Female Athlete Nutrition

217: Pro Soccer Player Gains Weight (and Gains her Health) to Overcome Amenorrhea with Jules Vazquez


Listen Later

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition Podcast, host Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes, a registered sports dietitian, interviews Jules Vazquez, a former Division I and professional soccer player who struggled with disordered eating, exercise addiction, and hypothalamic amenorrhea. Jules shares her journey of recognizing the unhealthy extremes she went to in pursuit of athletic success, the severe health complications she faced, and her gradual path to recovery.

Through incremental changes like eating more, implementing rest days, reducing high-intensity workouts, and working with a functional medicine practitioner, Jules was able to restore her health, including regaining her menstrual cycle and healing gut issues. The conversation highlights the importance of listening to your body, redefining discipline, and having a strong support system. Jules' story is a powerful reminder of the consequences of extreme behavior and the challenging but rewarding journey towards true health and balance.

Jules Vazquez is passionate about helping female athletes avoid the struggles she went through. She recently launched BalancedFemlete (like Female Athlete) an Instagram platform where she shares her journey and empowers women to rebuild their health, redefine their identity without extremes, and find balance.

Outside of her advocacy work, Jules is a health sciences professor and works in the health tech space, blending her academic expertise with real-world experience to drive meaningful change in how we approach female athlete health.

Episode Highlights:

  • 01:31 Meet Jules Vazquez: A Journey of Struggle and Triumph
  • 03:22 The Dark Side of Perfectionism in Sports
  • 06:39 The Physical and Mental Toll of Disordered Eating
  • 07:41 The Path to Recovery: Recognizing the Need for Change
  • 17:55 Health Consequences and the Road to Healing
  • 27:19 The Decision to Step Away from Soccer
  • 34:07 Finding Your Why
  • 35:24 First Steps to Recovery
  • 36:12 Adjusting Exercise and Diet
  • 44:37 Healing the Gut
  • 46:25 The Role of Testing and Professional Help
  • 53:20 Current State and Future Plans
  • 57:26 Advice for Others
  • 01:01:29 Conclusion and Resources
  • Connect with Jules on Instagram @balancedfemlete

    For more information about the show, head to work with Lindsey on improving your nutrition, head to:

    http://www.lindseycortes.com/

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Female Athlete NutritionBy Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes, The Radcast Network

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    75 ratings


    More shows like Female Athlete Nutrition

    View all
    I'll Have Another with Lindsey Hein Podcast by SandyBoy Productions

    I'll Have Another with Lindsey Hein Podcast

    2,030 Listeners

    The Strength Running Podcast by Jason Fitzgerald

    The Strength Running Podcast

    1,295 Listeners

    Ali on the Run Show by Ali Feller

    Ali on the Run Show

    3,676 Listeners

    The Rambling Runner Podcast by Matt Chittim

    The Rambling Runner Podcast

    496 Listeners

    For The Long Run: Exploring the Why Behind Running by Jonathan Levitt

    For The Long Run: Exploring the Why Behind Running

    408 Listeners

    The Run Smarter Podcast by Brodie Sharpe

    The Run Smarter Podcast

    141 Listeners

    The Consistency Project by EC Synkowski

    The Consistency Project

    535 Listeners

    Some Work, All Play by David Roche and Megan Roche

    Some Work, All Play

    1,707 Listeners

    Hit Play Not Pause by Hit Play Not Pause

    Hit Play Not Pause

    721 Listeners

    The Running Explained Podcast by Elisabeth Scott

    The Running Explained Podcast

    435 Listeners

    Fuel for the Sole by Fuel for the Sole

    Fuel for the Sole

    18 Listeners

    Nobody Asked Us with Des & Kara by Des Linden and Kara Goucher

    Nobody Asked Us with Des & Kara

    1,649 Listeners

    Tread Lightly Running Podcast by Amanda Brooks and Laura Norris

    Tread Lightly Running Podcast

    305 Listeners

    The Body Pod by The Body Pod

    The Body Pod

    92 Listeners

    Your Diet Sucks by Zoë Rom

    Your Diet Sucks

    120 Listeners