Different roles have different responsibilities
Career Example – Sports Nutritionist
Let’s look at the role of a sports nutritionist or dietician as an example.
Beca Lyne-Pirkis, famous for her success on the ‘Great British Bake Off’ and Dietician for S4C’s ‘Ffit Cymru’ programme, is now a professional Sports Dietician. She’s also been studying for a Masters in Sports and Exercise Nutrition at University of Wales Trinity St Davids in Carmarthen.
As part of the course, Beca is studying about the principles of sports nutrition and fitness. Here’s what she said about the role.
“I’ve always had an interest in nutrition related to training for running, especially marathons, as I myself have achieved several over the years.
When I was studying for my degree as a dietitian, I always wanted to learn more about how the impact of food and nutrition had on the body whilst training, competing and performing in sport. The mix of elements like testing our VO2 Max in the sports testing labs is great in terms of capability, and then analysing the data and understanding what impact food can have on someone after collection, and understanding results from the tests. I’m a person who loves figures and maths, and then can translate everything into different dishes and foods to help someone – it’s the perfect combination of everything I like!”
(courtesy of University of Wales, Trinity St David’s)
Sports dietitians also help to develop strategies. They give practical advice on what to eat to enhance performance while keeping the body healthy. Their role and responsibilities include assessing the needs of the client and how best to support them to improve their performance.
There are so many job opportunities for you in the sports and leisure sector. But, choosing can prove to be a challenge!
In the final unit, we’ll be looking at more roles and responsibilities so you have a better idea of what they entail.