Health & Fitness – June 2004
How thin is too thin?
Weight loss is a common result of getting fit, but if you don’t keep it in check, it can be bad for your health. Jane Murphy reports on the bottom line.
A few years ago I trained for the Flora London Marathon – a regime that involved running up to 40 miles a week and eating enough high-carb meals to make Dr Atkins turn in his grave…I knew I was eating well and achieving my exercise goals, so in my mind there was no problem. But could I have been putting my health and fertility at risk without realising?
The truth is, a serious exercise regime such as long-distance running can pose a threat to your wellbeing if you don’t take vital factors into account. “In the short term, overexercising can reduce your body weight, which leaves you feeling exhausted and drains you of energy”, says Laura Williams from Future Perfect personal training. “You become more susceptible to injury. Long term, low levels of body fat can affect fertility and contribute to osteoporosis. You may become malnourished with impaired immunity”, she adds ..While achieving a serious fitness goal such-such as running a marathon-requires focus and commitment, it’s also crucial that you don’t become obsessed. “Give yourself at least two days’ rest a week, more if you’ve been engaging in strenuous of lengthy workouts”, advises Williams. “It takes 72 hours for muscle mass to start deteriorating and 14 days to lose cardiovascular fitness, so if it’s guilt that drives you to go running everyday, give it up” ..
“It’s possible to look very thin yet not be underweight”, admits Williams. ”But this is all down to genetics and naturally thin people usually look very lean but healthy with it. There are no bones jutting out, no bags under the eyes and they’re usually quite well-proportioned. If you fall into this category, just reassure people that you have a fast metabolism and a particular body type. If they continue to make comments, ignore them. That said, if you’d like to build muscle and look more athletic, take up weight-training with high weights, low repetitions.
..But what about stars such as long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe who is tiny but continues to turn in record-breaking performances? “You have to understand the drive of women who stay at the top of their sport despite being apparently underweight”, says personal trainer Laura Williams. “Their routines revolve around training. Paula, for example, sleeps a lot, has daily sessions with a physiotherapist and has a vision of what she wants to achieve. There’s nothing wrong with living like this, if you live and breathe sport and are willing to make sacrifices. Bit it’s a lifestyle to be admired – not emulated”.
To book a session or to find out how Laura can help you get into shape, email her at laura@laurawilliamsonline.co.uk
Or call her on 07712 001525.