REDs Explained: Athletes
When it comes to training and competing, many athletes focus on pushing harder, going faster, and doing more. But without the right balance of energy intake, recovery, and rest, the body can struggle to keep up. This is where Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) comes in.
What is REDs?
REDs occurs when your body doesn’t get enough energy to support training, recovery, and daily life. This energy gap can impact your performance, health, and long-term future in sport. Without enough fuel, your body starts prioritizing essential functions, leading to negative consequences that can affect how you feel, train, and compete in both the short and longer term.
Who’s at Risk?
REDs can affect anyone who exercises without enough rest or nutrition, but some populations are at greater risk than others. These include:
Athletes in high-training-volume or endurance-based sports, such as running, triathlon, swimming, cycling, gymnastics, and dance
Sports that emphasise appearance, leanness, or weight, including aesthetic sports (e.g. figure skating, cheerleading, dance), anti-gravity sports, and weight-class sports (e.g. wrestling, lightweight rowing, combat sports)
Young athletes, whose bodies are still growing and have higher energy needs
Female athletes, who currently show higher reported prevalence of REDs than male athletes, which aligns with broader eating disorder research
Pregnant and postpartum athletes, due to increased energy demands of pregnancy, milk production, disrupted sleep, time constraints, and commonly reduced bone mineral density post-pregnancy
Why Does REDs Occur?
REDs can develop for reasons related to how you balance your training, nutrition, and recovery, including:
Not enough fuel: Skipping meals, cutting out food groups, poor timing of nutrition around training, or simply underestimating how much energy your body needs (which is much more common than many of us realize)
Not enough recovery: Increasing and sustaining high training loads without an adequate and compensatory increase in calories, especially carbohydrate calories
Stress: Juggling the energy demands of academics, social life, and sport without enough rest and nutrition
Understanding these factors can help you take steps to prevent REDs and keep your body in peak condition.
How to Stay Strong and Healthy
Taking care of your body means balancing energy intake, training, and recovery. Here are practical steps you can take:
1. Fuel Up
Eat a variety of foods, including plenty of carbohydrates
Avoid long gaps between meals or snacks and avoid fasted training (especially females)
Immediately refuel after training with a mix of carbs and protein (ideally within first 30 min)
2. Prioritize Recovery
Aim for 8+ hours of sleep each night
Take rest days seriously. This is when your body repairs and grows stronger
Alternate intense training with lighter sessions to avoid burnout
Build in scheduled low-load periods across the year to give your body the reset it needs
3. Spot Issues Early
Pay attention to how you’re feeling, both physically and mentally
If your performance, mood, or health feels off, talk to someone you trust, such as a coach, athletic trainer, or dietitian
