Surviving the Olympic Games as a Travelling Athlete

I feel privileged and excited to be chosen to answer questions on a panel for the Olympic Games. The panel provides a a platform for athletes from all over the world to ask a Sports Dietitian questions. Many of my answers to the athletes will be reviewed by a sports journalist and perhaps written up in her articles for circulation to the athletes.

You may remember my  article in Runner’s World (International),  April 2009 that brought lots of glory to Optimal Nutrition for Life (aka “me”, “Ilana”) … That article was so well received that the same journalist asked me to be on this panel.  I am extremely proud to report that she really admires and respects my work ethic with respect to answering her requests right away; my credentials; my sense of humour and candor for recreational journalism like this . She has used my expertize for many articles that make up my current portfolio.

This blog was thus inspired by some of the athletes’ questions I answered. Many questions had to do with being fed the same old food at the hostels where they were staying and the challenge of having access to sports appropriate food. Many of them gave me their typical breakfasts prior to long training days.  I was blown away by the lack of knowledge on sports nutrition at that elite level of athleticism.  I thus decided to post this article I wrote for my own traveling athletes (mmm… not too many of mine are in these Vancouver games, but can all relate to some extent to what a challenge traveling for sport can be) …

Hopefully this blog can in some way inspire the athlete in all of us. It is also meant for us to perhaps realize some of the “behind the scenes”  challenges  for Olympic athletes besides their intense level of training and competition. So enjoy, be inspired, and may some of these tips come in handy one day if you too have to travel, whether it be as an Olympic athlete , an elite athlete, a recreational athlete, or even just as a relaxing vacationer  who does not want to blow your  body composition goals just because you are traveling…

Here is the article: Sports Nutrition Tips for Travelling Athletes

Another article you might be interested in: What should I eat before each training run?

So what did you think? Is this information useful? Did you agree with it? Let me know!