Female Athletes

www.hsenetwork.org

Why a class for WOMEN??

• Women do many of the same jobs as men & have similar physical expectations

• Women are competing more now than EVER• Body fat levels in men & women are different• Dieting & weight loss is more a concern• Higher prevalence of eating disorders• Calorie intake & nutrient intake is inadequate• Performance expectations are different

Women Athletes Across the Spectrum

CollegeAthlete

MastersAthlete

EliteAthlete

PregnantAthlete

RecreationalAthlete

SoldierAthlete

NCAA Sponsors Women in…

baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, field hockey, football, golf,

gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, rowing, skiing, soccer, softball,

swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, wrestling

All Army Sponsors Women in…

bowling, cross country, wrestling, soccer, volleyball, taekwondo,

triathlon, golf, basketball, softball, marathon, judo, cycling, parachuting,

sailing, shooting

Army Triathlon:2-mile run, sit-ups, push-ups

“Other” Army Sports

• Training road marches• Airborne School• Air Assault School• EFMB• SEARS• Load/Unload Conexs • Bataan Road March, 26.2 miles• What are some other day to day activities?

Training vs. ExerciseTraining Exercise

Schedule Fixed Flexible

Intensity Moderate to High

Low to Moderate

Purpose Get Better Health

Type Sport specific Anything

The Athlete does not embark upon a sport but a way of life.WR Loader

Body Fat

• A healthy body fat depends on the sport and the individual

• Focus on athletic performance, not the number

• Body fat is just a number…the actual value can vary +/-3-5% depending on the test

• Why do women have more body fat?

Healthy Body Fat based on Age and Physical Activity

Too low a body fat is more harmful to performance than an average body fat

Too Low Athlete Healthy Upper Too High

WOMEN

<55 <12% 16-23% 20-28% 28-35% >35

>55 <16% 20-27% 25-32% 32-38% >38

MEN

<55 <5% 5-10% 8-13% 13-22% >22%

>55 <7% 7-11% 10-18% 10-25% >25%

How are Elite Athletes Different?

• Frequency and level of competition

• Traveling to competition

• Constant change in environment• Training hours (2+ a day or 15+ a week)

• Coaching support• Motivation and dedication (part to full time job)

Who are You??Exercise for Health

Recreational Athlete

Well Trained Athlete

Elite/World Class Athlete

Hours a day ½ - 1 1-1 ½ 1 ½ - 3 2-6

Times a week

3-5 3-5 5-7 6-10

Carb Needs 5-6 g/kg 5-8 g/kg 8-10 g/kg 8-12 g/kg

Calorie Needs

1800-2200 2200-2500 2500-2800 >2800

Nutrients particularly important to active females across the spectrum

Macro-Nutrient Vitamins Minerals

Calories

Protein

Carbohydrate

Folate

B12

B6

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

Iron

Calcium

Zinc

Supplements are normally not necessary if:

1) calorie intake is appropriate

2) food groups are not omitted

Pounds Kg Protein

1.2-1.4 g/kg

Carb

5-8 g/kg

100 45 54-63 225-360

110 50 60-70 250-400

120 55 65-77 275-440

130 59 71-83 295-472

140 64 76-90 320-512

150 68 82-95 340-544

160 73 87-102 364-582

Protein and Carb needs based on Body Weight

¼ cupcheese

½ cupbeans

1 cup yogurt

1 cupmilk

1 egg

2 tbsp peanutbutter

1 ozmeat

7-8 g Protein

1 cupbeans

1 cup Fruit yogurt

banana1 cupjuice

smallbagel

2 slices bread

Englishmuffin

30 g Carb

Protein Sources

Carbohydrate Sources

1½ -2 ozcheese

2 cupsbroccoli

1 cupFort OJ

1 cupmilk

1 cupyogurt

300 mgCalcium

1-3 mg Iron1 oz bread

¼ c dried fruit1 c rice or pasta

½ c hummus3 oz chicken, fish, pork

>3 mg Iron3 oz beef

1 oz fortified cereal¾ c beans

Most energy barsMultivitamin

Calcium

19-50 y/o 1,000 mg

>50 y/o 1,200 mg

Iron

19-50 y/o 18 mg

Pregnant 27 mg

>50 y/o 8 mg

PNVPrenatal

Vitamin

Milk &

Cheese

Fortified Cereal

Fruits &

Veggies

MeatTuna, beef, chicken

Peanut Butter

Vitamin C X X X

Calcium X X X

Vit D X X X

Folate X X X X X

Iron X X X X

B-12 X X X X X

Zinc X X X X

Female Athlete Triad

1. Amenorrhea (1-44%)

2. Low bone density

3. Disordered eating

Common in sports that focus on appearance &/or weight

Amenorrhea is NOT a sign that you are finally training hard enough, it is a sign you are overtraining & injury is likely to

follow

Increases risk for fractures, infertility, fatigue, & decreases performance

Exercise During Pregnancy• 42% of women exercise during pregnancy• 71% of military women exercise during pregnancy• The ACOG and ACSM both encourage regular physical

activity during pregnancy• Exercise during pregnancy does NOT cause

miscarriage, poor fetal growth, musculoskeletal injury, and premature delivery

• Exercise during pregnancy is encouraged and benefits women with diabetes, gestational DM, depression, high blood pressure

• Exercise also helps with weight control, weakness and discomfort, stamina, and labor

*American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology

*American College of Sports Medicine

Training and Competing during Pregnancy

• Recreational exercise is not the same as athletic training

• Endurance athletes do much more than regular physical activity and must make sure their training demands do not get in the way of their pregnancy demands

• You still do not need to choose between a family and your sport

Who should NOT exercise?

