependence on it is.

Short-term effects:

• Anxiety and jitteriness from overstimulation

• Sleep disruption (even afternoon coffee affects sleep quality)

• Cortisol spikes that worsen stress response

Long-term effects:

• Insulin resistance from constant cortisol elevation

• Dependency where normal function requires caffeine

The research: Consuming 400mg+ caffeine daily (about 4 cups) significantly disrupts sleep architecture and increases anxiety markers (Drake et al., 2013, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine).

The fix: Cap it at 1-2 cups before noon. If you need more than that, fix your sleep and nutrition first.

Red Flag 3: Consuming Pre-Packaged Meals Daily

MyMuscleChef, YouFoodz, whatever brand you’re using.

They’re convenient. But they’re not a long-term solution.

Short-term effects:

• Bloating and discomfort from ultra-processed ingredients

• Poor stool quality from lack of fiber

• Disrupted gut microbiome from preservatives and additives

Long-term effects:

• Chronic inflammation from constant ultra-processed food intake

• Increased risk of metabolic syndrome

• Gut dysbiosis leading to autoimmune issues

The research: Ultra-processed foods are linked to 32% higher all-cause mortality and increased risk of cardiovascular disease (Pagliai et al., 2021, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).

The fix: Use them occasionally, not as your daily staple. Learn to cook 2-3 simple meals you can rotate.

Red Flag 4: Eating Less Than 1.2g Protein Per Kg Body Weight

This one’s critical.

The RDA is 0.8g/kg. That’s designed to prevent deficiency in sedentary people.

If you train, work a high-stress job, or want to maintain muscle as you age, it’s nowhere near enough.

Short-term effects (for active people):

• Impaired recovery - you’re sore for days

• Poor training adaptations - strength gains stall

• Increased hunger and cravings from lack of satiety

Long-term effects:

• Muscle loss during weight loss (up to 40% of lost weight can be muscle)

• Sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) accelerates

• Hormonal disruptions and weakened immune function

The research: A meta-analysis found that protein intake of 1.6-2.2g/kg optimizes muscle protein synthesis and body composition in trained individuals (Morton et al., 2018, British Journal of Sports Medicine).

For high performers: Aim for 1.6-2.4g/kg if training regularly. Higher end (2.4-3g/kg) if in a deep deficit or trying to build muscle aggressively.

The fix: Hit a palm-sized portion of protein at every meal. Track it for a week to see where you actually are.

Red Flag 5: Having Fewer Than 15g of Fiber Daily

Most people get about 10-15g. The recommendation is 25-35g.

Fiber isn’t sexy. But it’s one of the most important things for longevity.

Short-term effects:

• Constipation and irregular bowel movements

• Poor blood sugar control (glucose spikes)

• Increased hunger from lack of satiety

Long-term effects:

• Increased risk of colorectal cancer

• Higher rates of heart disease

• Gut dysbiosis leading to chronic inflammation (the “bad” bacteria outnumber the “good” ones)

The research: For every 10g increase in daily fiber intake, colorectal cancer risk drops by 10% and all-cause mortality decreases by 11% (Reynolds et al., 2019, The Lancet).

The fix: Vegetables, fruits, oats, beans, lentils. Get 25-35g daily.

Red Flag 6: Eating Vegetables Less Than Twice Per Day

Vegetables are your body’s maintenance crew.

Without them, you’re missing crucial micronutrients, phytonutrients, and antioxidants.

Short-term effects:

• Low energy from micronutrient deficiencies

• Poor gut health and irregular digestion

• Weakened immune function

Long-term effects:

• Increased risk of chronic diseases (cancer, heart disease, diabetes)

• Accelerated aging from oxidative stress

• Cognitive decline from lack of neuroprotective compounds

The research: Eating 5+ servings of vegetables daily reduces all-cause mortality by 31% (Wang et al., 2021, Circulation).

The fix: Two servings minimum. One at lunch, one at dinner. Load your plate with colour.

Red Flag 7: Eating Protein at Only One Meal Per Day

Muscle protein synthesis (MPS) peaks for 2-3 hours after eating protein, then drops.

If you only eat protein once, you’re getting one MPS spike instead of three or four.

Short-term effects:

• Suboptimal recovery from training

• Increased muscle soreness

• Poor satiety - you’re hungrier throughout the day

Long-term effects:

• Accelerated muscle loss, especially during aging

• Lower metabolic rate from reduced muscle mass

• Increased body fat percentage over time

The research: Distributing protein evenly across 3-4 meals increases muscle protein synthesis by 25% compared to eating it all at once (Mamerow et al., 2014, Journal of Nutrition).

