Tough Girl Podcast Christine Yu - Journalist and Author of “UP TO SPEED: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes”.
Christine Yu is an award-winning journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of sports science and women athletes. Her writing has appeared in Outside, The Washington Post, Time, Runner’s World, and other publications. She’s a lifelong athlete and yoga teacher who loves running, surfing, and skiing. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
About the book:
“In the past half-century, women have achieved remarkable progress in the realm of athletics. More women are participating in sports and maintaining an active lifestyle throughout their lives. Whether they're elite athletes striving for excellence or passionate amateurs enjoying their athletic pursuits, women deserve a sports culture that empowers them.
This culture should offer training programs and equipment specifically designed to support their unique physiologies, along with nutrition and injury prevention guidelines grounded in scientific research and tailored to their individual experiences.
Unfortunately, women have often received guidance based on research that fails to consider their distinct experiences and physical characteristics. Much of what we've accepted as the standard in exercise and sports science is rooted solely in studies conducted on men.
But the landscape is changing for the better. Researchers are now conducting more inclusive studies to close the gender data gap. They're investigating how women can enhance their athletic performance, reduce the risk of injury, and maintain good health.
In 'Up to Speed,' sports and health journalist Christine Yu unravels myths and dissects gender bias in light of real science. She advocates for new approaches that empower female athletes to excel at every life stage, from adolescence through adulthood, encompassing pregnancy, menopause, and beyond.
Christine delves into the latest research findings and shines a light on the researchers, athletes, and advocates challenging the status quo. They are pioneering innovative solutions to enhance the active and athletic lives of women and girls, ushering in a new era of gender equality in sports science and performance.”
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Show notes
- Who is Christine
- Being based in New York
- Growing up in Connecticut before moving to San Francisco
- Being sporty from a young age and always being active
- Getting into running, strength training and yoga
- Working in the non profit sector for 10/15 years before making the switch to journalism
- Wanting to write and tell more stories
- Taking time off after having her first child
- Combing her love for writing with her love for sports, science and health
- Wanting to focus on issues relating to women, women’s health and women’s sports
- Being curious and wanting to know more
- The lack of easily accessible information available for women
- Wanting to learn how to make her body more resilient
- Wanting to improve her health and wanting to move her body in a way that makes her feel good
- Wanting to be strong and healthy over the long term
- The starting point with research
- Knowledge from print magazines….. which wasn’t women specific
- Looking at more specific sports science research
- Dr Stacy Sims: ROAR
- The lack of knowledge for women who want to do strength training
- More women getting into strength training
- New Book: Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes
- Where the idea came from and how easy it was to get it published
- Only 6% of sports science (2014-2020) studies focus on issues related to women
- Why do we know so much less about women’s physiology?
- What are the implication due to the gender data gap?
- What you can expect from the book - information on the menstrual cycle, breast health, sporting gear, injury rates and chapters devoted to the life stages of a women’s life
- ‘Women are Not Small Men: a paradigm shift in the science of nutrition’ - TED Talk
- How to study women with the challenges of women’s menstrual cycle
- The blindspots in science
- Leaving women out of the narrative
- Hormones related to the menstrual cycle and how they can impact performance
- Noticing the trends when tracking your period
- Don’t blame yourself - blame your hormones
- Peri-menopause and menopause where is the science?
- Food and nutrition
- Weight and performance
- Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S)
- How to connect with Christine
- Final words of advice for women who want to learn more about the science
- Pay attention to your own body, track your cycle and see how your body responds throughout the month
- Dr Stacy Sims
- Feisty Menopause
- Be a critical consumer of the media you are consuming
Social Media
Instagram: @cyu888
Substack: christinemyu.substack.com
Book: Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes