Do you know how to keep your gymnast healthy this season as they make a run at Nationals?

Today is the second episode of our 4-part series, The Road to Nationals. I'm talking about everything you need to know in terms of fueling your gymnast, helping them stay healthy, and hopefully perform their best this competition season.

February is not only competition season, it's also cold and flu season for all our athletes out there. Plus, most of these gymnasts are already physically run down from the intense training, long and stressful school hours, and lack of sleep. It's a recipe for injuries and illnesses.

Closing that recovery gap, making sure your gymnast is getting enough nutrition to support everything that needs to happen in her body is one of the best defenses you can have in keeping her healthy. Listen in to hear more about how to best support your gymnast on their Road to Nationals.

In this episode you'll hear about:

• The best defense in keeping your gymnast healthy on their Road to Nationals this season
• Is your gymnast's nutrition (or lack of!) actually creating a suppressed immune system?
• Are supplements the answer to staying healthy during season?

Links & Resources

• The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts
• Episode 83: Road to Nationals Part 1 - Back to Nutrition Basics
• Episode 4: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and Gymnastics
• Episode 32: What foods can gymnasts eat to "boost" their immune system?
• Episode 14: The Must Know about Gymnasts and Supplements
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.com

If your gymnast is serious about making it to Nationals this year (or any other major competition), now is the time to dial in their nutrition. And I've got something special to help you and your gymnast really hone in on nutrition to support them throughout this very long competition season.

There's no better time than the beginning of competition season to help bring it back to the basics. Today's episode is the first in a brand new series, Road to Nationals, because that is ultimately the goal of most of our athletes. And I want to help!

So why is it so important that we take it back to basics and what do we really need to focus on in terms of nutrition for gymnasts hoping to make it Nationals this season?

Listen in to hear more about how to best support your gymnast on their Road to Nationals.

In this episode you'll hear about:

• Periodization and fueling for the work required
• Importance of closing the recovery gap and the cumulative effect of lack of recovery
• The need for a performance nutrition strategy and going into workouts well fueled

Links & Resources

• The Balanced Gymnast® Program for level 5-10 female gymnasts
• Episode 75: You vs You - Is your gymnast meeting her full potential?
• Episode 59: Nutrition is a controllable for gymnasts
• Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist or christinaandersonrdn.com

Did your gymnast’s competition season feel harder than it should have been?
Were there struggles with strength, endurance, injuries, or consistency that didn’t quite make sense?

And now that the season is wrapping up… how do you make sure next season looks different?

In this episode, we’re taking a step back to reflect on competition season through a lens that’s often overlooked: nutrition and under-fueling.

Because while it’s easy to blame size, skill level, or even mindset, many of the most common struggles gymnasts face—like fatigue, injuries, poor endurance, and mental blocks—can actually be traced back to not getting enough fuel to support their training.

This conversation walks you through the key red flags to look for, why they happen, and what you can do now to set your gymnast up for a stronger, healthier, more consistent next season.

In this episode, we cover:

❗Why strength and power issues aren’t always about size
❗How under-fueling impacts growth, development, and performance
❗The importance of tracking growth curves (and what “falling off” really means)
❗Why poor endurance, fatigue, and frequent illness may be nutrition-related
❗The connection between under-fueling and mental blocks, focus, and confidence
❗“Weird” health symptoms (headaches, missed periods, soreness) and what they signal
❗How injuries and slow recovery often tie back to fueling gaps
❗Common habits that lead to under-fueling (like skipping meals or picky eating)
❗Why supplements and recovery tools can’t replace proper nutrition
❗What parents can do—even if their gymnast isn’t “bought in” yet

We also dive into the reality that many gymnasts begin falling behind nutritionally as training hours increase especially around Level 5–6 and how this can quietly impact performance months (or even years) later.

If your gymnast dealt with injuries, fatigue, inconsistency, or didn’t perform the way you expected this season, this episode will help you connect the dots and identify what to focus on next.

Because here’s the truth:

Not every struggle is about skill.
Not every setback is mental.
And often, the missing piece isn’t more training it’s better fueling.

This episode will help you better understand your gymnast’s body, spot early warning signs, and take action so they can train, recover, and perform at their full potential.

Links & Resources
The Balanced Gymnast® Program (Level 5–10)
Connect with Christina on Instagram @the.gymnast.nutritionist
christinaandersonrdn.com