Female Athlete Nutrition – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition, I speak with Canadian Olympic sprinter and new author Micha Powell. The daughter of two Olympians, Rosey Edeh and long jump World Record holder Mike Powell, athletics is part of Micha’s DNA. She talks about what it was like growing up with two Olympian parents and the impact that had on her own journey is sports. After playing multiple sports growing up, Micha, like her parents, found success on the track and quickly progressed to making the 2016 Canadian Olympic team in the 4x400m relay. Unfortunately, she didn’t get to run in the Olympics, and Micha shares how she struggled with that disappointment alongside pressure and self-doubt. Micha continued to face multiple setbacks and mental challenges including imposter syndrome and injuries. These struggles motivated her to write a memoir “ Sprinting Through Setbacks: An Olympian’s Guide to Overcoming Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome” and accompanying workbook all while training to make the Olympics! We dive deep into her book, sharing how everyone can benefit from mindset tools and lessons she’s learned along the way. I recommend you check out her book “Sprinting Through Setbacks” and workbook here; I think you’ll find them very helpful! We touch on Micha’s intuitive eating approach and remind listeners that the “perfect” diet is not the healthiest diet.

TOPIC TIMESTAMPS:

7:10 Micha’s journey into sports as the daughter of two Olympians

16:15 Handling pressure and disappointments in athletics

20:25 Overcoming self-doubt, expectations and setbacks for success 

28:45 Appreciating your wins and accomplishments; the importance of taking up space

34:45 Micha’s motivations for writing her book “Sprinting Through Setbacks” while training for the Olympics

43:00 Injury mindset tips; sharing the lows vulnerably 

51:15 Intuitive eating as an Olympian and avoiding the “perfect” diet

54:50 End of the podcast questions

Check out Micha Powell’s book “Sprinting Through Setbacks: An Olympian’s Guide to Overcoming Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome” and workbook here, alongside Strong Girl Publishing.

Micha co-authored her book with previous Female Athlete Podcast guest Molly Hurford, and you can tune into that episode here: 170. Keeping Girls + Women Strong & In Sports (+ Mountain Dew & More!) with Molly Hurford.

Follow Micha on Instagram @michajadapowell and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition 

Natural Cycles: Check out Natural Cycles here and 20% off subscription plus free thermometer!

Our NEW Website is NOW LIVE! Check it out here:

https://www.femaleathletenutritionpodcast.com/ 

Support the podcast with a financial contribution: https://www.patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition  

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout

InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com use code LINDSEYCPRO25 for 25% off the entire store 

THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY:

Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders.

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition, I speak to the 2020 Olympic Champion in the pole vault, Katie Moon (née Nageotte). Katie will be looking to defend her Olympic title in a few days at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games! She touches on her bumpy build up to the Olympics, overcoming food poisoning and underperformance before winning gold. Katie details her steady progression in the pole vault from high school beginnings to NCAA D2 success and into her professional career. College was a big transition, and Katie opens up about the fear and anxiety that she’s dealt with for years. She explains how going back to the basics and focusing on the process allowed her to reach higher heights.

We dive deep into Katie’s relationship with food and body image, something she’s had to work on throughout her career. From unflattering pictures, social media comparisons, observing other athletes, and competing in a bikini, Katie talks about handling these triggers by focusing on her body’s strengths, feeling good in training and competition, and learning that lighter is not better: to reach higher heights, Katie has had to gain strength, and yes, that meant gaining weight! We can all learn from how Katie has improved her body image, by caring more on performance and what the body can do rather than on what it looks like. Katie now embraces weight fluctuations and body changes throughout the year, and enjoys eating without restrictions. We discuss the impact of coaches and culture on nutrition and mindset, advocating for a healthy environment and support team that cultivates good habits around food, weight and training.

TOPIC TIMESTAMPS:

3:30 Winning an Olympic gold medal in the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics

9:00 Falling in love with pole vaulting 

11:20 NCAA Division I vs II athletics experiences

12:30 Dealing with mental blocks and fear

19:30 Overcoming failures, underperformances, and unexpected challenges

23:00 Katie’s relationship with food and body weight

26:50 How body weight impacts pole vaulting 

31:50 Body image insecurities and comparisons among elite athletes

41:55 Coaches’ and culture’s influence on nutrition and mindset 

45:40 Improving body image; Embracing weight and body changes

53:20 End of the podcast questions

Follow Katie on Instagram @ktnago13 and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition 

Natural Cycles: Check out Natural Cycles here and 20% off subscription plus free thermometer!

