Welcome to episode 84 of the Eat for Endurance podcast, featuring fellow sports dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner (RDN, CSSD).
Dawn is all about “positive nutrition” and the idea that “joy is a nutrient,” which really captured my attention, as I send similar messaging to my clients. I encourage them to fuel themselves fully so they can feel good, perform well, and just as importantly, have FUN. Because no one is having fun when they’re tired, underfed, injured, sick, burnt out, or not supporting and appreciating their body in other ways.
If you're rolling your eyes and wondering, what on earth does joy have to do with nutrition, health, and athletic performance?! Listen to this episode and learn. Dawn’s own struggles motivated her to develop skills to access more joy, and she realized through this process just how impactful joy can be as a success strategy when applied to all parts of her life, including nutrition and lifestyle behaviors. We also discuss how to cultivate body gratitude, combat poor body image, achieve one’s “best” weight, incorporate more play and simplicity into the everyday, what to do when joy feels out of reach, and SO much more.
To be clear, we're not saying that every moment is joyful and fun - of course not! I have little kids and live a real life with plenty of tough moments, and I’ve had my fair share of crappy workouts and races. We're also not telling you to put on a fake smile. But we can all slow down enough that we catch and appreciate geniune moments of joy, while also being kinder to our bodies and fueling ourselves in a way that supports health and feels good.
This is one of my favorite episodes, and I hope you love it as much as I do.