Optimizing Elite Athlete Performance and Combating RED-S with Jill Lane

Conversations for Health

In addition to being a mom of 3, Jill Lane has spent over 15 years consulting, coaching, and teaching functional nutrition and exercise physiology. Her passion for helping pro athletes, sports families, and high achievers attain maximum strength, quick recovery, heightened energy, sharp focus, and optimal body fat for peak performance has become the cornerstone of her business. Some of her current and past clients include coaches and players from the NFL, NBA, and MLB as well as aspiring MMA and Olympic athletes. As a former High School All-American, Olympic Development Team Member, Collegiate, and Semi-Pro athlete herself, Jill has a clear understanding of what competitive athletes require to achieve and sustain their personal best. Her mission to support the next generation of student-athlete leaders (as well as those who lead them daily) comes full circle in her event, program, and academy called Fueling Champions™. Fueling Champions follows Jill’s proprietary 3-step process, FEED, LEAD, SUCCEED so families of student-athletes can achieve healthy success, together.

Together Jill and I discuss the health challenges facing elite student and professional athletes and the role that practitioners can play in optimizing their performance. Jill highlights the negative impact of RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport), the importance to functional medicine practitioners of understanding RED-S, and offers tactics to help practitioners have more effective conversations with their patients. Together we address key supplements for athletes, including protein intake, fish oil, and Vitamin D. Jill also offers recommendations based on her vast experience for injury prevention and illness reduction and shares the advice that practitioners need to hear to keep their elite athletes on the field, in the pool, or on the track.

I’m your host, Evelyne Lambrecht, thank you for designing a well world with us.

Key Takeaways:

[2:02] Jill’s journey into sports nutrition was born out of necessity and personal experience.

[5:02] Key changes Jill has seen in performance nutrition in recent years.

[7:15] RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) in a timeline and a detailed description of chronic low energy availability.

[17:05] The importance to functional medicine practitioners of understanding RED-S and having effective conversations with patients about it.

[19:44] The negative impact of RED-S on hormone, bone, and organ development.

[22:38] 3 effective communication tactics for setting student-athletes up for optimal performance.

[29:21] Key macronutrient needs differences between endurance and strength athletes.

[32:22] RED-S intake form resources for practitioners and the importance of raising awareness.

[36:47] Nutritionally supporting clients in injury prevention and returning to performance.

[45:04] Protein powder age and dosing recommendations.

[46:45] Fish oil and Vitamin D action items for injury prevention and risk reduction.

[49:26] Evelyn shares an encouraging supplement concussion recovery success story.

[52:34] The importance of using Certified For Sports products for all athletes.

[58:12] Jill’s top three personal supplements, favorite health practices, and the viewpoint on carbohydrates that she has changed her mind about throughout her career.

Episode Resources:

Jill Lane

2014 IOC Consensus Statement on RED-S

2023 BJSM RED-S Update

Nicky Keay RED-S Endocrine diagram paper

Injury and Rehab Nutrition

Fueling Champions

Design for Health Resources:

Designs for Health

Blog: Krill Oil for Muscle Health and Recovery

Science Update: Meta-analysis Investigates Efficacy of Vitamin D Supplementation on Bone Health

Blog: The Synergy of Vitamins D and K on Bone Health

Sports Performance Protocol

Nutrition Notes: Fuel Exercise Properly

Visit the Designs for Health Research and Education Library which houses medical journals, protocols, webinars, and our blog.