On Women's Health and Athletic Performance

I recently watched the film “Ad Astra” starring Brad Pitt. At the end of the film he gives a monologue that essentially describes the ideal human condition. It goes like this:

“I am steady, calm. I slept well, no bad dreams. I am active and engaged. I am aware of my surroundings and those in my immediate sphere. I’m attentive. I am focused on the essentials, to the exclusion of all else. I’m unsure of the future but I’m not concerned. I will rely on those closest to me, and I will share in their burdens, as they share in mine. I will live and love.”

A couple of weeks ago, over the phone, my mom asked me “so how are you?” And this got me thinking about how I would best summarize where I’m at in my life. When I really started to ponder it, I was reminded of the lines from Ad Astra and started to realize my description was closely paralleling the ones written above. This got me thinking about female health, particularly as it applies to female athletes. I realize that at age 34 I can truly say I have come to a point of optimal health mentally, physically, and spiritually. I think that one’s definition of “spiritual health” can be subjective so I’ll stick to the more objective measures of physical and mental health as defined by medical and psychological professionals and as it relates to female athletes.

“I am alert and generally in a good mood. I am aware of my emotions and am able to discern changes in emotions and behaviors that are outside my norm and quickly return to center. I am introspective and have insight into my thoughts and how they are affected by external stimuli (what I hear, read, see, etc.). I am calm and in control. When I feel loss of control, I am able to identify why and regroup my thoughts so as not over react or numb out. I have good energy. I fall asleep easily and wake feeling rested. My weight and body composition are steady and within normal ranges for my chosen lifestyle and activity level. I have a normal menstrual cycle. I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full. My body tells me when it needs certain foods and when it does not. I feel comfortable in my body both in and out of season and am confident that my body knows what to do with high levels of training and low levels of training, thus I do not worry about my weight or how much or how little I should eat. My body will tell me when it is overly fatigued from training and I am able to voice this to myself and my coach. I recover quickly and when I don’t I am able to identify why. I feel strong and powerful in training and am seeing improvements from week to week, month to month. I am happy and engaged when I am training and also content and calm when I am resting or taking a day off. I can turn my mind and body “on” when I need to and “off” when I need to as dictated by my training and on the recommendations of my coach. I am fully engaged in life.”

I could go on but I think you get the point. I wanted to share this with female athletes to express a few things. First, I have not always felt this way. It’s been a long journey to this point and I am incredibly grateful to be where I am today. Second, I share this not to raise myself up on a pedestal and say “See how amazing I am!” (In fact I hesitated writing this journal entry for this exact reason). I share this because I care about how people feel and want other female athletes to feel this way. Third, if I can help someone gain insight into their health, athletic performance and overall well being I will do it.

So as a health and wellness professional what do I feel are red flags that female athletes should watch out for? This list could get extensive so I’ll stick to what I feel are the most important aspects of athletic performance and overall health:

1) An irregular menstrual cycle or no cycle (if you are of the age where a menstrual cycle should be present):

Most people believe that an irregular cycle or no cycle at all is a sign of body fat being too low. And some believe it is more about caloric deficiency. Both are correct to an extent but the best way to describe this from a macro perspective is… ‘stress.’ Stress in many forms can cause an irregular cycle. More often than not the stress is insufficient calorie intake for the caloric expenditure but stress can also be too much training and not enough rest or even too much mental stress. Stress hormones are basically made up of the same building blocks as estrogen and testosterone so if they are being diverted to building cortisol, your sex hormones take a hit.

2) Inconsistent or declining athletic performance:

For high performing athletes, there are some points in training where performance may fall after a steady incline. This is normal (and necessary) to an extent. Your coach should have good understanding of when to press on through fatigue (a very common practice in training for endurance events) and when to pull back. I believe the “red flag” comes when, even after sufficient rest and/or time off, athletic performance continues to plateau or decline.

3) Irregular mood, mood swings, compromised emotional state:

Most would not expect me to address the mental side of athletic performance and health but it is incredibly telling and incredibly important for your overall wellbeing. If a female athlete (outside of the PMS window) finds that she cannot control her emotions and is feeling depressed, anxious, or any other combination of distressing feelings and emotions more often than not, this would be an indication that heath is compromised.

Female athletes, let this be my invitation to you. If you need help please do not hesitate to reach out. You deserve to feel good. Who wouldn’t want that both in competition and in life?

Here’s to your health!

Thanks for reading.

Jen