I have a fun and informative conversation with Melis Edwards, running and triathlon coach, personal trainer, fitness instructor and athlete for 30+ years. Melis is also the author of Deep End of the Pool Workouts, which discusses the Hydro Interval Method of training that has helped herself and many of her athletes throughout the years, which we talk in depth about in this episode. Melis has participated as well as coached others in sports ranging from ironman distance triathlons to ultra-runnin...
Mar 25, 2021•47 min•Ep. 21
In this episode I explain my personal experience, symptoms and recovery from COVID-19 and how it influenced my nutrition and training. Please remember this podcast is not suitable medical advice and is not reflective of everybody's experiences with coronavirus. I share how I listened to my body to tailor my training, and how in hindsight I would have done things different in my rehabilitation and return to run, including a bit more diaphragmatic breathing and yoga. I also share how important it ...
Mar 18, 2021•38 min•Ep. 20
Dr. Emily Kraus specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation sports medicine and takes a unique approach to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sports injuries in athletes of all ages. Together we chat about the basics of bone health and bone impact with Female Athlete Triad, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and Low Energy Availability. We discuss bone injuries from lack of nutrition and imbalanced hormones vs. overuse injuries. We discuss the importance of hormones in ...
Mar 11, 2021•54 min•Ep. 19
This episode is an inspiring conversation with former client, Dana. Dana started working with me in my signature program the Female Athlete System of Transformation in 2020 to overcome disordered eating and use food as fuel to perform at her highest level. As a lifelong athlete, former NCAA National Champion Gymnast, and current head collegiate coach, Dana values high level performance. But as we discuss, even high level athletes and coaches don't always have nutrition figured out. After years o...
Mar 04, 2021•44 min•Ep. 18
This episode is a fun conversation with Shay Haddow, expert coach and speaker on confidence and mindset for youth female athletes. After overcoming her own struggles of self-doubt and lack of confidence in club and college soccer, she knew that it was her life’s calling to provide female athletes with the coaching that she wished she had. Shay is on a mission to empower girl athletes around the world to build unshakable confidence so they can live and play to their fullest potential. We discuss ...
Feb 25, 2021•37 min•Ep. 17
In this episode I talk with Eating Disorder Recovery Coach Meg McCabe who shares her personal story, how she overcame an eating disorder, and how she helps others do the same. Meg’s eating disorder began in high school while striving to become a model. When she did sign a modeling contract in New York City her eating disorder was exacerbated. Between the pressures of the modeling industry, her own personal challenges of identity, Meg made the brave decision to leave New York City and pursue reco...
Feb 18, 2021•56 min•Ep. 16
Today’s show is extra special since it’s our first MALE guest on the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast and who better to interview than my own dad?! Kevin Pfau (aka “dad”) is not only the father of 3 girls, but a great athlete himself, 14x consecutive Boston Marathon finisher, over 31 marathons completed with 15 faster than the BQ standard, a running coach, former hockey player and cyclist, lover of many sports, and my role model. It was so much fun to interview my Dad and hear his take on what p...
Feb 11, 2021•48 min•Ep. 15
I’m thrilled to interview Terin Humphrey, 2x gymnastics Olympic Silver Medalist in the 2004 Athens Greece Olympics, World Champion, 11x All American, 2x NCAA Individual bar champion, and 2x Hall of Fame Inductee. We chat about her experiences competing gymnastics at an elite level at a young age and training for the Olympics. We discuss some of her nutrition and body experiences especially transitioning from Olympics to NCAA sport then to life after gymnastics. Terin’s gymnastics career is incre...
Feb 04, 2021•41 min•Ep. 14
Today’s episode covers my personal opinions on the definition of “fueling for performance.” I compare traditional performance nutrition and how a competitive athlete might focus on nutrition compared to the performance goals of non-competitive athletes. Although every sport and athlete has varying needs, this overview of the fundamentals of sports nutrition should help get you started when thinking about how to fuel both in the short term and long term of your performance goals. For more specifi...
Jan 28, 2021•26 min•Ep. 13
If your child is showing signs of disordered eating or undereating but won’t listen to your advice to “eat more” here are some reasons to consider why they aren’t listening! If you are a young athlete yourself maybe you can listen and give this to your parents to explain how you are feeling! And if you’re not a parent, this insight may be helpful if you someday *might become* a parent. If I didn’t make myself clear while recording I do want to express that disordered eating behaviors happen for ...
