The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast Christina Anderson MS, RDN, CSSD, CSP

Is your gymnast unsafe to do gymnastics? When I first heard this concept years ago I was shocked.  It had never dawned on me that nutrition was “that serious” re: safety concern in terms of your kid going to the gym.  
But the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. Especially if you’re a parent, coach, or gym owner.  The reality is that gymnastics has a lot more inherent “risk” to it than other sports where you aren’t flipping on something 4 inches wide, 4 feet in the air.  And while these days the freak accidents are rare, they still happen.  And as I always say, there will always be accidents that have nothing to do with nutrition.  

But the hard, scary truth is that there are a LOT of gymnasts out there who have no business going 4-5+ hours to the gym each day.  Why? Because they are MASSIVELY underfueled and a ticking time bomb for injury.  

In our new series, "Upgrade Season", I'm taking a look back to really help our gymnasts with the off-season training that is happening for most by this point. And that includes discussing the struggle a lot of parents experience when enforcing this concept of fueling for safety reasons.

In today's episode, I'm covering the 3 main reasons we see parents struggle with holding this boundary. Listen in to learn more. 

In this episode you'll hear about: 
With how expensive gymnast is, parents don't want their kids missing practiceWhat happens when parents focus on the wrong things when it comes to fuelingHow some parents don't think it's "that bad" or are in denial  Links & Resources    
The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts Episode 93: Navigating Gymnast Nutrition and Picky EatingEpisode 81: Force Feeding or Adequate Fueling?Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.comInside FUELED bootcamp, I’m going to help you uncover what’s working and what’s not with your gymnast’s nutrition so that crush the UPGRADE season.The 3-day Bootcamp kicks off on Sunday April 28th and is for competitive gymnasts + parents. Click here to register.

For most gymnasts, competition season has or is coming to a close and upgrade season is starting. But why didn’t your gymnast make it to insert…regionals, Nationals, etc?

There’s a LOT you can’t control. What region your gymnast is in, what age group, session times etc. Gymnasts spend months preparing for these big meets but there is a lot that is just out of their control. 

In our new series, "Upgrade Season", I'm taking a look back to really help our gymnasts with the off-season training that is happening for most by this point. And that includes discussing some of the reasons why your gymnast maybe didn't "make it" to the big post meets. 

There's a lot of buzz in sports these days around focusing on what you can control. Attitude, effort, work ethic etc. But nutrition is a huge controllable and often ignored. Here’s how we see it (or lack of it) impact gymnast’s in trying to reach their big goals and dreams at the end of a long competition season. 

In today's episode, I'm covering four of the reasons we see gymnasts fall short of their goals. Listen in to learn more. 
In this episode you'll hear about:
Freak accidents, timing, and competition nervesWhat happens when parents and gymnasts focus on the wrong things during seasonHow to support your gymnast in areas of growth this upgrade season    Links & Resources    
The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts Episode 77: Gymnast Nervous Stomach and Competition NutritionEpisode 40: Gymnast Nutrition & Recovery in the Off-Season - Look back to move aheadConnect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.com

Does gymnastics stunt growth? It's quite the hot topic and many people weigh in with their own opinions. We've even heard conflicting opinions from medical providers. It's such a big question that it's actually been investigated and researched quite a bit in the past few decades by some heavy hitters such as the International Gymnastics Federation.

Some providers will give you a flippant response like, "gymnastics stunts their growth but it's fine, they'll catch up when they quit". But not growing and developing while in gymnastics should be a big red flag to parents and doctors for underfueling. We need to do our due diligence to determine whether or not they're getting enough nutrition or if something else like a hormonal issue is at play. 

In today's episode, I'm covering the 5 big questions I get on this topic of "does gymnastics stunt growth". Listen in to learn more. 

In this episode you'll hear about: 
Normal genetic factors in gymnasts' height vs signs of underfuelingWhat causes gymnasts height failure - is it all the pounding?Why it's not as simple as "they'll grow when they quit" in the long term for gymnasts   Links & Resources   
The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts Episode 4: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and GymnasticsEpisode 51: No Period, No Problem for the Gymnast? Not quiteRole of Intensive Training in the Growth and Maturation of Artistic GymnastsConnect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.comInside FUELED bootcamp, I’m going to help you uncover what’s working and what’s not with your gymnast’s nutrition so that crush the UPGRADE season.The 3-day Bootcamp kicks off on Sunday April 28th and is for competitive gymnasts + parents. Click here to register.

