Fact vs. Fiction in Womens' Sports Science w/ Christine Yu

Carrie is a sport dietitian with the United States Olympic Committee and shares insights into the challenges and strategies of managing nutrition while traveling for athletes and active individuals. Carrie discusses her journey from a figure skater to a dietitian for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. She highlights the importance of planning and flexibility in athletes' diet, the role of supplements, and the importance of coaches in impacting travel nutrition. We also discuss the psychological aspects of eating, how athletes can optimally fuel in any environment, and on-the-go snack options that maximize space and provide necessary nutrition.

Carrie Aprik, MS, RD, CSSD is the winter sport dietitian for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Prior to serving in this role, she was a Team USA contract dietitian for US Figure Skating and USA Hockey, and served as a team dietitian at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Additionally, she spent 5 years as the sport dietitian for the Detroit Pistons, and 10 years with Oakland University Athletics. 

The views discussed in this podcast episode do not represent that of the United States Olympic Committee. 

In this episode, we dive deep into common digestive issues faced by athletes. We cover various topics that can relate to both active individuals and athletes who struggle with gut issues. Meg Steffey-Schrier is a Certified Sports Dietitian and Digestive Health Expert with her own private practice. Prior to that, she was the Lead Dietitian at Harvard University having worked within both athletics and health services. 

Adrianne Haslet was a professional ballroom dancer when she survived the terrorist attack at the 2013 Boston Marathon where she lost her left leg. She quickly rose to meet her daily challenges with fierce determination and Boston Strong strength. A full time dancer at the peak of her career, she had to learn an entirely new way to navigate her daily life. She has since become a distance runner, and ran in multiple Boston Marathons, most recently in April, coming in 4th place in the division she advocated for for six years. In the wake of the terror, she has become a global inspiration. 

In this special episode, we talk all about Adrianne's life experiences and outlook on fitness. We discuss her background as a dancer, her transition to being a runner, navigating perfectionism, learning to love her new body, and her advocacy work for inclusivity in sports for differently-abled individuals. Throughout the conversation, Adrianne emphasizes the importance of adaptability, resilience, and self-care in pursuing fitness.

You can follow Adrianne at @adriannehaslet on Instagram. You can also learn more about her first year of recovery through her documentary The Survivor Diaries, which she did with Anderson Cooper.

Riley Nickols, PhD, CEDS-S is a counseling and sport psychologist who specializes in working with athletes to address mental health and performance concerns through his practice, Mind Body Endurance (@mindbodyendurance). He is also the Senior Program Advisor with Athlete EDGE and a Scientific Advisory Board Member for EDCare. He regularly speaks to athletes, coaches, and sports medicine personnel about disordered eating and unbalanced exercise in sport. In addition to competing in endurance sports for over 20 yeras, Dr. Nickols is a running coach and a USA Triatholon coach.

In this episode, we touch on topics such as body image concerns and RED-s in male athletes, exercise and sports participation in eating disorder recovery, and anxiety in sport. Riley shares his insights on these topics, drawing from his extensive professional experience. 

Riley's Affiliations:

Found at Mind Body Endurance (https://mindbodyendurance.com)

Senior Program Advisor at Athlete EDGE (@athlete_edge_at_edcare)

Scientific Advisory Board Member at EDCare (@eatingdisordercare)

Host Affiliations:

Shira Evans, MS, RD, CSSD, LD is on Instagram @ShiraEvansRD and her nutrition practice is Shira Evans Nutrition (https://shiraevansrd.com)

Lexi Moriarty, MS, RDN, CSSD is on Instagram @FueledandBalanced.Dietitian and her nutrition practice is Fueled + Balanced Nutrition (https://fueledandbalanced.com)

Kara is an adventurer and auther of Gorge, My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 pounds (soon to be a movie starring Chrissy Metz. She is also a major trailblazer and CEO of the GORGEous Agency, where she helps brands attain growth and profitability in the plus-size market. She's partnered with brands like Peloton, LL. Bean, and Columbia to showcase diversity, inclusion, and belonging. She is also on a mission to influence people of all sizes to get outside and live in the now. 

In this episode, we chat about fitness at any size, finding joy in movement through intuitive exercise, how brands can be more size inclusive, body autonomy, and Kara's recovery journey from binge eating disorder. 

Rebecca McConville is a Certified Sports Dietitian and Eating Disorder Specialist. As a leader in the performance nutrition field, she believes in optimizing performance through focusing on an athlete's physical and mental health and building resilience. She is uniquely equipped in teaching athlete's of all ages/levels the keys to keeping athlete's resilient all year long. She helps athletes navigate their experiences, understand their body's wisdom, and strengthen their relationship with food, weight, body image, and performance. 

In this episode, we discuss the overlaps and differences between RED-S, Eating Disorders, and Disordered Eating, how parents can help their teenage athlete develop a healthy relationship with food, intuitive eating vs. performance nutrition, and how to navigate hard conversations around eating. 

Mary Cain is a former professional American middle distance runner and founder of the non-profit, Atalanta NYC, which employs professional runners to mentor young girls in the community. 

With incredible talent and speed, Mary started her professional running career at a young age. Her elite running career included becoming the 2014 World Junior Champion in the 3000m and a 2013 World Championship Finalist in the 1500m. After sharing her story of survivorship in a 2019 Op-Ed in the New York Times, Mary is on a mission to make sports a safer and more supportive place for all future athletes, with an emphasis on athlete well-being and gender equity. 

In this episode we discuss support and equity for female athletes, sports nutrition, RED-S, advocating for your healthy, and Mary's plans for the future.

Christine Yu is an award-winning journalist, lifelong athlete, and author of Up To Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes. Her book is a must read for female athletes, and coaches, parents, administrators, and all stakeholders involved in womens' sports!

In this episode Christine discusses the research that went into writing Up To Speed, and helping dismantle common diet culture beliefs that are present amond female sporting environments.

Dr. Bender is a former college athlete and Hall of Fame basketball player, she understands the challenges and solutions for athletes to sleep better.

Dr. Bender is an expert in sleep and performance who has studied and worked with NBA, NHL, NFL, and Olympic athletes throughout Canada and the US. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary.

In this episode we discuss a variety of factors related to sleep and athletic performance, including sleep tips, sleep and injury prevention, sleep supplements, and how to optimize sleep for athlete health and performance.

Retired GB athlete and cross country runner, Pippa Woolven, experienced her share of highs and lows during her career as an international athlete, including RED-S. Now a Positive Psychology Coach (MSc) and Athlete Mentor, Pippa is aiming to educate and inform other athletes on the seriousness and warning signs of RED-S. Several years after overcoming the condition herself, Pippa established Project RED-S with the aim of providing the resources she needed at the start of her struggles and increasing awareness among athletes and support staff