10 November, 2025
Whether you are training for an event, an elite athlete or just want to optimise how you feel while exercising, nutrition can play a big role in your health, performance and recovery. Anyone who moves their body is considered an athlete and may benefit from seeing a Sports Dietitian.
What is Sports Dietetics?
Sports Dietetics is a specialised area of nutrition that focuses on developing strategies to improve health, enhance performance, energy levels and recovery for athletes and active individuals.
Sports nutrition focuses on the type, amount and timing of foods around exercise. To help you feel more confident around knowing what to eat and when to eat, to ensure you feel and perform your best.
What does a Sports Dietitian do?
A Sports Dietitian can help to create personalised plans based on your specific goals, training schedule and lifestyle. This may include:
• Assessing energy and nutrient needs
• Developing fuelling and hydration plans to optimise performance and overall health
• Supporting recovery
• Assisting with body composition goals (fat loss or muscle gain)
• Providing advice on safe supplementation practices
Who may benefit from seeing a Sports Dietitian?
• Athletes of all levels - from recreational to elite
• Individuals training for a specific event or competition
• Active adolescents
• Active adults who train regularly
• Anyone seeking to improve their performance or general health
What training does a Sports Dietitian have?
To become a sports dietitian, first they must become an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) by undertaking a nutrition degree and a Master of Dietetics at University. They then undertake specialised training through Sports Dietitians Australia (SDA) to gain expertise in fuelling, performance and recovery.
Why Nutrition Matters for Performance
Nutrition is fuel for our body and is vital to provide us with the energy to move our body and keep us functioning best. It can prevent us from ‘hitting the wall’ of feeling fatigued during exercise to ensure you can perform your best. Key nutrients for sports nutrition include:
• Carbohydrates – the body’s main source of energy during exercise
• Protein – to help build and repair muscle
• Fluid and electrolytes – to ensure proper hydration
Good nutrition is the foundation to fuel your goals – whether you want to improve endurance, build muscle or feel your best during workouts. A sports dietitian can help to provide personalised advice to ensure you reach your potential!
Bulk Billed Sports Dietitian
To welcome Olivia Giggins to the team, Olivia is currently bulk billing follow up dietetic consultations with a Medicare referral. You’ll pay an out of pocket expense on your initial consultation - but for all Medicare rebated consultations until May 2026, you’ll pay nothing! Zip! Zero! Zilch!
Full T&Cs can be found here.
Meet your Sports Dietitian
Olivia Giggins
Olivia is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Sports Dietitian, having completed the Sports Dietetics Australia specialisation. As a marathon runner herself, she understands the real-world challenges of fuelling for training, performance, and recovery. Olivia works with athletes and active individuals to optimise energy, strength, and endurance while making nutrition enjoyable and sustainable. She also supports gut health and general wellbeing, helping clients feel and perform at their best both on and off the field.
Appointments available in Moonee Ponds or online.
About the Author
Olivia Giggins - Accredited Practicing Dietitian & Accredited Nutritionist
Olivia is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian who’s passionate about gut health, sports nutrition and feeling your best. A marathon runner and keen baker, she knows life can be busy, so she makes healthy eating simple, enjoyable and realistic
