Hitting rock bottom is the greatest invitation to explore nutrition (but should it be?!)

An easy 3 minute read.

Too many student athletes are starting their exploration of nutrition at rock bottom. ??

They finally hit a point when they realize that how they feel in their daily life is so bad...

So hard...

That they are forced to take drastic measures to change that reality.?

And do something they never have before.

Consider nutrition in a different way.?

If you are reading this then you are probably passionate about at least one of two things.?Sport and/or Nutrition.?

I talk about both so if you enjoy this kind of conversation, then follow along at Diane Johnson

When I first started talking to student athletes about nutrition, I assumed that once they learned about what they should be eating, they would just make better choices.

Because their performance in sport was that important to them.?

But this wasn’t the case at all. And it still isn’t.?

Certainly, the majority of student athletes who seek us out for nutritional support want to perform better.?

But what really drives most student athletes to work with us is much deeper and more personal and is more about their quality of life.?

GUTS uses 4 unique pillars to give student athletes a different understanding of nutrition. Check that out right here.

Their quality of life is being derailed with things like:

• Stress fractures and bone loss
• Digestive dis-ease (constipation, bloat, reflux, IBS, IBD, etc).
• Anxiety and depression?
• Weight gain?
• And high blood sugar

These student athletes aren’t just underperforming in sport. They are struggling to thrive in life.?

Managing ailments and symptoms is taking over their life. These student athletes are what our society would describe as ‘sick’. And many have been managing these challenges for years, taking various medications that treat symptoms but never actually address the root cause.?

They are ‘sick and tired of feeling sick and tired’.?

If that above statement describes you, I want you to know I've been there.

That little voice in your heart telling you, "there must be more for me"...

IT'S RIGHT!!! Trust it!

I'd love to hear your story.

DM me at Diane Johnson .

I can tell you from experience that after a while, what I just described above feels like rock bottom.?

“I’m sick. I’m unhappy. I’m hurting. I’m lost.”

It's at THIS point that student athletes will either accept that...

Rock bottom is their reality...

OR they will start to wonder, question and dream…

• “There must be more for me in this life.”
• “What if I could feel well, happy and alive again.”
• "What if I could LOVE being in my own skin."

And here’s the big one that rock bottom often introduces to them….

Sadly it's something most will have never been talked to about before…

“I wonder if FOOD could have anything to do with this?”

BOOM.

If you are asking yourself this question I want to cheer you on!!

Email me at [email protected]

THIS is when student athletes decide to reach out for help.?

A wondering...

"Is there a possibility that nutrition could change how I feel?"

The interesting transition that happens here is that nutrition suddenly shifts from something they SHOULD do...

• to stay skinny
• to eat like an athlete
• to meet expectations
• to perform the way they are supposed to

And it becomes an opportunity to feel better.?

To heal.

To be free of pain.

To be able to enjoy life again.?

The athletes who reach out to us, have started asking these questions.

Most have no idea of what to do or how to do it, but they follow this little niggle inside that keeps telling them to consider nutrition.??

And suddenly they see nutrition as an opportunity to create a happier experience.?

For themselves.?

This just doesn’t happen for student athletes.?

It happens for many of us.?

Rock bottom was my personal experience too...It became an invitation to consider nutrition.

And it changed my life. ?

(If that story is of interest to you, you can find more on that at my personal IG account @DJWellness)

ROCK BOTTOM SUCKS.

BUT....it is an invitation to look for different answers.

All of this said, student athletes shouldn’t have to hit rock bottom before they consider nutrition an option for optimum health.??

Before they see it as an opportunity.

It shouldn’t be the last support they access.?

And it doesn’t have to be.?

Check out the testimonials from the student athletes and teams who decided to look at nutrition differently.

But we have to give them a different look at nutrition if we want it to feel like it’s an opportunity earlier on in their journey.

It can’t just be about looking good in their uniform, or performing to other’s expectations.

We need to make it about them.?

FOR them

Meaningful to them.?

And it will mean something to them when they connect it to their own life.

When they:

• understand and accept how they feel (reflection)
• imagine how they want to feel (daydreaming and visualization)
• learn new concepts and gain knowledge about food and nutrition that aligns with how they want to feel.?

This doesn’t happen in lectures.

This doesn’t come from food guides and counting calories.?

(Aka the way we have been doing it).

An invitation to embrace nutrition as an opportunity comes from:

• Listening.
• Building trust.?
• Asking questions.
• Spending time
• Caring
• Brainstorming
• Solving problems
• Developing new skills
• And collaborating

Sounds a lot like coaching to me.???

Doing anything new is a lot easier with some coaching. Any of us in the sport world will have experienced this first hand.

It's no different with nutrition.

If we want to help student athletes avoid rock bottom, then those of us in coaching and leadership positions with teams and in sport organizations must consider a different approach.?

Because, "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same result is insanity."

If you aren't sure where to start, but you know something needs to change...

For your atheltes' sake...(Or maybe for your own).

There are a few ways I can help you.

• The GUTS 6 week interactive nutrition program teaches student athletes to understand and use nutrition so they feel great, reduce injuries, and perform their best. Our next cohort begins on May 1st. (Group pricing available.) Email me at diane@gutsathletenutrition to register.?
• If you are a Coach who knows your student athletes need help with eating but is unsure how to manage this without adding huge costs to your program, you can get all the resources you need to weave nutrition into your coaching here.
• If you are a sport program director and want to provide your student athletes with a more holistic sport experience that includes nutrition, check out GUTS here.
• And make sure you follow along here on LinkedIn for weekly tips on how we are changing the student athlete experience with nutrition.

Until next week.

~Diane