Does upgrade season ever just feel too busy? There's so much to get done but not enough time? Oftentimes, summer in the gymnastics world is busier and more chaotic than the school year/comp season. Lots of vacations, different training schedules, camps or clinics for the upper levels, etc. And plus, for a lot of parents, they’re more in survival mode navigating the chaos. Especially when child care is more difficult. But, as busy as upgrade season is with everything else going on, the...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

Gymnasts and candy don't usually go together, right? Usually we hear about gymnasts avoiding candy at all costs, especially competitions, to prevent blood sugar crashes. Or parents feel like their kid is already addicted to sugar so why would they ever offer candy to their gymnast? This is a hot topic and I'm diving in as to why there might be situations where I recommend your gymnast eat candy during a competition.  Disclaimer: there's always the nuance and the context of the personal...

 When we focus on weight vs performance for gymnasts, most will never quite reach their full potential. Sad but something we see over and over in young elite gymnasts with all the potential in the world but who have to quit due to injury or burnout.  When we focus on performance and take the focus off the scale, we can focus on properly fueling our gymnasts. And today I'm talking about the elephant in the room of why your gymnast might gain weight when working on nutrition.   First and...

Have you thought about joining The Balanced Gymnast® Program but not sure what kind of results your gymnast will get? We just wrapped up our three-day Fueled and Focused Challenge, and during one of our Q+A sessions, I had a parent ask a very insightful question. And that was, "what kind of results can my gymnast get from The Balanced Gymnast® Program?" We know that this sport is expensive at all levels but even more so at the upper/elite levels. It can feel like you're bleeding money due...

In this episode you'll hear from one of The Balanced Gymnast® Program alumni Lundyn VanderToolen and her mom Julie about their nutrition journey with us over the past few months. Lundyn went from stuck, struggling, and exhausted this fall to scoring her highest AA EVER and qualifying for the Nastia Liukin Cup in her senior level 10 season. If you don't know, the Nastia Liukin Cup is THE premier gymnastics competition for level 10 gymnasts and it's a huge honor to have qualify. Inside this...

Will your gymnast harness the power of her performance nutrition plan when it matters most, aka at Nationals?  How do you make sure she doesn't crash and burn at the culmination of a season of hard work? Welcome to the final part of our 4-part series, The Road to Nationals. It's been so much fun over the last few weeks, specifically talking about what can help your gymnast makes the most of their competition season. And hopefully into the post-season big meets! Because here's the truth. ...

Is your gymnast making EVERY meal count this competition season? Or is she skipping meals because life just seems too busy and stressful this time of year? Welcome to part 3 of our 4-part series, The Road to Nationals. Today I'm discussing why at this point of the season it's absolutely crucial to double down on your gymnast's nutrition. During this point of the season is when we start to see gymnasts gassing out due to lack of energy or endurance, injuries, stress, or any other number of...

Do you know how to keep your gymnast healthy this season as they make a run at Nationals?  Today is the second episode of our 4-part series, The Road to Nationals. I'm talking about everything you need to know in terms of fueling your gymnast, helping them stay healthy, and hopefully perform their best this competition season.   February is not only competition season, it's also cold and flu season for all our athletes out there. Plus, most of these gymnasts are already  physically run...

 If your gymnast is serious about making it to Nationals this year (or any other major competition), now is the time to dial in their nutrition. And I've got something special to help you and your gymnast really hone in on nutrition to support them throughout this very long competition season. There's no better time than the beginning of competition season to help bring it back to the basics. Today's episode is the first in a brand new series, Road to Nationals, because that is ultimately...

Why does our language around food matter for our gymnasts?  January is THE month where resolutions about food are made...and broken. We are inundated with messages like "new year, new you". Or "go clean". Everyone is coming off the holidays and quite a few feel like they need to restrict or make huge changes to be healthy. But then why are those big changes so hard to adhere to just a couple months later?  How we talk about food and the language we use in front of our gymnasts when...

When you realize the amount of nutrition it's going to take to adequately fuel your gymnast, do you worry you'll have to "force feed" her to get it all in?  Does "force feeding" conjure up visions of someone being held down against their will and being spooned fed? That's pretty traumatic to picture doing to your child. And very extreme and something I would never do or prescribe for a multitude of reasons.  But, when we're talking about adequately fueling a gymnast and parents realize (or...

Are you wondering if your gymnast needs nutrition coaching but you're not really sure? How do you know when it's time to hire a sports dietitian to support your gymnast's nutrition? Parents and gymnasts are BUSY, but specifically this time of the year is crazy time. Competition season, travel, school, the list is endless. So it's super easy to overlook nutrition. Probably pretty realistic to say when most parents even think about it, it gets pushed to the back of the line for things that...

Supporting any gymnast is a big job that requires intentional focus and planning. But when you have an elite track gymnast with big goals & dreams...it's almost a full time job to ensure their nutrition is enough to support them. 25-30+ hours/week in the gym is a LOT and requires a tremendous amount of focus and intention when it comes to fueling if you want to keep them healthy. An elite track gymnast is only as strong as his or her nutrition plan. And sadly, most don't even have a plan...

New Year, New Goals...will this be your gymnast's best season yet?! The new year for gymnast signals one thing---the start of the competition season! After months of training and honing their skills, it's go time.  But does it sound familiar to constantly feel like you're struggling to support your gymnast's performance and recovery? Perhaps you've been told to just make sure they eat enough and rest, but it's not delivering the results you hoped for. You feel like you've tried everything...

Does your gymnast suffer from "nervous stomach"?  Do competition nerves cause your gymnast to perform differently the day of a meet?  Some gymnasts get so worked up the day of a competition with nerves, anxiousness, and are apprehensive about their performance. As a result, fueling is literally the LAST thing they're thinking about. Or maybe its something they're actively avoiding because of a fear of throwing up or making a run to the bathroom mid rotation. I get it. I get nervous too. And...

Want to know what phrase I wish we'd stop saying to our developing gymnasts? When I hear it said about a gymnast: "She needs to gain weight, but she needs to eat healthy calories".  Hard stop. I understand the sentiment and what they're trying to say, but that's just not how nutrition works. And it's definitely not the message we want to send. Calories are a measure of energy. So when parents want their gymnast to get her calories from "healthy" sources, they're kind of misunderstanding how...

Is your gymnast meeting her own, full potential in this intense sport? Or is she comparing herself to others and using their successes as a benchmark? One of the things that separates Simone Biles from the rest is her insatiable drive to see what else she's capable of. She's never satisfied with winning, or even being the best in the world. She's curious about what else she can accomplish.  If I could give parents one broad piece of advice about nutrition it would be to, "be curious, not...

Have you ever heard the phrase, "you just don't know what you don't know" when it comes to your gymnast's nutrition? I'm talking with TBG program parent Dana on a very special topic on today's episode of the podcast. We're discussing how too often nutrition is the missing piece parents aren't told about as their gymnast moves up the levels.  Parents are warned about training hours, abusive coaches, and to keep the training in the gym, not at home. And yet... And yet they're never told how...