Plant-based diets have become quite popular in recent years. While they mainly used to only be followed for ethical or medical reasons, we find many gymnasts these days adhering to a plant-based diet because they think it's "healthier" or "cleaner". 

I'll be the first one to say we can probably all use a little more fruits and veggies in our daily lives. But the bottom line is these plant-based diets don't necessarily guarantee health, particularly for gymnasts. You can be plant-based and under-fuel OR over-fuel. You can miss out on important macro-nutrients or it may be an unsustainable diet because of pickiness, preferences, or access to enough variety/nutrients.  

And unfortunately, social media plays a huge part in convincing gymnasts that there is a "perfect" diet for them to follow. It's the "eat like me, look like me" culture that permeates their feed while scrolling. When realistically, we don't see anything going on when the camera is turned off and the perfect poses aren't posted. 

In answer to the question, "what's the best diet for a high-level performance athlete", we take an "all foods fit" to nutrition approach. It is absolutely possible to be plant-based and a high-level gymnast and flourish. Because ultimately adequacy matters most. 

In this episode you'll hear: 

• The main struggles and concerns for athletes that are following a plant-based diet; what issues to be aware of and on the lookout for with following very specific, elimination, or specialized diets
• What are plant-based diets and when the motivation to follow one can be a red flag
• How to best support your plant-based athlete to ensure adequate fueling. 

 Links & Resources 

• VIP Nutrition Coaching Program, for level 5-10 female gymnasts 
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist
• Private 1:1 Nutrition Coaching for High-Level Gymnasts 

We all know that gymnastics is an incredibly demanding sport that requires a lot of strength, agility, and precision...and it's no secret that these athletes are under constant and tremendous pressure to look a certain way while performing gravity-defying feats. With the ever-increasing rate of body image issues and eating disorders (for teen females in general, and gymnastics specifically), it's important for us to make sure that gymnasts have healthy relationships with both food and their bodies. 

When parents or coaches become concerned about a gymnast's body or weight, we have to remember that it's simply nature at play. Their body is changing and evolving, as it should. So when a parent or coach tries to restrict or put an athlete on a diet, they're just setting the gymnast up for failure. Not only in terms of underfueling, injuries, and other performance-related issues, but also going to set them up for more than likely major disordered eating issues. 

Weight changes are often a symptom of something else going on. Are they just going through puberty? Have then had a weight "overshoot" from years of underfueling? Are they over-compensating from being too-restricted with food? Are they super stressed out, not sleeping enough, and their body is NOT happy and holding onto weight?

Oftentimes, a gentle reminder to parents and coaches that weight is NOT the same as body composition can go a long way. When a gymnast is properly fueled, especially when they have "within-day energy balance" (I go more in-depth on this in the podcast), they can help their body composition improve. Listen to learn more. 

In this episode you'll hear: 

• What happens when a gymnast is out due to injury or a major change in training hours and the body finally has a chance to "catch up" to years of underfueling
• How blaming a gymnast's weight as the issue gets in the way of performance, along with the negative effects it has on mental and physical health
• How diet cycling, restriction, or binge eating patterns lead to negative body composition in the long run.

 Links & Resources 

• Check out these episodes for further learning: Episode #2, Episode #4, Episode #5, Episode #8, Episode #10, Episode #12  
• VIP Nutrition Coaching Program, for level 5-10 female gymnasts, waitlist now open 
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist
• Private 1:1 Nutrition Coaching for High-Level Gymnasts 

At this point in the season, a lot of gymnasts are injured and on the sidelines; some are just struggling to get through and some hoping to make a comeback before States, Regionals, and Nationals. 

It's not too late to help your gymnast make a nutrition game plan so you can get them back to full health as safely and as quickly as possible. Parents and gymnasts are shocked at just how fast they see the results of a nutrition plan during the season. 

Nutrition is a moving target. We constantly need to be assessing and reassessing the adequacy of gymnasts' fueling as their bodies are changing as well as their goals and training.   Plus, figuring out your gymnast's best competition season nutrition can feel overwhelming with all the #dietcultre info permeating gymnastics culture. Wherever your gymnast is right now in their journey, just know that you can learn to leverage the power of nutrition to support their goals and dreams, even if they're currently on the sidelines right now. 

In this episode you'll hear: 

• How to ensure your gymnast is optimizing their repair, recovery, and adaptation to training throughout the entire season.
• The biggest mistake parents and gymnasts make when out due to injury and why it is killing their recovery. 
• The 3 things that must happen daily for your gymnast to stay healthy, progress, and reach their goals. 

