This month, we’re thrilled to recognize Simona Hradil, MS, RD, one of our valued Orgain Healthcare Advisory Panelists. Simona has been an active Orgain Healthcare Ambassador and currently sits on our Healthcare Advisory Panel where she provides consulting support, insights and expertise to the Orgain Healthcare team. Through her private practice, FXP Athlete she has privately consulted elite taekwondo athletes and since then, has evolved to assist other top athletes from various sports. Her successful athletic career and formal background in nutrition and dietetics have given her the edge to coach athletes on how to maximize their performance through nutrition.
Orgain X Simona Hradil, MS, RD – Interview
1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself personally and professionally so that our readers will be able to “get to know you.”
I am a Registered Dietitian specializing in sports and performance and the owner of a private practice called FXP Athlete which stands for Fueling Xtreme Performance. I love working with athletes of all levels, ages and performance backgrounds! Helping athletes achieve their personal and professional performance goals through nutrition and fueling happens to actually be my second career!
I spent several decades competing as an elite athlete in Taekwondo chasing the Olympic Dream so dedicating my work to athletes and their nutrition came naturally post-retirement from competing. My quest to become one of the best in the world took me to over 45 different countries and gave me the perspective and knowledge to connect with numerous cultures. It also let me experience nutrition on a global level. I served as an 11x time USA National Team Member, and an Olympic alternate for the 2000 Sydney Games. I also spent the last five years of my athletic career competing for the Czech Republic and served as a 5x Czech Republic National Team Member, and an alternate for the 2012 London Games.
“I had the opportunity to train and compete at an elite level while traveling the world. Living at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and serving as Team Captain for three years was a true privilege. Later, I moved to Los Angeles, where I had the honor of training with the best coach and an incredible team.”
I had the opportunity of training and competing on an elite level and getting to travel the world. And I had the privilege of living at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and being Team Captain for three years. Later, I moved to Los Angeles, where I had the honor of training with the best coach and best team. Training for 4-6 hours a day for years is all consuming, as is chasing the Olympic Dream. Balance always meant being driven, determined and disciplined. I went back to school to get a second degree and a Master’s at 33 as I was nearing the end of my athletic career, so that also meant balancing school, work and still traveling the world to compete. I was ranked high enough to be a part of Home Depot’s Olympic Job Opportunities Program (OJOP) where I could work part-time but still receive full-time job stability. I retired at age 37 and embarked upon my journey as a registered dietitian and started off by developing the California State University Northridge (CSUN) Sports Nutrition Program for their Division I Athletics Program, as well as CSUN’s Matador Fueling Station.
As an elite athlete in a weight class combat sport, I realized the important role nutrition played in my athletic career. After pursuing higher education in nutrition and dietetics, I was determined to follow my passion and pay it forward by creating FXP Athlete. My mission was to help give back to athletes in weight class sports by assisting them to approach a healthier way to fuel for their weight descents and ultimately fuel for performance.
Balance these days involves consulting athletes from an array of sports while they train, compete, and travel while chasing my five-year-old twins! I’ve learned that I can still be driven, determined and disciplined, transforming the fueling practices of the athletes I work with while at the same time having dance parties, building toy dinosaur villages, watching personalities develop before my eyes and making tons of snacks. Same as being an athlete but different! I’ve learned that balance now comes with a lot of grace!
2. Can you share some highlights about your recent work with the USA Masters Team?
The USA Masters Team was born in 2019 from the passion of masters age (32yrs+) athletes who were past US Champions and Elite athletes who still had the fire to compete and represent their country on a world stage in their sport of Taekwondo. Team Captain and founder of the team, Trinity Tongg Osborn, states her mission is to support these individuals willing to step out in faith and courage to say “It is never too late” to pursue a passion.
This year alone, the team competed at the Madrid Masters Open in March (about 500 competitors), the Mexico Mugung Championship (about 2,000 competitors) in November and getting ready for the World Masters Games in Taipei this upcoming May which is expected to have over 4,000 competitors. The team travels throughout the United States to different Training Seminars and other US Open and national events.
Making sure that each athlete is healthy, hydrated, energized, and able to perform at an elite level means that they need to be fueled appropriately and adequately, all at the right time. This involves supporting their fueling and hydration needs from pre-training, intra-training, and post-training to competition day, plus the recovery phase.
Strengthening their knowledge regarding how to approach their nutrition needs at home and internationally is also a top priority. Coming from a wide array of cultures, each athlete is also unique in terms of their dietary preferences, so determining recommendations and education around the individual and their specific needs and goals is fundamental.
I am privileged to be able to give back to the Taekwondo community that I love and respect and at the same time help educate these amazing athletes based on their specific athletic needs.
Recently, the team of 17 athletes that went to their first European Masters Games brought home an impressive 15 medals for the US. These were athletes that had not been active or training prior to their commitment to the Team. I love that the education that is shared helps these athletes bring home podium finishes and hardware for the United States.
You can find more on the USA Masters Team story here: http://usamastersteam.org/who-we-are/
3. How does working with athletes on the USA Masters Team differ from working with other types of clients or teams?
I absolutely love getting to work with these Taekwondo athletes! They are so driven and determined, and have the best possible approach to improving their nutrition and fueling. Specializing in weight class sports and changing the landscape of appropriate fueling for weight descents is riveting and rewarding. Hearing an athlete share how much easier their weight descent was and how they were able to dedicate more of their time and mental space to prepare for their competition or how they were far more energized during their performance is priceless.
The Team meets several times per year around the country for team training and I get the privilege of spending several hours with them sharing performance nutrition education on the needs of the masters athlete. There are definite differences in approaches to fueling the masters athlete. Specific nutritional demands need to be met along with considerations for the ongoing effects that physiological aging brings with it. Crucial concepts include supporting their performance in training, fueling their recovery, and everyday health. Masters athlete nutrition includes enhancing immunity through antioxidant micronutrients, and ensuring they are regularly eating nutrient-rich, colorful foods which in turn helps avoid deficiencies and reduce inflammation. Focusing on increasing healthy fats to aid with inflammation and increase recovery helps as athletes age through the life cycle. Another crucial age related change that is covered is education on the decreased perception of thirst and ensuring they are optimally hydrated.
Orgain products are a perfect fit for masters Taekwondo athletes, as they offer a wide range of products to aid with every day fueling, recovery, hydration, and reducing inflammation. Athletes can rely on the fact that their specific nutritional demands align with Orgain’s products and mission!
Participating in the exponential growth of the USA Masters Taekwondo Team has been amazing and rewarding! They ask the very best questions regarding their performance nutrition, and are so hungry for their own personal growth!
