WOODBURY- Picture this: you’re an athlete that is trying your best at practice–but something is off. No matter how hard you sprint you try you feel that you’ve reached your limit, but your maximum used to be your minimum. Many athletes feel that this is just a matter of not sleeping the night before or being sore.
This isn’t always the case.
Most athletes overlook one very important aspect of their training– how they are fueling their bodies. According to a research study done at Fairfield University 92.3% of athletes are unaware they have Relative Energy Deficiency (REDS).
REDS is caused by athletes not consuming enough food to keep up with the amount of calories they are burning. This can result in mood changes, poor immunity, and higher fatigue overall making athletes’ performances on and off the field impacted.
“I feel like knowing how to correctly fuel your body is one of the most important things for female athletes,” said senior NHS field hockey and track captain Sophia Gargulio. “Female athletes have so many obstacles to overcome and being under-fueled is something that needs to be avoided and addressed.”
(Deme Jones )
Similarly Tatum Kosiszewski, a sophomore on the field hockey team shares that she thinks fueling her body is important.
“I feel like it is very important for female athletes to understand the importance of fueling because it can make or break their performance,” says Kosiszewski. “I feel like I tend to see athletes as underfueled especially females.”
Though REDS is common in many female athletes it is avoidable. Female athletes need to go out of their ways to make sure they are doing enough to fuel and take care of their bodies properly.
“It’s very important for especially female athletes to incorporate all the necessary food groups into their diets,” said NHS Physical Education Instructor, Kathryn Brenner. “I feel like protein is something all athletes should make sure they are getting a lot of in order to perform at their best.”