Our NEW Website is NOW LIVE! Check it out here:

https://www.femaleathletenutritionpodcast.com/ 

Support the podcast with a financial contribution: https://www.patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition  

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout

InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com use code LINDSEYCPRO25 for 25% off the entire store 

THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY:

Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders.

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is the second in a 2-part episode series about me! After almost 4 years of weekly podcasts, we have a lot of listeners who probably don’t know my story, so here it is! If you haven’t already, go back and listen to Part 1 here!

Transitioning on from my own struggles with disordered eating, over-exercising, and my body, I discuss 3 key recovery tips. I bring listeners up to speed with the last decade of my life, where I have maintained a healthy relationship with food and my body, using sports nutrition to my advantage as I’ve trained for marathons as a recreational runner working full-time as a dietitian. I share my journey with birth control, understanding the menstrual cycle and hormones, and how I’ve recently been using Natural Cycles to track my own cycle.

Pregnancy and parenting has been a big part of the last 5 years, and I talk about coping with body changes during this part of life, as well as nutrition through pregnancy and as a mom. I share advice for fueling a busy schedule, including meal planning, snacking, and convenience food. With my second son Levi having severe dietary restrictions, family meals look a bit different, and I speak to those challenges too.

I finish off with my food fundamentals, and while I’m strongly against food rules, I share a few of my own! Yes, call me a hypocrite, but they’re not your typical nutrition “do’s and don’ts”! 

TOPIC TIMESTAMPS:

1:20 Introducing Part 2 brief overview of Part 1; go listen to Part 1 here if you haven’t already 

4:30 3 tips for healing from disordered eating 

10:50 Fueling as a recreational athlete, training for a marathon, while working as a dietitian

15:25 Pregnancy fueling and health challenges: I mention Episode 33 and Episode 132

19:30 My birth control experiences; understanding your menstrual cycle and hormones 

28:40 Menstrual cycle nutrition 

30:20 Nutrition as a busy mom: food freedom, snacking, convenience food, meal planning 

39:10 Meal planning tips 

41:15 Body changes around pregnancy and as a mom

42:10 Parenting a son with severe dietary restrictions and eating challenges: I mention Episode 140 and Episode 143

49:05 Food fundamentals and *not* food and hydration rules

Follow me, your host Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition 

Natural Cycles: Check out Natural Cycles here and 20% off subscription plus free thermometer!

Our NEW Website is NOW LIVE! Check it out here:

https://www.femaleathletenutritionpodcast.com/ 

Support the podcast with a financial contribution: https://www.patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition  

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 

Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout

InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com use code LINDSEYCPRO25 for 25% off the entire store 

THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY:

Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders.

Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp 
Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with anti-diet weight inclusive registered dietitian Heather Caplan. We start off by defining the terms: weight inclusive care, being an anti-diet and non-diet dietitian, and Health At Every Size (HAES). We discuss the importance of a weight neutral approach to nutrition because science proves that weight does not determine health. Heather and I explain the many limitations of BMI and defining health based on body size and shape. Heather talks about the Health At Every Size movement and its mission of inclusion to bring healthcare to all. 

Heather talks about her introduction to dietetics and her own struggles with disordered eating that caused her to question the current weight-centered approach to nutrition and diet culture. She shares her career path from practicing in a weight-centered setting post college to discovering intuitive eating and weight neutral approaches to dietetics. We discuss studying nutrition in college and the many flaws with the curriculum. 

We discuss the intersection between running and nutrition, and how sports dietitians can have a Health At Every Size approach and debunk the myths surrounding weight and performance. Dieting and weight loss may improve performance in the short term, but we explain how the sustainable path to long term success that allows athletes to reach even higher levels of performance must prioritize health first, regardless of weight. 

Heather talks about founding WIND, Weight Inclusive Nutrition and Dietetics, to educate other dietitians, practitioners and more about inclusivity and diversity in nutrition. 

