This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with dual board-certified specialist physical therapist in orthopedics and sports, Dr. Jessica Wulke.  Jessica has extensive experience treating professional athletes and continues to treat athletes in the NFL and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. For the first time, we talked about nutrition and training for cheerleaders and NFL athletes. Jessica explains the importance of training the mind and body during rehab, building a stronger brain-body connection with neurocognitive training. We discuss Jessica’s job working with the NFL and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (DCC), especially when they’re injured, and how the athletes approach their sporting careers differently. Jessica talks about nutrition challenges faced by the cheerleaders, and I give tips for optimizing nutrient timing and eating well with a busy schedule. We mention the importance of protein, hydration and proper sleep for injury rehab, recovery and performance. 

We talk in depth about working with athletes in aesthetic sports like cheerleading and gymnastics where athletes face additional pressures to look a certain way. We highlight the importance of nutrition and strength training for performance and appearance; if you’re eating and training appropriately, your body will look how it’s meant to. Jessica also discusses the importance of strength training for athlete longevity and performance, especially amongst the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. She shares an inside look into who the DCC are, their lifestyles as non-professional athletes, the injuries and challenges they face. 

TOPIC TIMESTAMPS:

7:10 Neurocognitive training and the importance of the brain-body connection

19:00 Nutrition and sleep for injury rehab and recovery: the importance of protein 

24:00 Making nutrition work with your schedule

27:10 Working with the NFL and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: differences in resources, lifestyles and training

33:30 Aesthetic sports: why fueling and strength has to be the priority 

40:50 Taking a holistic and individualized approach to rehab and nutrition

45:05 Treating cheerleaders as athletes not supermodels or performers; increasing resources for female athletes

48:05 Inside the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (DCC): injuries, longevity and performance

53:35 End of the podcast questions

Follow Dr. Jess Wulke on LinkedIn and on Instagram @sportspt_jess and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition 

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