Do you eat well, train hard and yet your gut still feels off?

Hey

When I was playing NRLW, I was training hard most days, eating well, better than most

And my gut was still a mess. I just didnt connect the dots.

Everyone said it was nerves. Nobody connected it to the thing I was doing most: training hard.

So this week is for anyone who trains five or six days a week, eats well, and still feels bloated, flat or run down.

The key idea: Your gut doesn’t separate a hard session from a hard week. Training, under-eating, short sleep and stress all land in the same place.

What’s going on

When you train hard, your body sends blood to your muscles and skin, and digestion is put on hold. One session is fine. Session after session, without enough fuel or recovery behind it, and your gut is often the first system to show it. Researchers at Monash University have a name for it: exercise-induced gastrointestinal syndrome.

Then there’s iron. Hard training raises a hormone called hepcidin, which reduces how much iron you absorb for a few hours afterwards. It’s one reason so many people who train hard and eat well still end up with low ferritin. 

The signs people miss:

• Bloating that builds through the day
• Getting sick more often in heavy training blocks
• Low ferritin despite a good diet
• Flat energy, poor sleep or skin flares that track with your training

Try this week

1. Eat enough, every day. Rest days included. Most people who train hard are under-eating without realising it.
2. Fuel around your sessions. A smaller, easy meal 1 to 3 hours before, and a proper meal with protein and carbohydrate within 1 to 2 hours after.
3. Skip the ibuprofen before training. In one study, cyclists who took it before riding showed more gut injury than riding alone. If you rely on it, talk to your GP.
4. Sit down to eat. Slow down, chew properly, take a few breaths first. Digestion works best when you’re calm.

What changed for me: [one or two lines]. I still train. I just stopped expecting my gut to keep up on its own.

I’ve put everything into one article, including what tips training from helpful to harmful and when to get checked.  Read the blog here 👉  

Your gut is the first thing to pay for hard training If you train hard and your gut has started to feel unpredictable, you are not imagining it. Bloating after sessions, urgent toilet stops ... www.georgiapageosteo.com

More next sunday, 

Georgia