Episode 48: Do Gymnasts Need Snack Breaks?

Does your gymnast need a snack break during practice?

This is a highly debated topic, with lots of opinions and biased reasoning behind those thoughts. How old-world gymnastics culture has historically viewed snacks during practice has created a frenzy of misinformation and misunderstanding of one of the best tools your gymnast can utilize to maximize their training. 

In today’s episode, I’m discussing how dietitians trained in sports nutrition approach using performance nutrition for intra-workout fueling. AKA, the strategic usage of the right fuels at the right time and hydration to level up performance and focus, and recovery.

When we view gymnasts consuming snacks from a performance and recovery perspective, we can see it’s more nuanced than “Oh I’m hungry and I need a snack”.

Listen in to hear if your gymnast should be fueling during their workouts.

In this episode you’ll hear about: 

• The difference between “snacking” and “fueling”
• The most common roadblocks to fueling during workouts 
• Who should be using intraworkout nutrition and when to implement it during practice

 Links & Resources 

• The Balanced Gymnast®  Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts 
• Podcast Episode 4: Relative Energy and Deficiency in Sport and Gymnastics
• Team Talk Series inquiries for coaches and gymnastics club owners
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or support@christinaandersonrdn.com