153. Olympian Elise Cranny's Journey with RED-S

This Female Athlete Nutrition podcast episode is with Tokyo 2020 Olympian Elise Cranny. Currently a Nike-sponsored professional runner, Elise found success early on in high school and college, before going on to compete in the Olympics and set multiple American records. These highs have not been without lows, and Elise shares about her struggles with relative energy deficiency in sports (RED-S) that led her down a path of injuries, fatigue, and underperformance. We discuss the steps she took to recover her period, overcome injuries, and restore her mental and physical health through proper fueling and reduced training. Elise is an incredible role model to all athletes, speaking candidly about how embracing body changes, weight gain, and eating more has made her a better, faster, less injured runner. She uses her story to help others avoid the pitfalls of RED-S and underfueling through her social media and the Voice In Sport (VIS) platform. We talk about how the menstrual cycle can be a superpower: Finally, we get an inside look at what fuels this Olympian, and leaves Elise feeling strong and energized.

In this episode we talk about:

-avoiding early sport specialization

-Elise’s soccer and multisport background

-Elise’s running trajectory: from high school and college, to professionally with the Bowerman Track Club and at the Olympics 

-role models and mentorship with Voice In Sport (VIS) 

-relative energy deficiency in sports (RED-S)

-Elise’s RED-S struggles: multiple injuries, low bone density, missing periods, underfueling 

-RED-S and amenorrhea recovery: decreasing training, focusing on fats and proper workout fueling, avoid energy deficits

-body changes and weight gain

-the importance of a regular period

-positive food experiences

-what an Olympian eats in a day

-end of the podcast questions

Follow Elise on Instagram @elise.cranny and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition 

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