Heather was the host of the RD Real Talk podcast for 5 years and she explains how shifting priorities have led to its end. We discuss the importance of change during different seasons of life, including new motherhood, in order to keep pursuing our ultimate passions and goals. We talk about the myth of doing it all and how what we see on Instagram and social media is not reality: the struggles are rarely shared. 

Follow Heather on Instagram @heatherdcRD 

Find Heather online at https://heathercaplan.com/ and WIND at https://weightinclusivenutrition.com/ 

Heather’s Official Bio:

Heather Caplan, pronouns she/her, is a weight-inclusive registered dietitian. She's the founder of Weight Inclusive Nutrition and Dietetics (WIND), which hosts continuing education and connection events for dietitians. Heather hosted the RD Real Talk podcast for over 5 years, having hundreds of conversations about non-diet nutrition. She also co-founded the Lane 9 Project, a community for athletes struggling with disordered eating and eating disorders. Her work in the non-diet spaces—including working with clients, organizations, and healthcare providers—has been featured on The TODAY Show, and in magazines like The Washington Post, Runner's World, Outside Magazine, and EatingWell. She's a parent to three littles, likes to run long distances, and wishes it was always Summer Ale season.

Learn more about Lindsey's Services and the Team at Rise Up Nutrition: www.riseupnutritionrun.com

Worried that you have RED-S? Curious to know how we could help or how you can recover fast?! Download the RED-S Recovery Race & see how you place for more support: www.riseupnutritionrun.com/reds

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with Team USA fencer Iman Blow. We start by hearing from Iman about her journey into fencing through a local sports foundation. Iman discusses the importance of both exposure to opportunities and the support of mentors, family and coaches.

Iman explains her fierce mindset that has allowed her to thrive in spite of failures and setbacks like just missing out on making the postponed 2020 Olympic team, and instead being named as an alternate. Iman talks about always playing to win: if your goal isn’t to win, it means you’re accepting losing. We discuss goal setting and evaluating performances with both outcome- and process-oriented goals. We talk about handling challenges and setbacks at the highest level of sport, using examples like Simone Biles and Serena Williams to show that no one is immune to stress. Iman and I discuss internal and external stressors, things that are in your control and things that aren’t, and how your mindset determines your level of success and ability to handle obstacles. 

We discuss representation in sports and the importance of diverse and relatable role models. Iman shares how other black female athletes have inspired her and the work she is doing to inspire others herself, and Iman explains her “aspire to inspire” motto.

This episode covers the importance of hydration: understanding hydration and staying on top of her fluid needs led to a breakthrough in Iman’s performance. Iman explains her approach to nutrition during competitions where she is expected to perform at her best multiple times throughout a given day. We discuss strategies for sustained energy, and how the basics of sleep, nutrition and hydration have the biggest impact on performance, more than any expensive supplement.

Not all elite athletes are sport obsessed and Iman is an example of someone who finds joy outside of her sport. We hear her passion for community and spending quality time with others 

Follow Iman on Instagram @Inspiredwithiman 

Find Iman online at https://www.imanblow.com/ 

Iman’s Official Bio:

Iman Blow is a pre-medical Columbia University graduate and world-class athlete who is passionately involved in performance education and development. Over the past 10 years, Blow has functioned as a coach and athlete-educator while simultaneously managing an award-winning academic and athletic career. After ending the 2020 Olympic season as an alternate for Team USA, Blow continues with the goals of competing in the 2024 Olympic games in France and matriculating into medical school.

Learn more about Lindsey's Services and the Team at Rise Up Nutrition: www.riseupnutritionrun.com

Worried that you have RED-S? Curious to know how we could help or how you can recover fast?! Download the RED-S Recovery Race & see how you place for more support:www.riseupnutritionrun.com/reds

In this solo episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I share more about the business side of Rise Up Nutrition and some recent changes I have made. I talk about being an entrepreneur and my motivators behind starting Rise Up Nutrition: freedom, impact, and money. Initially, freedom and money were my biggest drivers, but right now it is the impact I can have on the lives of female athletes that motivates me more than ever! 

I discuss how new motherhood intertwines with business and being self-employed, as well as my struggle to maintain a work-life balance and childcare challenges. Making an impact and helping my clients remains a top priority, and is at the core of changes I have made to Rise Up Nutrition recently. I explain the increasing role fellow Rise Up Nutrition dietitian Jenna Stranzl is taking on, allowing me to focus on 1:1 client work and not missing out on being a mom.

