Welcome back to All Things Running with Sonja & Jen. Today Jen is going to talk about the symptoms of underfueling.

Often our busy schedules get in the way of making our nutrition the top priority. I’ll use myself as an example. I am up at 5am. I leave my house at 6am for work. At work, I coach, sometimes I’m running to where we train or on a training run with my athletes. After work, I drive home and might not arrive back until 12pm. I then get 2 hours before the mom taxi is in service. Then all the things at home that need to be taken care of with bits of coaching & recruiting thrown in throughout the day. Preparing dinner and then clean up. I’m in bed by 9pm. I know it doesn’t sound like a lot but with all the rushing around, it would be easy to not get in enough calories. I tackle this by making sure I have enough fuel for myself for the morning in my backpack. I pack meals & snacks. Sometimes I eat on campus before I leave. It is so important to plan ahead so you have enough energy for the day.

Some common symptoms of not getting enough fuel:

Low energy and not performing
Infertility or amenorrhea
Always hungry or not eating enough but also not hungry
Frequent waking in the night or sleep disturbances
Feeling cold
Constipation
Nagging injuries
Anxiety and depression
Underweight
Hair loss
Moodiness
Weakened immune system

Often athletes don’t know. They see how much they are eating and perhaps they compare themselves to others around them who don’t train as hard as they do. A good rule of thumb is to eat if you are hungry. Hunger cues like tummy grumbling etc are your body’s final request to eat something. You should be eating and fueling before your tummy rumbles. I’ve included some resources below about the effects of underfueling and also resources if you are concerned that it is out of your control and more than you just didn’t know. Reach out to your coaches & the support staff at your school if you have questions. Nutritionists & Dietitians if you have food intolerances/allergies are great resources to navigate food options and how much you need to stay fueled. Remember, all food is good food.

Resources:

https://blog.insidetracker.com/underfueling-impacts-performance-prevent

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/warning-signs-and-symptoms

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders

Sonja and Jennifer are sharing their personal experiences. This is being provided for informational purposes only. We are not giving medical advice and you should always consult your own doctor for advice related to your own health.