“Even when I was younger, I knew my body and I knew something wasn't right…..”
Spotlight on
- British Olympic Swimmer Freya Anderson -
“Sometimes putting the brakes on and taking a step back can actually propel you forward.”
Optimise Team member, and former swimmer Hannah sat down for a chat with Freya Anderson MBE, British freestyle sprint specialist who has risen through the ranks to become a key member of the GB national team. Freya contributed to Team GB’s gold-medal win in the mixed 4x100 m medley relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and has since gone on to amass multiple European titles and relay medals on the world stage. Outside of the pool, Freya is a passionate advocate for female athletes, using her platform to promote confidence, participation in sport and grassroots development.
Have you noticed that your menstrual cycle affects the way you train, fuel, or recover? Do you find it important to track your cycle so you can plan for events and adjust your training, nutrition, and recovery?
I would say personally for me, I've just been diagnosed with endometriosis. So it's not the norm for me to have regular periods. I've noticed it's never affected the way I've performed as such. I've been on my period when I've been racing and it's never affected my performance but I guess it does affect the way your body feels and can be uncomfortable with things like cramps, feeling lightheaded, bloating. There’s a mental side too, you just want to wrap up in bed and not do anything but instead, you've got to push through and go training. So I guess 50/50 - it kind of does, but it kind of doesn’t.
I do track my periods because of the endometriosis and because my cycles aren't ‘normal’ - some of them are really short and then some of them are longer. So it's nice to have a ‘guesstimate’ of when it might pop up. And then another thing being an athlete and a woman, you're so in tune with your body, you know? You mentioned about nutrition too, I know my period is due when I'm craving certain foods. I'm like, “Oh, it's probably the week before my period's due to arrive, my body's warning me.” Certain other things like craving lots of carbs because I'm obviously not tuning my body correctly at that time. And I go based on feeling as well, and I know my body well. But yeah, it's nice to keep tracking to know when my last one was and know when the next one might be. But I've been on contraception since I was 16, so I've always been informed about period management because they were so heavy and unbearable to start with. So I guess that plays into it a bit too.
"It might be an uncomfortable situation, but you need to remember that most women have a period and it's nothing to be ashamed of."
〰️
"It might be an uncomfortable situation, but you need to remember that most women have a period and it's nothing to be ashamed of." 〰️
As you prepare for the 2028 LA Olympics, can you walk us through a typical training day? How has your training changed since your school years?
Yeah. It has changed very dramatically. When I was younger, and even just two years ago, I was doing 10 swims a week, three gym sessions, Pilates on top of that, all the pre-pool. Whereas now I do six swims, two spin sessions on the bike, three gym sessions, and two ‘mini’ swims. So it has changed a lot. And I think that's come down to the new training regime that we do up here. There’s a lot of physiological stuff too, markers that show how your body reacts to training. And apparently my body's very sensitive to workload, so we have to strain smarter, not harder, because we know my shoulders and my back can't really take it. Then obviously with my periods, we just need to make sure I'm not exhausting myself. So it's changed so much. But I think it's definitely for the better. It's what suits my body. So that's a typical training week. So a typical training day - today I've done a swim session which was an hour and a half long. And then I had about an hour in the gym and now I’ve got the afternoon off. But we still have those early-ish mornings, waking up at half six, warming up, getting in the pool at about eight.
On a regular training day, what do you eat and when, to make sure you get the most out of your sessions? On the morning of a big competition, what do you eat, and why?
Yeah, so I've kind of just recently actually got my mind set into “I need to fuel to be able to train”. Because I've struggled a lot the last few years with energy availability and feeling tired and not having enough fuel to train. So I used to not eat before training sessions in the morning, but now I try and have something, whether that's a piece of toast or I try to up my protein to help with recovery. Because that's another one of the most important things to being an athlete, is actually the recovery. The hard work is important, but also it's how you adapt afterwards. The cafe at the pool does bacon rolls too, so I might have a bacon roll, come back home and then it's beans on toast and then lunch, probably something normal, like avocado, chicken and rice, and then dinner. Recently, I've been trying to make dinner a bit nicer because I've got quite a lot of time in the evenings because we finish training at five or six. So ramen noodles, nice chicken on the side, stuff like that. And I just make sure I've kind of got it all balanced.