Following on, I give some program updates, letting listeners know that I have closed the Group Coaching program and launched a new Alumni Group program. This program will allow me to continue to support clients beyond the 12-week Female Athlete System of Transformation (the FAST Track Program). I explain how the program works, touching on some of the monthly challenges and recent topics explored, like hydration and post-workout nutrition. I share great testimonials from athletes already enrolled in the Alumni Group and encourage you to join in too! Additionally, Rise Up Nutrition’s signature FAST Track Program is open for new clients too!

Two years into this podcast, our community has grown far beyond what I could imagine and it allows me to impact so many more lives than I possibly can with my 1:1 and group coaching. To keep this podcast alive and continue growing and having an impact, the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast will be taking on sponsors. I will only be taking on sponsors with products and services that I actually use myself and would recommend to a friend. I look forward to sharing some of my favorite products and partners on the podcast soon! 

I open this up to you! Do you have a company, or know one, that would love to partner with the show? Reach out, I would love to talk!

This episode finishes off with a call to action: if you are looking for helping with your nutrition, curious about our Alumni Group, or interested in partnering with the podcast, reach out and email us at info.riseupnutrition@gmail.com 

Learn more about Lindsey's Services and the Team at Rise Up Nutrition: www.riseupnutritionrun.com

Worried that you have RED-S? Curious to know how we could help or how you can recover fast?! Download the RED-S Recovery Race & see how you place for more support:www.riseupnutritionrun.com/reds

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I speak with Olympian and Team USA skier Hailey Swirbul. We talk about Hailey’s early introduction to adventure sports, her collegiate skiing career, turning professional mid-way through college to join the US ski team, and then making her first Olympic team this year. As well as being a dream come true, competing in the Olympics had its challenges, reminding Hailey that she is more than a skier and how moments outside of skiing can be just as fulfilling and memorable, such as a visit to KFC during the Olympics!

Hailey opens up about how a desire to optimize her body composition and go “all in” on skiing in high school fuelled an eating disorder. What started as an “experiment” and a desire to perform better ultimately left Hailey feeling deeply unhappy and totally out of control around food. Hailey shares how this “experiment” back-fired: food was controlling Hailey and her performances suffered too. We discuss how common this downward spiral to disordered eating is, and that Hailey was not alone: a lot of the people we work with at Rise Up Nutrition share similar stories and can resonate with Hailey.

We talk about Hailey’s recovery and the importance of admitting to yourself that you are struggling. We discuss the gray area between disordered eating and eating disorders: just because you don’t resonate with having a clinical eating disorder doesn’t mean that you can’t also struggle with nutrition and improve your relationship with food. Hailey speaks to some of the barriers to recovery, getting help with disordered eating and working with a therapist. We emphasize that recovery is a continuous journey without an end date; over time, by consistently practicing healthy habits mindsets can change and food can become less controlling. 

Hailey leaves listeners with the advice to be more patient and self-accepting: bad body image days, guilt and other negative thoughts around food will arise, but it’s important to trust in our bodies and respect our intuition. Hailey highlights how there is space for all foods in our diets, a philosophy we promote with our “all foods fit” motto at Rise Up Nutrition, regardless of whether we are exercising or not. Finally, we touch on Hailey’s goals for the future and explore how she is now embracing a more flexible outlook on what’s to come.

Find Hailey online at https://haileyswirbul.com/ 

Hailey’s Official Bio:

Hailey Swirbul is from Colorado but currently lives in Anchorage, Alaska. She loves spending time moving outdoors whether it be backpacking, biking, backcountry skiing, cross country skiing, or packrafting! Hailey has loved endurance sports since she was a kid, and made it a goal to reach the highest level she could within cross country skiing. She has raced on the World Cup stage for 3 winter seasons and attended her first Olympics at Beijing 2022. Hailey has a degree in civil engineering from the University of Alaska Anchorage and works part time doing design and construction for Alaska State Parks.

