Many athletes, myself included, have complicated relationships with calories and the number centered concepts around fueling or food. I love a good spreadsheet! When budgeting to buy my house that was great, when focusing on fueling can spin to be so. Remember our body’s first goal is to fuel for optimal health; health goals will always come before fueling goals because your body makes the real decision for itself. So many female athletes lose their periods because they’re under fueling by not providing their energy needs for total health and the addition to exercise. Quite literally the body stalls its ability to reproduce because it doesn’t deem it as a priority given everything else it’s being asked to do.
Calories aren’t a bad thing! They’re a unit of energy – that is it. Should they hold power over someone? NO – but in a way they can for some people. Tracking them isn’t inheritably bad either! Some people thrive calculating their needs but it’s not for everyone. That being said; you know yourself best; find an approach to fueling that works for you!
So, how do you know you’re meeting your body’s needs if you’re not tracking every bite? Check in with your body and what it’s telling you.
How is your energy?
Once you finish your workout or long run are you down for the count? Or ready to enjoy family fun? I don’t expect you to finish a 15 mile run and hop right in the car to go ice skate with your middle schooler 5 minutes later, but if you’re fueling is supporting you than you should be able to have your post run fuel grab a shower and mosey on the rest of your day. If you find yourself saying no to every social invite due to low energy; it’s time to look into your energy intake.
How is your mood?
Shifts in mood can happy for multiple reason – one of them is under fueling. If you start a training cycle and realize you’re not yourself nutrition could be a component.
Have you maintained your cycle?
If a female loses her period, it’s a very clear sign that she’s not meeting her body’s needs. Reproduction is viewed as an “extra” for the body and a body that isn’t fueled appropriately long term will resort into survival mode, shutting off that “extra”. Whether it’s 2023 with endless access to food or 1941 during the Great Depression; the body doesn’t know. All it knows is that it’s not meeting being fed appropriately and it’s goal is to survive. Understanding your cycle can be a beneficial tool in gaging your nutrition intake.
How do you feel during your workouts?
Fuel smart, run strong, finish confident! That’s the idea – is it happening? If you’re able to complete your planned training and finish excited and proud of your accomplishment; it’s a hint your nutrition is on point. If you find yourself lagging through every run and just scraping by, not so much.
Are you eating before, during, and after your workouts?
This one is easy – are you doing the work by actually eating around your workouts? We never want to work out fasted! If you’ll be on the trails for more than 45minutes, you need something during the event. After be sure to replenish your glycogen and repair you muscles with a 3:1 CHO to protein snack.
What’re your hunger, fullness cues saying?
This one is tricky because athletics does tend to inhibit our hunger/fullness cues a bit. Typically, people aren’t hungry within the 30-minute window following a workout but we know it’s crucial to replenish quickly. That being said if we skip that step; a few hours later your body will be screaming at you’re a thousand different signs it needs food. Hunger and fullness cues look different for everyone to taking some distraction free time when eating can be a great way to learn. If you find yourself thinking about food, you’re likely ready for a snack. Getting distracted or unable to focus on a task, early hunger cue. A growling stomach and pains mean we missed a few earlier ones and need something now. On your rest day you might notice more hunger cues then high intensity workouts. Listen to them! On rest days your body is recovering and still has very high needs. We’re also more able to notice the cues compared to immediately following the actual workout.
