Girl Talk

Important note:  This section of the blog is not intended to be used as a medical diagnosis but rather as a guide to help women become educated about the possible health consequences of losing their menstrual cycle and emphasize the importance of why action should be taken to get it back.


Loss of Menstruation: Why you may not be getting your cycle 

Menstrual Cycles are a pain- they can cause bloating, mood swings, and make us add more stuff to carry in our running bags. Despite the annoyances they cause, menstrual cycles are important for us to have because they provide essential health benefits.

Importance of the cycle:

·         Helps balance your hormones for  reproduction and leading a more energetic life

·         Keeps your bones stronger, promotes healthy thyroid and adrenal functions, and helps you maintain a healthy body weight

Source: Holmes, M. (2012). Menstruation. Women to Women. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from http://www.womentowomen.com/menstruation/healthbenefits-regularperiods.aspx

Myth about why athletes are not getting their cycle: 

1.      The athlete is extremely fit and lean

The Truth about why female athletes are not getting their cycle:

1.      Exercise may throw off a cycle but it is not the sole cause of the elimination of the cycle

2.      50-80% of female athletes experience regular menses so if you are not experiencing menses then you are in the minority

3.      A deficit in calories causes the body to shut down certain bodily functions in order to sustain more important and currently active functions

4.      Loss of menses for an extended amount of time (more than 2-3 months) can be a sign of restrictive eating patterns

A deficit/restriction in calories could be intentional or non-intentional, it is hard to pay attention to our energy demands when we have so many things vying for our attention. But it is here that we cannot be lazy or blind. We must be conscious of our energy demands and become educated on how  to properly replenish our bodies in order to have optimal energy output/input balance.

Source: Clark, N. (2012). Nutrition advice for women with amenorrhea. Retrieved June 12, 2012 from

http://www.women-running-together.com/amenorrhea.html. 

Amenorrhea:

·         Missing menses for an extended period of time3 months or longer

·         Body’s way to adapt to a calorie deficit in order to conserve calories

Health Consequences of continuously missing your cycle:

·         Decreased bone density because estrogen levels are too low

·         2-4 times more likely to experience stress fractures

·         Premature osteoporosis

·         Imbalance of reproductive hormones 


  Female reproductive hormones are highly sensitive to nutrition:

      When there is an inadequate supply of energy, the body searches for more nourishment and it will stop fueling the reproductive system and fuel the brain and other internal organs

·                                                                   Hormones that could be disrupted:

·         Luteinizing hormone: responsible for starting ovulation

·         Leptin: regulates appetite and metabolism- less leptin= more hunger

·         Thyroid: regulate resting metabolic rate and rate at which protein, carbs, and fats are digested. If you feel cold after eating this might be a sign that you have a low thyroid.

·         Cortisol:  stress hormone which rises when you are malnourished- you do not want this because it takes protein away from the muscles for energy which can cause higher blood pressure and weaken the immune system.

Source:  Shuler, L., Forsyth, C., & Cosgrove, A. (2007). The New Rules of Lifting for Women. The new rules of lifting for women. New York: Penguin Group.

Food restriction and why it’s harmful:

The body processes food in various ways. The percentages below represent the amount of energy that is needed from food for vital bodily functions. Look at what you could be taking away from your body if you restrict your diet too much and how you could unknowingly be hindering your performance:

·         10% to kidneys: ensures that the blood has a balance of water and nutrients

·         5-10% to the heart: heart gets most of its energy from fat rather than glucose in order to provide long lasting energy

·         23% to the liver, pancreas, spleen, and adrenal glands: the liver absorbs necessary nutrients and stores extra calories as glycogen

·         25% to muscles! Muscles need a constant supply of energy in order to maintain their mass- the more muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn! The less muscle mass you have, the less calories you will burn

·         10% to the brain: the brain utilizes food as glucose for fuel- this is why people feel tired or faint if they do not eat enough or skip a meal

·         10% to thermogenesis: simply digesting the food requires 1/10 of your calories

·         2-3% to fat cells

 10% unknown

Source: Zinczenko, D. (2010). The new! Abs diet: the 6 week plan to flatten your stomach and keep lean for life. United States of America: Rodale Inc.

Transition vs. Restriction

Most athletes understand that they need to eat healthy in order to support athletic performance. Eating healthy though, has gained a very broad definition in our society. Due to pressures from society and sport about “ideal body weight and types” along with fad diets and low levels of nutrition education, many female athletes engage in eating habits that are not beneficial to their performance and health.  Because of the massive overload of ideas and diets out there, it can be confusing as to what is best for us as individuals. We can catch ourselves comparing or mimicking others or discover that we have sporadic eating habits because we are just confused about what to eat. Here is the thing though, it’s a lot simpler than society makes it out to be. Here’s why:

We need to be aware that making better food choices like incorporating more whole grains, healthy fats, essential proteins, vegetables, and fruits while limiting cookies, candies, and processed/fried foods is a TRANSITION. By this I mean that nothing was eliminated- simply more of the good foods are incorporated and substituted for the less healthy options. Notice however, that limit does not mean eat like a prisoner of war- you are allowed to eat cookies and candy as a treat.

