If you start exercising to improve physical strength, manage your health, or lose weight, you often manage your diet simultaneously. If weight loss is the goal, you need to increase calorie expenditure, but if it's simply for health, there are cases where you should actually eat more than usual.

Let's learn together about the signals that indicate our bodies need more calories when exercising, according to the American health information media 'Everyday Health.'

 

Persistent pain, heavy body

 

After exercising, you may experience muscle soreness or other pain, but if the pain persists for a long time, it could be a sign that you need to eat more. This indicates that your muscles are not recovering properly. Additionally, if you continue to feel heavy and tired despite exercising for some time, this could also be caused by a calorie deficiency.

 

Frequently getting sick or injured

The process of muscles returning to their original state and our body's maintenance of immunity are both possible only when we consume energy and nutrients obtained from food. Therefore, if your immunity does not strengthen after starting exercise and instead you keep getting sick or injured, it may be a warning that you are not consuming enough calories and your body is not functioning properly.

 

Dizziness, irregular menstrual cycle

 

If you exercise without eating enough, you may experience hypoglycemia, which causes dizziness. Hypoglycemia literally means low blood sugar levels, indicating that our body needs more calories.

 

In women, eating too little and exercising excessively can lead to hypothalamic amenorrhea or irregular menstrual cycles. Hypothalamic amenorrhea occurs when the hypothalamus releases the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which stimulates menstruation, very slowly or stops releasing it altogether.

 

To maintain current weight and energy levels, you need to consume almost the same amount of calories as you burn daily. Usually, when calorie expenditure increases, the production of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, also increases, naturally leading to an increase in food intake. However, engaging in more intense exercises like running may prevent ghrelin levels from rising as much as needed, resulting in a food intake that is less than the required amount.

 

That said, it is not necessary to suddenly increase your meal portions or change the foods you eat. It can be somewhat managed by having snacks between meals that are rich in protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats, such as bananas, fruits with yogurt, and nuts. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy, and protein is an essential nutrient for building and maintaining healthy muscles. Fats help with vitamin absorption, hormone function improvement, and overall health maintenance.

 

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Not eating too many carbohydrates doesn't seem to be helpful.

Eat healthy snacks between meals.

 

Irregular eating habits actually harm your health~