Learn more about Lindsey's Services and the Team at Rise Up Nutrition: www.riseupnutritionrun.com

Worried that you have RED-S? Curious to know how we could help or how you can recover fast?! Download the RED-S Recovery Race & see how you place for more support:www.riseupnutritionrun.com/reds

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with physical therapist and Ironman triathlete Dr Caitlin Alexander. Having grown up as a dancer since the age of 3 and getting a taste of triathlon as a teenager, we hear how Caitlin was drawn back into endurance sports post college and fell in love with Ironman triathlons. She shares her quick progression in the sport as an amateur age group athlete, from total beginner to now preparing the upcoming Ironman Age Group World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, in just a few years. She reminds listeners that early specialization is not always best: it’s never too late to try something new and reach a high level.

Caitlin talks about the training it takes to complete an Ironman: multiple sessions a day, swimming, biking and running. We explore the nutrition required to handle high training volumes, as well as on race day, based around carbohydrates and electrolytes. Practicing fueling and hydration in training is key to race day performance, and this often requires a lot of trial and error with different products because everyone’s needs and preferences are unique. Caitlin highlights how some nutrition mistakes prompted her to really dial in her approach to fueling and hydration. We talk more about hydration, understanding your sweat, and preventing GI distress.

Caitlin shares how personal experiences with injury led to a major career change, going back to school to become a physical therapist after initially working in the music and performing arts industry. We discuss how varied her role as a physical therapist is and touch on some of her specialities: bike fitting, running gait analysis, and dry needling, We discuss how our own athletic experiences allow us to better relate to clients; Caitlin explains how her background in triathlon makes her more successful as a PT. We dive into running gait analysis for injury prevention and performance, centering around optimizing cadence and stride length.

Caitlin and I discuss dry needling and electrical stimulation, what it is, and how it can play a role in injury recovery. Caitlin emphasizes that manual therapies like dry needling are not permanent injury fixes because they don't address the root cause, load the tissue, or re-educate the body on proper movement patterns: effective recovery requires a multidimensional approach that addresses both the mental and physical sides. 

Follow Caitlin and all she does on Instagram and Twitter @caitalexander 

Caitlin’s Official Bio:

Caitlin Alexander, PT, DPT, CAFS is a physical therapist, multisport coach, Ironman triathlete based out of Boulder, Colorado. She holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and Certification in Applied Functional Science from the Gray Institute. She currently works as a physical therapist, bike fitter and run gait analyst at BUILD Sports Performance Lab in Louisville, CO. She enjoys being able to help athletes reach their goals on multiple levels, whether it's curating a rehab plan to recover from an injury, or analyzing an athlete's running mechanics to make performance gains. Caitlin is also an elite amateur triathlete and will be competing at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii this fall.

Learn more about Lindsey's Services and the Team at Rise Up Nutrition: www.riseupnutritionrun.com

Worried that you have RED-S? Curious to know how we could help or how you can recover fast?! Download the RED-S Recovery Race & see how you place for more support:www.riseupnutritionrun.com/reds

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with physical therapist and passionate endurance athlete Dr Sarah Ceschin. We speak about Sarah’s introduction to physical therapy through a love of movement and connecting the mind with the body. This conversation explores the mind-body connection as it relates to both body image and injury recovery. Sarah emphasizes the importance of addressing the psychological and physical sides of recovery simultaneously in order to build body trust and overcome the fear of re-injury. Sarah suggests graduated exposure to feared movements alongside the support of a professional.

We talk about common injuries in runners and endurance athletes: overuse conditions such as tendinitis and bone injuries, and the role nutrition has in their development and recovery; while poor nutrition and underfueling can predispose athletes to injuries, eating enough and optimal fuelling can speed up the healing process and prevent future injuries.

Sarah opens up about her personal experiences with an eating disorder, overtraining and REDS, as well as her current recovery from hypothalamic amenorrhea. We discuss how our personal experiences give us empathy with our clients, and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to recovery from both injuries and REDS. 

Sarah shares her philosophy of treating the patient not the diagnosis: injuries rarely ever exist in isolation or have a single cause, so addressing the whole body and mind together is essential to long term success. Coupled with that, Sarah explains why imaging does not tell the full story and often is more hurtful than helpful, highlighting abnormalities that don’t match up with a client’s symptoms. We debunk the “weak glutes” myth and that glute activation and PT exercises are not miracle cures: understanding and utilizing correct movement patterns for life are!

We finish off by highlighting the importance of doing what you love: there is a space to combine professional with passionate and fun, and it may even make you better at your job!

