“It’s the definition of my dream job,” she said. “I get to work with the science of nutrition. I get to work with athletes. I get to work with recreational athletes to pro athletes. But then again, it’s also community-driven and talking to individuals about nutrition in their everyday life. So it’s everything I’m looking for, and it really is rooted in my upbringing as an athlete.”
As an athlete herself, Lines hopes to elevate the conversation of female athlete nutrition. She highlighted issues like energy availability, recovery, bone density and metabolic differences between genders, as well as the importance of normalizing conversations around these topics to better support female athletes throughout life stages.
Another area she is passionate about is eating disorders. Lines spent 10 years working one-on-one with athletes diagnosed with an eating disorder.
Based on her experience, she said the one thing she wishes more people knew is that eating disorders do not always present themselves in obvious or expected ways.
“The stereotype of what an eating disorder looks like is just that–it’s a stereotype,“ she said.
“So sometimes [it’s] an athlete who’s training extra hours after practice or the one who’s constantly changing their diet because they’re looking for clean eating or the high achiever who looks like they have it all together, but inside maybe food and body thoughts are really running the show. That’s why I hope people recognize that you can’t see it, and so we do need more experience and education to spot when it’s happening. And then more importantly, know what to do and who to refer to.”
Lines highlighted the philosophy of Healthy At Every Size (HAZE), which emphasizes how health cannot determined based on appearance.
“Just by looking at somebody, you cannot tell if they’re healthy or unhealthy, and that really lends itself to allowing all body shapes and sizes to be healthy and to participate in sport and high level athletics and to not label somebody based on their BMI or their body type,” she said.
By encouraging education and open-mindedness, Lines hopes to foster a more supportive environment for athletes facing these challenges.
Lines said she is looking forward to addressing other overlooked topics such as hormones, mental health and social pressures in sports, while expanding access to inclusive resources.
