Health advice from a panel discussion on Fuelling Females

At a well-attended seminar on Fuelling Females last week—a new lecture series on women’s nutrition and physiology in sport and exercise—a lively panel discussion took place following a keynote presentation by Dr. Christopher Curtis, associate professor in the Department of Sport Science at Reykjavik University.

The panel consisted of Sara Sigmundsdóttir, professional CrossFit athlete; Eygló Fanndal Sturludóttir, European champion in Olympic weightlifting and Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year 2025; Ágústa Edda Björnsdóttir, multiple cycling champion in Iceland; Agnes Þóra Árnadóttir, former footballer and nutritionist; and Erla Guðmundsdóttir, sports scientist, health coach, and host of the podcast Með lífið í lúkunum.

The discussion was moderated by Silja Úlfarsdóttir, former elite athlete and coach.

Don’t forget mental and social nourishment

The discussion focused on women’s experiences and concluded with Silja asking what advice the panelists wished every woman knew about their body, health, or performance.

Erla discussed the importance of holistic health.

“Because I’m a health coach, I think a lot about holistic health. Even if our diet were 100 percent perfect, if we aren’t taking care of our mental and social nourishment, we aren’t reaching our full potential, either in life or in sport.

Don’t forget to nourish yourselves mentally and socially as well—not just physically through sleep, nutrition, and exercise, but in every other way too. That is the advice I want every woman to know,” Erla said.

It doesn’t matter what someone else is doing

“I want to encourage women to listen to their bodies and not compare themselves to someone else or how other people look. Women should think about themselves and what they need to do to improve their performance goals while also considering their long-term health.

If something is good for performance and health, then there is a 100 percent chance that it is also good for your body-fat percentage, your Instagram picture, or whatever it may be. Think about those two things and about yourself. It doesn’t matter what someone else is doing,” Agnes Þóra said.

You need to accept yourself as you are

Sara echoed Agnes Þóra’s sentiments.

“You’re going to live with yourself for the rest of your life. You need to accept yourself as you are. I remember hating how broad-shouldered I was when I was younger, and I hated how quickly I gained muscle. I was ashamed of it. As soon as I accepted that this was the direction I was supposed to take, you feel so much better in your own skin.

As Agnes said, stop comparing yourselves. If someone had told me this when I was 12: ‘You’re going to become an incredible athlete in the future and incredibly strong.’ ‘What, me?’ I was always comparing myself to what I wanted to be. So I would say: accept yourself in your own skin,” Sara said.

Eygló concluded by saying that nothing compares to the feeling of being fit and strong.

“It’s the best feeling I know. If that means I eat a little more, it’s worth it. It feels so good to feel that you’ve got this and that you feel good. I would say it’s a feeling that nothing compares to—that you do what you need to do to experience it,” Eygló said.

Those interested can watch the full seminar here.

Further information and all the lectures are available on the Fuelling Females website.