Fueling for Long Runs and Rides with Autoimmune Disease: Avoid Fatigue, Gut Issues, and Flares
Training for a long trail run, a big mountain objective, or an all-day ride asks a lot of your body.…
As a new mom, I have a great appreciation for the endurance event that is parenthood! Whether you are a breastfeeding mom, a stay-at-home primary caregiver, or a full-time working dad, the demands parenthood places on your brain and body are nutritionally demanding.
When I recently became a new mom, I was shocked by how physically and mentally demanding motherhood is. Between breastfeeding my baby every 2-3 hours (and burning somewhere around 500 extra calories per day in the process!), running around all day tending to his needs, juggling new appointments with various healthcare providers, caring for our dog, and tending to household tasks and my marriage – I found myself utterly exhausted at the end of each day. And this was before I returned to my full-time job!
As a functional nutritionist, I started to realize that parenting isn’t just an emotional journey—it’s a full-on endurance event. Much like training, parenthood places significant nutritional demands on the body due to the combination of physical and psychological demands it entails. (Source, Source, Source)
Parenthood is the ultimate endurance event because it doesn’t end after a couple of hours, days, or weeks – it continues for years!
Many of my clients are parents who want to PR their next trail half-marathon, finish the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, or complete multiple climbing projects. This takes the endurance event that is parenthood up a notch, to say the least! They want nutrition care that supports their energy and health so they can show up fully for their families and in their professional and sporting lives.
In this blog, I’ll discuss the nutritional demands of parenthood, how these demands are increased when parents are also athletes, and how a comprehensive performance nutrition approach can help active parents thrive.
We don’t often think of parenthood as “physical activity,” but for many parents, it is! Whether you are a stay-at-home mom caring for your baby all day, a parent constantly chasing after your active toddler, or working parents juggling car pools and all the household tasks involved with caring for kids and teenagers, parenthood is an active time for many!
The cognitive load of juggling work, a household, and children places significant demands on your brain. Your brain is a major consumer of calories, gobbling up about 20% of your daily energy (calorie) requirement! (Source)
In addition, the sleep deprivation that often accompanies parenthood, at least in the early days, necessitates more food intake to keep you awake. (Source) And then, of course, the mental and emotional stress associated with caring for children may deplete B vitamins and magnesium, among other nutrients. (Source)
If you are a breastfeeding mother, your body is already burning about 500 calories more per day than it does at baseline. (Source) This calorie burn is basically equivalent to running five-6 miles a day!
I work with many active parents ranging from a high-level climber who has a young child and works full-time to a day training for long-distance mountain bike races. These individuals are ambitious athletes AND don’t want to compromise their personal or professional lives.
When parents are also outdoor athletes, their fueling needs are increased further! Training, recovery, and racing expend a lot of calories. Individual calorie burn varies from one athlete to the next. If you’re curious, you can estimate the amount of calories you burn during physical activity with the total daily energy expenditure equation.
Total energy expenditure is calculated as follows:
TEE = BMR + TEF + SPA + TEA
To calculate TEA and SPA, you’ll need to look up energy expenditure tables online. Alternatively, a functional nutritionist can use activity tables to calculate your estimated TEA and SPA.
While the TEE calculation isn’t perfect because people’s individual calorie burn varies based on other factors, including their hormone status, it is a good starting point for ascertaining your unique calorie needs.
Here’s the problem many active parents face – they don’t know how to properly fuel their bodies to meet the dual demands of life and training. They’re doing things like fasted training, cutting calories, and skipping meals, which can lead to fatigue, irritability, brain fog, non-restorative sleep, and compromised athletic performance and recovery, among other symptoms.
A few quick nutrition tips for active parents:
I delve into these strategies and many more with my clients who are active parents.
It can be downright challenging to train for a climb, marathon, or mountaineering trip while parenting. However, as many of my clients have discovered, with dedication, a solid training plan, and a comprehensive nutrition plan, you can not only complete that climb, race, or expedition, but do so with flying colors!
Performance and parenting are not mutually exclusive. With the proper support, you can achieve your performance goals and be fully present in all aspects of your life, including parenting.
I love supporting my active parent clients with my Trailblazer Nutrition™ program! This program is designed to help outdoor enthusiasts like you achieve sustained energy, smooth digestion, and stress resilience, so you can unlock peak performance and feel your best in daily life and during activities like trail running, mountain biking, climbing, and beyond.
Here’s how it works:
☑️ Trailhead Assessment: Let’s start with a deep dive into YOU! We’ll uncover your unique physiological and nutritional needs to understand what’s holding you back from achieving peak health and performance.
☑️ Peak Performance Panel: Boost your nutrition with the right data. Functional laboratory tests reveal key biomarkers that affect health and performance.
☑️ Your Nutritional Compass: Your personalized nutrition plan – no one-size-fits-all approaches. We’ll craft a strategy tailored to your goals.
☑️ Grounded Living: Let’s create a nutrition plan that fits your life seamlessly. We’ll tackle key factors like sleep and stress management.
☑️ Adventure Strategy: Fuel for the trails, peaks, and everything in between. Whether you’re training for a 5k, an ultra run, a multi-pitch climb, or a mountaineering expedition, we’ll create a custom fueling plan to help you feel and perform at your best.
The Trailblazer Nutrition program enables me to offer personalized, high-touch support to each of my parent-athlete clients, allowing them to feel their best and optimize their health and performance. If you’re an outdoor athlete or parent ready to take your health and performance to the next level, I invite you to learn more about the Trailblazer Nutrition program here!
Whether you’re a climber, trail runner, cyclist, or thru-hiker, or participate in one of the many other outdoor sports available, being a parent doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your active identity. It is 100% possible to fuel both your family and your goals with the right support. For comprehensive nutrition care to support your parenting, whole-body health, and active lifestyle, my Trailblazer Nutrition™ program can get you there! If you are ready to begin, I’d love to work with you!
I empower others through nutrition to conquer their mountain adventures, drawing from my own experiences.
With a background in Biomedical Science and an M.S. in Human Nutrition, I’m a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist. My journey in functional medicine has equipped me to work alongside athletes and tackle complex health cases. As a passionate trail runner, backcountry skier, and backpacker, I strive to support others on their paths to peak performance and well-being.
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