Episode 96: Upgrade Season Part 2- Is your gymnast “unsafe” to do gymnastics?

Is your gymnast unsafe to do gymnastics? When I first heard this concept years ago I was shocked.  It had never dawned on me that nutrition was “that serious” re: safety concern in terms of your kid going to the gym.  

But the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. Especially if you’re a parent, coach, or gym owner.  The reality is that gymnastics has a lot more inherent “risk” to it than other sports where you aren’t flipping on something 4 inches wide, 4 feet in the air.  And while these days the freak accidents are rare, they still happen.  And as I always say, there will always be accidents that have nothing to do with nutrition.  

But the hard, scary truth is that there are a LOT of gymnasts out there who have no business going 4-5+ hours to the gym each day.  Why? Because they are MASSIVELY underfueled and a ticking time bomb for injury.  

In our new series, “Upgrade Season”, I’m taking a look back to really help our gymnasts with the off-season training that is happening for most by this point. And that includes discussing the struggle a lot of parents experience when enforcing this concept of fueling for safety reasons.

In today’s episode, I’m covering the 3 main reasons we see parents struggle with holding this boundary. Listen in to learn more.

In this episode you’ll hear about: 

• Gymnastics is an expensive sport and parents don’t want their kids missing practice
• What happens when parents focus on the wrong things when it comes to fueling
• How some parents don’t think it’s “that bad” or are in denial

   Links & Resources   

• The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts 
• Episode 93: Navigating Gymnast Nutrition and Picky Eating
• Episode 81: Force Feeding or Adequate Fueling?
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.com