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PODCAST

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast

Christina Anderson MS, RDN, CSSD, CSP

Welcome to The Gymnast Nutritionist® podcast, a free resource for gymnast, parents, and coaches to learn to fuel the gymnast optimal performance and longevity int he sport. Christina Anderson MS, RDN, CSP, CSSD is a board certified pediatric/adolescent registered dietitian nutritionist, former gymnast, and current nationally rated gymnastics judge. She helps gymnasts and their parents take a proactive approach to fueling, without the stress or overwhelm. This podcast is all #realtalk where she

health & fitness nutrition

All Episodes

33:21

Episode 217: How to Get Your Gymnast Bought In to...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/10/05

"She thinks she's fine." "She gets annoyed every time I bring up nutrition." "She thinks you're going to tell her what she can and can't eat." So does your gymnast need to be fully bought in before she can get help? If you know your gymnast needs better fueling but every conversation about food ends in eye rolls or a slammed door, this episode is for you. Christina makes the case that not wanting help and not needing help are two very different things, and that when it comes to gymnast nutrit...

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14:49

Episode 216: Your Gymnast Ate Breakfast, Lunch + a...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/09/28

"She eats breakfast." "She had lunch at school." "She had a snack before practice." So why is your gymnast completely DONE by 6:30? If your gymnast consistently falls apart halfway through practice (heavy legs, a vault going nowhere, routines she can't make), this episode is for you. When it comes to gymnast fueling for practice, Christina makes the case that eating and adequately fueling a gymnast who trains 20+ hours a week are not the same thing, and that the problem showing up at 6:30 PM ...

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20:31

Ep 215: The Real Cost of Waiting to Fix Your...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/09/21

"Let's see how she does once season starts." "She's growing, so this is probably normal." "We'll deal with it if it becomes a bigger problem." If any of that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. Christina makes the case that waiting doesn't keep your gymnast at baseline — if there's an underlying fueling problem, and most of the time there is, she keeps accumulating nutritional and physical consequences the whole time you wait. Christina opens up about her own six-month struggle with her...

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13:48

Episode 214: Why Gymnast Families Just Ask for...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/09/14

So many parents come to us feeling like they're the only ones struggling like something must be uniquely wrong with their gymnast when nothing seems to be working, despite doing everything "right." In this episode, Christina shares something she's never broken down publicly before: an analysis of the last 30 applications for The Balanced Gymnast Program, and the real reasons families are reaching out for support. Spoiler: almost no one applies because they want their gymnast to "eat healthier...

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18:42

Episode 213: Is Underfueling Behind Your Gymnast's...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/09/07

So much of the anxiety, irritability, meltdowns, and attitude we see from preteen and teen gymnasts gets chalked up to "teenage hormones" or being a moody teenager. And yes, puberty is messy — brains are developing, school is harder, friendships are more complicated, and gymnastics only gets more demanding as the levels advance. But what most parents and coaches don't realize is that a lot of that mood and emotion regulation trouble has a lot more to do with an underfueled brain than it does ...

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17:46

Episode 212: A Tale of Two Gymnasts- Pre-Season Edition

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/08/31

So much of the fatigue, skill plateaus, injuries, and burnout we see in gymnasts gets chalked up to gymnastics just being hard—and yes, it is. But that doesn't mean all of these struggles are normal. The problem? You don't know what you don't know. And you can't necessarily look at your gymnast's teammates as the benchmark when many of them are likely underfueling and struggling too. Our most successful gymnasts get their nutrition dialed in before competition season starts. Yet January conti...

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35:24

Episode 211: Nutrition for Gymnasts- Surgery Edition

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/08/24

Your gymnast needs surgery, and the first fear that shows up for her, for you, maybe for her coaches is that she's going to "get fat" and lose everything she's worked for. Christina is here to tell you that's not the goal, and it's not even the right question. In this episode, Christina walks through nutrition before, during, and after gymnastics surgery, and why this is one of the most overlooked pieces of the recovery process. She opens by dismantling the idea that time off means the body s...

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13:54

Episode 210: What to Do When Your Gymnast's Lunch...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/08/17

You packed the sandwich, the fruit, the veggie, the calcium and it comes home half eaten, with the chips and dessert gone first. Sound familiar? Before you assume your gymnast just isn't trying, there's usually a real reason behind it. In this episode, Christina continues the back-to-school series by troubleshooting one of the most common frustrations parents bring to her: the lunch that comes home uneaten. She's clear up front that yelling isn't the answer the goal is figuring out why it's h...

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21:31

Episode 209: How to Schedule Meals and Snacks for...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/08/10

Is your gymnast's schedule about to fall apart the second school starts back up? If breakfast gets skipped, snacks get squeezed out, and dinner turns into whatever's fastest after a nine o'clock pickup, she's not the only one who's going to feel it. In this episode, Christina makes the case that back-to-school success for a gymnast comes down to one thing: the schedule. Whether your gymnast is a natural planner or needs help getting out of bed, the parent's job is the same — build a schedule ...

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25:32

Episode 208: 6 Summer Fueling Mistakes That Follow...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/08/03

Have you noticed your gymnast eating fine on paper but still getting hurt, running out of steam, or feeling behind as fall training ramps up, and assumed she just needs to push harder? It's tempting to think the issue is training, or toughness, or just "kids get tired in summer." But in this episode, Christina breaks down six patterns she's seeing in one-on-one sessions right now, and why nearly all of them trace back to one thing: underfueling. Ironically, many gymnasts eat better during t...