The fix: 20-40g protein per meal, spread across 3-4 meals.

Red Flag 8: Eating Most Calories Toward the End of the Day

Your body processes food differently at night.

Insulin sensitivity drops. Melatonin rises. Cortisol is low.

Translation: Your body is less efficient at using nutrients and more likely to store them as fat.

Short-term effects:

• Poor sleep quality from active digestion

• Morning grogginess and low energy

• Increased hunger the next day

Long-term effects:

• Weight gain and increased visceral fat

• Higher risk of metabolic syndrome

• Disrupted circadian rhythm leading to chronic fatigue

The research: Late-night eating is associated with increased body fat, even when total calorie intake is controlled (McHill et al., 2017, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).

The fix: Eat most of your calories earlier in the day. Stop eating 2-3 hours before bed.

Red Flag 9: Drinking Less Than 6 Glasses of Water Daily

Chronic mild dehydration is more common than you think.

And it’s quietly wrecking your performance and recovery.

Short-term effects:

• Reduced physical performance (strength, endurance, power output)

• Poor cognitive function (focus, memory, reaction time)

• Increased fatigue and headaches

Long-term effects:

• Kidney stones and urinary tract infections

• Increased risk of chronic kidney disease

• Impaired cardiovascular function

The research: Even 1-2% dehydration reduces physical performance by 10-20% and cognitive function by 15% (Popkin et al., 2010, Nutrition Reviews).

The fix: Aim for 2-3 litres daily. More if you train or work outdoors.

Red Flag 10: Drinking Alcohol More Than 3 Times Per Week

Look, I’m not here to tell you to never drink.

But if you’re having 3+ drinking sessions per week, you’re actively working against everything you’re trying to build.

Short-term effects:

• Disrupted sleep architecture (kills REM and deep sleep)

• Impaired recovery - muscle protein synthesis drops by up to 37% for 24+ hours

• Dehydration and inflammation that tanks next-day performance

Long-term effects:

• Testosterone suppression (chronic drinking lowers T by 15-25%)

• Increased visceral fat storage, particularly around the abdomen

• Liver stress, increased cancer risk, and accelerated aging

The research: Just 2+ drinks per night significantly impairs sleep quality and recovery markers, even if you “feel fine” (Ebrahim et al., 2013, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research). Chronic alcohol consumption is linked to increased cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality (Wood et al., 2018, The Lancet).

The fix: Keep it to 1-2 sessions per week maximum. When you do drink, keep it lean - vodka soda, dry wine, light beer. And hydrate aggressively before bed.

If you’re drinking to “take the edge off” multiple nights a week, that’s a stress management problem, not a social one.

__________________________________________________

The Bottom Line

Most people think they’re eating “pretty healthy.”

But small deficiencies compound over years into serious problems.

You don’t need to be perfect. But you do need to be honest with yourself.

If you ticked off more than three of these red flags, fix them now before they become bigger issues.

Start with one. Fix it. Move to the next.

That’s how you build a body that lasts.

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links

Snowboarding with family. First time on a board in my life. Fell on my ass more times than I can count.

But that’s kind of been the theme of 2025, hasn’t it?

Trying new things. Falling down. Getting back up. Learning something in the process.

It’s been a year for all of us. Good and bad. Wins and losses. Growth and setbacks.

I just made my own annual review template, taking inspiration from some of my favourite creators.

You can download it here: https://maxwellperformance.com.au/annual-review-template

Spent a few hours reflecting on what actually happened this year. What worked. What didn’t. What I’m bringing forward into 2026.

Figured I’d share some of it with you.

Not all of it. Some lessons are mine to keep.

But the ones that might help you? Those are worth putting out there.

Here’s today’s topic.

21 Lessons From 2025 (The Good, The Bad, and The Uncomfortable)

On Relationships

1. Check your own insecurities.

They come out in strange ways you don’t expect - some you didn’t even know you had.

When you act in a way that doesn’t feel like you, ask why.

If someone or something makes you feel insecure, dig deep. Why? Getting to the core reason will help unravel and fix the problem.

2. Communication is a two-way street.

If you’re speaking clearly and someone refuses to meet you halfway, you don’t need to make yourself smaller to fix it.

Take a pause. Assess the situation. Figure out if this is worth continuing or if it’s time to step back.

3. You’re enough for the right people.

Not more if you achieve something. Not less if you don’t.

Where you are right now is enough for the right people.

