Your Link To Nutrition And Becoming A Normal Human After Retirement From Sports w/ Lauren Link
Lauren Link is a former Purdue soccer player and she currently serves as the Director of Sports Nutrition at Purdue University. Most recently, Lauren authored the book Athlete to Normal Human for former elite athletes struggling in their transition to life after sports. Lauren was inspired to write this book based on her own experience with the athlete transition and because of what she has observed professionally while working with the athletes at Purdue.
Nutrition is often something that is neglected in an athlete's transition to life after sports for a variety of reasons. A couple of these reasons include the lack of experience grocery shopping and cooking in general. In addition, retired athletes adjusting to a new schedule or lack there of can make, quick, convenient and sometimes unhealthy food options their first choice when looking fuel up. Lauren and I dive deep into the ways retired athletes can combat these struggles and make prioritizing your health and nutritious eating as easy as pie.
Below are some additional topics of discussion in episode 108:
What you can find in the book
Nutrition advice
Fitness advice
Social advice
Why making new friends can feel like dating.
What to do with all that time when you aren’t a collegiate athlete anymore.
Finding a new fitness program that works for you/finding the motivation without a coach.
Looking for other outlets of camaraderie when you no longer are part of a team.
Lauren's experience with nagging knee pain from overuse injuries.
Exercising for longevity.
The best parts of being a retired athlete.
Necessary nutritional changes in the athlete transition.
Managing your calorie intake.
Ways to keep calorie expenditure up after athletic career.
What your plate should look like at each meal.
Examples of nutrient dense foods.
Grocery shopping (Video below)
The benefits of cooking in bulk.
Making a grocery list.
How new NCAA regulations can be enabling athletes to never learn how to cook.
Lauren's thoughts on food delivery services like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron.
Why football players tend to struggle nutritionally in their transition to life after sports.
Appropriate approaches to weight-loss.
Muscle’s role in metabolism.
Nutrition recommendations for injured athletes.
Anti-inflammatory foods.
The role of sleep in injury recovery.
Foods that cause inflation.
What inflammation looks like at a cellular level.
Lauren's thoughts on Netflix documentaries like What The Health.
Why retired athletes should be conscious of their sodium intake.
Tips for athletes who transition to desk jobs.
