15 Ways A Sports Dietitian and Nutritionist Can Help You | When To See A Nutrition Professional 10119/10/2023 If there is one thing I have learnt over my many years as a Dietitian and Nutritionist… It is the fact that many people are not aware of what Dietitians such as myself, truly do and what we can help with. At least not to a full extent and there is some definite misconceptions too. As someone who is fundamentally in the business of helping people, I feel it is my duty (and quite important) to address this and provide some insight into what Dietitians do and how we can help you with your goals. In today’s blog post, I share 15 goals/things/ways (whatever you want to call it) Dietitians and Nutritionists can help you with so that you can gauge whether hiring one is the missing link in your journey. #1: Weight Loss/Fat Loss/Cutting Phase/Becoming a Lean MachinE The bread and butter. The thing we all think when we speak of health and nutrition. The most popular goal in the health and fitness space, bar none. If you want to “burn fat” and improve your body composition (whether for health reasons or aesthetic reasons), a Sports Dietitian is your answer. We will help you achieve the correct caloric and macro picture to enable you to reap the rewards and lose weight the right way. Weight loss is what everyone thinks Dietitians help with but unfortunately for many people it is the only image of Dietetic work. As you will see in the rest of this list, we can help with a vast number of different things. #2: Muscle Building/Gain Train/BulkingThe flipside of the coin to the first one, muscle building is a hugely popular aspiration alongside fat loss goal setting. Many people want to “tone up” as they say and look more fit and muscular (to varying degrees of course) which is what hoping on the gain train means. Sports Dietitians are well equipped to guide you on this path and work with you to level up your body composition and develop your desired body (which will look different for everyone with varying levels of realism depending on your as the individual). Want juicy muscle gains? A Dietitian can definitely help. The strategy follows a similar fundamental truth which is the caloric balance intersected with macronutrient optimisation and patience. #3: Sporting Performance/Regaining Competitive EdgeSports Dietitian. Sports is in the name. While as a Sports Dietitian and Nutritionist I am not limited to only helping the sporting inclined or only the athletic of humans, it should not be forgotten that I specialise in tailoring nutrition advice and strategy to level up your game. From pre-training fuelling. To post-game refuelling. To recovery regimens. To ensuring correct energy availability to fuel the work demands of your lifestyle and prevent health issues. Sports nutrition is a whole different beast that a Dietitian can tame for you and deliver via a streamlined, customized plan. So if you have sporting aspirations and want to leverage nutrition to make you a better athlete (no matter what level of sports and training you do), then may be worthwhile hiring a Sports Nutrition Specialist such as myself, to take out the guesswork. #4: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (AKA IBS)/Funny Tummy ReliefIf you get the funny feeling in your gut on a regular basis such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, flatulence, cramps, and general discomfort… Then there is a chance you have IBS which is a condition that is increasingly found in athletes too. Sometimes this can be seen as “nervous tummy” and other times it is actually IBS (or some kind of combination of both). Regardless, the point I am trying to make is that a Dietitian is professionally equipped with the knowledge, expertise, and tools to assist you in taking control of this condition and improving quality of life and/or sporting performance along the way. Gut health encompasses so many potential different conditions but as a Sports Dietitian and Nutritionist who has a particular interest in IBS management, I wanted to share this one. #5: Improving Productivity/Career Performance/Work PerformanceOne lesser known benefit that correct nutrition and eating practices can create, is improving your productivity and performance in your job. From being more present and effective physically to level up your cognition and taking your thinking potential to a new level, a good Dietitian can help you fuel your daily living better so you can hopefully excel in your career and smash your day. #6: Life Performance/Fuelling Your LongevityAs a Sports Dietitian, I am regularly speaking to people about sports performance and how nutrition can be harnessed for that. However, I am a big supporter of people thinking about how they perform outside of sports and the gym. This is what I have named “life performance” and it is a game changer if you are someone who wants to improve longevity, feel better day to day, and want to fuel your life in a way that enables you to be a better YOU (whether that is as a mother/father/brother/sister/friend/work professional). Do not dismiss the importance of working on your life performance because fuelling your longevity and legacy is something you won’t think about but is nonetheless a great ROI to look forward to. #7: Heart Health/Cardiovascular NutritionNow we are entering chronic disease territory which very well may not apply to you but is nonetheless a big part of what we as Dietitians do. I personally had my start in exclusively operating my business from doctors surgeries/medical centres where I was almost 100% seeing clients referred to me from the GP to help manage chronic conditions. One common such condition is heart disease and as such Dietitians are well equipped to help you navigate heart health and cardiovascular optimisation. #8: Type 2 Diabetes/Blood Sugar ManagementType 2 Diabetes is yet another chronic condition that I have had extensive experience in and often goes alongside some form of weight loss management. If you have diabetes, it is highly recommended you work with a Dietitian to manage your condition and help you leverage the correct nutrition regimen to help you conquer your blood sugar woes and transform your diet into something that helps you live better and longer. #9: Energy Optimisation/Daily Living FuelEver find yourself just getting up and going about your day but feeling like you just need the bed? Perhaps you just can’t seem to find the energy to be the best you possible to your family or at work? This is where a Dietitian can come in to help you re-arrange your diet in such a way that ensures you are providing your body and mind with the right nutrients, the correct food, and the best habits to enable you to fuel for activities of daily living. Some would consider this nutrition for general wellbeing - and that is correct. Simple but effective and a part of the toolbox that nutrition experts are equipped with. #10: Coeliac Disease Control/Gluten IntoleranceWe are back with some gut