'Social media often shows athletes as the leanest version of themselves, but that's not always the best'

"Among the myriad things that can derail a promising career, under-fuelling is a recidivist offender. Whether it comes about by accident or through a conscious choice to slim down, the result for athletes can often be the same: illness, injury or a regression in race results."

"For Emma Moore, it happened unintentionally. The Galway native was in her first year at DCU, running here, there and everywhere as she juggled increased training with her degree in PE and Biology. She wasn't aware just how much fuel her body needed to keep up with that workload - until it broke down."

Emma Moore, a runner from Galway, experienced a significant setback during her first year at DCU when she unintentionally under-fuelled her body while balancing intensive training with her PE and Biology degree. Under-fuelling is a common issue that can cause illness, injury, and performance decline in athletes. Moore's body broke down as she failed to consume adequate nutrition to support her increased training workload. This led to RED syndrome, a condition affecting athletes who don't consume enough calories. After addressing this nutritional imbalance and finding proper fuelling strategies, Moore has returned to competitive form and is building momentum following a strong performance at the National indoors.

Read at Independent