Sporty Gal
My daughter has taught me so much about being a naturopath. She has been my guinea pig from day one.
She's now eleven (year six) and in her sporty gal era. Playing team sport has been a game changer for her. She's hungrier and therefore less fussy and getting more nutrients in. She sleeps better and therefore wakes more refreshed and in a better mood. Plus she has more goals (excuse the pun) and gets to have fun with her friends.
This is her sportiest year yet and I'm learning so much about the proper fuelling she needs before training as well as supporting her recovery to avoid her immunity/energy/hormones getting wobbly. We're trying to get her to pack the snack box that goes to training/games/gala days to give her some ownership about being prepared. I've seen when she has under-fuelled and it's not pretty!
I find that there is such a mentality of “Oh they'll just burn it off!” around sugary stuff and sporty kids. We're trying to talk to her about coconut water as a source of electrolytes instead of sports drinks and why protein is important for strong muscles.
If you have a tween or teen needing some support with their gut, skin, sleep, hormones, food choices, immunity or energy, feel free to book in over the school hols! Sometimes it helps to not hear it from mum or dad!
Emma the Naturopath xx