Restriction is completely different from transition. Restriction is when an individual eats the healthy stuff but reduces the portion sizes to a point where they are barely benefiting from the healthy food choices and completely eliminating certain food groups and other choices. Restriction is a dangerous path because eliminating and restricting can cause your body to miss out on getting the appropriate amounts of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals and will ultimately result in injury or poor health. It may seem like the best runners around you restrict their diet- and perhaps they are the best- but it is temporary. Most of these women end up injured or experience illness. If you look at the elite athletes, they are indeed lean but they by no means restrict themselves. Take a look at what Kara Goucher said in an interview about her nutrition:

“I Don’t obsess! I used to be super restrictive about what I ate and watched everything I put into my mouth. Then I went the other way, and ate a little bit too much of everything. Now, I'm in a healthier place. No food is off limits -- if I tell myself I can't have something, I'm way more likely to eat the entire container than if I allow myself to just have some. So I eat healthy most of the time, but if I want dessert, or a glass of wine, I have it!"

Source: (Kara Goucher article Fitness Magazine-http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/eat-like-an-olympian/)

Effects of Calorie Restriction:

·         The first thing your body does when its short of calories is dump the body tissue that takes the most calories to maintain- that’s muscle

·         So on a low calorie diet, your body burns away muscle and tries to store fat

·         Key Takeaways:
  

•  Emphasize what to eat rather than what not to eat
•  You need energy from each food group- cutting out a food group or doing too much of another means doing too little of something else which results in an imbalance! And an imbalance presents health problems. In order to avoid these problems it is easier to just strike a balance between the food groups
• BE NORMAL- ITS NORMAL to eat a steak off the grill, its normal to have dessert at holiday or birthday parties or even when you randomly feel like it!
• The key is to LIMIT foods that don’t provide as many nutritional benefits- it is NOT to Eliminate foods.

All of these health risks will affect your running eventually so I suggest that this subject not be taken lightly. The reasons for not having irregular cycles are different for everyone, so if you are experiencing irregular cycles, or no cycles at all, it might be wise to consult with various sources such as: parents, coaches, and doctors in order to find out a solution to regulate your cycle.

Coming from the world of running, there are several solutions that I have seen that may help regulate a cycle. Some of them include: gaining healthy weight (sometimes cycles cease because there is not enough body fat), birth control (sometimes birth control can help regulate the cycle), or a decrease in the amount of exercise until the cycle reoccurs (the intensity of a workout regimen can also cause the body to stop menstruating).

Nutrition Advice to Help You Resume Menses

·         Eat more HIGH QUALITY calories from all three macro-nutrients (carbs, proteins, and fats) until the problem goes away. This does not mean that you have to eat unhealthy saturated fat foods to gain weight, it simply means adding more of the healthy foods to your diet and more often. It is especially important to eat more calories on days of hard workouts or long runs. Here are some tips to incorporate more higher quality foods into your diet:

·         Aim for healthy caloric density- eating healthy is still possible with denser foods! see Nutrition Page for Options

·         Eat adequate amounts of protein- see Nutrition Page for Options

·         Eat small portions of lean red meat 2-4 times a week- See Nutrition Page for Options

·         Increase amount of healthy fats- see Nutrition Page for Options

·         Incorporate a Calcium Rich Diet- see Nutrition Page for Options

Concerns of Eating More:

·         Many female athletes are concerned that their athletic physique will change drastically if they gain weight but many girls do not know that these changes are not drastic if done in the right way- in fact, if weight is gained in the correct way (adding denser healthy foods and more often) it will be gained more in muscle which will only increase athletic physique and enhance an athlete’s look, feel, and performance.

·         Do not be afraid to consume fat or slightly increase your fat intake. For athletes, it is normal to consume 40-60 grams of fat from sources such as: lean beef, peanut butter, low fat cheese, salmon, nuts, and wholesome protein. This slight moderation provides nutritional advantages over a limited diet

·         If your diet is high in fiber, like bran, fruits, veggies, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes than you need to increase your calcium intake even more because high fiber diets interfere with the absorption of calcium

Source:   Clark, N. (2012). Nutrition advice for women with amenorrhea. Retrieved June 12, 2012 from

http://www.women-running-together.com/amenorrhea.html.

IMPORTANT: Sometimes if you are on birth control you can still get your period but it does not necessarily mean that your body is healthy. Whether you are getting your period or not make sure that you ask yourself these questions if you change your eating habits. Be honest with yourself, and if the answers to these questions are more negative than positive it might be wise to evaluate if you’re eating habits are substantial or not.

1.      Have I gained, maintained, or lost weight? If I have lost weight is it a drastic amount?

2.      Are my clothes tighter or looser?

3.      Are there visual differences noticed from myself of others?

4.      How is my energy level? Am I tired a lot?

5.      How are my workouts?

6.      How is my menstrual cycle?

Key Takeaway: If cycles are not predictable any longer or are not showing up than it may be that your body is telling you that your eating habits are affecting your hormones

Sources:

Clark, N. (2012). Nutrition advice for women with amenorrhea. Retrieved June 12, 2012 from

http://www.women-running-together.com/amenorrhea.html.

Shuler, L., Forsyth, C., & Cosgrove, A. (2007). The New Rules of Lifting for Women. The new rules of lifting for women. New York: Penguin Group.

If you are unsure whether you are underweight or not:

1.      Consider getting your body fat tested if you are not sure if you are at a healthy weight or not

·         Everyone’s ideal body fat and weight is different

·         Consider menstruation and good health and performance

·         Women below 14% body fat are considered low and are associated with poor health

2.      Consult trusted sources that are educated about this subject and get their opinion and advice

If you NEED to lose weight than seek help- don’t go on a crash diet and don’t do it without professional guidance