I. Am. Fed. Up.

Fed up of hearing sports commentators discuss a professional athlete’s weight, size and body shape. Fed up of watching runners – and more importantly, friends – lose their way in the sport in attempts to achieve some sort of aesthetic or “ideal.” Fed up of hearing how scary sugar and fat and carbohydrate is. Fed up of being unable to help.

I’m fed up of the obsession we have with athlete’s bodies. Do they have a period? Have they lost/gained weight? Are they eating enough? Are …

If you could talk to your younger self, I wonder what you’d say?

Would you tell yourself to stop putting so much pressure on yourself?

Would you tell yourself that fast times aren’t determined by what you eat?

Would you tell yourself that thinner doesn’t equal faster?

I certainly would.

I had known for a while that something wasn’t quite right. Irregular menstrual cycles... cold hands and feet... always tired... lean, but not strong. I knew there was something, but didn’t want to admit it. …

📸 by: @Sakurasportsmedia

What is RED-S?

RED-S stands for ‘Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport’. RED-S is caused when an individual’s dietary energy intake is insufficient to support the energy expenditure required for everyday health and optimal function once the cost of exercise has been considered [1]. In simple terms, energy expenditure > energy intake to a point where physiological function is impaired in the body’s bid to save energy (metabolic rate, menstrual function, bone health, imm…