Follow Sarah and all she does on Instagram @boulder_sports_physio

You can reach her via email bouldersportsphysio@gmail.com and at www.bouldersportsphysio.com 

Sarah’s Official Bio:

Dr. Sarah Ceschin is a sports-medicine orthopedic physical therapist who loves working with runners, climbers, and recreational athletes of all types. Through biomechanics and understanding human movement, Dr. Sarah uses hands on treatment and corrective exercises to help people move better, feel better, and get back to the activities they love to do. When she's not being a PT, Dr. Sarah loves trail running, biking, climbing, cooking, and being the last person on the dance floor.

Learn more about Lindsey's Services and the Team at Rise Up Nutrition: www.riseupnutritionrun.com

Worried that you have RED-S? Curious to know how we could help or how you can recover fast?! Download the RED-S Recovery Race & see how you place for more support:www.riseupnutritionrun.com/reds

Hillary opens up about a near-death experience while participating in her sport. One of the World's best trail runners, Hillary was competing in a Skyrunning race in Norway when she fell 150 feet off a cliff, breaking 14 bones and was told she would never run again. We discuss how Hillary handled this overnight shift from being a professional athlete racing at the highest level of elite sport to not being able to move, and the recovery journey she has been on these past 5 years that has challenged her identity and sense of worth. We talk about not ignoring your feelings, strategies for processing tough emotions including writing and mantras, and finding your sense of self outside of athletics. Faced with plenty of evidence to the contrary, Hillary shares how she manifested an unwavering belief that her best athletic days were still ahead of her: Hillary had to believe this and bet on herself long before she could see any results. We discuss finding motivation during injuries and setbacks, including making recovery your sport, developing rehab goals and to-do lists.

Despite barely being able to move, let alone train, Hillary explained how she shifted her mindset around nutrition, recognizing her body's needs for even more nutrients than normal to repair her injuries and build her back stronger. Hillary shares how she noticed her body and appetite change, but still avoided restricting calories knowing that doing so would only prolong her recovery and healing journey, and instead focusing on consuming anti-inflammatory foods and bone broth. 

Hillary and I chat about nutrition for bone health, muscle building and recovery, as well as the importance of nutrition timing. We touch upon avoiding within-day energy deficits and under-fuelling to improve bone health, prevent injuries, reduce cortisol, and optimize training: nutrition is a superpower for faster recovery and performance! 

Hillary speaks about the challenging 5 years since her accident full of more setbacks, injuries and even more broken bones, and how she has stayed motivated and hopeful that she would one day run again. She opens up about how she feared racing and loosing her “elite athlete” status, ultimately overcoming these doubts by focusing on running for herself and her own enjoyment. We discuss letting go of previous senses of self and comparison, handling recovery setbacks even when you think you are doing everything “right”, and sharing the whole journey, not just the highlights. Hillary shares her key pillars through the highs and the lows, running and recovery: nutrition, sleep and mindset.

We finish off discussing Hillary’s future running goals, taking on crazy long and steep ultra trail races, and now racing gravel bikes professionally too!

Follow Hillary and all she does on Instagram @hillygoat_climbs 

And at hillaryallen.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter 

Hillary’s Official Bio:

My career as an endurance athlete has not been straightforward. Through injury, setbacks and being told I would never run again, I’ve had to re-think what I consider impossible, as I continued to push myself, believing in my best athletic days ahead.

In 2017 I had a life threatening accident, where I fell 150 feet off of a ridge-line during a Skyrace in Tromsø, Norway. I broke a total of 14 bones and I was told I would never run again – let alone compete at the elite level. The cliff note version is this: after several years of rehab and recovery, I made a full recovery and returned to elite level racing, running some of my longest and most challenging races post-accident. It's what led me to believe that ‘your best athletic days are ahead of you,’ if you’re willing to work hard for what you love and never give up on yourself.

I am also a scientist, with a masters degree in neuroscience and physiology and structural biology; I’m a running coach, and a gravel cyclist too.

Learn more about Lindsey's Services and the Team at Rise Up Nutrition: www.riseupnutritionrun.com

Worried that you have RED-S? Curious to know how we could help or how you can recover fast?! Download the RED-S Recovery Race & see how you place for more support:www.riseupnutritionrun.com/reds