Do I Have Energy Deficiency?

Have you experienced fractures or recurring injuries?

Do you have a hard time concentrating?

Do you feel tired and fatigued?

Do you have irregular periods?

Is there a decrease in athletic performance?

Do you experience irritability?

Do you experience muscle loss?

Do you experience an inability to recover?

Based on your answers, it is unlikely that you have energy deficiency, which is a good sign. Energy availability is the amount of energy you have to fuel your body’s needs after subtracting the energy you use to be active. An energy deficiency takes place when you consume all the calories that you ingest.

Based on your answers, you are displaying some signs of having energy deficiency. When your body needs to conserve energy for survival, it will alter important physiological systems. This will lead to slower metabolism, bone health issues, and menstrual disturbances. Remember: impaired health can impair performance. This means that you cannot perform at your best if you are not healthy enough to train. It is very important to educate ourselves and young athletes around proper energy intake. It will promote growth, prevent injury, and increase performance in general.

Based on your answers, you are displaying the signs typically seen among individuals who have energy deficiency. In case you are not consuming enough calories to meet your physical activity level’s needs, important bodily systems will start working differently. In some cases, it’s an eating disorder, in other cases it may be a lack of knowledge on the athlete’s part for the amount of calories they need to consume to feel energetic and healthy. It may be important to hire a registered sports dietitian to understand what you should eat before, during, and after training. In case of an eating disorder, make sure to contact your doctor as soon as possible.