WOMEN'S TRAINING

Are you getting the right energy balance to support your endurance training? Most likely not. Here we explain the dangers of insufficient fuelling…

It’s widely accepted that within the hierarchy of sports nutrition that energy balance/energy availability forms the foundations, and should be where the most attention is applied. But one of the most common observations that I’ve encountered when working with female athletes is that they’re not eating enough to support their training. Yet, rarely do they ask, ‘Am I eating enough?’

This could be due to pressure to stay lean for performance gains. Or societal pressures that lead to dieting mindset and behaviours. While it may be true that leaner can equate to improved performance, there’s also a point where too few calories become detrimental, resulting in muscle loss, poor performance and even fat preservation – the exact opposite of what is trying to be achieved.

JESSE LAMBERT HARDEN

Jesse is a nutrition and lifestyle coach and personal trainer, specialising in female health and performance. She’s also a member of the coaching team at Her Spirit (herspirit.co.uk).

But what cannot be forgotten is that the number of hours’ training that a triathlete completes across a week requires a large amount of energy. And not just energy to support training and recovery, but also enough to support bodily functions and daily living.

This highlights the importance of understanding energy balance, the risks that low energy availability poses and how to put this into practice for both performance and long-term health protection.

WHAT IS ENERGY BALANCE?

Simply put: energy balance = energy (calories) in vs energy (calories) out.