PODCAST

Everyone hates this answer! Dr. Gemma Sampson delves into the complexities of sports nutrition, emphasising that there are rarely one-size-fits-all solutions. She explains that nutritional choices should be tailored based on individual factors such as personal preferences, training loads, and lifestyle. Dr. Sampson highlights the importance of context, using examples such as coeliac disease to illustrate when clear-cut answers exist versus more nuanced scenarios. She encourages individuals to experiment and identify effective strategies that work uniquely for them, while also being mindful of sustainable practices for long-term health and performance. Dr. Sampson advises taking small, incremental steps towards healthier eating habits and emphasises that flexibility and personalization are key in achieving optimal nutrition outcomes.

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Dr. Gemma Sampson addresses the common misconception surrounding the popular 1200-calorie diet, especially in the context of female athletes and active individuals. She emphasises that most people require more than 1200 calories just to maintain essential bodily functions. Dr. Sampson highlights the negative effects of low-calorie diets, including muscle mass loss and metabolic rate decline. She advocates for personalised, adaptive nutrition strategies to support physical activity and overall health, stressing the importance of consuming the right nutrients in adequate amounts. Through personal anecdotes and studies, she illustrates the benefits of a well-rounded diet that exceeds minimal energy requirements, leading to sustainable long-term health outcomes.

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Dr. Gemma Sampson discusses the often-overlooked difficulty of getting started on personal and professional goals.

She shares her own experiences with various goals, such as writing a book and improving in cycling and strength training, and highlights how starting and sticking to tasks can lead to enjoyment and achievement.

Dr. Sampson emphasises the importance of accountability, body doubling, and social support to help individuals initiate and maintain progress toward their goals. She encourages listeners to take small, actionable steps towards goals, recognizing the long-term benefits and intrinsic motivation that can arise from consistent effort.

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In this episode, Dr. Gemma Sampson shares her insights and experiences as a sports dietitian assisting the Luca Cycling Club on a coast-to-coast trip in Italy. She emphasizes the critical importance of proper nutrition in enduring long cycling days, where athletes ride between 100 to 150 kilometers and climb up to 3000 meters daily. Dr. Sampson details her responsibility in preparing daily meals to ensure the cyclists are fully fueled, incorporating carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, customized to individual preferences and dietary restrictions. She highlights the significance of varied and balanced meals to prevent flavour fatigue and maintain athletes' energy and motivation.

The episode also discusses the planning of ride food snacks, hydration solutions, and recovery nutrition to facilitate optimal performance and recovery. Dr. Sampson reflects on the positive feedback from cyclists, emphasizing the holistic benefits of nutrition beyond just fueling the body.

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Ever wondered if weighing your food could make a difference in your diet? Dr Gemma Sampson answers a listener's question about weighing food. She explains that weighing food can be helpful for understanding portion sizes, learning what's in food, and preventing overwhelm or fears around eating.

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In this episode, host Gemma welcomes pro female cyclist Sarah Gigante to the podcast. Sarah, who rides for AG Insurance Soudal, recently finished 7th overall in the Tour de France Femme. They discuss Sarah's nutrition journey over the past few years, her meticulous fueling strategies during races, and the vital role of team support and proper nutrition in elite cycling performance. Sarah shares insights from her experiences, including the challenges and impacts of maintaining optimal dietary habits before, during, and after races. They also reflect on how women's cycling nutrition has advanced and the importance of continuous learning and adapting in an athlete's career.

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Frankie Hall is an elite female cyclist who discusses the importance of proper fuelling and nutrition in her training and racing. She shares how changing her fuelling strategy has been like a real-life Sims cheat code, improving her performance, energy levels, and overall quality of life.

Frankie emphasizes the mindset shift from fearing food and restricting calories to embracing fuelling as a way to enhance training and racing. She talks about the confidence and freedom that comes with understanding her nutritional needs and being able to enjoy food without guilt or anxiety.

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Hi Gemma! Is it ok to eat a larger evening meal the night before a big ride / competition the next morning rather than fuelling with breakfast? (e.g. if a super early start is needed or low appetite / nerves in the morning mean that eating a biggish breakfast is difficult).

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Gemma talks with Carina Hamel, a lifelong athlete, mother, and co-founder of Bivo drink bottles.

Carina shares the story behind Bivo and how she and her husband identified a gap in the market for non-plastic hydration solutions for athletes and everyday use. She discusses her journey from a career in footwear product development to starting her own business, the challenges of balancing motherhood with entrepreneurship, and the importance of creating products that address real-world issues like minimizing microplastic exposure.

The conversation also touches on the personal joys and challenges of parenting, finding balance, and the importance of having fun and staying active with family.

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Gemma interviews Dr. Jose Areta about the energy needs of female cyclists, particularly during events like the Tour de France. They discuss a recent study on energy expenditure in female athletes, highlighting surprising findings such as high daily caloric needs and energy deficits similar to male cyclists. The conversation touches on the complexity of measuring energy intake and expenditure, the challenges of conducting accurate research, and the impacts of chronic low energy availability on performance and health. Dr. Areta emphasizes the need for more extensive research on female athletes and calls for support in this area. They also discuss broader factors affecting athlete performance, such as psychological stress and sleep, advocating for a holistic approach to athlete health.

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In this episode, host Gemma sits down with pro cyclists Lizzie Holden and Nick Schultz to discuss the concept of 'Pock-it Fuel' and its role in sports nutrition. They explore how their interest in baking and nutrition led to creating homemade training snacks. The cyclists share personal insights on the importance of fueling correctly, overcoming flavour fatigue, and incorporating variety into ride food. They dive deep into the nutritional strategies used in racing versus training, the psychological aspects of food, and the evolving understanding and acceptance of adequate fuel among pro cyclists.

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Gemma shares her most overlooked and undervalued nutrition tip: incorporating more plants into your diet. She highlights the significant benefits of eating a diverse range of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds

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Is there anything about your life that you regret or wish you could change looking back? One of the most impactful books I've read is the top 5 regrets of the dying by Bonnie Ware. Sounds morbid but it is a very inspirational book and thinking about these regrets helps me make decisions and live a life full of intention.

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What's changed in pro cycling nutrition? I joined Tim Podlogar, Sam Impey and David Dunne at Hexis Elite Cycling Nutrition Conference Q&A panel to discuss fuelling practices, whether we need to fuel at 120g per hour, cyclists using ozempic to lose weight, protein, vegan nutrition and more.

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How do you learn to like eating healthy? This is a question I received on Instagram and I found it very interesting because the meaning we attach to the word healthy can influence how easy or difficult we perceive it to achieve.

In this episode I discuss what healthy may or may not look like for you and steps to help you make changes to live a healthier lifestyle and eat in a healthier way without feeling deprived or overwhelmed.

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Often people come to me with these idealistic goals and visions of what they want to do achieve or change around their nutrition. Kind of like how at the beginning of the year we can get sucked into the whole new year new me resolutions kind of things. This year I'm going to be different. We make all these changes, but they are so far from our starting point that we set ourselves up for failure and most people give up before January is even finished. We are more than a quarter of the way through 2024, can we all get on board and agree that the whole new years resolution style of thinking just doesn't work? You know what DOES work though?

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If you get dropped on a ride - does that demotivate you or does it motivate you?

Maybe I'm weird, but for some strange reason when it comes to group rides, being dropped REALLY motivates me to work harder and to ride my bike more regularly.

It all started with the Sefton park chain gang 9 years ago in Liverpool.

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