I'm back from maternity leave! This episode is a Q&A episode where I answer questions that have been submitted by listeners.

Questions for today’s episode include:

• I have always struggled with needing to go to the bathroom on runs. I have tried eliminating certain foods and even the FODMAP diet which I found to be restrictive. Do you have any reccomendations?
• I’m transitioning from high school to college training and I seem to be always hungry. We also don't practice until 5pm which has made fueling hard. Do you have any tips for managing hunger and fueling for later runs?
• I was diagnosed with osteopenia 2 years ago and even after going through eating disorder recovery and period restoration my follow up scan showed no improvements. Do you have any nutrition tips for building bone?
• I’m going to be walking on to my university's xc team this fall. Do you have any tips on how to navigate this transition to varsity running?

Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted questions so far! If you would like to submit a question for future episodes, you can do so on my website HERE or email me at fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.

While Maddie is on maternity leave, Alexa Gusman, the newest dietitian at Fueling Forward, is taking over to answer your questions! This episode is a Q&A episode where Alexa answers questions that have been submitted by listeners.

Questions for today’s episode include:

• How can I catch underfueling before it starts affecting my menstrual cycle? What are other signs of underfueling beyond normal workout fatigue or lack of sleep?
• I often find myself bingeing at night and initially thought it was from underfueling earlier in the day. However, even after increasing my intake earlier in the day, I’m still overeating at night. How can I prevent these evening binges?
• When is the best time to take iron, and what can I do to improve my ferritin?
• How can I respond to friends who share harmful food beliefs? And what’s the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist?

Thanks so much to everyone who has submitted questions so far! If you would like to submit a question for future episodes, you can do so on my website HERE or email me at fuelingforwardpodcast@gmail.com.

This episode is an interview with professional runner for Nike, Christina Aragon. Christina is a Montana native where she grew up running and doing gymnastics. She was a 12x state champion between track and cross country, and even competed in the Olympic trials in the 1500 as a high schooler. Christina went on to run at Stanford University, where she was a 9x All-American and the 2016 U20 World Championships bronze medalist in the 1500. After college, Christina signed a professional contract with Nike and moved to Eugene to join the Bowerman Track Club, which has now morphed into the Oregon Track Club. Most recently, she finished 10th in the 1500 at the 2024 US Olympic Trials.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it was like balancing both gymnastics and running at a high level in high school, and how she ended up making the hard decision to give up gymnastics to focus on running
• How she navigated pressure as a high school runner and why she found national competitions helped take the pressure off
• Her struggles with body image that impacted her fueling starting her senior year of high school, and how this impacted her transition to collegiate running
• How losing he period for 3 years ended up leading to a 3 year injury cycle, and why it’s so important to fix the root cause of the issue and to allow your body to go through puberty
• How guidance from a teammate and coach helped her pull back her training and eat more to ultimately regain her health and get back to running
• What her transition from collegiate to professional running was like, and how she has been able to focus on honing in her mental skills for racing