What is LEA? Low Energy Availability.

A concern for the female athlete who is striving to improve fat loss and performance gains… sometimes too much!

What is Energy Availability?
Energy availability is the amount of dietary
energy remaining after exercise, available for
other physiological functions such as growth,
muscle recovery and homeostasis.
Low energy availability (LEA) occurs when
the calorie intake of an athlete is insufficient
to meet the energy required for daily living
plus the demands of training. Energy intake
should never drop below resting metabolic
rate.

 

If we have insufficient energy on board to meet demands of daily living (BMR, TEF and Exercise)… we are left without enough energy reserves to our essential metabolic functions.

Read Debbie's blog post here on LEA