Jan 21, 2021•30 min•Ep. 12
Today's conversation is with fellow Registered Dietitian Paula Strum RDN FMN CFSP to address the multitude of gut concerns that people face. We chat about all the fun stuff: bloating, diarrhea, constipation, IBS, heartburn, gluten intolerance, and more! Paula expresses the importance of finding the root cause of these gut issues and getting professional help as opposed to starting restrictive elimination diets on your own which may make things worse for years to come. In addition to testing, and...
Jan 14, 2021•40 min•Ep. 11
The time of year when our society tells us to set health & fitness goals is when “diet culture” is at its worst. In this episode I express my frustration with diet culture and how it causes the “diet cycle” in so many people: The cycle of feeling like you need to change your body, begin restricting food, then feel deprived, then have cravings or “give in”, then feel guilt and shame for breaking the diet and therefore feeling the need to change yourself once again or start over, hence repeati...
Jan 07, 2021•47 min•Ep. 10
Are you a college athlete struggling with the demands of NCAA athletics? Or a high school athlete with dreams to make it to the next level? In this episode, we hear insight and advice from NCAA Division 1 Athletic Trainer, Jiana Hook MS CES LAT. Jiana and I talk about her career as an athletic trainer and her passion for what she does, including caring for athletes from a holistic standpoint - caring for their physical body & injuries, their nutritional health, and their mental health. Discu...
Dec 31, 2020•39 min•Ep. 9
Have your nutrition concerns developed after traumatic events? Has your discipline, something that helped you set goals and succeed in the past, suddenly become your demise? This episode features a conversation with one of my clients here at Rise Up Nutrition who speaks to both of these topics from personal experience. Sidney is active duty military having deployed many times and undergone rigorous training, as well as a former collegiate basketball player. She became a client to improve her nut...
Dec 24, 2020•46 min•Ep. 8
In this episode I am joined by Sports Dietitian Mari Perkins. She is the assistant Sports Dietitian here at Rise Up Nutrition, and former elite and NCAA gymnast at the University of Alabama. We talk about her experience as an elite gymnast at a young age and how that took a toll on her physical and mental health. We hit on the difficult decisions to take time away from sport after injury and how it allowed her body to change in a way that benefited her energy, her health, and her future. Mari is...
Dec 17, 2020•36 min•Ep. 7
Today’s guest is Mary Cain,a professional middle-distance runner, Tracksmith NYC Manager, and one of my clients here at Rise Up Nutrition. In this episode we talk about what the 2020 year has brought for her including a new job, surgery, advocacy work, and continuing to share her story of RED-S, disordered eating, and mental health struggles of her past to give hope and inspiration to female athletes around the globe. We talk about her approach to nutrition and running moving forward in her care...
Dec 10, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 6
The stigma’s associated with disordered eating often prevent people from getting the help they need; including the assumption that if you get help you will be forced to stop exercise or give up your passion for sports. In today’s episode, I dig into the reason to stop exercise during clinical eating disorder recovery while also debunking the stigmas that you have to stop. You can overcome disordered eating while continuing to train or participate in sport but it must be analyzed on a case by cas...
Dec 03, 2020•27 min•Ep. 5
Most smartphone users have access to nutrition or fitness apps at their fingertips. So in this episode I review the pro’s & con’s of these trackers. I review the common types of apps that many people download on their phones: calorie counting apps, fitness trackers, and professionally guided apps. I personally do not currently use a calorie counter, and I use fitness trackers sparingly, due to all the “cons” that I review in this episode. I also strongly discourage my clients from using them...
Nov 26, 2020•34 min•Ep. 4
The holiday season is here! And though it should be a time to celebrate and be grateful, for many there can be a lot of stress and anxiety around food and exercise. In this episode I talk about the many food challenges people face during the holiday season and encourage you to imagine what the holidays would be like without these stressors. Whether it’s anxiety about what to eat, how much to eat, your weight, your performance goals, when or how much to exercise, dealing with restriction, binging...
Nov 19, 2020•23 min•Ep. 3
In this episode I talk about Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, aka RED-S, a condition which negatively impacts an athlete’s performance and health. I review the many signs and symptoms of RED-S, as well as reasons why you might find yourself with this condition. I also review female athlete triad, amenorrhea, eating disorders, low bone mineral density/osteoporosis and how all of these conditions are related. I share some surprising and scary statistics about how many female athletes are affli...
Nov 19, 2020•35 min•Ep. 2
In this episode of Female Athlete Nutrition I share a bit about my personal journey with nutrition and athletics. Starting from a young age, I was determined, regimented, and focused on achieving my physical goals. Naturally, being regimented and focused on my nutrition became an important part of that athletic desire. I started counting calories at a young age and was strict with my diet. But this focus on nutrition only worked for a limited amount of time. By senior year of college, my strict ...
Nov 12, 2020•21 min•Ep. 1