4. Healing takes time - stop rushing it.

There’s pressure after breakups to act fine, like it never bothered you anyway.

But everyone heals at a different pace. Comparing yourself to someone else’s timeline is pointless.

Feel it. Work through it. Take the time you need.

Faking it doesn’t make you stronger. It just delays the real work.

On Business & Work

5. Stick to one strategy at a time.

I kept changing directions based on emotion instead of data.

Data > feelings. Always.

6. Work on the right problems at the right time.

Most people work hard on the wrong things.

Training harder won’t fix a nutrition problem. More cardio won’t fix poor sleep.

Pick your battles strategically.

7. Your body is your business foundation.

Energy, focus, confidence - it all flows downstream from how I treat my body.

8. When my focus became revenue instead of results, I lost something.

The best client outcomes came when I stopped chasing numbers and just focused on delivering massive value.

The money followed. But more importantly, I felt actual satisfaction and contentment with my work.

9. Get professional help instead of DIY-ing everything.

I wasted months trying to figure out ads, social media strategy, and systems on my own.

One expert consultation would’ve saved me time, money, and frustration.

Stop being cheap with the things that actually move the needle.

On Personal Growth

10. Don’t throw in the towel too early.

Staying in the discomfort a bit longer before making major decisions would’ve saved me a lot of regret.

Resilience isn’t built by quitting when things get hard.

11. Stop chasing external validation.

Real confidence is determined b y how you perceive yourself. Becoming better. Improving daily.

Not from what other people think of you.

12. 30 minutes of learning changed everything.

Learning something new every day - even just 30 minutes - significantly changed how I felt about myself.

Micro-progress compounds.

13. I didn’t find my tribe this year. I confirmed them.

These are my guys. The ones who have my back no matter what.

Quality friendships are non-negotiable.

14. Social media kills clarity and creativity.

I’d spend hours scrolling, comparing my life to everyone else’s highlight reel, and feel like shit afterwards.

Setting strict limits changed everything. Protect your mental space.

On Health & Training

15. Morning gym sessions set the tone for everything else.

Getting it done early made me more alert and ready to conquer the day.

16. No routine = no progress.

When I had my own space and predictable schedule, everything clicked. Training was consistent. Nutrition was dialed in. Work got done.

Disrupted routine = disrupted progress in every area of life.

17. I’ve never regretted spending money on a mentor.

Even coaches need coaches.

Every mentor I’ve hired has shortened my timeline, called out my blind spots, and held me accountable when I wanted to make excuses.

You can figure it out alone. But it’ll take three times longer and cost you more in mistakes than the investment ever would.

On Life Philosophy

18. Stop the negative self-talk.

I was criticising every small mistake I made instead of being happy with my growth.

Higher standards are good. But beating yourself up constantly isn’t helping anyone.

19. Hard work is important, but not more important than real life.

I like travel. I like weekends spent with mates making memories.

Even if I end up less successful because of that, I’ve decided I’m okay with it.

I’d rather have fewer millions and real friendships than no life and a big bank account.

20. Prioritize what you actually enjoy, not what you think you “should” do.

I kept forcing myself to do things because they seemed important, not because they aligned with what I actually wanted.

Life’s too short to optimize for someone else’s definition of success.

21. Discomfort is where growth lives.

Every time I stepped outside my comfort zone this year - solo travel, business workshops, new sports - I came out stronger.

The moments that scared me the most taught me the most.

Looking Forward

2025 taught me a lot.

Some lessons came easy. Others hurt like hell.

But I’m walking into 2026 stronger, clearer, and more focused than I’ve ever been.

What’s next for Maxwell Performance Nutrition?

More travel. More growth. More clients crushing their goals.

And a hell of a lot more intentionality.

If you did an annual review this year (or want to), I highly recommend usingmy template i used this year.

Template: https://maxwellperformance.com.au/annual-review-template

Grab a coffee. Sit somewhere quiet. Reflect honestly.

You might surprise yourself with what you discover.

Here’s to 2026.

Let’s make it count.

— Anton

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading.

Not sure what’s holding you back? Book your Free 30-Minute Consultation.

Let’s create clarity on what you actually need.

What you get:

• Discuss your health and performance goals

• Get your questions answered

• Walk away with a clear game plan

How it works: → 30-min call: We talk through where you are, where you want to be, and what’s standing in your way.

If you want help implementing the plan, we can discuss options.

If not, you still walk away with clarity and direction.

[Book free consultation]
__________________________________________________

Kind regards,

Coach Anton Maxwell-Jones

Maxwell Performance Nutrition

Social links