Women runners – are you eating enough?

If you are passionate about running or fitness, chances are nutrition has crossed your mind a time or two. How much to eat, what to eat, and when are all big concerns for every type of runner, but for women this discussion is very important. Not only do women have different needs in terms of calories and nutrition than men, they're also more prone to eating disorders.

It's very common for women to restrict themselves when it comes down to food. We talk about going on diets, running to lose weight, and how to survive off a salad and water after running 30 miles. The result can be disastrous on health, ranging from losing periods to even stress fractures. Proper nutrition is also needed for muscle growth.

If you're a victim of dieting and running, here are a few tips to help improve your performance while also having a healthy lifestyle.

Improve your relationship with food

Runners need to eat a lot of food, yet running culture often encourages the opposite. Runners tend to want to eat “clean” or diet to get that perfect beach body, but the truth is you simply can't have a great run without the food to fuel it.

It's also easy to fall into the trap of restricting calories due to the idea that a leaner looking body is also a faster one. A great performance isn't necessarily tied to an ultra lean body. Instead, focus on relaxed eating, a wide variety of foods, and most importantly, getting the appropriate number of calories for your workout.

An average woman burns about 2,200 calories a day, and running burns about 11 calories a minute. If you run for an hour but only eat 2,200 calories, you'll be in deficit by 660 calories.

When eating, remember to make sure that you're eating enough, and yes—it's okay if some of those calories are cake or other special foods.

Count your Calories

One of the easiest ways to make sure you're getting enough food is to keep a food diary. By logging everything you eat and how many calories was in it. If you've been unconsciously restricting yourself, you may be surprised to discover just how big your deficit has become. Even if you are looking to lose weight, you should never have a deficit of more than 1,000 calories. Ideally, your deficit should be about 500 calories a day, which will lead to a pound of weight loss per week.

Don't forget fats

You need a certain amount of healthy fats in your diet to help fuel your body. Fat does a lot more than just give you a whole lot of calories, it provides amino acids that are essential for your health, and are most easily burned by your body during aerobic workouts.

Olive oil and fatty fish such as salmon are great sources for fats, and they will also help fill you up and satisfy you—an important part of enjoying your food.

If you are working toward a new personal record or just trying to lose weight, make sure that you take care of your health. Get the proper nutrition you need, and don't be afraid to eat.