Sports Nutrition: Are You Fuelling Enough for Your Training?

When you put time, energy and effort into your training, you want to feel like your body can keep up.

Maybe you’re training consistently but still feel tired. Your recovery seems slower than it should be. You’re getting sick or injured more often. Perhaps your performance has plateaued, even though you’re putting in the work.

Or maybe you simply want reassurance that you’re eating enough and giving your body what it needs to train, recover and perform.

This is where working with a sports dietitian can help.

At Optimum Intake Dietitians, we support athletes and active people across the Central Coast and Newcastle to better understand their individual nutrition needs and develop practical strategies that support both health and performance.

What can a sports dietitian help with?

Sports nutrition is about understanding what your body needs in the context of your sport, training demands, health, lifestyle and goals.

And you don’t need to be an elite athlete to benefit.

You might play competitive sport, run recreationally, train at the gym, participate in endurance events or team sports, or be supporting a young athlete whose training demands are increasing as they grow.

Seeing a sports dietitian may be helpful if you’re experiencing:

• ongoing fatigue or poor recovery
• frequent illness
• iron deficiency or recurrent nutrient deficiencies
• stress fractures or bone stress injuries
• difficulty knowing how much to eat for your training
• poor growth or delayed development in a young athlete
• menstrual changes or loss of your menstrual cycle
• restrictive eating or increasing anxiety around food
• an unexplained decline or plateau in performance
• difficulty meeting your needs on a vegetarian or vegan diet
• increased nutrition needs during injury rehabilitation
• uncertainty about how to fuel training or competition

Sometimes there is one clear nutrition issue contributing to how you feel. In other situations, several factors may be interacting.

A comprehensive sports nutrition assessment can help you understand the bigger picture.

Why am I so tired even though I’m training well?

This can be a frustrating experience.

Your motivation is there. You’re following your training program and putting in the work, yet your body feels as though it can’t quite keep up.

Nutrition is one area worth exploring.

Your overall energy intake, iron status, meal timing and recovery nutrition can all influence how you feel, train and recover.

For some athletes, persistent fatigue, poor recovery or declining performance may also be associated with low energy availability.

What is low energy availability?

Low energy availability occurs when there isn’t enough energy available from food to adequately support both your exercise demands and your body’s normal physiological functions.

Your body needs energy for much more than training. It also needs energy to support your bones, hormones, immune system, growth and development, reproductive function, recovery and repair.

Low energy availability can happen unintentionally.

Your training load might increase without your food intake increasing enough to match it. Early morning sessions, work or school, evening training, travel and busy schedules can make finding enough opportunities to eat difficult.

Food rules or dietary restrictions can also make meeting your requirements harder.

When low energy availability begins to negatively affect health and sporting performance, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, or RED-S, may be a concern.

What is RED-S?

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) is a syndrome associated with problematic low energy availability that can affect an athlete’s health, wellbeing and sporting performance.

RED-S can affect athletes of different genders, ages, body sizes, sports and levels of competition.

You don’t have to look a certain way to be under-fuelled.

You can be eating nutritious foods, training regularly and appearing healthy while still struggling to consume enough energy to meet the combined demands of everyday life and your sport.

What are the signs of RED-S?

RED-S can look different from one athlete to another, and the signs can develop gradually.

You might experience:

• persistent fatigue
• poor recovery
• recurrent illness
• iron deficiency
• frequent injuries
• stress fractures or bone stress injuries
• menstrual changes or loss of your menstrual cycle
• delayed growth or development
• reduced libido
• declining performance
• reduced endurance or strength
• difficulty adapting to training
• mood changes
• increasing anxiety around food
• restrictive or rigid eating patterns
• body image concerns

Sometimes these changes are easy to dismiss as being part of training hard, being busy or going through a demanding competition period.

If several of these experiences sound familiar, they are worth exploring.

Can you eat “healthy” and still not eat enough for sport?

Yes.

This can be one of the more confusing aspects of sports nutrition.

An athlete can eat a diet filled with nutritious foods and still struggle to consume enough energy to support their training.

Exercise changes what your body needs.

Depending on your sport, age and training load, your energy requirements may be considerably higher than you realise. Young athletes have the additional challenge of needing enough nutrition to support growth and development as well as training and recovery.

Sometimes the focus on eating “well” can also introduce food rules that make adequate fuelling harder. Restricting foods, cutting out food groups, fasting or consistently choosing low-energy options can make it difficult to meet increased requirements.

A sports dietitian can help you work out what enough looks like for your individual body, sport and training schedule.

What happens when you see a sports dietitian?

Your first appointment gives us an opportunity to understand the full picture.

We may explore your:

• training schedule and sporting goals
• usual food and fluid intake
• energy levels and recovery
• injury and illness history
• relevant blood tests or nutrient deficiencies
• menstrual history where relevant
• growth and development for younger athletes
• dietary preferences or restrictions
• relationship with food and body image
• competition and training demands

From there, we can identify your priorities and develop practical strategies together.

Where appropriate, your dietitian may also work alongside your GP, sports physician, physiotherapist, exercise physiologist, psychologist or other members of your healthcare and performance team.

When should I see a sports dietitian?

You don’t have to wait until you’re injured, exhausted or struggling with your performance.

You might simply be wondering:

• Am I eating enough for the amount of training I’m doing?
• Why am I always tired after training?
• Why is my recovery taking so long?
• Could my nutrition be contributing to recurrent injuries?
• How should my nutrition change when my training load increases?
• How can I make sure my teenager is eating enough for their sport and growth?

These are all good reasons to speak with a sports dietitian.

Sports Dietitians on the Central Coast and Newcastle

At Optimum Intake Dietitians, we provide individualised, evidence-based sports nutrition support for athletes and active people across the Central Coast and Newcastle, with clinic and telehealth appointments available.

Your sporting goals and long-term health can work together.

Whether you’re experiencing fatigue, poor recovery, recurrent injuries, concerns about under-fuelling or possible RED-S, or simply want greater confidence that you’re meeting your body’s needs, our dietitians can help you develop a practical nutrition approach that fits your life and your sport.

Want to feel more confident about how you’re fuelling your training?

Book an appointment with the Optimum Intake Dietitians team to get individualised nutrition support for your health, training, recovery and performance.

Frequently Asked Questions