How can a Naturopath support Physie Girls
Physical culture (physie) is a unique sport. It requires strength, flexibility, endurance, precision, artistry, and mental focus, often all at once. Between training sessions, competitions, school or work, and the pressure to perform, physie girls place significant demands on their bodies and nervous systems.
While physie builds confidence, discipline, and a strong sense of community, it can also come with challenges that aren’t always visible on the floor. This is where naturopathic support can play a valuable, complementary role.
The Hidden Load of Physie
Physie girls often juggle:
High training load
Performance pressure and competition nerves
Busy schedules with limited recovery time
Physical strain alongside mental and emotional stress
Over time, this load can show up as fatigue, disrupted sleep, digestive issues, recurring injuries, changes in skin health, or feeling “wired but tired.” These aren’t signs of weakness, they’re signals that the body may need additional support.
A Whole-Body, Foundations-First Approach
Naturopathy looks at the body as an interconnected system rather than a collection of isolated symptoms. For physie girls, this means supporting not just performance, but overall wellbeing, so the body can cope with training demands and recover properly.
Rather than focusing on extremes or quick fixes, a naturopath works to strengthen foundational health, including:
Nervous system regulation
Gut and digestive health
Energy production and recovery
Sleep quality
Nutritional adequacy during training periods
Strong foundations support consistency, resilience, and long-term health, both on and off the stage.
Nervous System Support & Performance Stress
Performance stress and anxiety is common in physie, particularly around major competitions i.e., Champion Girl and Teams. Chronic stress keeps the nervous system in a heightened “on” state, which can affect sleep, digestion, mood, and recovery.
Naturopathic support may focus on:
Calming an overactive stress response
Supporting the body’s ability to shift between effort and rest
Gentle strategies to improve sleep and emotional regulation
When the nervous system is supported, physie girls often feel more grounded, focused, and better able to recover between sessions.
Energy, Fatigue & Recovery
Training places increased demands on the body’s energy systems. If nutrition, digestion, or recovery are compromised, fatigue can creep in, even when training volume hasn’t changed.
A naturopath can help identify factors contributing to low energy, such as:
Inadequate nutrient intake or absorption
Poor digestion or gut imbalance
Insufficient recovery or sleep
Ongoing stress load
Support focuses on helping the body function more efficiently, not doing more, but doing what best supports recovery and resilience.
Gut Health, Skin & Overall Wellbeing
Gut health plays a role in energy levels, immune function, skin health, and stress tolerance. Many physie girls experience digestive symptoms or skin concerns, particularly during high-stress or high-training periods.
Naturopathic care may involve:
Exploring digestive symptoms and bowel health
Supporting the gut–skin connection
Addressing food tolerance concerns without unnecessary restriction
Strengthening digestive foundations to support overall wellbeing
This approach recognises that gut health, skin, hormones, and the nervous system are deeply interconnected. When these systems are under strain, performance and recovery can be affected in ways that aren’t always obvious.
Underlying Factors That Can Quietly Affect Performance
Sometimes performance challenges aren’t about training harder or pushing through. Beneath fatigue, low motivation, poor recovery, or increased injury risk, there may be physiological factors that haven’t been identified or addressed.
With physie girls, underlying imbalances such as nutrient deficiencies can quietly impact both physical performance and mental wellbeing, often without obvious or dramatic symptoms.
Nutrient Deficiencies & Energy Production
Adequate nutrients are essential for energy production, muscle function, concentration, and recovery. When intake, absorption, or demand is mismatched, physie girls may experience:
Persistent fatigue or low stamina
Feeling flat, unmotivated, or “heavy” during training
Poor recovery between sessions
Increased susceptibility to illness
Nutrients commonly involved in energy metabolism include iron, B-vitamins, magnesium, and vitamin D. Even mild deficiencies can influence how the body copes with physical and mental load. However every physie girl is different and deficiencies can be a result of many different health conditions. For example, one girl might be iron deficient due to heavy periods, and another might be iron deficient due to coeliac disease. Both conditions are approached differently.
Please note - this is not a call out for you to go to your nearest chemist and buy a multivitamin. Practitioner guidance is highly recommended before self-prescribing.
Mental Health, Mood & Focus
Nutrient status and nervous system health play an important role in mood, emotional regulation, and cognitive function. Inadequate nutrients or ongoing stress can contribute to:
Increased anxiety or performance nerves
Low mood or irritability
Difficulty concentrating or staying mentally present
Reduced confidence or enjoyment of training
These changes are often dismissed as “just stress,” when the body may actually be struggling to meet ongoing demands.
Gut Health & Nutrient Absorption
Even with a balanced diet, nutrient deficiencies can occur if digestion and absorption aren’t functioning optimally. Gut symptoms such as bloating, constipation, reflux, or irregular bowel habits can interfere with nutrient uptake, directly affecting energy levels, recovery, and skin health.
Supporting gut health is therefore a key part of optimising both physical performance and overall wellbeing.
A Proactive, Preventative Approach
One of the strengths of naturopathic care is looking beneath the surface, identifying contributing factors early and supporting the body before small imbalances become bigger problems. This isn’t about diagnosing or pathologising, but about understanding what the body needs to perform, recover, and stay resilient.
Where appropriate, a naturopath may recommend further investigation or work alongside a GP to ensure physie girls are supported from a whole-body perspective.
Support Without Pressure or Extremes
Importantly, naturopathic care for physie girls is not about perfection, restriction, or rigid rules. It’s about education, empowerment, and realistic support that fits into real life; school, work, training, and competitions included.
Recommendations are collaborative, age-appropriate, and focused on long-term health, not just short-term performance.
A Complementary Part of the Team
Naturopathy works alongside coaches, parents, and other health professionals. It doesn’t replace medical care, but can be a supportive addition to help physie girls feel stronger, more resilient, and better supported as they grow and perform.
Physie places significant demands on the body, and physie girls deserve support that looks after more than just performance. With strong foundations in place, it’s possible to train, perform, and recover in a way that feels balanced, sustainable, and supportive.
If you’d like support that looks beyond performance and focuses on long-term wellbeing, I’d love to help.