I know so many parents who struggle with their gymnast's nutrition due to picky eating. They know their athlete needs to fuel more, but there's so much push back it feels like a no-win situation. 

In today's episode, I'm breaking down what it means to truly have a picky eater versus dealing with a gymnast who demonstrates finicky eating habits. And what you can do as a parent to get your gymnast on the right track to performance and health. 

I like to equate it with the conditioning every gymnast does. It might feel uncomfortable, but they know it's necessary to lay the foundation of strength they need for big skills and routines. I find when we present nutrition to gymnasts who struggle with picky eating in a similar way, we can begin to move past fueling roadblocks. 

In this episode you'll hear about: 
Picky eating vs Extreme Picky eating vs Pediatric Feeding DisorderWhat is "finicky eating", how it differs, and its challengesWhy it's so important to make sure your gymnast is eating enough, even when they struggle with these challenges   Links & Resources   
The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts Gymnasts and ADHD: What you must know about nutritionEpisode 36: Gymnast Nutrition and ADHDConnect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.comInside FUELED bootcamp, I’m going to help you uncover what’s working and what’s not with your gymnast’s nutrition so that crush the UPGRADE season.The 3-day Bootcamp kicks off on Sunday April 28th and is for competitive gymnasts + parents. Click here to register.

I know so many struggling gymnasts who think they need to double down on strength training/conditioning at this point of the season, but have never addressed their nutrition. So then they're left wondering why they can't get stronger, faster, or more powerful no matter how much extra conditioning they do. Or maybe they're injured and season is over but they're seeing a PT who doesn't understand gymnastics and isn't doing them any favors. 

Today I'm chatting with CEO of The Physio Fix Dr. Stacie Barber on the symbiotic relationship between nutrition and strength training specifically for gymnasts. Neither one exists in a vacuum and they need to cohesively work together for your gymnast to reach her full potential. Focusing on properly fueling your gymnast is not only about keeping them healthy plus growing and developing (although let's be honest that should be our first focus!). It's also about helping them have the energy and resources to adapt to their training to become powerful enough to do those upper level skills. 

And it's also about using nutrition alongside the correct PT/recovery when your gymnast is out with injury. Listen in to hear more about how your gymnast can integrate their nutrition, strength training, and recovery for their strongest upgrade season yet.

In this episode you'll hear about: 
The importance of specialized physical therapy in gymnasticsThe role of strength training in gymnasticsThe impact of nutrition and training during puberty   Links & Resources   
The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts The Physio Fix, helping gymnasts + strength athletes feel betterEpisode 29: NCAA Gymnastics Recruiting and Nutrition - The need to know with Jill HicksConnect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.comInside FUELED bootcamp, I’m going to help you uncover what’s working and what’s not with your gymnast’s nutrition so that crush the UPGRADE season.The 3-day Bootcamp kicks off on Sunday April 28th and is for competitive gymnasts + parents. Click here to register.

I was asked an interesting question this month about our approach in The Balanced Gymnast® Program. And I found it so compelling, I answered in podcast form!  So, today I'm discussing the how  and why we use a science/research-backed approach to fueling gymnasts. And why that means it's not a one size fits all answer.
In today's episode, I'm pulling back the curtain of how we work as a team, how we designed our program, and how we continue to evolve. We want to make sure we're always supporting and educating our clients with the most up-to-date research. Not fads, not parroted information, not crowd-sourcing, or misinformation. One of the reasons we weave science into our approach to fueling your gymnast is so that you understand the WHY behind what we teach. 

Listen in to hear more about what makes The Balanced Gymnast® Program method so effective and different than everything else out there.
In this episode you'll hear about:
Registered Dietitian vs Nutritionist and why those credentials and training matterWhy specialized nutritional support looks different for developing athletes than adultsHow we balance a science backed approach to fueling your gymnast to make your life EASIER Links & Resources   
The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts Episode 65: Dangerous advice you may get about fueling your gymnastEpisode 56: What does it mean to "unlock" performance with nutrition?Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.comInside FUELED bootcamp, I’m going to help you uncover what’s working and what’s not with your gymnast’s nutrition so that crush the UPGRADE season.The 3-day Bootcamp kicks off on Sunday April 28th and is for competitive gymnasts + parents. Click here to register.