Looking for running advice or running tips for beginners? Vhi Women’s Health Specialist, Dr Amélie Roland, shares some energy and nutrition considerations for women already on their running journey or just starting out. She discusses topics like nutrition, overtraining and injury, so you can give yourself the best chance at finding your perfect routine.

Do women have different or additional nutritional needs when it comes to endurance sports and training?

Women don’t necessarily have different nutritional needs when it comes to exercise, but there are a couple of important things to be considered:

• Vitamin D is important, and not something we get much of via sunlight in Ireland! During darker months, it’s a good idea to take a vitamin D supplement, especially if you run, because you don't want to risk bone fracture. Vitamin D helps with bone density, and low bone density is a risk factor for fractures. 
• If you’re doing a lot of sport or exercise and you're sweating often, you're losing some calcium in this sweat. It’s important that women are mindful of their calcium intake, so they don’t become deficient. Generally, having a balanced diet means you’re getting enough calcium through food, and won’t need a supplement. But if you tend to avoid dairy or dark, leafy vegetables, speak to your healthcare provider about whether a supplement is a good idea. 

Balancing your nutrition when training and exercising 

When you consistently exercise, you increase your basal metabolic rate ─ this is the rate at which your body burns calories when you’re at rest. So even on the days you aren’t exercising, you’re still burning a higher rate of calories. This means women who exercise need more calories even on rest days, not just the days they workout.

Carbs are very important for energy and are the first thing our bodies use for energy when we’re exercising. Without a balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein and fat, you won’t reap a lot of the benefits of exercise ─ instead, during exercise, your body will be focused on trying to find the energy to work and keep moving! By including sufficient carbohydrates before a workout and plenty of carbs and protein after a workout, you’re giving your body the best chance at improving in performance and recovery so you can exercise again in the coming days. 

Signs that you might be overtraining or under-fueling 

Overtraining and under fueling often go hand in hand. If you progressively increase your exercise, you need to increase your calories too, so your body can safely adapt and perform. If you’re overtraining or the gap between your energy needs and energy consumption is too big, you could experience some of the following: 

• Stress fractures: If you're not fueling your body well or if you're doing too much or too high an intensity of exercise, your body will struggle to recover. It’s important to progressively increase your workouts over time to avoid this. If not, your hormones (which are essential for your bone quality) will be impacted, putting you at a high risk of stress fractures (fractures that happen because of repeated pressure on bone that doesn’t have time to heal). 
• Getting sick more often: Overtraining and doing too much negatively impacts your immune system and leaves your body too fatigued to fight infection. So, you might find yourself catching bugs or common colds more often. 
• Constant fatigue: If you aren’t resting enough between workouts, your body will struggle to adapt, repair and get stronger. You’ll feel fatigued even at rest. 
• Gut issues: Lots of runners can experience some gut issues while running, so this isn’t a definitive indicator that you’re overtraining. But, if you’re dealing with an increase in gut issues, it’s something to consider, as people who overtrain have an increased risk of gut issues. 
• Performance fatigue: If you no longer enjoy the exercise you’re doing and really have to force yourself to do it, this could be a sign you’re overtraining and need to either switch things up or change the volume and intensity of what you’re doing.  
• Irritability and low mood: This is fairly self-explanatory and linked to performance fantigue ─ exercise should feel good and boost your mood! If it’s doing the opposite, then you could be pushing yourself too much or not giving your body enough recovery and rest in between. 
• Relative energy deficiency: This term just means that your energy levels are too low compared to what you're asking your body to do. This can cause all the points listed above and can even cause disruptions in the menstrual cycle, such as stopping it completely. It’s very important that women don’t lose their period when not in menopause, so if you’re training or exercising a lot and this happens, (or if you lose your period for any reason) it’s important you speak to your healthcare provider to check what could be causing it. 

The importance of strength training for runners

If you’re a runner, the high impact of running causes stress to your bones. If you aren’t overtraining, this stress is actually good for your bone strength and health. To support this, I encourage people, especially around menopause age, to engage in strength training too. Doing some strength training in between your running days can help protect your bones, reduce the risk of injury and improve balance, mobility and running performance. 

Curious about the impact of your menstrual cycle on your exercise? Read my blog, ‘How the stages of the menstrual cycle impact running and recovery’, for more information. 

Key takeaways:

• If you consistently exercise, your body starts to burn a higher number of calories even when you're at rest. 
• Carbs are vital for energy and are the first thing our bodies use for energy when we’re exercising. 
• If you progressively increase your exercise, you need to increase your calories too. If not, you'll increase the risk of injury, burnout, and extreme fatigue. 
• Overtraining can cause stress fractures, performance fatigue, low mood, gut issues, and a weakened immune system.
• Strength training is very important for runners. It will protect your bones, reduce the risk of injury and improve your balance, mobility and running performance.  

This content is for information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek advice from your GP or an appropriate medical professional if you have concerns about your health or before commencing a new healthcare regime. If you believe that you are experiencing a medical emergency call 999 / 112 or seek emergency assistance immediately.