The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast

This year, let's get started off on the right foot and avoid these oh so common mistakes I saw parents and gymnasts making.  In this episode I share with you some reoccurring themes began appear in our clients and program members. The bottom line is that proper fueling is the #1 way gymnasts can achieve optimal performance and longevity in the sport. It’s vital to your gymnast’s health and ca...

"Your gut is a muscle; when it is not being used as much as it should, it gets out of shape" - Dr. Heather Finley DCN, MS, RD, LD, CEDRD, CLT  Did you know the gut has a circadian rhythm of its own? That stress and digestive health are interlinked? That gut health THRIVES on diversity? These are just a few of the topics Dr. Heather Finley and I discuss in this episode of The Balanced Gym...

Competition season has begun! Whether it's mock or in-house meets, or real competitions, gymnasts are testing the waters and seeing how their summer and preseason training is paying off.  When it comes to nutrition, it's essential to take a proactive rather than reactive approach. Especially during season. We have to remember to keep the long game in mind and make sure what we're do...

"How should my gymnast adjust their nutrition when injured"? It's a question I frequently get from parents who are already overwhelmed with the stress of an injured gymnast who is out of the gym. But the real question we should be asking is if the gymnast has been eating enough to fuel their body to support growth, repair, and adaptation to training all along... Injuries are stressf...

Today we have a very special guest on the podcast!  Dave Tilley, DPT, SCS, CEO of Shift Movement Science, Sports Physical Therapist, and Strength and Gymnastics Coach joins me in discussing some heavy-hitting topics for your gymnast. In this episode, we take a deep dive into all things gymnast nutrition plus puberty, body change, and what they mean for performance.  We also discuss the connection...

Do competition nerves get the best of your gymnast? When we asked parents what their gymnast’s biggest challenge is on competition day, overwhelmingly they responded that “nerves” seem to make their gymnast compete differently than in practice Most gymnasts and parents are not aware of the integral part nutrition plays in brain function for athletes training and competing in a mentally intense spo...

Should nutrition look different on rest days, if a gymnast is injured, or on extended leave? It's a question I get asked frequently by parents, and on the surface, it seems pretty straightforward. If an athlete isn't working out as much or at all, it would make sense their nutritional intake would look different, right?  In a perfect world with an athlete that is correctly utilizing norm...

Every gymnast, parent, and coach dreads it, especially so close to competition season...injuries. Whether it is a freak accident injury or aching pain all over, this time of year is a breeding ground for injury. This being said, nutrition plays an essential role in healing injuries as well as prevention. Keeping the “long-term game” in mind is crucial in this sport because to achieve success throu...

As the busy and LONG competition season approaches, is your gymnast ready? Is their nutrition dialed in, or are they starting their season already in a deficit?  I can't stress enough the importance of these 6 crucial factors to keep in mind during competition season. Give your gymnast all the tools to help them last for the grueling season ahead. Missing out on just one can affect how your a...

Do Halloween and other holidays scare your gymnast (or you!) because there seem to be sugar-filled foods everywhere you look? It’s not surprising that parents, coaches, and gymnasts can become stressed and consumed with battling any holiday in which fun foods play a large role. Especially since #dietculture and #wellnessculture have villainized sugar and any food that isn't considered "c...

We're back with Part 2 of the Top 10 Gymnast Nutrition Myths! I'm discussing myths #6-10 that are still so pervasive in the gymnastics culture and how they are ultimately hurting your gymnast's performance and longevity in the sport.  There is a surplus of myths floating around out there regarding the best nutrition for a high-level gymnast. And for whatever reason, these myths are...

High-level gymnasts, parents, and their coaches are constantly inundated with information regarding their diet. Unfortunately, most of that content is just plain wrong, aka gymnastics nutrition myths.  I’ve rounded up the top 10 myths that we’re addressing every day here at the Gymnast Nutritionist®. You’ll notice that many of these have taken up permanent residency in #dietculture. However, these...

