Embrace Your Strength: Christine D’Ercole on Overcoming Struggles, Fueling for Success, and Building Confidence

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Welcome to Episode 32 of the Eat for Endurance Podcast, featuring Senior Peloton Instructor and Masters World Champion track cyclist, Christine D’Ercole.

Whether you're a Peloton rider already familiar with Christine or new to her story, I’m beyond excited to share her powerful nutrition journey today. Christine refers to herself as a storyteller, and she truly lives up to that.

Over the course of our 2+ hour conversation, she shared so many personal and inspiring stories - I honestly felt we could have kept going!

In this episode, we dive deep into Christine’s evolving relationship with food, how she learned to embrace and celebrate it, and why there’s so much more to food than just nutrition.

What We Cover in This Episode:

• The arc of Christine’s diverse career - from young ballerina and actress to competitive track cyclist and cycling instructor

• Her personal battle with bulimia during her teenage years

• How cycling helped transform her relationship with food and body image

• Becoming a mom in her late 20s and raising a body-positive daughter

• Returning to competitive sport and discovering how to fuel her body for success

• Shifting her mindset from fighting her body to learning to “embrace her build”

• The powerful origin of her signature mantra: “I am I can I will I do” and how it relates to nutrition and body image

• The ins and outs of competitive track cycling, including how to fuel for performance

• The journey to becoming a Peloton instructor

• What Christine’s everyday nutrition looks like now

• Tips for building confidence, nourishing your body and mind, and rejecting the harmful messages from diet culture and the media

Christine’s perspective on food and body image is truly inspiring, and here’s one of my favorite quotes that captures her approach perfectly:

"The most beautiful body is the one that can move, the one that at 80 can carry grandchildren up the stairs. Eat for that. The most beautiful arms are the ones that can hug. Eat for that. It’s beautiful."

A huge thank you to Christine for sharing her story with us, for showing us that change is possible, and for inspiring all of us every day on the bike.

Links & Resources:

• Christine's website: https://christinedercole.com

• Check out my free nutrition resources

• Use code PODCAST for 10% off my course, Peak Performance

• Sign up for my email list to download my FREE fueling before exercise guide

• Fill out a new client inquiry form if you’re interested in 1:1 nutrition coaching

• Join my Patreon community to support the pod while getting free merch, special discounts, and other perks for just $6/month

• Please subscribe or follow the show and rate/review it wherever you listen

• Get in touch at claire@eatforendurance.com.

• Music Credit: Joseph McDade

Disclaimer – all information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is in no way meant to replace individual medical and nutrition recommendations. If you'd like to work with me for individualized nutrition support, please reach out!