 Links & Resources 

• Listen to episode #4 Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and Gymnastics 
• VIP Nutrition Coaching Program, for level 5-10 female gymnasts, now enrolling 
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist
• Private 1:1 Nutrition Coaching for High-Level Gymnasts 

"Help! My gymnast has an upcoming meet and she's been sick! What do I do to help her compete this weekend?!"

Have you ever asked yourself this question during competition season about your gymnast? At this point of the year, MANY parents are dealing with sick athletes and doing everything in their power to help them get back to performance levels. They want to what foods or supplements to use to boost their gymnasts' immune systems to finish out the season strong. 

There is an abundance of reasons why high-level gymnasts get run down at this stage of the season. Back-to-back meets, traveling, struggling to stay on top of school, and the overall stress to perform take a toll. Plus, it's cold and flu season so gymnasts are battling many obstacles to stay healthy.

Parents want to know what food or supplement to give their gymnasts to boost their immune system, but it's a little more complex than that. Listen to today's episode to learn how to best set your gymnast up for the greatest chance of a successful and healthy season. 

In this episode you'll hear: 

• The effect of overall underfueling on immune health, immune impairment, and inflammation
• The good, the bad, and the reality of using supplements to "boost" immunity
• What steps to take to help create robust immunity, lessen the severity + duration of illness, and repair + recover faster

 Links & Resources 

• Listen to episode #8 Gymnast Nutrition + Endurance and episode #14 The Must Know About Gymnasts and Supplements
• VIP Nutrition Coaching Program, for level 5-10 female gymnasts, now enrolling 
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist
• Private 1:1 Nutrition Coaching for High-Level Gymnasts 

In this episode, I chat with Jennifer, the parent of a level 9 gymnast whose gym participated in our Team Talk Series back in 2021 and the joined The Balanced Gymnast® VIP Program in the fall of 2023 to continue learning about nutrition. 

Our conversations over the past year are why I started the VIP program (even though I swore I'd never run a program like this for reasons you'll hear about in this episode).

As a mom, gymnastics judge, and nurse practitioner, Jennifer shares some incredible insight about how continuing to invest and learn about fueling her gymnast has paid off in a BIG way with both health and performance. 

We have an honest conversation about the cost of investing in nutrition for your gymnast and how nutrition is the most foundational aspect of your gymnast's performance and health.

In this episode you'll hear: 

• What they learned and implemented during our Team Talk Series for gymnastics clubs when her gymnast was a 10-11 year old level 8
• Why she decided to invest in the VIP Program the next year when her gymnast was a 12 year old level 9
• How focusing on fueling has taken her gymnast's performance from good to GREAT (#winning)

 Links & Resources 

• VIP Nutrition Coaching Program, for level 5-10 female gymnasts, now enrolling 
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist
• Private 1:1 Nutrition Coaching for High-Level Gymnasts 

Today’s episode is recorded with all the love and empathy in the world. We all live in diet culture and becoming a parent (or gymnastics coach) doesn’t all of the sudden make your own struggles with food and body go away. However, there are a few things every gymnast wishes their mom knew about nutrition.

Being a mom to a gymnast is tough on so many levels. And fueling them is definitely one of those areas. We're bombarded with false information through social media and #dietculture, plus we have generational misinformation we've grown up with. Add in our own insecurities about our bodies + relationships with food, and it can seem overwhelmingly difficult to know how to fuel our gymnasts properly and also help them avoid the mistakes we've made. But it is possible and I would love to show you how. 

I work with gymnasts of all ages through my practice, let me give you the inside scoop on what they wish their moms knew about nutrition. 

In this episode, you'll learn: 

• Nutrition is about context and what you need isn't what your gymnast needs. 
• What not to say in front of your gymnast when it comes to your own body and nutrition.
•  How you can help your gymnast so she doesn't struggle like you did or still do.

 Links & Resources 

• The Top 5 Do’s and Don’ts of Gymnast Nutrition
• VIP Nutrition Coaching Program Waitlist now open 
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist
• Private 1:1 Nutrition Coaching for High-Level Gymnasts 

Does your gymnast have big dreams of competing at the college level? Does it feel overwhelming when you look at the years ahead and all the work it takes to reach that level? Trust me, you're not alone in those worries and concerns. The recruiting process is long and arduous. Add in the pressure of being healthy and at the top of their game when it matters most, and some parents and gymnasts crack under the weight of such stress. 
 
