Pure Grit Performance

Excited to announce that I will be joining nutrition team as a Performance Dietitian Fellow with University of Washington Football for the 2023 season!

Let the games begin.
Go Dawgs! 🏈💜🐾

What a whirlwind of a week in the beautiful city of Boston!

Here is my Female Athlete Conference recap 🙌🏼

I am blown away by the caliber of speakers, panel participants, and attendees present.

This incredibly impressive event was jammed packed with the newest of the new research in female athlete literature, REDS, and dove into hot button topics that need attention.

As I process ALL of the information absorbed, here are my biggest takeaways:

1️⃣ LEANER DOES NOT = BETTER performance. This continues to be true. There is very little evidence to support a lighter athlete performs better. A fueled athlete is a successful athlete.

2️⃣ Our athletes are suffering mentally. They need to be checked in on and given resources for help. Tragedy should not dictate policy. We can do better.

3️⃣ We need to include our athletes in the conversation. As practitioners and coaches how often do we ask them what they want to know/where they have deficits?

4️⃣ A lot of women and coaches do not know how the menstrual cycle and contraceptives work with performance. (Not having a period is NOT normal. Bleeding on an OCP is NOT a period.)

5️⃣ Pregnant and postpartum athletes don’t always have a seat at the table. We need to do better at supporting women in this phase of life so they can succeed as a human, a mom, and as an athlete.

The keynote speakers brought their stories of trials, tribulations, inspiration, and life lessons to the stage. These are the big three that I live by as well and will pass on to you:

🔥 Speak your truth.
🔥 “No” is not no forever, it’s just not right now.
🔥 You can do hard things.

For the future I’d like to see more military/firefighting evidence as well as more coaches with seats at the table/in attendance.

Until next time, thank you to all the people who made the Female Athlete Conference possible. It was spectacular!

I had the privilege of attending the celebration for the 50th Anniversary of the Medic One program over the weekend!

What a great event to hear stories from some of the very first medics in Seattle and appreciate the history and impact this program has had in innovating the EMS system and connecting disciplines through the chain of care.

It’s absolutely wild to think that 50 years ago, medics as we know them didn’t exist, and how different outcomes would be if we didn’t have them today.

The History in a Nutshell:

Dr. Leonard Cobb and SFD Chief Gordon Vickery shared a vision to create pre-hospital medical treatment program to improve patient care and survival rates for cardiac events and trauma.

Together with Dr. Copass, they created a program that not only innovated on a local level but it has become a paramedic program that inspires on the national and international scene.

Their Legacy:

There is a saying we have in here inspired by Morley Shafer, “if you’re going to have a heart attack, have it in Seattle.”

The Medic One program is a trailblazer for triage and patient care in the field. Graduates of this program have a save rate for cardiac events that is double the national average.

Today the Medic One program trains paramedics from Fire Departments all over Washington State and is a system that is emulated around the world.

Other fun fact I learned: every single senior graduating from HS in WA State is require to be CPR certified.

If you are not CPR certified, go get certified! ❤️

Bystander CPR (chest compressions) saves lives. You never know if you’ll have the opportunity to make an impact in someone’s life.

Follow for more tips on nutrition, strength, and resilience! 🥦💪🏼🔥

"Do or Do Not. There is no Try" - Yoda

Do you want to perform better?
Do you want to live a healthier life?

Then commit to your goals!

Stop TRYING be be committed to them.

You are either IN or you are OUT.

Living in the middle will get you nowhere but frustrated.

If your sleep is garbage, what are the things within your control that your need to do to fix it?

If you’re skipping your warm-ups and recovery sessions but are still complaining about aches, pains, and injuries - get your sessions in.

If you aren’t see progress in the gym because aren’t eating enough calories, learn how to fuel your body.

Goals require change. Change is hard.

Diving in head first if you’re not ready to commit to your destination or uniformed on the path to get there can be defeating.

Get ready. Get informed. Get committed.

Go forth and conquer.

Be ready to get uncomfortable in the process. Because change is uncomfortable folks.

MAY THE 4th BE WITH YOU!!

Follow for more tips on nutrition, strength, and resilience! 🥦💪🏼🔥