Almost 20 years ago a talented young female athlete asked me to coach her. Natalie Barnard (as she was known then) was part of the Performance Squad at Loughborough, and she wanted a different approach to the one provided the the coaches at the centre. Natalie was already struggling with some issues around eating, and the highly competitive atmosphere at Loughborough wasn’t helping. We worked together for a short time until the weight loss led to a knee injury. Not only did she need to look after her poorly knee, she needed some very specific help to overcome her eating problems. We stopped working together at that point because she wasn’t doing any training. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when years later not only did I see that Natalie was racing again, but she was happily married and the mother of 4 children. 
 
This is the story of how Natalie managed to take control of her eating, return to health and winning ways. She is very honest and open about her previous and ongoing struggles and we do touch on some very sensitive topics. If there is anything that you hear which causes you to have concerns about family members, friends, training partners or club mates please look out for the links in the show notes below which will guide you to places where you can find help for yourself or loved ones. Topics covered include:
 
Spinning Plates (3:00)
Competitive environments and the prevalence of eating disorders (28:00)
The performance and health impacts of being too light (47:50)
Winning at Long Course Weekend 2023 (1:01:30)
The importance of having a support system (1:06:45)
Being a competitive athlete and managing an eating disorder (1:12:45)
How strength training can help you become a healthy human (1:18:10)

 
To find out more about Natalie please use the following channels
Website: www.nlfitness.net 
Instagram: @nattyb0  and @natlawrencecoach 
YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCvFMf3AHaEjMQZLBiye_sUw
 
Natalie is very open about her eating disorder and nutritional challenges. This is an interview on This Morning regarding the exercise anorexic culture is this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tTdZbLnQ6pI
 
To find out more about eating disorders and how to find help for anyone you are connected with who might be dealing with this please visit - The RED-S Project
 
Natalie also recommends the following books which she has enjoyed reading
Labyrinth - Kate Mosse
Breaking the Chain by Willy Voet - Festina 1988 - how drugs bought a cycling team to its knees
 

To contact Beth regarding Life Coaching, please email her at Info@BethanyWardLifeCoaching.uk.
 
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Sports Nutrition questions - if you have a sports nutrition question that you would like answered on the podcast, please email it to me via Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.
 

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