If you’re a coach, you know that weight is a frequent topic among your athletes. You want them to perform their best and you also want them to be healthy. Where can you go to learn more about RED-S / REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport)?
Sports nutrition and performance expert Rebecca McConville has suggestions for resources that you can consult to learn more about RED-S, including her book, “Finding Your Sweet Spot: How to Avoid RED-S,” and Dr. Jennifer Guadiani’s book, “Sick Enough,” which deals primarily with eating disorders but addresses how the body responds to insufficient fueling.
Read the transcript
[Tina] I’m a collegiate or high school coach and I have a team full of athletes who I know that weight is a factor of them getting fit for them. Gaining weight is something they fear. They want to perform; they’re ready to do whatever they need to do. And I’m learning, I’m listening, but I also don’t know what I should be doing. What should I know about how to work with a team of males and a team of females, if I want the best out of them, but I still want them to be as fit as they can for when it matters?
[Becca] Well, first of all you’re here, so that’s that’s a big piece of it, asking that question and learning more. Having influential, evidence-informed providers that you can follow on social media, there are books and resources that are out there.
[Tina] Are there any you would recommend?
[Becca] I hope it’s okay to mention my own book, “Finding Your Sweet Spot: How to Avoid RED-S,” your podcast is a great one, and your book that will be coming out soon, even Dr G’s “Sick Enough,” while it’s geared towards eating disorders, it does a beautiful job of speaking how the body responds in a stress and underfueled state. And then Pippa’s” Project RED-S” is another great one to follow that will have resources.
We’re seeing a shift finally in coaching, or not finally, I know there’s been plenty of great coaches that have been focused on this and the power of positive. And I think the more that you talk about what needs to be added in and what needs to be emphasized, it will help protect from that negative, which kind of takes us down the rabbit hole of cutting out foods or focusing on weight or body composition, and instead it’s about, “How is my fuel working for me? Am I prioritizing sleep and self-care?” By continuing that language and verbiage among the team, not only are you emphasizing that, but you’re also hoping that when they’re amongst each other, they’re also using that language and fostering a culture that’s a more positive one.
[Tina] Yes, thank you very much.
check it out
Recovering from RED-S is hard. It’s even harder if you’re working through it alone. Even if you have professional support, they’re not available 24-7, and that can lead to going down search engine rabbit holes that have the potential to derail everything.
Our online resource, RED-S: Realize. Reflect. Recover, will answer all those questions swimming around in your head about recovery. It will give you the opportunity to connect with the experts you’ve come to know here, and to surround yourself with a community of others who are going through it too. THANK YOU! to Athletic Greens and Tracksmith for supporting this YouTube series and RED-S: Realize. Reflect. Recover.
Go to athleticgreens.com/reds to get five free travel packs of AG1 and a free one year’s supply of vitamin D3+K2 with your subscription!
When you go to https://tracksmith.com/tina and use the code TINA15 at checkout, you’ll get free shipping and Tracksmith will donate 5% of your order to Rising Hearts, the Indigenous-led nonprofit founded by Jordan Marie Daniels.
more about becca:
Rebecca McConville, RD, LD, CSSD, CEDS, is a sports nutrition and performance expert who helps her clients explore and strengthen their relationship with food, weight, body image and sports performance. Her book, “Finding Your Sweet Spot,” helps athletes maximize their potential while avoiding the dangers of RED-S. You can find Becca at https://beccamcconville.com.
more you might like…
