In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I have a great conversation with a fellow registered dietitian, Stevie Lyn Smith. We start out discussing the education and early career pathways for dietitians, and Stevie shares how she found herself working with athletes after starting in clinical nutrition. Stevie shares about her background playing lacrosse in high school and college before finding endurance sports more recently. Completing her first Ironman prompted her to first consider sports nutrition, and we discuss how our personal experiences in athletics help us better relate to clients. Stevie explains her 3 foundations to fueling endurance events: fluids, carbohydrates, and sodium, understanding that within these categories, everyone has different preferences and strategies that work for them. We underscore the importance of an individualized nutrition approach: there is no one size fits all, especially when it comes to optimizing sports performance. Stevie discusses her recent work with Shalane Flanagan during Shalane’s Project Eclipse, running 6 marathons in 6 weeks during the fall of 2021. Stevie helped Shalane fuel for performance and optimal recovery between all the marathons. Post-race blood testing with InsideTracker highlighted high levels of inflammation and cortisol, prompting Shalane to dial in her nutrition around workouts and races. Stevie emphasizes the importance of nutrient timing and intentionally fueling appropriately before, during and after workouts to maximize performance, recovery, and adaptation to training. We talk about blood testing and monitoring internal biomarkers to optimize health and performance. Regular blood testing is not just for elite athletes like Shalane Flanagan, both Stevie and I use InsideTracker ourselves. Checking in with what’s happening on the inside can help all of us better dial in our nutrition to improve health, longevity and energy levels, in addition to optimizing performance and achieving athletic goals. Use code RISEUPNUTRITION for 25% off any InsideTracker plan + free results review over phone/ email with a registered dietitian, me! Follow Stevie on Instagram @ stevielynlyn and check out her business stevielynrd.com Learn more about Stevie on the For The Long Run podcast: Ep 194. Stevie Smith: Identity and growth as an athlete and business owner Stevie’s Official Bio: Stevie Lyn is a Registered Sports Dietitian and avid endurance athlete. Her mission is to help educate and coach athletes on how to fuel their goals and mindset while not sacrificing their health or happiness. As a board-certified specialist in sports nutrition, Stevie Lyn has helped hundreds of athletes and active individuals fuel to improve their performance, energy levels, and recovery without feelings of guilt or restriction. When she’s not swimming, biking, or running, you’ll find her in the kitchen working on a new recipe or out on the trails with her dog. Learn more about Lindsey's Services and the Team at Rise Up Nutrition: www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com Worried that you have RED-S? Curious to know how we could help or how you can recover fast?! Download the RED-S Recovery Race & see how you place for more support: www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com/reds