The health of female athletes is often overlooked or underrepresented in sporting organizations across the world. This is one of the reasons why Mhairi Maclennon and Kate Sealy founded Kyniska Advocacy – to educate, advocate, and provide support for female athletes. In cooperation with Project RED-S, they recently released the Female Athletes Health Report, which will form the basis of many recommendations in women’s sports.
Recommendations from the Female Athlete Health Report
Mandatory female health training within all sports organizations
A toolkit for athletes to have information early
Support network about RED-S and female athlete health
Equipping medical professionals with the information they need about RED-S
About Kyniska Advocacy
Kyniska Advocacy advocates for progressive policies in women’s sports, enacting change one campaign at a time. They want to instill an equitable sporting culture from grassroots clubs to the Olympic games and everything in between.
Their vision is to create a sporting community that fosters a safe environment and has the protection of women at its heart. To develop sport, where decisions are made with women in mind, by people who understand us, and where women have a seat at the table. And to build a world where men’s sport isn’t the default standard for women's sport.
Kyniska Advocacy is fighting for equity in sports, and sports tailored to different needs.
They work through three principal pillars; educate, advocate, and support. They educate via webinars, resources, and campaigns. They advocate by working with parliamentarians and sports governing bodies to shape policies and procedures to better protect, respect and celebrate women and girls in sports. And they support through our athlete support service, our athlete blog & using our platform to give women in sports a voice.
Policy Change for Female Athletes
Kyniska Advocacy Co-Founders Mhairi Maclennan and Kate Seary join the conversation today to talk about their initiative and why they co-sponsored the Female Athlete Health Report with Project RED-S. They build their foundation because of the lack of responsibility within UK sports organizations for the abuse and overall health of female athletes.
Mhairi and Kate share some of the challenges they’ve experienced around any policy change for women’s sports. While they experience resistance across the board, more and more athletes find their voices powerful and can enact change.
The Female Athlete Health Report
Understanding female athlete health is pivotal to the work of Kyniska Advocacy. They partnered with Project RED-S for the Female Athlete Health Report, where 800 female athletes filled out the survey. They focused on details such as RED-S, eating habits, and how female athletes view themselves and their bodies.
One common theme across the board is how a female athlete’s body image can drastically impact their performance. The other big issue is RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport), which impacts the menstrual cycle.
Do you feel supported as a female athlete? What are your support systems? Share your thoughts and experiences with me in the comments on the episode page.
“It’s across the board. I think everyone responds in the same way to abuse in sport: they think it’s terrible. But it’s actually getting to the root cause of abuse that people start [to hesitate]. The issue we come across with coaches is a lack of support from their governing bodies, so they’re not informed of safeguarding and welfare, so when they are, they become defensive.” [11:07]
“We want an independent body that the big cases get sent to so that we know that there is consistency across all sports. It’s independent, so it’s more transparent and trustworthy.” [16:53]
“I think because there are these different moving parts and because sport has been independently operated, there has been a reluctance from the government to step in, but I think that in order for us to make real change, and for sports to have one unifying structure, it is necessary.” [20:42]
“Because sport is so performance-focused and success-driven, we don’t prioritize thinking holistically about eating and body image, and they fall by the wayside. We think our bodies are machines because that’s what we’re told.” [26:16]
“We have this belief that there’s an athlete in every body. If you move you’re body, you’re an athlete.” [32:31]
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What Is Relative Energy Deficiency In Sport (Red-S)?
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The Godfather of Creatine Research, Dr. Darren Candow
Dr. Darren Candow, Ph.D., CSEP-CEP, is a Professor and Director of the Aging Muscle and Bone Health Laboratory in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina, Canada. The overall objectives of Dr. Candow’s internationally renowned research program are to develop effective lifestyle interventions involving nutrition (primarily creatine monohydrate) and physical activity (resistance training), which have practical and clinical relevance for improving musculoskeletal aging and reducing the risk of falls and fractures.
Understanding the Many Benefits of Creatine
Most people know that your muscle content will increase when you combine creatine and resistance training. But what about the effects that creatine has on the brain? Creatine works best when your brain is stressed. This means that supplementing creatine for brain health has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety, reduce concussion symptoms, improve immune system function, and more.
Supplementing creatine while combining it with exercise creates the potential for bone and brain health improvements, and the research proves it.
The Proof is in the Research
While the effects of creatine supplementation on the brain have only recently started to be explored, the research is very promising. In fact. Dr. Candow believes that creatine is going to be an interesting supplement to study for the next 50 years, given its wide-reaching benefits.
The benefits of creatine are not just opinions. This is why I feel it is important for you to hear from Dr. Candow, so you can get a first-hand understanding of why there is a potential possibility for so many clinical applications when it comes to creatine. It is an exciting time to be diving into the world of creatine supplementation; join us!
What interests you most about the benefit of creatine supplementation for the body and the mind? Share your thoughts and experiences with me in the comments on the episode page.
“[Creatine] has become a total body supplement, not just for athletes looking to get bigger faster. I think anybody on the planet, I am really struggling to think of anyone on the planet who would not benefit from creatine in some form or another.” (11:36)
“We can conclude that basically, if you are 18 years of age and above, creatine and resistance training will decrease fat a little amount, and it will not increase it, which has the implications for avoiding a lot of chronic diseases later in life.” (24:26)
“Creatine acts as a neurotransmitter and reduces oxidative stress. And individuals with a diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or maybe even PTSD, have a reduction naturally in brain creatine content. So if you can give them more creatine through their diet or supplementation, that has been shown to have some promise by decreasing depressive symptoms.” (37:35)
“I would guess we will be looking at creatine and the brain for the next 50 years, just given the infancy of it.” (40:56)
“Creatine is the sprinkle or the cherry on the cake, and that cake is exercise… the magic of creatine is unlocked when you combine it with exercise.” (43:52)
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FYS 365: Creatine for Strength Training with Dr. Scott Forbes