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Energizing Snacks!

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Just the other day I had a gymnast whose parents w

Just the other day I had a gymnast whose parents were told they must pack "healthy" snacks for gym.

This particular gymnast used to take things like pretzels, goldfish, etc to a long 4+ hour workout.

This was appropriate given the high-intensity nature of the sport.

But, the coach then had a parent meeting where parents were told the gymnasts need to eat “healthier" items like nuts, protein bars, etc instead of bringing “packaged” snacks like pretzels, goldfish, granola bars, etc.

Here's the problem. Nuts and protein bars are not the RIGHT kind of fuel for a long gymnastics workout.

I’m not “anti” healthy foods.

But healthy isn’t the same as the right kind of fuel at the right time for the kind of workout.

And for a competition, the strategy is slightly different—we need a quick source of carbs that will digest quickly to boost energy levels…and almonds ain’t it!

This is where people get so confused about “healthy” vs adequate.

Sure, things like almonds or protein bars during a workout might keep your gymnast from being hungry...but they won't provide the right kind of fuel to give the body energy when it needs it.

This is the difference between "fueling vs snacking”

I want gymnasts, parents, and coaches to KNOW how to fuel for optimal performance…

…to not just choose foods because they seem “healthy”

…but to really understand how foods work in the body, what kinds of foods give energy during long workouts

…and how to properly encourage gymnasts to fuel their bodies without creating disordered eating thoughts and behaviors.

If you’re a coach looking to help your gymnasts and parents fuel this competition season, check out our Team Talks at www.christinaandersonrdn.com/speaking

We’d love to support your athletes with engaging education and tools to ensure adequate fueling and optimal performance.

If your’e a parent and want education and the tools to help your gymnast be successful…

The Balanced Gymnast® Program is for you!

Hop on the waitlist now to be first in line when enrollment opens for the next cohort (starting soon).

Link in bio to apply or click here: https://christinaandersonrdn.com/vip/

I’ve been thinking about this a lot… Gymnasts

I’ve been thinking about this a lot…

Gymnasts don’t have control over their bodies in terms of when their bodies change into mature young women.

They don’t control how their hormones (estrogen) signal fat mass changes (breast tissue, hips, glutes, etc) during adolescence.

They don’t control the shape or density of their muscles (and certainly aren’t in charge of their training or programming at gym).

They don’t control their height (thanks mom & dad, that’s on you).

They don’t control when is physiologically normal for them to start their periods (for some, 10 is normal. For others, 14-15 is normal when adequately fueled).

And yet…

As a sport we seem to forget that all gymnasts have to go through puberty, especially to be healthy and whole.

Starving, restricting, trying to “not gain weight” isn’t going to work long-term. It’s going to leave you underfueled and injured. And more than likely, will lead to disordered eating patterns if not a full-blown eating disorder.

And yet, when a high level gymnast develops an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, laxative/diuretic addiction, etc)…we shake are heads and say “how did this happen?”.

How did this happen?

🥵By idolizing the pre-pubescent gymnast body. By telling gymnasts it would be better if they were “smaller” and “didn’t get their period”. By making comments about gymnasts’ growing bodies, or blaming them on their performance.

🥵By telling parents that their 11-13 year old gymnast, who hasn’t grown or gained weight in the past year or more, is “normal because they’re a gymnast”. PSA: It’s not.

🥵By putting 13-16+ year old gymnast on diets (I mean…”meal plans”) and prescribing extra cardio. The body isn’t stupid, diets = starvation and it’s going to fight back with a vengeance.

Being a teenager is tough, and there is a lot of change that happens which is out of your control. Let’s not forget that.

✨Prevention is a whole lot easier than trying to get an 18-year-old elite or NCAA gymnast through eating disorder recovery while keeping them in the sport.

🤸🏻‍♀️Normalizing body change and intervening early with food/body struggles is KEY to longevity in the sport. 💕

😑Last year I watched L10s at Nationals totally

😑Last year I watched L10s at Nationals totally crumble due to skipping breakfast before the biggest meet of the year.

Most of them had been CRUSHING it with fueling all season long, scoring their highest yet and making it to Nationals (a first for several of them).

And yet, when it mattered most…the nerves crept in and they threw those strategies out the door…
 Which resulted in sub-par performance, falls, short landings, and missed connections🤯
 This is what it’s all about.

Everyone trains.

Everyone competes.

Most hit their skills, connections, etc in practice but it’s about who can hit on the big day.

And fueling your brain and body can do WONDERS with helping you do just that!

Want to learn more?

We have 3 1:1 coaching spots open right now or you can DM “VIP” to get on the waitlist (and exclusive access to pre-sale pricing and bonuses) for our summer round of The Balanced Gymnast®️ Program…starting soon 👀

Sound familiar? 🥵 During one of the team talk

NEW LIVE WORKSHOP ALERT The Gymnast’s Guide to

What’s one of the #1 things you can do as a pare

What’s one of the #1 things you can do as a parent to help your gymnast to…

…reach her goals
…not develop an eating disorder
…not develop RED-S and all the associated injuries, health, and performance issues

💪🏻 Respect body diversity

There is no one “gymnast body”

And your gymnast’s “best body” will be the one where she’s fed properly, adequately, and has a healthy relationship with food.

Parents don’t often want to hear about the last part…

It’s not “sexy” to talk about a “healthy relationship with food” in this sport.

People don’t care.
 They want gymnasts to be little machines who do what they’re told, eat what they’re told, and often act like robots.

But, that’s just not the reality of working with adolescents. LOL.

And often, we try to strong-arm our gymnasts into doing what we think is “best”…

And it often backfires in a BIG way.

So many high level gymnasts end up heavier and with increased body fat after people intervene and try to get them to “tone up, lose weight, lean out”.

And no one talks about this and the rates of diet failure and weight/body fat regain + overshoot.

Gymnasts often end their careers cloaked in shame…thinking they just “couldn’t do it” when in reality, we failed them.

Learning to fuel THROUGH puberty and keep it focused on performance is one of the most protective things that can actually help your gymnast.

Gymnasts who are massively underfueled (usually unintentional when they’re younger) often end up with worse body composition when they’re older and when it matters most (i.e. more body fat, less muscle mass, lower bone density).

So, if you want your gymnast to be strong and with an optimal power to weight ratio when they’re older…

You must invest in learning to fuel them properly NOW.

There are the major long-term ramifications of underfueling that no one talks about.

And we have to keep the long-game in mind. And, remember that bodies change. That is a fact.

Want to learn more? Listen to Ep 34 of The Gymnast Nutritonist® Podcast—Ways to Improve Body Comp without Dieting (link in bio)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gymnast-nutritionist-podcast/id1637265989?i=1000601781591

“What can my gymnast take to XYZ…?” …have

I KNOW what it’s like to be injured… Especial

I KNOW what it’s like to be injured…

Especially when it feels like “all the time” 😔

My heart goes out to your gymnast if their season is already over or just hasn’t gone as hoped 💗

But, chin up! ☺️

Let’s focus on what we can do and control NOW to set them up for success this time next year and beyond 💗

Need support?

DM “VIP” to get on the waitlist (and exclusive access to pre-sale pricing and bonuses) for our summer round of The Balanced Gymnast®️ Program…starting soon 👀

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