Did you know that medication is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution? This is especially true for athletes, as medications can have varying effects from person to person. A drug that enhances performance for one athlete might hinder it for another. “There are a lot of questions that go into ‘how is this drug going to impact performance?’” says Jess.
Meet Jessica Beal: Sports Pharmacist & Athlete
Jess’s journey started at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, where she played Division I volleyball as a setter. Growing up, sports were a constant in her life, but volleyball is where life funneled her into. Collegiate sports, however, are demanding and the weight culture in the early 2000s was toxic with mandatory weigh-ins and the belief that “lighter is better." Though she continued to play throughout college, it left her with an unhealthy relationship with the scale.
Fast forward, Jess is now a national and international record-holding competitive weightlifter. By working with a therapist, Jess has been able to overcome the barrier of the scale.
“The number on the scale is just your relationship with gravity and nothing else,” says Jess.
Olympic weightlifting wasn’t her first choice of sport post-college athletics. She dipped her toes in CrossFit for a bit, but discovered it was really hard to maintain the high-intensity effort and then work 8–10-hour days: “Some days a 10-minute slow burn or a swim in the pool is needed.” Jess then discovered Olympic Weightlifting and found she could go off RPE based on how she was feeling. She came to realize that her job is quite stressful, and stress accumulates throughout the day—not just from training. As it turned out, she had a talent for Olympic lifting and decided to stick with it.
While training, people started approaching Jess for advice on supplements, aches and pains, medications, etc. It became so frequent that she started consulting on the side of her pharmacy job, and it grew from there. Now, her typical day includes private consulting calls while working at the community pharmacy. When she's not there, she focuses on providing education through podcasts, seminars, and webinars.
Pharmacists don’t want to see you...
Jess says, “In reality, most pharmacists want you to be healthy and not use medication. I would like you to sleep well, move, and eat better, and you may never have to come to see me. And I’m okay with that.” In a perfect world, everyone would be healthy, and medication is one size fits all. Using medication, whether it’s short-term or long term is inevitable. A staph infection can pop up from rolling around a wrestling mat and antibiotics are needed, “How do we mitigate the effects of that? How do we increase GI issues that may come up?”
Numerous questions go into evaluating how a drug is going to impact performance:
What sport are they competing in?
How much are they training?
Are they training indoors or outdoors?
Do they sweat heavily?
What is the salt content of their sweat?
Are they on birth control?
Where are they in their sports career?
Is genetic testing needed for more information?
Jess prioritizes what is most beneficial for the person, not just the athlete, because better overall health leads to better performance.
Favorite Myth to Dispel
"You don’t have to be smaller to be an athlete,” Jess says, “You don’t need to take up less space.” Our bodies change over time. How much you weigh, eat, and your level of activity is all going to change, and that’s okay.
Jess has a unique perspective as a pharmacist. She understands the demands of being a collegiate athlete, balancing a full-time job while training competitively, and navigating the challenges of being a woman in this field. She is breaking barriers in the space by helping and informing those around her
Words of Advice
Sleeping is a skill, being dedicated to movement is a skill and it will all change over your lifetime. Learning these skills may prevent issues later in life.
It’s okay to eat more than your non-athlete friends.
Just go for it! There will be barriers or obstacles to overcome, but it’s not different than what women in sports have done over the years.
It’s powerful to see women lifting each other. Continue doing that.
Who is Jess outside training and being a pharmacist?
You can find Jess hiking and enjoying the beautiful outdoors! Living in Florida, going to the beach on Sundays is a routine must. She also enjoys art – specifically painting. Being a Type A person in a STEM field can be difficult, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dive into the arts. Give it a chance! “Art challenged me and let me explore – a big relief for me and allowed me to turn off my brain,” says Jess.
You can find out more about Jess here
· Website - https://www.theathletespharmacist.com/
· Instagram @jessb_rx
· Magazine - https://sportsrxnews.com/
Written by Hannah Sherwood
Hannah currently works with varsity athletics at the Colorado School of Mines as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. She holds a B.S. in Integrative Physiology & space minor at the University of Colorado-Boulder and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in sports nutrition. Hannah was a competitive rower at the University of Colorado-Boulder and now pursues Weightlifting and CrossFit.
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