On the morning of a big competition, it depends on the competition schedule. If we have to be up really early and we're racing quite early, I tend not to eat as much because you just want to feel comfortable in your belly. You've probably done the fueling the night or the day before. So just like a little top-up of some coffee and some beans on toast, just something on the stomach. And then obviously if we were at a major competition, you'd do a warm up, you'd have a banana or an energy bar and then being a professional swimmer you take supplements, so you could take bicarbonate soda before you race and caffeine gum, stuff like that. So there are little things that I'd never think about 10 years ago. Energy gels, electrolytes in my drink, stuff like that, I didn't know what that meant. And then once you've done the morning swim, it's all about recovery. So you want to hit the protein, so you can have a protein shake, then get lunch. Normally we get a nice buffet because we're quite spoiled. So that's the fuel for the final. And then it's sort of the same again, going into the evening swim. And then once you're done in the evening, it's just get the fuel in as quick as you can and head to sleep.
What advice would you give to a younger swimmer who experiences heavy periods, cramps, or discomfort — similar to what you’ve faced?
I would say, even back when I was younger, I knew my body and I knew something wasn't right and it's taken me 8 or 9 years to get a clear diagnosis. So, I guess trust your gut. I remember I had people telling me, “oh, you it's fine” but I knew what was normal and what wasn't. And I think that came from maybe talking to my friends about it. If you have support around you, like friends or parents. And I guess if you are an athlete, I've always been really open talking to my coach about it and I've only ever had male coaches, and something that I do on the fast and female camps that I run is just to really stress the importance of communication. It might be an uncomfortable situation, but you need to remember that most women have a period and it's nothing to be ashamed of. And I think knowing that in the back of your mind makes it a bit easier to speak to guys about it. If your coach is male, they know what a period is, you know what I mean? So it's kind of reducing the awkwardness about it. Most people know what one is, so there should be no shame.
I've always had a few problems with being an athlete, whether it's periods or injuries or illnesses. I'd be scared that I was asking the doctor too much or feeling a bit shut down or turned away. But everything that I've ever said has turned out to be true. So, if you have to, if you feel like you're mithering the doctors, just keep talking. I think that's the way.
You just want to wrap up in bed and not do anything but instead you have to push through and go training.
What’s your bedtime routine like? How many hours of sleep do you aim for, and why is this important to you?
Well, I could sleep for England. But like I said before, being an athlete, the hard work is important but it is the recovery that is so important and so key to how you adapt to the training and these adaptations make you better and stronger in the end. It really does vary. Some days I have big naps so I won't have that much sleep at the night. But then yesterday I had I went to sleep at about 8 p.m, so I got about 10 hours of sleep. But then some nights I might just get caught up watching my favorite show or something and fall asleep at half 10 and still wake up at half six. But as long as you're in your bed and not walking around town or something, you're still resting and your body's still recovering. So as important as sleep is, I think as long as you you're keeping chilled throughout the day and in the evening I think that’s fine. But like I said, I’m known for having these crazy naps. I don't know if that's from the swimming or the training or if it's just me but yeah, whenever I can I will schedule one in.
How do you find talking about your menstrual cycle with your coach? Was it awkward at first, and what helped ease that awkwardness? Many young athletes feel embarrassed about discussing their menstrual cycle or worry it will be seen as a weakness. What do you think we can do to change that?
I've always had male coaches and I know a lot of the girls that come to swim camps, they usually feel uncomfortable speaking to a male coach about it, but I've always had a great relationship with all of my coaches. Because my periods do affect me day-to-day, I do find that I have to talk to my coaches about it, but it's never been awkward. Like me and my previous coach would sometimes joke about it, like ‘Oh, I've got like a red flag today.’ So I think it's not that it's down to them to make it lighthearted, but I think that's what they did anyway. Every single coach I've ever had has been compassionate. They've had female partners or they've had swimmers previously and they know what period is, so it's really not that big of a deal to them. And I think it's just all about communication. If I've been irritated or something at someone and then, a few days later I have started, it's kind of like “Oh, yeah, about that. Sorry!” But communication is key. And I've always had a great relationship with my coaches.
