Transcript Slide 1

The Female Athlete
Lucozade Sport Education
Programme
Irish Female Sports Successes
• Sonia O’Sullivan:
Olympic Silver medallist 2000 (Athletics)
• Katie Taylor:
World Champion 2007, 2008 (Boxing)
• Sinead Jennings:
World champion 2001 (LW Rowing)
• Maria Coleman:
No. 2 world ranking (Sailing)
• Angela Farrell:
1st all-women’s crew to sail around world
Presentation Outline
• Physical considerations:
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Cardiovascular and strength
Flexibility
Body composition
Hormonal factors
• The female athlete triad
• Nutrition
• The Ageing Athlete
Physical Differences
Different doesn’t
mean better or
worse.
It just means
different.
Female Athletes: All Shapes & Sizes
What do
these women
have in
common?
They all participate
in SPORT!
Cardiovascular Differences
• Generally, women have smaller heart,
lungs, blood volume and haemoglobin
concentration (10% lower) than men – this
limits aerobic metabolism.
• Females have the same proportional
capacity as males to improve their
cardiovascular fitness.
• Women have lower VO2max values than
male in general (3l/min vs. 2l/min)
• Female athletes burn more fat when
exercising.
• Cardio training study (Spina 1993) – males
and females 60y old (9mts training)
Strength Differences
• Women tend to have less
muscle mass due to lower
levels of testosterone
(1/10th of men) – this limits
strength and power.
• Upper body – 40/50%
weaker than men.
• Lower body – 30% weaker.
• Females have the same
proportional capacity as
males to improve their
strength levels through
training.
Strength
• American Males: - 18 -22kg more muscle
- 3 – 6kg less fat
- males taller, wider frame
• Relatively - strength differences between males are
females are not too dissimilar when accounting for Lean
body mass relative to strength.
• Male muscle greater capacity for anaerobic metabolism
and producing power
• Female muscle - more resistance to fatigue and
recovers faster (Fulco 1999, Hakkinen 1993, Linnamo
1998)
Importance of Strength Training for
Females
• Enhances bone remodelling (prevent
osteoporosis)
• Increases joint stability and prevent injury
• Increases functional strength for sports
• Increases lean body mass
• Increases metabolic rate
• Increases self esteem and confidence
Body Composition
In general, female athletes
(even lean ones!) have a
higher proportion of body fat
than male athletes.
Females – 20-25% body fat
Males – 15 – 20% body fat
Extra fat stores - good for
swimming (buoyancy) and
long endurance events
Flexibility
• Females are more flexible than males
• Greater range of motion in hip and elbow joint
(Alter 1996)
• Due to different bone structure, females smaller
tendons, ligaments and muscles allowing greater
potential for flexibility.
• Good for sports like gymnastics, dance, rock
climbing.
• Prevents over reach injuries but can be problems
with joint laxity especially people who are hyper
mobile.
Injury Risk
• Higher incidence (3-5times greater) of ACL injuries in
females playing soccer & basketball.
• Due to smaller ACL’s, different Q angle of the knee
(angle greater in women), they over rely on quad
strength, tendency to land more flat footed and with
straighter knees.
• Also maybe due to failure in developing basic coordination skills at an early age.
• Careful 2-3d before menstrual cycle (sacroiliac joint
predisposed to injury in high impact elastic strength
exercises.
Hormonal Factors
• Male sex hormone testosterone: responsible for
muscularity and male shape
• Female sex hormones: progesterone and
oestrogen: responsible for female attributes and
regulation of menstrual cycle (and fertility)
Exercise and the Menstrual Cycle
Olympic medals have been won at all
stages of the cycle
• Awareness of pre-menstrual symptoms
– Personal diary, look for patterns
• Flexibility of training programmes
• Regulation of the menstrual cycle and
minimising symptoms
Exploding the Myths
• Women can train as hard as men
• Women can have the same % training
improvement as men
• The menstrual cycle does not limit a
woman’s ability to train hard or to compete
as hard as a man
• Pain thresholds are not a male domain
The Female Athlete Triad
Disordered Eating
Amenorrhoea
Osteoporosis
At Risk?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Sports in which performance is subjectively scored
Endurance sports emphasising a low body weight
Sports requiring contour-revealing clothing for
competition
Sports using weight categories for participants
Sports emphasising a pre-pubertal look
Disordered Eating
• Refers to a wide spectrum of disordered eating
(restricting food intake, bingeing, purging,
anorexia, bulimia)
• The precipitating event for the Triad
• Can be very difficult to recognise
• May lead to poor nutritional status, reduced
immunity from infections and poor sports
performance
Behavioural Signs Suggestive of Disordered Eating
(Thompson & Sherman, 1993)
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Preoccupation with food and weight
Repeatedly expressed concerns about being fat
Increased criticism of one’s body
Unnecessary use of laxatives/diuretics
Trips to the bathroom following meals
Compulsive, excessive exercise
Complaining of always being cold
Physical signs of Anorexia
Amenhorrea
Dehydration, especially in the
absence of training and competition
Fatigue beyond that normally
expected in training or competition
Gastrointestinal problems bloating,
post prandial distress.
Hyperactivity
Physical Signs of anorexia (cont.)
