There has been substantial talk surrounding RED-S and for good reason. Adequate energy intake is essential for athletic performance, recovery, and long-term health. Yet many athletes, across all sports and competitive levels, fail to meet their daily energy needs. A chronic mismatch between energy intake and energy expenditure can lead to low energy availability, impairing performance and increasing the risk of injury, illness, and hormonal disruption. Although RED-S is often viewed as the result of intentional undereating (when athletes consciously restrict food intake due to performance beliefs, body image concerns, or external pressures) undereating can also occur unintentionally. Framing RED-S solely as a consequence of deliberate restriction or disordered eating overlooks a substantial subset of athletes who fail to meet their energy needs due to factors such as high training volume, appetite suppression following intense exercise, time constraints, l...
Within 7 days, Greenville has experienced an ice storm and a snow storm. Needless to say, we've been doing a lot of our training indoors over the past week. Indoor training, whether it's running on the treadmill or riding on the trainer, is common for most endurance athletes. It’s efficient, controlled, and time‑effective. But when it comes to supporting those sessions with proper fuel and hydration, this is where many athletes struggle to get things right. Some athletes intentionally underfuel, assuming that indoor sessions “don’t count” as much as outdoor workouts. Or athletes feel safe cutting calories because there's no risk in running out of fuel - you just stop and you are home. Others, however overfuel, grazing out of boredom or because nutrition is sitting on a table within arm’s reach. The sweet spot lies in fueling intentionally. Why Indoor Workouts Change Your Fueling Needs Indoor training is different from outdoor training in a few key ways: Steadier...