Athletes put their bodies under stress every day and to insure we are getting the required nutrients and the body is adapting we need to check key measures in our blood. To be proactive rather than reactive we need to schedule these regularly.
What And Why
Full blood count – Review of your overall health
Vit B12 – Aids in energy production and muscle repair. Needed for the production of red blood cells. Also plays a role in the production of melatonin which enhances good quality sleep.
Vit D – Helps with absorption of calcium and bone mineralization. Supports muscle development and repair. Helps immune function.
https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/can-vitamin-d-affect-your-performance/
Full Iron Studies -Needed for the transportation of oxygen to working muscles.
Attached – an interesting article to help you understand the importance of iron in endurance athletes
https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/iron-and-the-endurance-athlete/
Hormonal Studies– Required for female athletes that are having irregular or absent menstrual cycle. Your doctor will advise you on what tests need to be done. This is a topic in its own right and is part of the important discussion around correct fueling and how to prevent LEA and RED-S. We will dive deeper into this in a later article but for a start check out the following:
https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/the-risks-of-relative-energy-deficiency-in-sports/
How Often
Every 6 months or if you have an abnormal result screen every 2-3 months until the result is in the normal range for 1 year.
You are looking for results that are out of range and looking for results that are trending out of range. By looking for trends you can proactively make a change before it becomes an issue.
Your GP will look at results from a general population perspective, so it is always important to know what is best for athletes and get advice from sports specific doctors if you are concerned.
