Recently, when visiting gyms or places where people exercise, you can often see many women engaging in more intense workouts than men. Some women spend a long time doing various exercises for health and dieting purposes, and the story of a woman who works out three hours a day has attracted a lot of attention.

 

Many women work hard to exercise for their health and weight loss.

A woman living in the UK is said to be addicted to exercise, working out three hours a day. She reportedly lost weight through excessive exercise and dietary restrictions since her teens. At that time, she did not understand the importance of nutrients and believed she needed to lose weight, so she would starve herself and go to the gym every day, exercising for an hour each time. As she became more obsessed with exercise, she started going to the gym twice a day and running on the treadmill, eventually switching her workout routine to CrossFit. Would she have become healthier?

She was addicted to exercise and could not get through a day without working out for more than two hours. She said that if she couldn't exercise that much, she would feel down. Additionally, she was worried that if she couldn't exercise for more than three days, her physical strength would decline and she would gain weight again.

 

Women who engage in weightlifting exercises that are more intense and heavier than those of men can sometimes be seen.

The most extreme strain on her body was participating in a half marathon with torn knee cartilage, and she even attempted an 21 km obstacle run. Her body could no longer withstand it, and warning signals were sent from her body. The most important sign for women, menstruation, stopped. As her menstruation ceased and her estrogen levels dropped, her bones also began to weaken. After realizing that she had damaged her body by overexerting herself and neglecting proper nutrition, she started to regain weight and reduce her exercise intensity. She also employed methods to reduce mental stress, which allowed her to resume menstruation. It had been six years since her body showed signs of abnormality and her menstruation returned to normal.

She said, "The process of recovering from amenorrhea was the hardest thing I have ever done," and emphasized, "Women need to be aware of the side effects of irregular menstruation and excessive exercise."

 

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What is the Female Athlete Triad?

There is a term called "Three Signs of Female Athletes" that explains the relationship among three health risk factors: amenorrhea, osteoporosis, and eating disorders. These signs are mainly observed in women who exercise vigorously and can seriously affect health. To exercise intensely, the body needs to be supplied with fuel. However, insufficient eating or excessive exercise causes complex interactions within the body that negatively impact health. Metabolism slows down, and in women, the body changes into a state of amenorrhea.

Additionally, when you exercise, muscles should develop in the body, but due to rapid dietary restriction methods, muscles are broken down, diverting essential nutrients to major organs, which causes a decrease in overall muscle mass.

So, what are the ways to exercise healthily while avoiding the 'three signs of female athletes'? The methods are as follows.

1. Eat three well-balanced meals a day.
2. Consume a balanced meal with carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
3. Do not omit specific food groups such as fats.
4. Eat foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins within 30 to 60 minutes after exercising.
5. If exercising for more than 90 minutes, consume a small amount of carbohydrates or drink a sports beverage every 15 to 30 minutes.

6. Finally, consume a sufficient amount of calcium, about 1000 to 1300 mg per day.

    
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   You should also take good care of your nutrition as much as you exercise.