Properly fueling yourself as an athlete, especially if you are an athletic woman over 40, can have a huge impact on your training, strength, and overall health and well-being. Understanding RED-S, or Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports, is a key piece of educational information I think every athlete needs to know about.

If You are Concerned About RED-S, You Should:

1. Make sure you are eating enough protein and non-protein energy for your training
2. Work with a nutrition professional if you are struggling to gain clarity about what to do next
3. Seek a team approach treatment if you are intentionally under-fuelling

Understanding RED-S

You don't have to be an Olympic athlete to deal with RED-S or the implications of low energy availability. RED-S transcends different populations and athletic individuals. This is why it is so important to gain a clearer picture of how RED-S is defined, the signs and symptoms of low energy availability, how it impacts your performance and health, and what you can do to fuel yourself for the best success and performance possible.

Fueling Properly Is Not Optional

I want to challenge you to think about the amount you are fueling yourself in comparison to your training schedule. By the time you account for the energy you have spent through exercise and how much you are eating, there are a lot of cases where we don't provide our bodies enough energy to facilitate even basic bodily functions.

Fueling your body with enough energy to recover from training is incredibly important to basically every system you have in your body, from hormones to metabolism to menstruation. Low energy availability, or RED-S, doesn't just affect what is going on in the gym; it also has serious implications for your overall health and well-being.

What did you think about this topic? Have you ever struggled with low energy availability? Let me know your thoughts in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

• What is RED-S and why you should know about it (5:06)
• Why is there a different name associated with the female athlete triad (7:22)
• Understanding low energy availability and the causes of RED-S (10:22)
• Physiological signs that you may be dealing with low energy availability (19:19)
• The possible impacts on your training and performance when it comes to RED-S (24:40)
• What to do if you suspect you are in a state of low energy availability (28:29)

Quotes

“We are trying to fuel, we are trying to eat better and fuel our performance. And at the at the same time, it is revolutionary, talking about actually eating enough as female athletes.” (2:53)

“RED-S is more inclusive in terms of what the physiological implications of low energy availability happen to be. It is more expansive in terms of how this could potentially be affecting someone's performance and also their health and wellbeing.” (9:18)

“The physiological impacts when it comes to under eating, especially if we have a high amount of physical activity and exercise, can accumulate quite quickly.” (17:00)

“We just need enough energy in order for us to get the output in our training so that we will see the beneficial adaptations.” (23:57)

“You need to eat enough to cover your training and also your basic bodily needs. And that includes both protein and non-protein energy.” (28:41)

Featured on the Show

Schedule A Call About Strength Nutrition Unlocked Here

IOC consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S)

National Eating Disorders Association Website

Find the full show notes here

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