Metabolic health is how well your cells make and use energy. It is the foundation of every function in your body: conceiving, holding or losing weight, the energy you have at four in the afternoon, and how well you age. For Dr Mayoni Gooneratne, PHC's Chief Functional Medicine Officer, "health always begins in the morning."

The pattern she sees again and again

There is one picture Dr Gooneratne sees constantly. A midlife parent, perhaps someone who had children a little later, with a really demanding job.

They get up early to exercise, or train late at night. Breakfast is a coffee. They do not eat, because they consider that to be fasting. Lunch is a sandwich grabbed on the run. By late afternoon their energy has crashed. By the evening they are ravenous, and by bedtime they are eating and wired.

Dr Gooneratne calls this a classic: a huge metabolic story that needs unpacking.

Why health begins in the morning

For Dr Gooneratne, health and sleep both begin in the morning. What happens in the first hours of the day shapes energy, hunger and sleep for the rest of it.

Unpacking the pattern means looking at:

  • Meal timings
  • Consistent protein intake
  • Sleep
  • Work
  • Consistency
  • Strength training
  • Recovery

Recovery matters as much as training

Training is great. Recovery is what allows it to work. Dr Gooneratne's view is direct: if you do not have time to recover, do not add more training.

When doing more is the wrong answer

She recently spoke with a patient who was travelling constantly and making good progress, but wondered whether she should start exercising more. She barely had time to sleep. Dr Gooneratne's answer was a clear no.

Exercise could be looked at later. The first priority was making sure she was eating enough and sleeping enough. When the body is in a rest and digest state, and feels safe and secure, it is in a far better position to change.

Where to start

If this pattern feels familiar, start with the morning. Look at when you eat, whether you are getting consistent protein, how you are sleeping and whether your training leaves room to recover, before adding anything new.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my energy crash in the late afternoon?

A late-afternoon crash is common in a pattern Dr Mayoni Gooneratne sees often: coffee instead of breakfast, a skipped or rushed lunch and a demanding day. Without consistent meals and protein earlier in the day, energy can fall away by late afternoon, often followed by intense hunger in the evening.

Is skipping breakfast the same as fasting?

Many busy people skip breakfast and describe it as fasting, but in Dr Gooneratne's experience, coffee instead of food, a sandwich on the run and a ravenous evening is a pattern that needs unpacking rather than a deliberate plan. Meal timing and consistent protein intake are among the first things she looks at.

Why am I so hungry in the evening?

Evening hunger often follows a day of under-eating. When breakfast is a coffee and lunch is grabbed on the run, many people arrive at the evening ravenous, then eat late and feel wired at bedtime. Looking at meal timings and protein earlier in the day is a sensible place to start.

What does it mean that health begins in the morning?

Dr Mayoni Gooneratne believes that health, and sleep, begin in the morning. How you start the day, including when you eat and whether you get consistent protein, influences your energy, hunger and sleep for the rest of it.

Should I exercise more if I am not sleeping enough?

Not necessarily. Dr Gooneratne's view is that if you do not have time to recover, you should not add more training. Eating enough and sleeping enough come first, because a body that feels safe and secure is in a far better position to change.

Why is recovery so important for metabolic health?

Recovery is what allows training to work. In midlife especially, pushing harder without enough sleep, food and rest can add to the strain rather than relieve it. Building recovery into the week matters as much as the training itself.