Many athletes are under the impression that if they are lighter, they will perform better. And who can blame them? Whether we are conscious of it or not, it’s everywhere!!! This idea is perpetuated on social media, internet adds, gyms, tv commercials, magazines and even in our daily conversations with others and personal thoughts with ourselves.
Comparisons, standards, internal and external degradation…it’s never ending!!
I’m not saying that striving for a leaner physique is wrong. However it’s all too easy to cross the line from optimizing health and performance to where it becomes damaging and destructive.
Athletes who are more conscious doubt their weight need to remember that they need to “nourish to flourish.” Not providing the body with food denies it of valuable fuel and nutrients needed for optimal health and performance.
When the quest for a lighter body backfires
Your body doesn’t just need fuel to perform optimally, it also needs it to function properly. The energy needed to stay alive - your resting metabolic rate (RMR) - accounts for about 60 to 70% of your daily energy needs. RMR supports breathing, circulating blood, organ functions, and basic neurological functions. You also need energy to digest food and perform your usual activities of daily living.
In an attempt to get lean, athletes either restrict their food intake, increase their exercise or do a combination of both. If this is done without careful thought or consideration, it can result in a state of low energy availability - a state in which the body does not have enough energy left to support all physiological functions needed to maintain optimal health after subtracting the energetic cost of exercise.
When energy availability is low, the body initiates a dangerous cascade of adaptations to try and conserve energy. To protect the athlete from starving to death, the body lowers RMR (calories burned at rest), which stops fat loss. So you don’t necessarily have to be underweight or losing weight to be in a state of low energy availability!!
Other consequences of low energy availability include:
Abnormal reproductive hormone levels - women can stop having regular menstrual cycles and men can experience a drop in libido and perm quality/motility
Increased bone break down - meaning increased risk of bone/stress fractures
Nutritional deficiencies - including iron deficiency
Digestive issues - remember this is a process that requires energy
Reduced immune function - meaning greater chance of getting sick
Decreased training response
Delayed injury recovery
Athletes might improve in the initial stages of weight loss - until they get stress fractures, torn ligaments or other muscle/bone injuries as the body breaks down and lacks nutrients to heal.
Bottom line
When striving to achieve a body composition that will help your perform at your best, keep in mind that health should be your main priority!! Not providing your body with the fuel it needs to support both its basic physiological functions and exercise, robs the body of the nutrients that it needs to supports your best performance.
You might be able to perform well at a lower-than-usual weight for a season or two, but don’t expect it to last. The best athletes are well trained and well fed.
If you’re an athlete struggling with ‘The lighter I am, the better I will perform’ mindset, reach out to me today!!
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