Bone health is an essential aspect of the longevity of a gymnast’s career in the sport. Plus it has lasting effects years beyond sport. A young high-level gymnast (10-20 something years old) is in a critical time period for bone mineralization. Loss of bone mass begins around age 30. Improper nutrition during adolescence will have long-term implications that are minimally reversible (like osteopen...

Many parents wonder if their gymnast's nutrition should include supplements and if so, which ones.  “Food first” is the tagline of most sports dietitians. We are not “anti-supplement”, but there’s a lot to be said for focusing on what you can “add” to the diet to get different nutrients. You will get many benefits from whole food sources versus just supplementing a diet that is overall lackin...

It's back-to-school time for your gymnast's nutrition. Did you envision making super cute bento-box lunches for them...and then reality hit and it's more like a fire drill each morning, throwing whatever you have into their lunch box?! And forget about feeding them breakfast before running out the door! While unfortunately this is totally normal and a by-product of our hectic lives,...

I’m back with another Quick Tip episode on what I consider the Top Nutrition Considerations During Puberty for female gymnasts. That’s right, let’s talk about growth spurts in the high-level gymnast and what you as a parent should be aware of when it comes to their nutrition during this vital period of growth and development.   For female gymnasts, there is often delayed puberty due to underfuelin...

Do you ever worry about how to fuel your gymnast? Wondering if they're getting the right nutrients, the right balance, or even just the right amount of food? Or maybe they've been making some comments lately that cause you to worry about their relationship with food. And let's not even get started on when to squeeze it in with those crazy training hours.  If that's you right no...

Do gymnasts need to "eat clean" for optimal performance and health? In short? No. But stay with me, as there is a LOT of nuance here.  Often, "clean eating" often will lead to food issues, can cause underfueling, and overall cause a gymnast to struggle.  There is an important psychological aspect to our eating that often gets ignored with advice like "just eat clean"....

Why is the first meal of the day the hardest meal to get gymnasts to eat? They have a lot of reasons…early practice so they think they don’t have time to digest it, late practice so they don’t want to wake up early enough to eat it, the limited number of options…the list goes on. But that first meal is vital when it comes to fueling the gymnast so here are some quick tips to help make it happen. ...

What does nutrition have to do with a gymnast’s endurance? A lot. For most gymnasts, including myself, if their routine endurance isn’t where they think it should be they often think it’s a “try harder, more cardio, more conditioning” issue which isn’t always the case. If a gymnast can't repair, recover, AND adapt, their endurance will pay the price.  In this episode, you'll learn:  Why...

I think gymnastics scoring is sometimes this mystical side of gymnastics where often gymnasts, parents, and coaches feel like it's a total toss up as to what score they’ll get that day.  What most parents and coaches don’t know is that underfueling is often the root cause of their gymnast’s poor performance at competitions.   In this episode, you'll learn:  Why sometimes gymnasts' t...

As a former gymnast, I love gymnastics with all my heart, but I developed some really strange behaviors and habits with food + my body during the sport. It took a long time to unlearn these. Ultimately, these struggles ended my gymnastics career. Your (or your gymnast’s) story doesn’t have to end like that. In this episode, you'll learn:  Why #dietculture runs rampant in gymnastics culture. T...

A gymnastics coach is one of the most important persons in a gymnast's life. I know that coaches mean well and want their gymnasts to succeed, but often the things they were taught about nutrition + bodies as a gymnast just aren't physiology correct nor helpful.  What is beneficial is for coaches to give nutrition information from a place of adequacy and performance. Unfortunately, histo...

Gymnasts and RED-S are unfortunately linked more often than parents and coaches realize. RED-S, otherwise known as relative energy deficiency in sport, is a syndrome introduced in 2014 by the International Olympic Committee to expand upon the female athlete triad.  RED-S is a way to describe the physical and psychological effects of inadequate energy intake on athletes both male and female. Many g...

Trying to prepare meals that everyone in the family enjoys, that fuel your gymnast properly, and that can be made in a timely fashion, is a challenge that I’m sure you all face.  Do you pick this recipe because it’s what your daughter’s coaches say she should eat?  Do you make your other child’s favorite meal, even though it is not enough fuel for your gymnast?  Do you make something super easy an...