Recreational Athletes Don’t Eat Enough and It’s Hurting Their Health
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) is startlingly common and often unintentional. Here’s how to recognize the symptoms and correct the problem.
Last year, I trained for my first ultramarathon. As an experienced recreational runner and a student of the sport, I knew I’d need to alter my training to successfully cover the 50 kilometers (31 miles) of trail. I was ready to spend more time on my feet, but I underestimated the changes I’d need to make to my nutrition to survive, let alone thrive, during all those miles. I learned a lot and ultimately finished strong, but not without making some mistakes along the way.
Intense physical activity — even for recreational athletes like me–requires lots of fuel. That means eating a lot of food, plain and simple. But in a culture that teaches us that the purpose of exercise is to burn calories, this is hard to wrap your head around.
Many athletes and even non-competitive fitness enthusiasts are eating too little to stay healthy, and they might not know that they’re putting their health and performance at risk.
It’s not just “serious athletes,” either. Anyone who participates in frequent and/or intense…
