Female athletes everywhere know their period will affect how they feel, and how they feel will affect how they perform. Although skipping a few periods or missing a period all together could seem attractive for a female who feels like crap on her period, a missing period or dysfunctional cycle is a HUGE warning sign that cannot be ignored.

This article helps explain the science behind the importance of a female athlete’s period in helping her perform and recovery and why a female athlete may be missing her period. Read on!

Many athletes choose to follow a vegan diet for various reasons - this article does not intend to help you decide if being a vegan is right for you.

Rather, this article does intend to help you understand what you need to prioritize in order to be a high achieving (and recovering) female athlete.

Whether it be an ankle sprain, hamstring strain, shoulder injury, low back pain... at some point, we’ve been told to take some time off- to REST.

If your athlete is injured, this article is a MUST to understand what to do to so you can DECREASE her time to return to sport and DECREASE the chances of her getting injured again!

Protein is a necessary building block that helps your muscles produce force to propel your sprint up and down the field or court. But does your 8g of protein in your peanut butter & banana sandwich work the same as the 10g of protein from turkey lunch meat? What about the protein in your cheese stick versus your protein pasta?

Does protein type matter if you are an athlete vs not? Find out!

Sport specialization vs multi-sport athletes is a hot topic when considering athlete development.  When considering female athletes it is even hotter. And for good reason….

With knee injuries in female athletes occurring upwards of 2 to 5x the rate compared to male athletes in some sports, the relationship between sport specialization, sports success, and sports injuries is a conversation we NEED to have.

Although the topic is hot, the answer to the question: “should females athletes play multiple sports or specialize early?” is not so cut and dry...

Read on to find out why

Summer is here! That means vacations, eating out, and lots of ice cream. When you fall off your normal eating habits, many female athletes may consider a detox diet or a juice cleanse to help eliminate those vacation “toxins” and lose a couple LBs.

But what is the actual science behind this? Are detox diets & juice cleanses a good idea for female athletes?

Read on…..

Female overhead athletes are more likely to suffer a nagging shoulder pain or more severe injury at some point in her career. Find out how to differentiate between “HURT” and “INJURED” and what athletes can do to reduce their chance of future shoulder injuries….

Muscle soreness CAN lead to a decrease in power output! But is lifting weights the reason you are sore?

Or is there something “novel” we have to consider?

Mental toughness seems to be a buzz word among sport coaches with methods ranging from extra running and ‘team bonding activities to limited water breaks and getting sick after a bout of hard sprints.

Find out which methods are causing more harm than good and what parents, coaches, & fellow athletes can do instead to help maintain a positive & motivational atmosphere that is crucial for female athletic development.

Research demonstrates females are 3-6x more likely to experience an ACL injury compared to male athletes…..but are our hormones to blame?

Are female’s innately more fragile? Or is there much more to the story we need to consider….

Does eating smaller meals throughout your day actually help speed up your metabolism? Does it really matter?

If you want to know what the science says when it comes to “boosting” your metabolism, keep reading…

KT tape seems to be all the rage with athletes….but what does the science say?

Does KT tape help injuries heal faster? Can it make you feel better? Or is it just a waste of money…..?

Exercises that “work on” something and exercises that are designed within a training program will have vastly different results when considering female athletic development.

Learn how a training program differs from workouts, and how to approach programming for female athletes.

SUGAR FREE and LOW SUGAR are often associated positively with health. In fact, sugar has been demonized as a type of addiction from which some people suffer.

But is sugar really BAD? And if it is, should female athletes limit their consumption of sugar found in foods like Gatorade or cereal?

This article aims to help explain the SCIENCE of sugar and how it should fit within a female athlete’s diet.

Every year when pre-season comes around, females often suffer from shin splints.

Find out what shin splints actually are, why the female athlete gets them, and what she can do to reduce her chance of experiencing them next season!

GMO’s sound scary….but are they really something to fear?

Find out the scientific FACTS when it comes to genetically modified foods and if they fit in the female athlete’s diet!

By Emily R Pappas, MS

For many female athletes, experiencing an irregular or missing period during the sport season seems “normal”. In an attempt to “bring her period back”, some doctors may still suggest taking an oral contraceptive.

But for many female athletes, an irregular cycle is a signal that a female athlete’s natural hormones are not working properly. Placing a young adolescent female on an oral contraceptive may create an illusion that her period is “regular”, BUT it does NOT mean that her hormones are working optimally.

Unfortunately, current research shows us taking an oral contraceptive is a “band aid” to the problem and does not address the CAUSE.

For female athletes considering taking an oral contraceptive for irregular or missing periods, this article is a MUST.

Glute activation is a ‘buzz word’ especially when considering the female athlete

From monster walks to clamshells, find out the science behind what these movements actually do and a more efficient alternative when it comes to preparing for sport!

Before the 1980s, female athletes experienced restrictions in sport ranging from not being allowed to ride a horse during her period, to limiting the number of dribbles taken on the basketball court to keep her from from overexerting herself.

Although rules have changed, the association between females & fragility still exists and often creates a frustrating world for the female athlete to excel in.

Find out the history of women in sport, the influence of media, and why the misguided fear of “bulkiness” & lifting heavy still exists.

From bosu balls to 3 minute planks, coaches everywhere try to implement “core training” into their sports practice. A stable core helps athletes transfer force more efficiently allowing for harder kicks, faster sprints, higher jumps, and a more resilient athlete.

But here’s the thing, research shows us core stability and core training in isolation often have little to no transfer to sports performance.

Keep reading to find out the most effective way female athletes can develop core stability.