Maybe you’re thinking of changing your focus in nutrition to sports nutrition, thinking about working towards a CSSD, consulting for a local team or investigating opportunities at a fitness club. It’s always helpful to hear about the experience of colleagues, whether it’s for your own professional development — or just for fun. This piece features movers, shakers, and players in the area of Sports Nutrition. It’s informative, fun, and inspiring to hear from your peers! Click the links to read about these RDs in Sports Nutrition.
Jennifer L. Koslo, MS, RD, CSSDOwner,
Koslo’s Nutrition Solutions, LLC
Q: What is your educational background?
A: BS biology from Juniata College, Dual MS Human Nutrition/Exercise Science from Colorado State, American Council on Exercise certified personal trainer. Currently in my last year of PhD work in Education with emphasis in Instructional Design for online learning from Capella University.
Q: Where do you work as a sports dietitian? Who do you work with?
A: I just started my own LLC,
Koslo’s Nutrition Solutions, and I do private consults for runners, triathletes, cyclists, and body builders. Age varies from early 20s to master’s level. I work with all sports and also with the average recreational athlete. I also designed and teach an online Sports Nutrition course for one of the local community colleges.
Q: What is your favorite part about sports dietetics?
A: Having clients experience the pleasure of the results and having them increase their knowledge on how to fuel their activity and follow a healthy diet.
Q: What is your greatest challenge working with athletes? In developing your sports dietetics practice?
A: Having athletes see the worth in paying for a dietitian. I am in the initial start-up phase and have a lot of leads, but not a lot of follow-through. It appears they would rather pay for coaches than RDs. Also, the coaches are often giving out nutrition advice.
Q: If you were talking to an aspiring sports dietitian, what would you tell them? How could they get started? What is the greatest lesson you learned? What education has been most helpful?
A: I think you need to work in other areas of dietetics in order to gain the experience necessary. Networking and persistence is important. In addition, knowing how to teach and reach your clients is important.
Q: Are you an athlete yourself?
A: Yes, a runner mainly, but I lift weights regularly. I have done 3 marathons, numerous ½ marathons, 10Ks and duathlons.
Joey Mock, RD, LDPrivate Practice
Q: What is your educational background?
A: BS in Nutrition/Dietetics from East Carolina University, ADA-approved Dietetic Internship Program, graduate courses from East Carolina University.
Q: Where do you work as a sports dietitian? Who do you work with?
A: I am in private practice and consult with individuals and businesses, such as ballet and martial arts schools. I primarily work with middle school, high school, and adult clients in a variety of areas including dance, martial arts, and tennis. I work with pre-professional ballet dancers who are auditioning for professional companies.
Q: What is your favorite part about sports dietetics?
A: The excitement that I see on clients’ faces, especially the young clients when they realize sports nutrition works. The “wow” factor — they try something that we have discussed in a class or session and say, “Wow, I tried that, and it really worked.”
Q: What is your greatest challenge working with athletes? In developing your sports dietetics practice?
A: The greatest challenge that I see is financial — either with families who are stretched financially because of having multiple children in several sports with high costs already associated with the sports, as well as with school teams/sport-related businesses who don’t have extra money budgeted to pay for nutrition services. Other great challenges are convincing some that nutrition is as important as their training, and with my younger clients, initially convincing them to make healthier choices versus junk food (usually, once they begin to see results, this becomes less of a challenge).
Q: If you were talking to an aspiring sports dietitian, what would you tell them? How could they get started? What is the greatest lesson you learned? What education has been most helpful?
A: Read current books, articles, etc. by sports dietitians and others in the field to expand your knowledge. If this is an area that you are passionate about, start early: Volunteer with a variety of sports groups while you are in college, and network with other sports dietitians.
Also, learn about the athletes that you wish to work with (it helps to start out with something that you know best). For example, if you are going to give a presentation to a group of dancers, learn more about their schedules, training, etc. before the presentation, so that you can better relate to them and their needs.
Q: Are you an athlete yourself?
A: I grew up as a dancer, and was a member of a local dance company in NC, and I performed in East Carolina University Dance Theatre while in college. I have studied tap, ballet/pointe, modern, jazz, and liturgical dance. After a lengthy break to launch my nutrition career, I found my way back to my other passion besides nutrition — dance — several years ago, and have taken tap, jazz, modern, and liturgical classes. I am currently taking adult ballet classes. I also run on a treadmill, lift weights, do aerobics, and take Pilates classes.
I feel as if my career has come full circle with growing up as a dancer and now having the opportunity to work with dancers. I love it!
Q: What is the craziest, funniest or most successful experience you've had as a sports dietitian?
A: Recently, I worked with a 15 year-old ballet dancer who was complaining of having “major cotton mouth” during his classes and performances, which was very distracting for him. We discussed the importance of fluids and having a fluid schedule. He came back after a summer intensive program and said that the fluid schedule really worked and he had “no more cotton mouth.”
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