19/04/2024
I don’t want to make this content about myself but after recent (and continuous) experiences I felt the need to say something…
If you know me well enough, or have spent any time with me you will know that I eat fairly large portions of food 😋 this may “look” like a lot to people but I know it’s what I need to support my energy output and sometimes I still struggle to even eat enough 🙈
Recently having been back in several different high performance environments where meals are provided, I have found myself at the mercy of comments such as “wow, that’s a lot of food”, “where do you put all that food”or “you eat more than anyone here”. Not once have I been able to sit down at a meal without someone having their say.
Now, as someone with a history of disordered eating, I REALLY struggle in these situations not to question my own knowledge and intuition about the fuel I need to support my training. Yes, these comments still hit a soft spot but I’m strong enough to disregard them now.
However, if and when these comments are made to female athletes, particularly those in the developement stage this can be detrimental and lead to disordered eating habits down the line…
The issue in female athletes is usually that they arent eating enough food so let’s encourage them to eat more and not scrutinise them for having a full plate and then going up for seconds.
Female athletes MUST fuel to support optimal health & performance 💪🏼
Just think how much weight a comment from a coach or mentor can carry, lets make those comments around food and fuelling helpful, supportive and empowering 🫶🏻
