Episode 159: Should you allow your gymnast to drink an energy drink?

In this episode, we’re diving into a hot topic that comes up all the time in conversations with parents and gymnasts: Should you allow your gymnast to drink an energy drink?

It’s tempting to reach for that quick boost—especially during long summer practices or exhausting meet weekends. But there are some serious concerns we need to talk about when it comes to the gymnast energy drink debate. And it doesn’t help that your gymnast is seeing these trendy drinks promoted all over social media.

We’ll talk about how energy drinks are often just a band-aid for a lack of real nutrition and recovery. And how a properly fueled gymnast shouldn’t need an energy drink to get through practice. If your gymnast is constantly feeling tired, sluggish, or struggling to finish workouts strong, there’s likely an underlying fueling problem. And that’s what we need to address.

Tune in to learn how to better support your gymnast’s energy needs with real food, consistent fueling, and the right nutrition strategies for high-level performance.

In this episode you’ll learn about: 

• How much caffeine is actually safe for children and adolescents (spoiler: it’s a lot lower than you might think)
• Why many energy drinks are loaded with additional ingredients—like taurine, guarana, and other stimulants—in amounts that aren’t even clearly labeled
• The risks of relying on energy drinks as a quick fix for fatigue, and how they may be masking a deeper medical issue in some cases

 Links & Resources   

• The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts 
• How much caffeine is ok for your gymnast?
• Listen: Episode 36: Gymnast Nutrition and ADHD or Read: Gymnasts and ADHD: What you Must Know about Nutrition
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.com