Why Blog Takeovers?
As I was getting ready to post the second “blog takeover” of this series, I found myself wondering if people understand why I’m doing this. Sure it’s cool to hear everyone’s stories, but there is more to it than that. So rather than post the second story this week, I wanted to share why I ask athletes to share their story and why I think it’s important to read them.
Nutrition is individualized. I wanted to eliminate the idea that there is a single fix that everyone can implement that will immediately solve all their problems. It is not one size fits all, and these stories depict that. In fact, I think almost every story that we have read thus far has mentioned that to some degree. What Danny the elite distance runner eats and how he approaches nutrition is completely different than how Ryan the cyclist views it. Their needs are different, their sports require different amounts and timing of fuel, and their bodies process it all differently. While there will be overlap, their nutrition is personalized to them.
Optimizing nutrition is a journey. This is once again, a common theme that we have already seen through the previously posted stories. Not a single athlete’s story is “ I never had any issues with nutrition and I haven’t changed anything from when I first started competing to now.” Rather, it’s the complete opposite. As they have moved through their career, their nutrition has changed with them. I think this is such an important aspect of nutrition, and something I was hoping these stories would convey.
It’s ok if your nutrition isn’t perfect. I hate the idea that in order to be successful with your nutrition you have to cut out certain food groups, skip dessert, and count you calories. In fact, this causes more harm than good. My goal with these stories is that you are hearing from very successful athletes of all kind, that it is ok if you indulge. Personally, I love to bake and have a major sweet tooth, Brooke J. eats dessert almost every night, Ryan has pizza Friday’s with his wife, and Michael doesn’t worry when he has a social outing or celebration that may offer more indulgent foods. Rather than viewing nutrition as restricting, view it as powerful. You can manipulate it to fit your day without feeling like you have to limit yourself on enjoying the other aspects of life.
Nutrition is powerful. Only in recent years has nutrition really gotten attention as to how impactful it can be for an athlete. Now you see almost every professional and Division I school with a sports dietitian, and others are following suit. Athletes can feel the changes that follow when it comes to nutrition (whether good or bad), and these stories illustrate that. Use nutrition as a tool to better your athletic career, and take it to the next level.
Nutrition is awesome, and I hope that after reading some of these blog takeovers, you think so too. It truly is powerful and can be made to fit your lifestyle, no matter what that looks like. These athlete stories illustrate the power of food and are also so inspirational to learn a bit more about how they got to where they are today. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do.
-Brooke
If you have a story, or know someone who would like to share, please reach out to me via email: brooke@nutritionwithbrooke.com