Athlete Support

Dietary management of athletes: an approach tailored to each level and goal.

In the realm of sports, nutrition plays a central role, not only in optimizing performance but also in maintaining health. Whether you're a beginner, an amateur, or a professional athlete, the stakes are different, as are the nutritional needs. My approach is based on balancing expectations and promoting compassion, guiding each athlete toward their goals and helping them develop a collaborative relationship with their understanding of performance, while avoiding major pitfalls like injuries, overtraining, or nutritional imbalances.

Understanding the Specific Needs of Each Athlete

Each athlete is unique: their level of activity, goals, morphology, and constraints influence their nutritional needs.

• Beginners: They are often discovering the basics of sports, and their metabolism is gradually adjusting to the effort. The dietary support here aims to establish good eating habits, support energy during exercise, and prevent deficiencies.

• Regular Amateurs: With increasing training loads, their needs for key nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals rise. A personalized approach helps improve performance while limiting fatigue and injuries.

• Professional Athletes: Their bodies are subjected to extreme levels of effort. The goal here is to optimize performance while supporting recovery, bone and muscle health, and avoiding the risks of overtraining.

Rehabilitation: Returning to Form Gradually

Rehabilitation concerns athletes after an injury or a prolonged break. It’s a critical phase where nutrition plays a fundamental role in supporting reconstruction and the return to exercise:

• Optimizing Healing: Quality protein intake, along with zinc and vitamin C, helps tissues regenerate.

• Managing Body Mass: During a break, balancing intake and expenditure must be adjusted to avoid excessive weight gain or muscle loss.

• Supporting Gradual Return: When resuming training, energy and carbohydrate intake must be increased cautiously to meet new demands.

Rehabilitation is a phase where patience and progression are essential. My role is to support the athlete with a nutritional strategy tailored to their unique needs.

Overtraining and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Preventing Exhaustion

Overtraining occurs when there is an imbalance between the effort exerted and the body’s ability to recover. It can lead to:

• Persistent fatigue

• Decreased performance

• Increased risk of injuries and infections

Nutritionally, several strategies can prevent or manage these situations:

• Adjusting Energy Intake: Chronic caloric deficits are a major factor in fatigue. Regular assessments of needs are crucial.

• Favoring Micronutrient-Rich Foods: Deficiencies in iron, magnesium, or B vitamins can exacerbate fatigue.

• Optimizing Recovery: Post-training meals rich in carbohydrates and proteins aid muscle regeneration and glycogen storage.

• Prioritizing Sleep and Rest: A diet rich in tryptophan and magnesium can contribute to restorative sleep.

Athletic Anorexia: When the Quest for Performance Becomes a Danger

In some athletes, the search for optimal performance or an "ideal weight" can push them toward dangerous eating behaviors, including athletic anorexia. This disorder can manifest as:

• Severe caloric restriction

• Obsession with weight control

• Significant performance decline

• Signs of extreme fatigue and hormonal disorders

Support in these cases relies on several pillars:

• Gradual Reintroduction of Energy: Working on accepting sufficient caloric needs to maintain physical activity and health.

• Psychological Reassurance: Helping the athlete understand that their body functions better with balanced intakes and that performance is not just a number on the scale.

• Collaboration with Other Professionals: Medical and psychological follow-up is often essential for deeply addressing this type of disorder.

My Approach: Achieving Goals While Avoiding Risks

Supporting an athlete, regardless of their level, requires finding a balance between their expectations, constraints, and real needs. My approach focuses on:

• Listening and Compassion: Every athlete faces unique challenges. My role is to guide them with kindness, without imposing unattainable goals or drastic diets.

• Establishing a "Cruise Pace": Rather than aiming for maximal performance in the short term, it’s about finding a pace that allows for sustainable progress without burnout.

• Risk Prevention: Whether it’s overtraining, injuries, or nutritional imbalances, the goal is to minimize dangers to preserve long-term health.

Achieving Goals with Serenity

The dietary management of athletes isn’t just about counting calories or rigid meal plans. It’s a collaborative effort where the athlete is an active participant in their choices, guided by tailored and realistic advice.

If you want to optimize your performance, prevent injuries, or regain balance after a difficult period, I am here to work with you to develop a nutritional strategy that respects your body, your goals, and your well-being.

Book your personalized follow-up today.