Q. Introduce yourself: tell us who you are and what you do.

A. Sylvie Tetrault. I am a Sports Nutritionist and Strength and Conditioning Coach who works with Gary Roberts Performance as well as the sports nutrition consultant for the Edmonton Oilers. Aside from hockey players I also work with other athletes and anyone striving to optimize their training through nutrition and lifestyle strategies.

Q. How did you get started with Gary Roberts?

A. I have always had a passion for athletics, I played all sports growing up, and I went on to get a degree in Science Kinesiology. I then got certified as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and approached Gary Roberts for a learning opportunity to get into working with athletes. I started off shadowing and taking the necessary certifications to help wherever I could. I started off in the gym as a strength coach. Gary’s approach to optimizing lifestyle for athletes inspired me to pursue becoming a Sports Nutritionist. During that process, I had a major back injury that sidelined me from being a strength coach, and I attributed my nutrition and lifestyle changes to my recovery and avoiding back surgery. I now focus primarily as a Sports Nutritionist, but Strength Training will always be my first love and makes a huge difference in my approach to nutrition coaching.

Q. We’ve had the pleasure of working together to develop healthy recipes for Gary Roberts’ High-Performance Training. What’s the biggest challenge in developing healthy meals for athletes?  (Nutrition goals, picky eaters, etc.)

First of all, it is very hard to please everyone all the time, but it is all about receiving feedback from the athletes and working with them to create an ideal nutrition profile around their workouts. This means creating food profiles for your athletes so we are aware of individual preferences and can do our best to customize meals. No two athletes are exactly the same, so it is all about understanding what works for each individual. When the meal tastes great (which it always does with Impact!) the athletes will eat it and reap the nutritional benefits.

Q. What’s your favourite part of your job?

I would say seeing my clients reap the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle, not only for the sports performance but in everything they do in life. It is so cool to see their hard work pay off.

Q. Outside of work, what lights you up?  

Outside of work, I am pretty low-key and a natural introvert. I enjoy being in nature (especially close to the ocean because I grew up on the East Coast), reading, spending quality time with family and friends and traveling when I have the opportunity. I am also very excited because I am becoming a mom this year.