I think it's important to just talk about it openly. Like I said, it was the World Running Championships and one of our GB girls was saying she ran while she had her period and she got a period PB! I think that needs to be more of that. I think it was 2016, a Chinese swimmer spoke about having period cramps and she didn't expect to get a medal at the Olympics, but she did. And I think it may seem like, “oh, why are we talking about it so openly? And why is it the first thing on your mind post-race?” But I think that makes it so much easier to talk about for the younger girls and the people that are watching these sporting events or swimming events. I guess that's where it kind of stems from, it’s knowing that these top athletes have periods too. I remember when I was younger, before I had even started my period, there was an article online about Miley Cyrus having her period. And I was like, “Oh my God, she does! And she's a queen, so there's absolutely nothing wrong with it!” I think that really took away that stigma and taboo about it for me. So I think just being open and honest about it makes it so much easier to talk about.
That's not really spoken about, those changes into having a womanly body……..just being open and honest about it makes it so much easier.
As your body has gone through puberty, how has that influenced your swimming, and what has helped you adapt? How do you stay confident in your body as an athlete?
I guess swimming's kind of extreme because you are almost half naked all the time. And that's something that I've really struggled with. Being six foot four, I'm really tall and have got a lot of muscle mass and therefore I weigh a lot more than other girls. So that's always been something that I've always been a bit like “Oh, let's just not talk about that kind of thing”. I've been open with my coaches, but would never discuss it with any of my teammates because they don't need to know. When I was 14, and being really tall, I was really thin for a good five, six years maybe. And I was swimming well, I think I even got one of my PBs from back then. And obviously I've changed since then. I always joked that I had a second puberty when I was 21, you know growing from my teenage body into more of a womanly body. And I think that's not really spoken about, those changes into having a womanly body. Because it definitely came as a shock, but it was just me developing into how I am now. So my body is very different now.
For someone who loves swimming but is finding it difficult to balance training, school, and their wellbeing — and is thinking of giving up — what would you say to them?
Communication, honestly, that's one of the key things to being an athlete - making sure you're on the same page with your team, whether it's your parents, your teammates or your coach. I think being able to have open communication, asking for support when you need it, is one of the most important things. I think one of the hardest parts is asking for help when you need it. And asking for help with things like “Oh, I've got an exam on this day. Can I move my training around?” Things like that. When I was younger, I used to get told, if you miss one session it will take you four sessions to get back, and it's just not the case. Sometimes putting the brakes on and taking a step back can actually propel you forward. It's communicating, and definitely being kind on yourself, almost like cutting yourself a bit of slack to get things done and get on top of things. Because if your life outside of swimming is chaotic and not that great, then your swimming will be affected by it. Even if you don't know that it is, it's almost subconscious. So yeah, I think just communicating and being truthful to yourself and backing yourself, would be my advice.
Research suggests that hormone changes during the cycle can affect motivation, resilience, and mental wellbeing. Have you experienced that? When motivation dips or you can’t quite hit the targets you’re aiming for, how do you approach giving yourself a break or resetting?
In the fast and female stuff that we do, we do touch on the hormonal changes and there are times in the month where physiologically you might not be as strong as other times, things like that. But you know, that doesn't really play a massive part. And it is the mental side of things too and you know, feeling groggy or down or uncomfortable is never going to get the best out of someone performance wise. So I definitely go through that and I think when I'm lacking motivation, it's great to have a goal in the back of your head, even if you're really sore from training or you're tired. Knowing you have this thing to aspire to, and almost like a little check-in with yourself. Whenever I'm feeling sloppy in the pool and I'm like, “Oh, I don't want to do it” I try and just have this time in the back of my head to remind myself “Yeah, this is why I'm here. That's why I'm doing it.” I always used to be really against setting goals because I didn't want to jinx, but I think goal setting has really, really helped me to be able to pick myself up when I'm lacking motivation.