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12:31

Episode 207: Why "Just Lose Weight" Won't Fix Your...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/07/27

Have you noticed your gymnast suddenly feeling weaker or struggling with skills she used to hit easily, and wondered if she's just gained "too much weight"? It's tempting to think the fix is simple: get her lighter and the skills will come back. But in this episode, Christina explains why that logic misses something important, and why "just lose weight" almost always backfires. Around age 11, girls enter puberty and their bodies change exactly as nature intends: gaining height, weight, and sh...

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10:53

Episode 206: Should Gymnasts Weigh Less to Prevent...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/07/20

Have you ever heard a coach or well-meaning adult say something like, "every extra 10 pounds puts 70 to 100 pounds of extra force through a gymnast's joints"? It sounds scientific. It sounds logical. And it can make a parent start to wonder if their gymnast should be smaller to protect her joints. But here is the problem: that statement only tells half the story. In this episode, Christina breaks down the physics and the physiology behind gymnast injury risk, and why trying to make a growing ...

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9:21

Episode 205: Why Your Gymnast Needs Two Meals Before...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/07/13

Have you noticed your gymnast sleeping in later this summer and then heading straight to practice after only one meal? Maybe practice starts at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, or even early afternoon. And because it falls in that awkward window between breakfast and lunch, it can be hard to know what your gymnast actually needs to eat before training. But here is the problem: One meal before a four- to five-hour summer practice is usually not enough. In this quick tip episode, Christina breaks down w...

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20:39

Episode 204: Do Gymnasts Really Need Sports Drinks?

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/07/06

Have you ever wondered if your gymnast actually needs a sports drink at practice? Maybe you have seen other athletes drinking Gatorade, Powerade, Liquid I.V., LMNT, Prime, BodyArmor, or electrolyte packets and wondered if your gymnast should be doing the same. Or maybe you have heard that sports drinks are “toxic,” full of sugar, dyes, or ingredients your gymnast should avoid. But here is the problem: the conversation around sports drinks is often missing the most important piece. Context. In...

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26:10

Episode 203: 5 Lessons Learned in 11+ years as a...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/06/29

Have you ever wondered if your gymnast is actually eating enough to support everything her body is being asked to do? Maybe she is training hard, dealing with injuries, struggling with fatigue, or trying to keep up as her body grows and changes. And maybe from the outside, everything looks mostly fine. But here is the problem: underfueling in gymnastics is often much more common than most parents realize. In this episode, Christina shares five of the biggest lessons she has learned in 11 year...

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18:06

Episode 202: What ChatGPT doesn’t know about your...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/06/22

Are you asking ChatGPT, AI, Google, or Facebook groups how to get your gymnast to eat better? Maybe you already know she needs breakfast, more snacks, more protein, more carbs, or better recovery fuel. Maybe you have asked AI for meal plans, snack ideas, calorie needs, or supplement recommendations. And maybe the answer sounded helpful. But here is the problem: AI can tell you what your gymnast might need to eat, but it cannot actually help her do it. In this episode, Christina wraps up her f...

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23:12

Episode 201: What ChatGPT Doesn’t Know About Your...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/06/15

Are you asking ChatGPT, AI, or Facebook groups what supplements your gymnast needs? Maybe your gymnast is tired, sore, injured, getting sick often, struggling to recover, or not gaining strength — and as a parent, you just want to help. So you ask: Does she need magnesium? Iron? Creatine? Electrolytes? Protein powder? A multivitamin? But when it comes to pediatric and adolescent gymnasts, supplements are not that simple. In this episode, Christina continues her four-part series on what ChatGP...

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21:29

Episode 200: What ChatGPT Doesn't Know About Your...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/06/08

Are you asking ChatGPT, AI, or an online calculator how many calories your gymnast needs? It might seem like a simple question. But when it comes to pediatric and adolescent gymnasts, calorie needs are anything but simple. In this episode, Christina continues her four-part series on what ChatGPT and AI do not know about your gymnast’s nutrition, and today’s focus is calorie needs. Because while AI can give you a polished answer, a number, or even a full meal plan, it cannot accurately assess ...

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19:37

Episode 199: What ChatGPT Doesn’t Know About Your...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/06/01

Are you using ChatGPT, AI, or a generic meal plan to figure out what your gymnast should be eating? AI can be helpful for a lot of things, but when it comes to your gymnast’s nutrition, growth, development, injuries, training load, and recovery, there are major limitations parents need to understand. In this episode, Christina kicks off a four-part series on what ChatGPT and AI do not know about your gymnast’s nutrition. Because while AI may sound confident, polished, and helpful, it cannot p...

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34:13

Episode 198: How to Fuel Your Gymnast for Summer...

The Gymnast Nutritionist® Podcast ·

2026/05/25

Is your gymnast heading into summer training with big goals, upgrade dreams, or hopes of moving up a level this fall? Summer in gymnastics may be short, but it is one of the most important times of year for building strength, power, endurance, and new skills. But your gymnast cannot get stronger, recover well, or make the most of upgrade season if they are under-fueled. In this episode, Christina breaks down why summer training requires a different level of nutrition support, especially when ...

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215 results

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