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COACH'S CORNER CASE STUDY 3

You are a soccer coach and notice that many athletes on your team talk about their own bodies, others' bodies and diets often. Although you yourself discuss similar topics with friends, you are concerned for the athletes on your team.

What could you do? Select the best response below.

Nothing, I can’t address it since I do the same thing.

Not quite. Body and diet talk is so normalized, there is no shame in acknowledging you engage in it as well. However, you are being a positive role model by talking with your team about the harm such conversations can have.

Have a team meeting to discuss this topic and prohibit future body and diet talk.

This is partially correct. If you feel comfortable, this can be a good strategy.

Talk with each athlete individually to make sure there aren’t other issues present.

Correct! If you feel comfortable, this can be a good strategy. Depending on the team dynamics and/or your relationships with the athletes on the team, this may be more appropriate than a whole team discussion.

One of the girls, Kelsie, has recently gained a bit of weight. You have noticed that she has been eating less and she has come to you to ask for dieting advice.

What could you do? Select the best response below.

I can use my knowledge of nutrition to provide Kelsie with advice on how to lose weight.

Not quite. Even if you are qualified as a nutritionist, advice on how to lose weight can be harmful to physical and mental health. You will learn more about body inclusive coaching in the next module.

I could reassure Kelsie that it is natural for bodies to change and remind her that it can be harmful to eat too little.

Correct! You will learn more about body inclusive coaching in the next module.

I could reassure Kelsie that she can achieve weight loss through training and that she doesn’t have to diet.

Not quite. A focus on weight loss, whether through changes in diet or exercise, can be harmful for body image and health.

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Coach’s Corner Suggestions & Tips: Most people who diet fall into a cycle of weight loss and weight gain. This cycle can be harmful for physical and mental health, increasing the risk for heart disease, eating disorders, poor self-esteem, etc. You could:

Encourage your athletes to respect their signals of hunger.
Remind your athletes that our body knows what it needs. Learning this takes practice, which athletes can get by paying attention to signals like a growling tummy, light-headedness, weakness, trouble concentrating, fatigue and hunger pangs. With time, they will know the difference between extreme and mild hunger and learn to respond to mild hunger – before it gets extreme. You can encourage athletes to pay attention to hunger diminishing when they are eating and notice if it’s replaced by feelings of satisfaction, energy and relaxation.
Remind athletes that restricting or avoiding foods can make us feel deprived, which can get in the way of better recognizing our body signals. Embracing a variety of foods helps us avoid allowing some foods to create an emotional charge that gets in the way of enjoying them and selecting them in a way that honors our hunger and respect for our body.
Focus your coaching on athlete well-being and what their bodies can do, rather than what they look like. You will learn more about body functionality and body inclusive coaching in the next module.

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ApplyCOACH'S CORNER CASE STUDY 3

Apply
COACH'S CORNER CASE STUDY 3