Back to Play, Built to Stay: A Team Approach to REDs Recovery
September 8 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am PDT
| Athletes and active individuals returning to competition following Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) require coordinated, athlete-centered support to ensure both performance and long-term health. This presentation explores the critical collaboration between coaches and registered dietitians in guiding safe, sustainable return-to-play decisions. Emphasis is placed on aligning training progression, fueling strategies, communication, and shared responsibility throughout recovery. |
Learning Objectives:
Following this presentation, participants will:
- Describe the complementary roles of coaches and registered dietitians in supporting athletes returning to competition after REDs.
- Identify key communication strategies that align training load and nutrition during REDs recovery.
- Apply collaborative, practical approaches to promote athlete safety, confidence, and long-term performance during return to sport.
Level B: Skills and Application
Rebecca McConville MS RD LD CSSD CEDS-C Bio:
Renee Hodges, DPT, ITCA Certified Triathlon Coach Bio:
Renee Hodges, DPT, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and endurance coach based in Tempe, Arizona, and the founder of Foundation Physical Therapy and Endurance Coaching. She has over 22 years of experience in orthopedic and sports physical therapy, specializing in return-to-sport decision-making for endurance and strength-based athletes, including those recovering from Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs).
Renee earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from A.T. Still University in 2003 and focuses her practice on guiding athletes across the rehabilitation-to-performance continuum. Her clinical approach emphasizes load management, musculoskeletal resilience, graded return to sport, athlete well-being, and long-term health, and she collaborates with registered dietitians, physicians, and mental health professionals to align training progression with physiological recovery, psychological readiness, and nutritional rehabilitation.
With over 30 years as a competitive endurance athlete, Renee has competed in marathons (Boston Marathon qualifier and finisher), ultramarathons, and long-course triathlon (three-time Ironman finisher and Ironman 70.3 World Championship competitor). She has coached athletes from novice to elite levels and integrates exercise physiology, strength development, and mental performance strategies, with a focus on distinguishing athletic excellence from maladaptive exercise behaviors to support sustainable performance.
Renee has firsthand experience with REDs, hypothalamic amenorrhea, overtraining syndrome, burnout, and injury, and has extensive experience supporting athletes with histories of REDs, eating disorders, and disordered eating in collaboration with interdisciplinary treatment teams. These experiences inform a biopsychosocial, team-based approach that prioritizes athlete safety, long-term health, and durable performance outcomes.
