February 2025 Issue
Focus on Fitness: The Mindset of Retirement
By Dana Angelo White, MS, RDN, ATC
Today’s Dietitian
Vol. 27 No. 2 P. 34
Supporting Athletes as They Move on From Athletics
The journey of a competitive athlete is a long, rewarding, complex, exhilarating, and commonly soul-crushing experience that often spans decades. Issues involving identity, team dynamics, family, winning and losing, illness, injury, and, yes, nutrition come into play every step along the way. When a sports career comes to an end, athletes are left with a variety of physical and psychological reactions. High school, college, professional, or master athletes all eventually face hanging it up. This can be due to eligibility expiring or because their mental or physical health warrants it. When that time does come, it is a mixed bag of experiences. As a sports dietitian and certified athletic trainer working within these professions for nearly 20 years, I continue to work toward finding better ways to help athletes navigate this interesting and unavoidable part of their careers. This article will explore some nutritional and mental health strategies to help RDs assist athletes in managing the highs and lows of this bittersweet time.
Mindset
“Now that I’m not an athlete anymore …” It had been exactly three days after the end of the season, and the athlete sitting in front of me was asking how she should eat “going forward”—like for the rest of her life! The final season of her college career had ended just 72 hours earlier, and she honestly believed that everything she knew about nutrition was supposed to drastically change. She went on to explain some exciting plans she had for the upcoming semester and after graduation but kept saying, “Since I’m not an athlete anymore” over and over. She didn’t seem outwardly upset or mournful, but later in the meeting, she started crying about something one of her coaches had said two years earlier. It was raw. It was easy to see she was all over the place, processing it all. When you dedicate so much time and effort to one thing for so many years, and suddenly, you’re relieved of the obligations, it can be jarring. No more reporting to practice, traveling for competitions, getting up at ridiculous times in the morning for lift, and now you get to call the shots. It’s a lot, and it can be completely overwhelming. Often gripping for control, overeating habits come to the forefront. This normal reaction is something many athletes face, but what they often overlook is the simple fact that they’ll always be an athlete, the job description just looks a bit different.
Athletes struggle with identity when careers end, and this can impact their nutritional habits and the amount of physical activity they do in their free time. A study published online in 2018 illustrated a decline in identity, nutrition scores, and physical activity for former athletes as compared with athletes still participating in their sport.1 This study also determined that former athlete status may not ensure a commitment to regular exercise once their career has ended.
Some athletes are relieved when their career draws to a close. Maybe the injury management had become too much, or they felt they gave all they could to their sport. The perspective will likely shift over time, which is why having support through this new portion of the journey can be helpful.
There are a series of challenges athletes commonly face as they transition away from their sport, as Devin Markle, PsyD, LPC, a licensed professional counselor and sports psychologist at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, sees in her role. “Many athletes find it challenging to channel their competitive mindset into their ‘new’ life,” Markle says. There are also different hurdles for athletes who stop playing due to graduation vs those who need to end due to injury. “Many of my athletes have found it difficult to navigate without teammates with the same mindset. An athlete graduating has a sense of closure, yet those who are forced to retire early due to injury often struggle with not being able to end on their own terms. This can make the transition more difficult as they may feel that their athletic experience was incomplete,” Markle adds.
Teams aren’t perfect, but many are like families, you love them for better or worse. Markle points out how this loss can also impact how an athlete feels once that relationship is forced to change. “One of the other challenges is losing a support system in a team. It can feel isolating going from having a team and a support staff to going out independently.”
Role of the Sports RD
As a key member of the team support staff, the sports RD can play an integral role in setting up athletes for success in the next stage of their lives. The following are five ways dietitians can help guide athletes in their nutrition needs.
1. Conduct a Needs Assessment
Clinicians need to provide a needs assessment at the end of athletes’ careers to help tailor education and resources. Surveys, workshops, and activities with retired athletes can provide a comfortable and familiar space for athletes to share and find common ground with their peers.
2. Support Eating Regularly
Athletes are tempted to stop eating on a schedule once the demands of their days become less strenuous. Even though their schedules are more flexible, it’s still important to maintain healthful habits like eating regularly throughout the day and making time for pre- and postworkout fueling.
3. Snack Differently
Competitive athletes are prone to endless snacking, especially to help accommodate the demands of their training schedules. The once crucial reliance on large amounts of high-calorie and high-carb snacks and drinks to fuel long training sessions may not be as necessary or as frequent. Educate on properly portioned snacks and hydration options to help fuel less strenuous exercise regimens.
4. Take Advantage of the New Schedule
Now, they get to call the shots! Encourage athletes to experiment with new types of exercise and more casual forms of physical activity. Athletes may also benefit from education on the importance of proper sleep and time management.
5. Explore Cooking
Lots of athletes report not having time to cook as much as they would like during high-volume training cycles. Now, they have the opportunity to sharpen their culinary and meal prep skills at any level. RDs can provide new recipes and, if possible, opportunities for food-based activities they never had the time for while training, such as engaging in cooking demos, classes, and shopping instruction less focused on performance nutrition.
Sports Psych Troubleshooting
As the weeks and months progress, athletes begin to find a new normal around food and activity, and there are some strategies mental health experts suggest to help manage the process. “I often recommend that athletes write out all the traits that have made them successful athletes. I then challenge them to find ways to apply these traits to a new challenge or career. For example, loyalty, dedication, and grit. I also recommend that they seek out careers or social groups that value those same characteristics,” Markle says. Finally, Markle recommends pointing athletes in the direction of counseling or continuation of counseling if they received treatment while part of the team. “Counseling is always an important resource. For athletes adjusting, I think it can be a great way to reflect on a new identity and self-exploration.”
— Dana Angelo White, MS, RDN, ATC, is a dual registered dietitian nutritionist and certified athletic trainer with over 20 years of clinical experience. She is a media dietitian, cookbook author, and full-time professor and sports RDN at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.
Reference
1. Yao PL, Laurencelle L, Trudeau F. Former athletes' lifestyle and self-definition changes after retirement from sports. J Sport Health Sci. 2020;9(4):376-383.