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Kristen Piché
- Jul 11, 2017
Energy Deficiency and Performance in Female Athletes
*I wrote this article for Figure Skater Fitness Magazine, published: July 2016, Vol. 2 issue 3. An athlete’s optimal performance is achieved with a great amount of energy output. This means that nutrient intake is a key factor in an athlete’s energy availability (EA). Low EA can compromise sport performance as well as the overall health of athletes and is a growing concern in competitive sports, particularly for female athletes. The International Olympic Committee published a
Kristen Piché
- Jun 4, 2017
Balancing Act: Navigating The Off-Season Trajectory
Spring training is coming to an end and summer training is just around the corner, meaning you’ll be adding more load to your off-ice conditioning and developing new elements during your on-ice practice. Summer training can be gruelling. So, it’s a great time of year to talk about the concept of balance—between heavy training and recovery, and ensuring that you’re giving enough time to the things that matter most to you, both on and off the ice. Physically, balance is the bod
Kristen Piché
- Apr 3, 2017
Essential Oils for Performance Enhancement
The 2016-17 competitive skating season has come to its end with the completion of the World Figure Skating Championships in Finland. As always, I was dazzled by numerous incredible performances! These world-class athletes go to great lengths preparing for the biggest competition of the year. Every choice they make, from the foods they eat during the day to the amount of sleep they get at night is carefully evaluated in order maintain the healthiest possible mind and body, all
Kristen Piché
- Dec 5, 2016
Inside Figure Skater Fitness
As a member of the figure skating community you’re probably already, in some way, familiar with Figure Skater Fitness (FSF) Magazine. It’s the best resource for the various dynamics that make up what’s known as the “complete package” in a figure skater. Sections in the magazine include education on fitness, nutrition, injury prevention, mental training, and glamour specifically for figure skaters. I can’t tell you how much I wish I had access to this kind of information when
Kristen Piché
- Nov 8, 2016
3 Hard Truths in Every Quest for a Goal
About three months ago I set a new goal to run my first half marathon race at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 16th—which I successfully achieved, but not without a few significant challenges along the way! The distance is 21km, which was way more than I had ever run at once. I have to wear knee braces while I run due to a very common knee injury in figure skating called petellofemoral pain syndrome, a condition in which the cartilage under the kneecap is
Kristen Piché
- Sep 5, 2016
Summer Endings: Olympia Sports Camp
As the summer comes to a close I could not feel more grateful for the experiences I had over the past couple of months. I took on some new endeavours and found myself in places I didn’t expect. Some of these undertakings include coaching hockey players with the Power Skating Academy, teaching off-ice yoga at GTSA, and working with Flexafit—leading Figure Skater Bootcamp classes as well as marketing and writing for Figure Skater Fitness Magazine. All of these things have helpe
Kristen Piché
- Feb 15, 2016
The Connection Between Food & Mood
Do you ever monitor your mood after you eat? Happiness and positive emotions come from an array of different aspects for everyone. But one place that I believe is fundamental yet often overlooked is in our meals. I see tons of nutrition articles about the impact of food on our physical bodies, namely our weight, but not as many about how food is connected to our emotional state. According to this article “Food and Mood: Interview With JB” at precisionnutiriton.com, Dr. John B
Kristen Piché
- Jun 13, 2015
Fuel Your Body Best With Body Awareness
Whole grains were good. And then they were bad. Fat was bad, and then it was good. Smoothies were the most recent rage and today I just read an article on why we should stop drinking them. All these nutrition shoulds and shouldn’ts are just so confusing and sometimes these contradictions make me want to flip a table. Kidding, but seriously though. Over the past couple of years I have been struggling quite a bit with my diet. I was keeping up with and following all of these he
Kristen Piché
- May 16, 2015
Fitness, Friends, & Braids: NTC Tour Dubai
When I found out about the NTC Tour event, I had to jump on it! And it definitely didn't disappoint. Let me tell you, Nike really knows how to throw an affair. With a couple of girlfriends, I entered the workout wonderland, actually, Nike-land and drank it all in. Upon arrival they gave us a goodie bag filled with sweet workout swag – a Nike water bottle, a Nike towel, a Nike t-shirt, deodorant, face wipes, lip balm, and vouchers for local health and wellness digs. The venue
Kristen Piché
- Mar 1, 2015
How To Embrace Your Injuries
We’ve all had them, whether it’s a sprain, a torn muscle, or a fracture. Injuries stop the momentum of our training course right in its tracks. And it isn’t any fun. On top of the pain, you’re dealing with frustration from not being able to practice - keeping you from moving toward your goals, and just not moving as much in general. Athletes are kinesthetic by nature. I don’t know about you, but I can get downright surly when I’m immobile for too long. Nevertheless, injuries
Kristen Piché
- Jan 2, 2015
My Passion For Goals
As a former competitive gymnast and figure skater I had what many called the "perfect" body for likely achieving high-level athlete status. Yet I was missing one crucial component for high level performance: my mental game. I competed nationally and even though I wanted to compete in “the big leagues” (internationally) part of me never believed that I could. I was afraid of failure, and focused my attention more on that than on my potential and what I truly desired. The time
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