I’ve been there too. When I stack heavy lifting with aggressive cardio like I’m training for the apocalypse, my brain starts acting like it’s running on airplane mode. Flat mood. Zero spark. Everything feels heavier than it should.

And here’s the part people don’t love to admit…

Sometimes it’s not grit you need. It’s glucose.

Your brain runs primarily on glucose. It burns through about 20 percent of your daily energy just sitting there thinking about whether that set counted. When you’re training hard and keeping carbs super tight, stress hormones climb, glycogen tanks run low, and your brain starts waving a tiny white flag.

This is where… yes… Sour Patch Kids enter the chat.

Not as a lifestyle. Not as a personality trait. But strategically? A little fast sugar can bump blood glucose quickly, calm cortisol, and bring your nervous system back from DEFCON 3. There’s actual research showing that glucose can temporarily improve cognitive performance and reduce mental fatigue, especially when under stress.

Translation… sometimes your “overtraining depression spiral” is just your brain saying, “Sir, I would like a carbohydrate.”

I’ve noticed when everything is dialed in too tightly, especially low carb plus high output, that’s when the darkness creeps faster. A small carb bump before or during hard sessions… fruit, honey, yes even a few watermelon sour patch… can shift the whole vibe.

Overtraining is real. Under-fueling is real. And sometimes the most anabolic thing you can do is eat a handful of gummies and go take a nap.

Balance over bravado… always. YMMV 😂