By Alexis Young
Staff Writer
“What works for those who are sedentary doesn’t work for those who are competitive athletes.”
Tim Wierman, presenter at the ‘Eat to Compete’ presentation hosted Monday by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), said student-athletes need different nutritional requirements than the average sedentary individual.
Wierman, who earned his degree in Nutrition Education from Immaculata University, created the “Eat to Compete Sports Nutrition Education Presentation Program” in graduate school.
“I saw a need for sports nutrition education for student-athletes and coaches at the college level,” said Wierman. “At the time, very few schools had the sports nutrition support available to their athletic departments. I felt there was a void there and wanted to fill that void.”
Through his talks, Wierman hopes to increase nutrition knowledge. According to Wierman, increased knowledge in nutrition leads to improved diet and better health over a lifetime.
“A misconception [about nutrition], there are no quick fixes/magic bullets to long-term weight loss. You can’t buy your way to a long-term, permanent weight loss,” said Wierman. “Yes, you can purchase products [or] dietary plans that will assist in short-term weight loss; however, more often, the weight returns.”
To combat fad diets and weight loss supplements, Wierman has spoken at schools in more than 35 states, from large universities, such as Notre Dame, to small DIII schools.
Wierman presented a few points about nutrition, but the majority of the presentation was opened up to the student athletes to ask the questions they had.
“I had met with other nutritionists before this talk,” said Emily Izydorczak, a sophomore cross country runner and education major. “Before, I was simply taught what was important to eat and what foods that I should be staying away from. This experience included the ‘why’ behind that information, which I found helpful and interesting.”
Caleb Johnson, a sophomore cross country runner and marketing major, said he was captivated by the presentation.
“I was surprised by how engaged I was. With the irresponsibly small amount of information coaches give on nutrition, this was a step in the right direction. I learned how I can better fuel myself for running and for other activities going forward.”
Izydorczak said she enjoyed the presentation.
“The talk was certainly beneficial as I not only learned about nutrition through my sport, but I also learned about proper nutrition when I finish my sport.”
youngam13@bonaventure.edu
