Wake up. Workout. Repeat.
That was my jam for a number of years. It still is…to an extent. Working out feels good; it invigorates me, it strengthens me, and most days – it supplies much needed alone-time. But my workouts look quite different than they once did.
My workouts used to consist of back-to-back cardio group classes because one just wasn’t enough. Double days, 3+ hour bike rides, and hitting the pavement one mile after the next were commonplace. Notice any themes here??? Endurance much?! I was logging A LOT of hours of cardio. Yes, I occasionally threw in some strength training and yoga but the consistent element was cardio. Suffice it to say, I was tired all the time. Yet I started having trouble sleeping (you’ve heard the term ‘tired but wired’ I’m sure). Eventually, I started waking up in the middle of the night sweating (this lead me to google ‘early menopause’…nope, not what was happening) and then I lost my period. While I know plenty of females that enjoy the easy logistics of not having a period that was not my response. My train of thought: “this is bad. This means my hormones are messed up. I want to have babies someday and my cycle is a sign of good health. Now it’s gone – CRAP!”
Fortunately, I had the good sense to address the situation at the earlier signs. While I took action regarding my training and recovery habits immediately upon the loss of my first period, it still took 4 months of on-and-off-again periods before my cycle regained normalcy. I honestly consider myself lucky in this arena. It can be extremely challenging to regain your cycle once lost, especially if it has been irregular for quite some time.
That being said, below are some guidelines you should consider below:
Protein. Protein helps the body build and repair, particularly during times of growth and recovery. Make sure you’re getting enough protein on a daily basis to meet your athletic needs without going overboard. I generally recommend individuals aim for around 100 grams of protein per day and rely on satiety between meals as their best gauge for whether they need more or less.
Carbohydrates. Eat plenty of carbs, preferably whole food carbs like bananas and sweet potatoes, as opposed to Pop Tarts. For most athletes, carbohydrates are the body’s primary fuel source. Eating too few carbohydrates can result in poor recovery. This is an all too easy mistake to make and one that I can personally attest to. Carbs have been placed on the healthy black market for making people fat, but it’s not that simple. Yes, processed carbohydrates with processed sugar aren’t what we want to eat all the time, but we also need carbohydrates for fuel. There are only 3 macronutrient food groups – proteins, fats and carbs – each with it’s own purpose so why would we limit ourselves to 2?! Unless you are “fat adapted,” pull from all 3. If you are fat-adapted, know that you need to be training at a low enough intensity to use fat as your fuel source (ie. If you’re going to a track session fat isn’t gonna cut it!). I know, it’s tricky. I recommend athletes think about wrapping their workouts in carbohydrates. Pre and post training fuel needs to include carbohydrates.
Fats. Healthy fats are vital to keeping our hormones in check. Fat contains fat soluble vitamins, including vitamin d, a pro hormone. As a pro hormone, vitamin d helps the body produce enough sex hormones and thyroid as a precursor. Without healthy hormones, particularly testosterone, you can bet your training is going to suffer. Fat soluble vitamins are also stored in our body so that should we need our reserves, we’ve got them – our body is so smart!!!
Color. Eat the rainbow. Whole foods are colorful. Greens, reds, yellow, purple, blue…each color represents a different category of health promoting nutrients that will help fill your micronutrient cup to refuel the system and boost the immune system (something that is often compromised in endurance athletes). The more colorful your diet, the better.
Stress. Remember how your body can’t decipher between physical and non-physical stress? Now let’s consider the notion of total load. In essence, each person has a capacity at which they ‘tap out’ on activity, stimulation and stress. If your cup is already about to flow over with financial stress, adding a complicated, time-consuming training regime to your schedule for the upcoming ultra-marathon might break the camel’s back! Food for thought…
Overtraining can be a slippery slope when it comes to endurance, especially for females. It’s important to note that overtraining and endurance training are not synonymous. While overtraining is detrimental to everyone, endurance training doesn’t necessarily follow suit. That being said, with endurance training, you need to be mindful that your training program is balanced, includes proper recovery, and for goodness sake, please listen to your body. Have the foresight to know that logging crap miles is not going to get you anywhere, except to a possible injury. For a deeper dive into endurance training specifically and if it’s right for you, read my article, Endurance, Are You Built for It?
Signs Of Overtraining:
- Wired but tired
- Night Sweats
- Irritability
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Weight gain for no apparent reason
- Lower libido
- Mood swings
- Drop in energy
- Prolonged recovery demands
- Repeat injury
- Irregular / loss of menstrual cycle
- Puffy stagnant weight (possible weight gain) regardless of how much exercise logged
My workouts have since changed. I walk A LOT (I have a one year old so it suits us), I do some home yoga, and I lift weights. Occasionally, I do a fun run, but nothing like I used to. That’s not to say I won’t ever get back into running more, but for now I’m aware that it’s not a good fit. And that’s the key; find what is best of you in the present.