 And that's why I'm so excited to have our special guest Jill Hicks on the podcast today to walk us through what happens on the road to college gymnastics. Former elite and college gymnast herself,  20-year veteran NCAA college coach and choreographer, and now the founder of JH Consulting, she is an expert in the field of recruiting! 

Join us as we discuss the recruiting process, how to utilize all the resources available to you, and the potential benefit nutrition plays in keeping your high-level gymnast healthy and competing when it matters most.  

In this episode you'll learn:

• The 3 things that we see get in the way of gymnasts reaching their NCAA goals
• What the recruiting timeline looks like and what college coaches are looking for in potential recruits (and why having a Performance Plan before college sets your gymnast apart).
• How you as a parent can help your gymnast have the best shot possible at being healthy during peak recruitment time periods

Links & Resources

• Jill Hicks Consulting
• VIP Nutrition Coaching Program Waitlist Now Open 
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist
• Private 1:1 Nutrition Coaching for High-Level Gymnasts

How do you keep a gymnast healthy for years and years?  Are injuries just a part of the sport that unfortunately hit some gymnasts harder than others?  

These are just a couple of the questions parents and gymnasts are asking themselves about a sport that by definition is rough on the human body.  The pounding, repetition, and difficult skills take a toll on a gymnast who is training day in and day out for years. What can we do to mitigate this? 

Now is the time to take a proactive and preventative approach; properly fueling is like an insurance policy in helping give your athlete their best shot at staying healthy. Using nutrition for your gymnast in injury prevention can be what keeps her in the sport at the upper levels.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why ensuring adequate fueling and growth + development is the #1 step in building a healthy athlete. 
• Why you should question every injury, even accidental ones
• How to keep the long game in mind 

Links & Resources

• Podcasts to explore: Episode #4, Episode #9, Episode #8, and Episode #23
• Shift Moment Science and The Physio Fix
• Parent's Guide to Competition Season Nutrition
• Coach's Guide to Competition Season Nutrition
• Signature Team Talk Inquiries 

This year, let's get started off on the right foot and avoid these oh so common mistakes I saw parents and gymnasts making. 

In this episode I share with you some reoccurring themes began appear in our clients and program members. The bottom line is that proper fueling is the #1 way gymnasts can achieve optimal performance and longevity in the sport. It’s vital to your gymnast’s health and career.    

But, I implore you to listen with an open mind. Some things are hard for parents to accept as they may go against what #dietculture has taught them. But everything I teach and use for my clients is based on science and researched-backed data.  

Okay, let’s get started with the top fueling mistakes parents and gymnasts to avoid in 2023!

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The top 5 nutrition mistakes parents make when trying to support their gymnasts
• Why these mistakes trick even the savviest parents
• What to do instead in 2023

Links & Resources

• The Top 5 Do’s and Don’ts of Gymnast Nutrition
• VIP Nutrition Coaching Program Now Enrolling 
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist
• Private 1:1 Nutrition Coaching for High-Level Gymnasts

"Your gut is a muscle; when it is not being used as much as it should, it gets out of shape" - Dr. Heather Finley DCN, MS, RD, LD, CEDRD, CLT 

Did you know the gut has a circadian rhythm of its own? That stress and digestive health are interlinked? That gut health THRIVES on diversity?

These are just a few of the topics Dr. Heather Finley and I discuss in this episode of The Balanced Gymnast Podcast. We take a DEEP dive into gut health and how your gymnast might be self-sabotaging themselves. It's easy to blame food when you're physically suffering after you consume it, but it could be the way your body is processing it due to the stressors you've put on it. 

The good news is that it doesn't have to be that way. Healing the gut is possible (not just for your gymnast but for you too!)

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The #1 digestive complaint of gymnasts and quick fixes to help combat it
• How stress affects gut health and what you can do about it
• What role do minerals play in your gymnast's overall hydration and which 4 to focus on

And if you want to know exactly how to supplement your gymnast to make sure she's getting all the minerals she needs, this is something we teach in our VIP program, so sign up today to get into our January cohort. Next opportunity won't be until March!"

Link & Resources

• Dr. Heather Finley's gutTogether Program and Cookbook
• VIP Nutrition Coaching Program Now Enrolling 
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist
• Private 1:1 Nutrition Coaching for High-Level Gymnasts