Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – Among the physical and mental challenges that athletes face, there may be one you don’t know about: RED-S. Also known as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports, RED-S is a condition in which an athlete is not getting enough fuel from food to meet their energy needs.
Athletes who participate in endurance sports with an intense level of training are at highest risk, especially those whose sports focus on aesthetics, like dance. Alex Lund, Captain of the Syracuse University Dance Team, knows this all too well.
“Especially in competitive dance, from early ages to now, you’re looking at hour body all the time,” said Lund. “And even if you have really supportive people in your life, being a young woman and staring at yourself in the mirror for 8 hours a day is going to have detrimental effects.”
While some student athletes may eat less to achieve a certain aesthetic, others find it hard to find time and resources to prepare meals for themselves. At Syracuse University’s John A. Lally Athletic Complex, they are providing a solution. The Grab and Go station at the athletic center has nutritious snacks, salads, and sandwiches to ensure that athletes never have to worry about when their next meal will be.
While fueling your body is important to sustain energy, Veronica Tearney, Director of Strength and Conditioning at Syracuse University, explained how it can impact other aspects of your physical and mental health.
“It affects everything from your hair, to your skin, to your nails, to your ability to concentrate and focus, to your mood,” said Tearney. “It affects so much more than energy or building muscle or even weight loss or gain.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, female athletes are generally more dissatisfied with their body image than men. Oftentimes, female athletes feel like they need to fit a certain aesthetic. Lund explained how accepting that there is no body type that is “right” for any sport has helped her with her own body image.
“A dancer doesn’t look a certain way and a runner doesn’t look a certain way,” said Lund. “No aesthetic is worth sacrificing your overall health.”
Transcript
Alex Lund: “We know what we’re supposed to be doing, but we aren’t always doing it”
Reese Gaudelli: On top of the challenges you would expect an athlete to face…there may be one you don’t know about. Relative energy deficiency in sports – also known as reds. According to project reds, it is a disorder where athletes don’t eat enough to fuel themselves for their daily exercise demands.
athletes who participate in sports that focus on aesthetics are at the highest risk.Syracuse university dance team captain alex lund says she knows this all too well.Lund: “Especially in competitive dance, from early ages to now, you’re looking at your body all the time. And even if you have really supportive people in your life, being a young woman and staring at yourself in the mirror for 8 hours a day is going to have detrimental effects.”
Gaudelli: While some athletes may eat less to try and look a certain way…For others, finding the time to prepare meals can be an obstacle. At syracuse university’s John a. Lally Atheltic Complex, they are providing a solution to this. The grab and go station at the athletic center ensures that student athletes never have to worry about what their next meal might be. Fueling your body is not only important for your energy levels, the director of strength and conditioning at the university, Veronica Tearney says it can impact many other aspects of your physical and mental health.
Veronica Tearney: “It affects everything from your hair, to your skin, to your nails, to your ability to concentrate and focus, to your mood. “It affects so much more than energy or building muscle or even weight loss or gain.”
Gaudelli: According to the National Institutes of Health, female athletes struggle with their body image more than males. Lund says that something that’s helped her is realizing that there is no body type that is right for any sport.
Lund: “A dancer doesn’t look a certain way and a runner doesn’t look a certain way. No aesthetic is worth sacrificing your overall health,”