Hazel talks to Mina about the divergence of health and performance

The Curious Climber Podcast: Chatting with Hazel and Mina

This episode is the first of a few that we plan to do together. Each one will have a focus and in this episode Hazel talks to Mina about health and performance, where they intersect and how in her experience they have also diverged. We talk about Mina's climbing history, her journey with Rainshadow (9a), the lead up to her RED-S diagnosis as well as what RED-S is and what the causes are. We talk about how it gets diagnosed, red flags to look out for, why climbers might be particularly susceptible and why aren't we talking about it more. We cover the feeling that menstruation is a taboo subject and how it's a crucial parameter of health that gets masked by contraceptives. We also discuss symptoms of RED-S in men, climbing's obsession with weight and how we ought to manipulate the other side of the equation (strength) finishing with a piece on how RED-S intersects with body image problems in climbing.

*Correction Hazel makes a mistake in the intro - Mina has climbed 4 8cs not 2 - what a beast she is!

Links:

Mina's article about RED-S

IOC Consensus Statement on RED-S

Health and Performance website with information about RED-S aimed at athletes, coaches and health professionals