In this episode we sit down with Gosia Bieniek from Light Blue Clinic & Susie Dear former GB rower in a panel to discuss how nutrition and training around the menstrual cycle can aid the performance.

Light Blue Clinic has just released a course for individuals and organisations to make the most of the information provided here and below.

View the courses here: https://www.lightblue.clinic/challenges

About Gosia:

Gosia Bieniek is a Sports Performance Director and co-owner of a first cryotherapy centre called Light Blue Clinic based in Cambridge, UK. Her work focuses on female athletes, training according to menstrual cycle and screening for LEA (Low Energy Availability) and RED-S.

She is a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Cambridge University Boat Club (men’s side) and coaches a variety of individual clients including female master rowers. Gosia holds an MSc in Strength and Conditioning and BSc in Sport and Exercises Science plus various soft tissue and sports massage qualifications. She gained her clinical experience working at Spire Lea Hospital in Cambridge with BUPA as a health advisor.

About Susie:

Susie’s story began back in 2012 at Oxford Brookes University, where she first learnt to row. Over the next 10 years, she went on to row with Sydney Rowing Club, Leander Club, and ultimately trained and raced with the British Rowing Team. Along the way, she had some incredible experiences, including winning a bronze medal at World Cup III and becoming a two-time Henley Royal Regatta winner.

During the 2021–2022 season, Susie struggled with RED-s while training full time with the British Team (which ultimately contributed to her retirement from the sport in 2024). This challenging period opened her eyes to the importance of athlete welfare and health. Since retiring from rowing and becoming a mum, she has been dedicated to supporting the welfare needs of athletes. Susie works at Oxford Brookes University, where she provides care for student-athletes in distress.

About the course:

Female athletes are more prone to develop a complicated relationship with food due to the unrealistic expectations of social media, society or peer pressure. Therefore, it is essential to equip athletes with various tools that would help with early detection of undereating. It’s also advisable to pay an extra attention to young athletes who are going through growth development and light weight rowers who must train with a significantly lower energy intake than open weight. Low energy availability (LEA) and relative energy deficiency in sports can impact both genders, however the sole purpose of this course is to focus on female physiology.

LEA and RED-s courses for female rowers are a comprehensive guide to an early management and detection of disordered eating which can be detrimental for health. Both courses have been designed for parents, coaches, athletes or organisations who are serious about finding out more about preventative measurements or solutions to aid with an early detection of LEA or RED-S.

The material covers all of the essential subjects linked with eating habits and training’s energy demands. Every module contains a video, slide and a description, additionally at the bottom of the course users can find documents and other resources to download. There are two different courses to chose from one is for individuals and the second one for organisations like sports clubs or universities.