When commitment turns against the body

There is something deeply inspiring about athletes, their discipline, consistency, and drive to improve. Training sessions stack up, goals grow bigger, and limits are constantly tested. But through her work as a sports nutritionist, Audrey-Ann sees a recurring reality behind this pursuit of performance: many athletes are unknowingly underfueling.

Not out of negligence. But out of passion.

When energy intake no longer matches training demands, health, performance, and long-term sustainability are put at risk.

RED-S: when the body signals “enough”

RED-S, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, occurs when an athlete does not consume enough energy to support both training and basic physiological functions. Simply put, the body no longer has enough fuel to do everything it is being asked to do.

This energy deficit can show up in many ways:

• persistent fatigue despite rest,

• declining training performance,

• disrupted sleep, including waking up hungry at night,

• intense food cravings,

• irregular or absent menstrual cycles,

• recurring injuries or prolonged recovery.

Too often, these signs are normalized, dismissed as just part of being a dedicated athlete. But they are not normal. They are signals.

Fueling performance with intention: nutritional periodization

Just as training load changes throughout the season, energy intake must evolve as well. This is where nutritional periodization comes in, adjusting fuel intake based on training phases, competition blocks, and recovery periods.

Audrey-Ann structures her nutrition around her training. Long sessions call for carbohydrate-rich meals. Double training days require increased intake, planned in advance. She keeps homemade, carb-rich snacks ready in the freezer and increases their frequency during higher-volume weeks.

For busier days, she relies on practical options like smoothies, overnight oats, or yogurt bowls with granola, easy ways to maintain energy without adding complexity.

At every meal, carbohydrates play a deliberate role. This structure helps stabilize energy levels, improve recovery, and support consistent performance.

Relearning how to listen to the body

The body speaks constantly, but in performance-driven lives, its signals are easy to ignore.

Over time, Audrey-Ann has learned that hunger doesn’t always announce itself loudly. Sometimes it’s a growling stomach. Other times, it’s subtler: persistent thoughts about food, difficulty concentrating, irritability, or sudden drops in energy.

These signs are often attributed to stress or fatigue, when they are simply the body saying: I need energy. Reconnecting with physical cues allows athletes to adjust both nutrition and training based on real physiological needs, not external expectations.

A nutritionist’s perspective on sustainable performance.

Through her practice, Audrey-Ann regularly supports athletes navigating these challenges. These are key principles she applies, both personally and with her clients, to protect health while sustaining performance:

1. Don’t skip meals. After intense training, appetite can temporarily disappear. This does not mean fuel is unnecessary, it means planning must replace intuition.

2. Plan snacks ahead. Audrey-Ann keeps 5 to 6 snack options available, choosing based on hunger, cravings, and training demands. Variety matters.

3. Match intake to training load. As training volume increases, energy needs rise. This adjustment requires awareness and consistency, especially when appetite lags behind expenditure.

4. Be cautious of the “too healthy” mindset. A perfectly balanced plate is meaningless if it doesn’t meet energy needs. Sometimes, quantity matters more than quality.

5. Recognize red flags early. Fatigue, irritability, insomnia, declining performance, irregular cycles, these are not normal in athletes. They are alerts. Listening early is already a step toward preventing RED-S.

Fueling for the long run

Ultimately, the goal isn’t to eat perfectly. It’s to remain flexible. To test, adjust, and refine nutritional strategies in service of both performance and well-being.

There is no universal formula. What matters is finding what works, habits that fit real life, leave room for enjoyment and variety, and provide enough fuel to perform, recover, and feel good.

At Craft, this philosophy is central: performance that lasts is built on respect for the body.
Because longevity, not depletion, is the true measure of strength.