health! More specifcially, an auto immune diease that is related to gut health which makes it more chronic and very much in need of nutritional intervention. The right Dietitian has the expertise to help you navigate a gluten free life and take control over your coeliac disease. This is crucial for long term health and wellbeing as this condition can cause increased health deterioration if left unmanaged. So if you have coeliac disease it may be worth your while to book in with a Dietitian to discuss how they can develop a eating strategy that enables you to get the most out of your nutrition while managing the gluten issue. #11: Nutrition for Healthy Ageing/Attentuation of BreakdownAre you over 50 and wanting to regain some of your “Gene Se Qua” or wellbeing? Want to feel younger and do more but feeling held back or like you are spinning your wheels? Then there is a chance that your nutrition needs work or at least can help. As we age, things deteriorate. This is an unfortunate fact. owever, that does not mean you can’t work on reducing this “breakdown” nor does it mean you can’t leverage the power of nutrition to regain some strength and prowess! I work with many clients over the age of 50 and have helped them improve their nutrition to manage conditions, improve general wellbeing, and feel happier and healthier again. So if you haven’t seen a Dietitian before, it may be worthwhile doing so to see if there is a missing link in your nutrition that will help you age healthily. #12: Business Performance/Boss Fuel/Entrepreneurial PotentialAs a business owner myself, I understand the stress involved as well as the need to be at the top of your game day in day out. It can get full on at times and it is not uncommon to let things slide, including your health. Again…been there, done that. This is why I am an advocate of good nutrition for business performance too. Fuelling the entrepreneur if you will. There are some parallels between sporiting performance and business performance. I have helped working professionals and bosses leverage the right nutrition solutions to fuel their potential and do what they do in a better way. When the body and mind are fuelled, the outcomes follow. Treat yourself like a high performance athlete and consider seeking a Sports Dietitian to join your corner - because sports nutrition and principles are not just for the athlete on the field or court. #13: Immunity Reinforcement/”Get Sick Less” Advice “How do I boost my immune system?” - Asked by so many. While you can not “boost” immunity in the typical sense, it is no secret that food and immune health are very much linked. So if you find yourself getting sick too often, the severity increasing, or simply want to out yourself in the position where your immunity is the best it can be… Your food game is the answer. And the Dietitian is the equation. We can help you adjust your eating to optimise specific nutrient intake and establish a lifestyle and diet that is conducive to total health and balance. Food for thought (or should I say Food for Immunity? Haha ok I’ll stop). #14: Vegan and Vegetarian/Navigating Plant Based EatingThis one is super self explanatory. If you are a vegan or vegetarian, that is no issue at all. However, there are specific considerations that come into play. This means you need to ensure your nutrition is implemented in the correct way and is balanced effectively. A Dietitian who has knowledge of vegan and vegetarian (aka plant based eating) dieting can be an invaluable investment to ensure you do plant based the right way. #15: Development of Habits and Behaviours/Food Relationship RepairFinally, we have an underrated piece of the wellness puzzle. We all tend to push aside the development of habits and behaviours in favour of quicker solutions or “sexier” tips and tricks. However, habits and behaviours are fundamental enabablors and limitors of our potneital. They dictate the results we achieve long term. They are pillars of strwtagic nutrition because they ae the guarails that keep things in check. Similarly, your food relationship can make or break you and news flash…so many of your have crappy food relationships that need repariinng. This is where a Dietitian and Nutritionsit can come in. A mechanic for your food and performance faults and issues. Do not underestimate the importance of establishing the right habits and behaviours. They are the root of success in what I call the “Food Game”. RecapThere you go! Now you have insight into 15 things that a Sports Dietitian and Nutritionist can help you with. If one of your goals or aspirations fall within even 1 of these, it may be worthwhile to consider reaching out to a Dietitian to discuss. Remember that you need to approach everything with customisation so don’t follow generic advice and ensure you seek the right professional guidance if you need it or want to streamline yo self! In fact, out of curiosity... Are you perhaps not seeing the body you feel happier, healthier, and more confident in? Performance lagging like an early 2000’s dial up internet setup? Do you feel you need expert guidance when it comes to your fuelling, recovery, and nourishment? I may be able to be of assistance. If you are ready to take your nutrition and body to the next level and elevate your performance in a way that doesn’t make you want to punch your Sports Dietitian, then let’s chat. Basically I have developed a bespoke nutrition coaching solution that allows you to work with me personally 1:1 to help start bridging the gap between where you are now and where you want to be with your physique & performance. In this program, I'll personally coach you using my flexible nutrition system to help you harness the power of calories and macro strategy to regain your competitive edge - think of it as a bespoke nutrition solution that empowers you to eat better to achieve better. If you want to have someone in your corner guiding you with all this, ensuring you only focus on the ‘right stuff’, and get better results while doing it all… send me an email and let’s chat. I do high level nutrition coaching for active professionals, athletes, business owners and busy parents and I have spots open for new clients wanting to leverage the power of nutrition with a Sports Dietitian Ready to rock n roll or want to gather some info first? Simply email me at: [email protected] to have a chat about this and see if we are a good fit to work together and get you your best results yet. Or to apply now to see if you are a good fit, simply CLICK HERE and start the process for reaching your peak potential. Coach Aleksa Brisbane Sports Dietitian and Nutritionist
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AuthorHi there! My name's Aleksa Gagic - i'm a Brisbane Sports Dietitian & Brisbane Sports Nutritionist. I have 7+ years experience in providing professional nutrition consulting and want to help you learn about the power of flexible nutrition. Archives
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