• History of premature labor or miscarriage

• Premature rupture of membranes

• Severe anemia• Extreme underweight

• Placenta previa• Separation of placenta• Fever or infection • Pre-eclampsia• Persistent bleeding

Most women who want to train CAN with minor modifications to their training plan

When to Ease up on training

• If you are trying to get pregnant but can’t, you may need to cut back on training

• Listen to your body…athletes are good at listening to their body but don’t always do what their body tells them to do!!

• If you are tired take a day off

• Morning sickness

When to STOP training

• Vaginal bleeding• Difficulty breathing• Blurry or dim vision• Dizziness• Headache• Muscle pain or weakness• Swollen feet

• Amniotic fluid leakage• Decreased fetal

movement• Calf pain or swelling• Chest pain• Sudden or severe

abdominal or vaginal pain

This is NOT a sign of weakness. Pregnancy is a demanding physical event, kind of like a marathon. Some

women’s bodies were made to handle pregnancy and running simultaneously, some were not.

Exercises to AVOID

• Horseback riding, downhill skiing, snow boarding, water skiing, karate due to the fall risk

• Scuba diving and mountain climbing due to the pressure change

• High impact, high intensity aerobics and martial arts

• Track events such as jumping, hurdling, pole vaulting, and sprinting after the 2nd trimester

• Cycling is great but stick with a stationary bike after the 2nd trimester

Trimester 1st TM 2nd TM 3rd TM

Racewalking Jogging Running NO

Track Events NO

Stationary cycling Recreational cycling NO

Competitive cycling NO NO

Lap swimming Competitive swimming

NO

Water Aerobics

Trimester 1st TM 2nd TM 3rd TM

Most low impact aerobics Road Marching (no pack last TM) Tennis, volleyball NO

Rollerblading, ice skating NO

Racquetball, soccer, softball NO NO

Jazz dance, advanced other NO

Modern, African, ballroom, and belly dance (not advanced)

Basketball, golf, frisbee NO

Yoga, advanced NO NO

Yoga, prenatal

Training During Pregnancy

• Wear a heart rate monitor and keep your heart rate under 160 bpm

• Keep high intensity sessions to no more than 45 minutes and less than 30 minutes in hot/humid climates

• High intensity = heart rate 140-160 bpm• You can do “2-a-day” sessions if you are used to

90 minute workouts• Set realistic goals – not the time to try something

new or set a personal record• Seek out local pregnancy program!!

Nutrition and Training

• Pay closer attention to nutrition recommendations on the previous slides!!

• Monitor you weight weekly• Increase protein by 10 grams a day

– 10 oz milk, 1.5 oz cheese, 1.5 oz meat

• Take your PNV!!! If you can’t, take 2 kids complete chewable vitamins– Iron and folic acid

• Increase fluids by 8-10 oz a day – check urine volume and color

After Pregnancy• Most critical time with regards to injury and

muscular-skeletal recovery

• More abrupt change in weight and center of gravity increases injury risk

• More eager to get started can cause overuse injury

• Don’t plan a race or competition for at least 3 months post-partum

After Pregnancy

• Start off with a walking plan before running

• Listen to your body, most women need 1-6 weeks to heal

• If you had a c-section, wait 4 weeks before running

• If you start too soon, you will risk injury that could put you out of running even longer

• If you plan to breastfeed, establish that before you resume running

• If you see bright red blood, stop, you are not healed yet

What determines a masters athlete

• Depends on sport• WMA defines masters as 35 y/o for women and

40 y/o for men• Sport dependent factors include flexibility,

endurance and patience needed• There is no magic age where your nutrition

needs or physical status changes• Exercise keeps the body young so an active 50

y/o is physically younger than an inactive 30 y/o

Master Modifications

• Volume of exercise, not age, determines energy needs

• Fluid needs do increase as body holds on to less water, kidney function declines and thirst sensation lessens

• Takes longer to acclimate to change in weather

• Need for calcium increases

Put it together• 35 year old female soldier triathlete• Trains 20 hours a week• Training for the 2007 Olympic Trials• Just found out she was pregnant

Definitely can continue to trainNeeds to cut back hours graduallyMay not make the trials this yearDefinitely can be in shape for 2011

Put it together

• 30 y/o female soldier• Runs 30 miles a week• Max APFT• Wants to go to Airborne School• Just had a baby

Slowly start to increase trainingWait until at least 6 months post partum90% APFT scores as pre pregnancyYou don’t want Airborne School to end your athletic career!!

Now What??

• What are your fitness goals?

• Are you eating & training like you should to meet those goals?

• How many fruits & veggies are you eating a day?

• Are you getting enough calcium, iron, & folate?

• It is never to late!!

Resources

• http://hooah4health.com/deployment/femreadiness.htm• http://hooah4health.com/prevention/whealth/depwohealth.htm• http://www.hood-meddac.army.mil/