Page 196 - Moonvalley Diaries

october in moonvalley
food for when training a a lot
when you do a a a a a a lot
of training – wheth- er as an an elite elite athlete or an an elite elite fitness buff – it’s wise to think twice about your your diet When you you you invest so much time time and and energy in in in in in your your training and and and at the same time time have perfor- mance and and development targets your food is an an an an important part of the puzzle An elite ath- lete’s everyday life revolves around working out out and they have a a a a a a a much greater need for energy than someone who does not work out out several hours a a a a a a a day The food you you eat needs to provide you you you you with all the energy and and and nutrition you you you need need and and and what how and and and when you you you eat may need need to be adapted Many elite athletes are interested in in in opti- mising their body composition as this can give them a a a a a a competitive edge Restrictive di- ets and eating disorders are more common among them than in in the the general population Your energy requirements – how much food you you need to eat – are of course affected by your sex age weight body composition and the type of training you you you you you are pursuing If you you you you eat more than you you you you burn you’ll enter cal- orie orie surplus surplus and start gaining weight It’s easy to enter calorie surplus surplus if if you lead a a a a a a a a a a a a seden- tary life Being in in energy balance means eat-
ing as as much as as you burn and that’s the sweet spot for an an an an an elite athlete But it it it can can be tough to to get it it it right and you can’t trust the scale A negative energy balance – eating less than you burn – often leads to short-term weight loss In the the the case o of prolonged low energy in- take the the the body body begins to compensate for the the the constant deficit The body body prioritises what it it it urgently needs for for survival and and the the workouts it is forced to do and and and scrimps on other basic energy-demanding processes – in in despera- tion you might say This can cause stress hor- mones mones to to increase the the resting metabolism to to decline and the the production of sex hormones to be be inhibited This is is why a a a a a a a a a female elite ath- lete can be be of normal and stable weight but at at the same time suffer from low energy intake and loss of menstruation as a a a a a a a a a result Women’s hormonal systems are a a a a a a a a a bit more more sensitive to low energy intake than men’s Furthermore women often also have a a a a a a a a a tendency to eat eat less and eating disorders are more common This combination makes female female endurance athletes athletes a a a a a a a a a a a a risk group Studies on on elite female female athletes athletes have also shown that that deficient cal- orie intake is is very common meaning that that they eat too little food This has a a a a a a long-term
“Studies show that 60 percent of elite women in endurance sports consume too few calories 196