Episode 219: Does Your Gymnast Have REDs? What's Changed Since 2022 (and What Parents Need to Know Before Comp Season)

Four years ago, our RED-S episode became one of the most downloaded episodes of this podcast. A lot has changed since then. In 2023, the International Olympic Committee updated how REDs (relative energy deficiency in sport, or underfueling) is defined and screened for, and most gymnastics parents, coaches and doctors haven't caught up. If your gymnast is heading into comp season tired, banged up, moody or just not herself, start here.

In this episode:
→ What REDs actually does inside your gymnast's body, from hormones and periods to bones, iron, sleep and mood
→ How underfueling shows up in the gym: lost power, fading at the end of practice, the recovery gap, and the deductions I see as a judge that are really energy problems
→ The 6 biggest changes in the 2023 update, including why one rough practice is NOT REDs and why carbs matter on their own
→ What to ask your gymnast's doctor about growth charts, periods, stress fractures and labs
→ Why boys get REDs too
→ 4 things to check this week before comp season

Timestamps
02:16 A quick refresher: what REDs is
03:40 How REDs affects every system in the body
04:40 Bones and the 300-calorie gap
08:17 How REDs shows up in the gym
09:35 Coordination, focus and what I see as a judge
11:04 Change #1: the new name
11:56 Change #2: low energy is a spectrum
13:42 Change #3: carbs matter on their own
15:08 Change #4: it can look like overtraining or a mood problem
16:00 Change #5: the doctor's screening tool and what to ask
17:42 Change #6: boys get REDs too
18:25 Why this matters before comp season
18:57 4 things to do this week
20:09 How we can help

Links & Resources
Free: Is Your Gymnast Underfueled!? masterclass
Read it: Does Your Gymnast Have REDs? What Changed in the 2023 Update (blog post)
Listen: Episode 04: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and Gymnastics (the original)
Listen: Episode 139: Acute vs Chronic Underfueling
Listen: Episode 64: Is Your Gymnast Overtrained or Underfueled?
Listen: Episode 213: Is Underfueling Behind Your Gymnast's Mood Swings?
Work with us: The Balanced Gymnast® Program (Level 5-10 + Elite)
Boys: Men's gymnastics nutrition program
Instagram: @the.gymnast.nutritionist

Head to www.christinaandersonrdn.com/program to apply for The Balanced Gymnast® today, and we'll help you figure out if the program is the right fit for your gymnast.