Hypothermia (cold intolerance)
Lanugo (fine hair on face and arms)
Muscle weakness
Overuse injuries
Stress fractures
Weight significantly lower than necessary for
adequate sports performance
Significant weight loss beyond that necessary for
adequate sports performance
Psychological signs of anorexia
Claims of “feeling fat” despite
being thin
Anxiety
Avoidance of eating and eating
situations
Compulsiveness and rigidity,
especially regarding eating and
exercise
Depression
Psychological signs of anorexia (2)
Exercising while injured
Insomnia
Obsessiveness and pre-occupation with
weight and eating
Resistance to weight gain or maintenance
Restlessness
Psychological signs of anorexia (3)
Restrictive dieting
Social withdrawal
Unusual weighing behaviour
Excessive or obligatory exercise beyond
that required for a particular sport or coach
Where to get help
Untreated eating disorders CAN be lifethreatening
• Refer athlete to their GP, or a sports medicine
professional, dietician, or (sports) psychologist
• Eating Disorders clinics at major hospitals
Web sites
• E.G. Help for Eating Disorders in Ireland
http://www.bodywhys.ie/index.htm
The Female Athlete Triad
Disordered Eating
Amenorrhoea
Osteoporosis
Amenorrhoea
• Primary: absence of menstruation by the age of 16
• Secondary: absence of 3 or more consecutive cycles after menarche or
less than 6-9 periods annually
• Associated with:
– “Energy drain” – failing to match energy expenditure with adequate
food intake
– High training volumes
– Possible eating disorders
• May lead to osteoporosis and increased cardiac risk if untreated
Osteoporosis
• Bones become thin and fragile
• Bone is laid down during childhood,
achieves maximum density by late 20s, and
then declines
• Linked to female triad/amenorrhea in
young women and hormonal changes at
menopause
• Exercise is important to prevent it but
excessive exercise can produce the
opposite effect
Normal Bone
Osteoporotic
Bone
Avoiding osteoporosis
• Avoid the Female Athlete Triad
• Refer females who have not reached
menarche by 16yrs to Dr
• Ensure adequate Calcium in diet
• Avoid excessive smoking, caffeine & alcohol
• Get regular weight-bearing exercise
Nutrition for the Female Athlete
• Females generally require less daily calories
than males (smaller body size and less active
tissue).
• Some athletes may have poor energy intake
and/or food selections with low levels of
macronutrients, especially calcium, iron, B
vitamins and zinc.
Calcium
Recommended Intake
mg/day
Girls (12-15yrs)
1,000
Girls (16-18yrs)
800
Women
800
Post menopause
1000
Pregnancy
>1,200
300 mg calcium is found in:
– 200 ml milk
– 1 tub (200 g) yoghurt
– 40 g hard cheese
– 80 g sardines/salmon
– 1.5 cups beans
– 250 g tofu
Iron
Recommended Intake
mg/day
Children
Adolescents
Women
Pregnancy
Athletes
6-8
10-13
12-16
>22
>16
2 mg iron is found in:
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50 g lean beef
250 g chicken
20 g liver
½ cup spinach
½ cup dried beans
30 g fortified cereal
The Ageing Athlete
• Certain fitness components are affected by
age (Speed, Elastic Power/Strength).
• World record times – 5% faster for men
aged 40y compared to 45y old age group,
equivalent of 7% in women.
• 50y olds declined most (another 3-6%)
• Up to the age 80y – best performances
declined at a rate of 1% each year.
The Effect of Ageing on Performance
• Performances go down with age mainly because of a
decrease in muscle mass especially after the age of 45.
• Muscle protein re-pairing and the repair processes
become slower and less effective noted by a decrease
in physical strength.
• Injured athletes (45y) recover 15 – 18% slower than a
30y old. Skin thickness reduces by 30% by age 50 – more
cuts, lacerations.
• Bone density naturally decreases by 10% by the age of
50y.
However……
It’s not all doom and gloom!!!!
• Strength is one of the fitness components that
doesn’t decline as fast if you work at it. You can
reach peak strength levels in your 30’s and
maintain strength levels well into the 40’s
• Cognitive functioning and skill work never really
declines (its something you keep relatively well all
your life).
• Marathon runners – usually mature in 30’s, 40’s
then times decline 2% per year up to the age of
80.
Pregnancy & Exercise
• Consult your doctor before you undertake any
exercise regime.
• Best exercise to do while pregnant is non weight
bearing – cycling, swimming, water aerobics and
walking (mild to moderate intensity). Sit ups not
a good idea.
• Avoid exercises that increases your risk of
falling, contact sports or injuries that you might
sustain to the stomach – high impact sprinting
and jumping activities are not suitable.
Exercise & Pregnancy
• After 3mts avoid doing exercises on your back –
weight of baby may interfere with blood
circulation.
• Avoid long periods of standing.
• If weather is hot exercise in the morning or
evening to prevent over-heating.
• Drink plenty and eat a well balanced diet.
• If at any stage you feel unwell, dizzy, abdominal
pain – stop exercising immediately.
Returning to sport after Pregnancy
• Slowly get back into training, give yourself
enough time to recover first.
• Avoid undergoing maximal fitness tests
initially.
• Walking is a good start.
• Endurance exercise is best for losing
weight and follow this up with toning
exercises – (tummy and pelvic floor
exercises).
Summary
• All women can participate and gain benefits
from sport, just like men
• Female athletes, like male athletes, come in all
shapes and sizes, and it is possible to find a
sport to suit all types
• Education about proper nutrition and safe
practices for women in sport is paramount
Thank you!