BA TAKE 3

The main ideas from this information are about the considerations and tips for female athletes when traveling for training camps. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the menstrual cycle and its effects on hydration, stress, and nutrition. It recommends bringing necessary items for menstrual discomfort, staying hydrated, monitoring urine color, and consuming recovery drinks. It also highlights the impact of stress on the menstrual cycle and suggests strategies to reduce inflammatory markers. In terms of nutrition, it suggests foods to manage symptoms like menstrual cramps, cravings, fatigue, bloating, and nausea. Travel and the female athlete. As a female athlete, there are several things that you need to consider when going away to your training camp. You also need to consider what stage you are in your menstrual cycle before you fly. If you are due to have your menstrual cycle while you are away, don't forget to bring the following. A plug in fan if it's a hot environment and you are in phase 3 of your cycle, you may experience fluctuations in your body temperature, hot water bottle if you suffer from menstrual cramps and sanitary products as the stress of flying, disruption to your regular routine and staying away from home can cause stress meaning your period could start unexpectedly. Hydration during your menstrual cycle. Dehydration of as little as 1.5% in body weight can negatively impact aerobic performance. There are different factors that can affect your hydration levels as a female athlete whilst at camp. These are heat, altitude and your menstrual cycle. Let's take a look at how your menstrual cycle can affect your hydration status. There is an increased risk of dehydration during menstruation. The fluctuation of sex hormones can cause a significant rise in body temperature in the luteal phase, that is the second half of your cycle. An increase in temperature is a good indicator that ovulation has occurred and those not experiencing a regular menstrual cycle are unlikely to experience a change in temperature. The rise in core temperature increases sweat rate and elevates the likelihood of dehydration. This means for some individuals there is a greater requirement for fluid intake in the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. Additionally, there is an increased risk of dehydration during menstruation as a large component of blood is plasma which is primarily composed of water. Therefore, remembering to drink more water and more frequently when you are on your period can decrease the risk of dehydration. Here are some top tips for your hydration whilst at your training camp. Try and drink more than you normally do day to day. Try and drink regularly, particularly before, after and during your training session when it is feasible. Liquid recovery drinks or shakes can be good post-training to replenish fluid storage quickly. Keep an eye on the urine colour and use the colour p-charge as an indicator of your hydration status. Menstrual cycle and stress. When you are training in the heat or at altitude it places more stress on your body and an increase in stress can exasperate menstrual cycle symptoms and can also influence the regularity and or flow of your period. Cortisol, which rises in response to stress, interferes with the production of estrogen which can then disrupt the sequence of hormone production required for a regular menstrual cycle. As a result, it is common when under stress for your menstrual cycle to extend and your period to be delayed. The increase in stress due to training and or the environment can also make menstrual cycle symptoms worse or bleeding heavier. Many menstrual cycle symptoms experienced are influenced by inflammatory levels in the body, for example, menstrual cramps, lower back pain, heavy legs and breast pain. Stress causes an inflammatory response so in combination this can make your symptoms much worse than usual. There are several strategies that you can try to reduce these inflammatory markers. These are ensure you are fueling every 2-4 hours, include sources of healthy fats in your diet like avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds. Use recovery strategies between sessions and fuel within 30 minutes of finishing your session. Aim for a minimum of 8 hours of sleep each night. Minimise processed foods that are high in saturated fat or that are heavily processed and aim for 7-10 portions of fruit and vegetables each day as these are the best source of antioxidants. Nutrition while at your training camp. When travelling you may experience certain symptoms depending on what stage of the cycle you are in. Knowing what nutrition can help you manage these symptoms while away at training camp is a great tool. For example, menstrual cramps. To help reduce cramps try and increase your intake of foods high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties such as fruit and veg and also try to have 2-3 portions of oily fish a week. Stay away from processed foods and too much caffeine as these can exasperate symptoms. Cravings. If you have cravings during your cycle try and eat regularly every 2-3 hours as this will prevent your blood sugars from dropping too low. Aim to consume foods with a low glycemic index such as whole grains, brown bread and oats and aim to have protein and fat in every meal as this can satisfy your appetite for longer. Fatigue. If you suffer from fatigue at different stages in your cycle, ensure your muscles have the best chance to recover after exercise by eating something with 25-30 grams of protein 1-2 hours before and 30-60 minutes after your workout as the recovery process starts there. Bloating. Try not to have large gaps between meals and try and drink fluid regularly throughout the day. Avoid processed foods as these can exasperate the bloating. Nausea. Try to avoid spicy foods, strong smelling foods and stick to plain dried food as much as possible. Try a lemon or ginger tea and maybe add electrolytes to help dehydration. Thank you for listening and best of luck at your training camp.