Stop running on Empty: The Consequences of under-fuelLing

Welcome to part two of a series of blog posts that explore the role of nutrition for female athletes.

Now, you might be thinking you don’t consider yourself an athlete. If you have an active lifestyle or are committed to including exercise in your routine, then you might want to read this.

My previous blog discussed the importance of eating enough iron to meet energy and exercise demands. We also recognised that women and athletes are at a greater risk of an iron deficiency due to their higher requirements. Read more here.

Today, let’s look at analogy when talking about the importance of fuelling for exercise.

I think it’s fair to say, that if you drive your car on a long summer road trip around Australia you must fill up your car regularly with fuel (petrol). This is so you can keep driving on your holiday, keep the lights on when driving at night, listen to happy tunes on the radio and use the air conditioning to cool yourself down.

Now, let’s envision this car as an athlete. You NEED energy so you can:

- keep your heart beating and your lungs breathing

- keep your hormones and reproductive organs happy

- self-regulate your body temperature

- walk to work

- type on your computer

- hangout the washing

- cook yourself a nourishing meal

- socialise with friends and family

- perform your best at your sport or gym class or have the energy for a walk.

I think you get the point.

Athletes need enough energy to keep their body functioning, and even more energy to perform well in sports.

However, this is where the analogy falls short, the human body isn’t like a car where you will fill up with fuel when you are empty or when the light is flashing at you.

The consequences of under-fuelLing are very serious for both female and male athletes alike.

Low Energy Availability (LEA) is the term used to describe when an athlete is not meeting their energy demands due to incidental reasons, dieting or disordered eating. Consequential signs and symptoms (AKA the flashing petrol light) of LEA are depicted by the umbrella term Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) syndrome.

In a brief nutshell, the signs of under-fueling can look like:

- Injuries that are slow to heal

- Risk of reduced bone density

- Moodiness/irritability

- Irregularity or loss of menstruation

- Fatigue

-  Deficiency of nutrients

- Illness due to impaired immune function

- Weight loss

Therefore, to meet the demands and energy needs of each day, athletes need to be consistently refuelling and topping up their energy stores to feel their best.

So, what does this look like?

Everyone has different lives, different energy needs, different food preferences and different requirements. So, a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t appropriate here.

However, my top tips are to focus on main meals to have a source of protein, carbohydrates, colour (from fruit and/or vegetables) and healthy fats. As well as eating regularly throughout the day to keep up energy levels and assist with post-exercise recovery.

If you are concerned you aren’t eating enough food to support your energy needs, please get in touch so we can work together to help you feel your best!