Heather Hynes, MSc, RD, CSSD
SPORT MEDICINE AND SCIENCE COUNCIL OF SASKATCHEWAN
for something nutrishus
I am very excited to present Heather to you. She is one of the reasons I became a dietitian. She was one of the first dietitians I knew, was a reason I wanted to work in sport, was a preceptor for me during my internship, and I even covered one of her maternity leaves. Heather loves what she does and is passionate about her work with athletes and coaches.
Why did you become a RD?
I became a registered dietitian because I absolutely love food and sports. When I was a young competitive swimmer a dietitian came in and spoke with our team about the importance of nutrition for performance and following that I was interested in learning more.
What area of dietetics do you work in?
I work full time in high performance sport nutrition, from provincial to Olympic and Paralympic level athletes.
How would you explain what you do?
When others ask what I do for work I usually start off with saying that I have the best job ever… working with athletes and coaches to help them reach their health and performance goals is very fun! I try to make the learning environment very practical and hands on- if we can cook and prep foods we will, if we can get into the grocery store then we go. I like to meet with athletes in their training environment to get a clear picture of the demands of their sport.
What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?
I don’t really have a typical day or weekly work schedule, sport is never 9-5! I keep my schedule flexible to meet the needs of my clients; sport nutrition does involve lots of evenings and weekends. My days could be filled with individual athlete consultations, prep for a team presentation or grocery shopping for an upcoming team cooking class. I love the variety!
What has been your career path?
My career path was very specific, I knew when I started the nutrition program at the University of Saskatchewan in 1997 that I wanted to be a sport dietitian, and I didn’t really have a plan B. My exposure to sport nutrition in school was pretty limited but I was hopeful that a job would be available when I completed my internship. When I finished my BSc in nutrition and completed my internship a part time job was available and I started working in the field right away- a classic ‘right place, right time’ situation. My employers mentioned that if I could build the position into a full time job and demonstrate the need then funding might be available. Well there was a need and after a couple years of building up the work load a full time position in sport nutrition was created. I have been working for the Sport Medicine and Science Council of Saskatchewan since June 2002 and I have truly enjoyed every minute of it.
What advanced education or special training do you have?
After I had been working in sport nutrition for 5 years I felt like I needed a stronger scientific background in exercise physiology. I started my masters in Kinesiology, with an exercise physiology focus, in 2007 at the University of Saskatchewan. I also completed my CSSD (certified specialist in sport dietetics) in February 2018. Having an additional degree and sport specific certification is very important in my field and many employment opportunities posted in sport nutrition will state MSc required.
In an ideal world, what does the industry look like 5 years from now?
The field of sport nutrition has grown tremendously in the last 10 to 15 years and I hope the growth continues. We have a very strong network of sport RDs that work in our high performance sport system in Canada. Coaches and athletes are starting to understand what we have to offer and it’s opening many new doors.
What is your favourite meal?
Taco bowls with all the toppings!
More about Heather:
Website: www.smscs.ca
Thanks Heather!