Some rock-climbing communities are starting to emerge that are focused on body positivity.

Phit for a Queen: A Female Athlete Podcast

Marisa Michael shares on PHIT for a Queen that some rock-climbing communities are starting to emerge that are focused on body positivity. In these communities, rock climbers are speaking out that you don’t need to be thin to climb. If you have a body, you can climb.

If you look at rock climbers on social media or in climbing publications, there’s a lot of information about how to lose weight and a lot of information encouraging weight loss to be a better climber. But the research on anthropometrics and climbing ability doesn’t support this. All the research we have says that no, you don’t need to lose weight to be a better climber.

I love seeing the rock-climbing community come together to encourage rethinking long-held beliefs about weight. They are saying you don’t have to be thinner to climb better, and unnecessary weight loss is actually detrimental and has not been helpful for your body or for your sport.

The more elite rock climbers get, the more eating disorder patterns they have. There is more pressure for them to perform well. They want sponsors, so they have to do well and compete well. If they think they need to be lighter to do this, they are going to do it.

For me, there’s not always a balance between my work, my family and myself. I have things take over, but it’s purposeful. I’m mindful of how I spend my time, and a time commitment has to be something that helps my business, my family or my self-care.

Check out Marisa and Real Nutrition LLC, offering personalized nutrition coaching: https://www.realnutritionllc.com/. Marisa offers rock-climbing courses on her web site that include information on how to eat before, during and after climbing for all levels of climbers – from indoor climbing to competitions and outdoor climbing.

So you know Marisa is legit –

Marisa Michael is a registered dietitian, Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics and certified personal trainer. She owns Real Nutrition LLC, a private practice in Portland, Oregon. She holds a master’s degree in sports nutrition and the International Olympic Committee’s Diploma in Sports Nutrition. Marisa loves triathlons and rock climbing. She firmly believes that food brings joy and a good relationship with food is important to both mental and physical health.