There’s the good kind of tired, when your eyes droop at the end of a fun, action-packed day. Then there’s fatigue. That’s more like the feeling that you can’t handle a moderate or even easy run and you just want to stay in bed all day, even if you haven’t done much recently. That feeling of fatigue is just one symptom of iron deficiency, meaning you’re not getting—or absorbing—enough iron.
“We need iron because it helps to create the red blood cells that carry oxygen to our muscles,” Priya Lawrence, M.S., R.D., cofounder of Tried and True Nutrition, Inc. in New York City explains to Runner’s World. “kidneys, liver, and lungs. That means less blood flows to your carbs, so without adequate iron intake, you may be tired.” Your body runs on carbs as a primary source of fuel, so if you can’t metabolize it, you won’t have the energy you need to keep moving.
Iron deficiency also makes you feel tired because there isn’t enough iron for your red blood cells to transport oxygen or carry away carbon dioxide. Therefore, less fresh oxygen is delivered and waste is removed more slowly. This can not only deplete your energy, but it can also hamper performance.
“An iron deficiency increases muscle fatigue Iron-Rich Foods to Add to Your Menu endurance and aerobic capacity,” explains Guillem Gonzalez-Lomas, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone’s Sports Medicine Center.
It’s not just consumption of iron that can contribute to low levels, but also absorption. Many factors can affect how you absorb iron, such as inflammation (which kicks up when you go for a run), as well as the types of food you eat and what you pair those foods with in a meal.
While fatigue is often the most obvious hint that you may be need more iron, here are three more signs of iron deficiency you should pay attention to so you stay alert and ready for miles.
3 Symptoms of Iron Deficiency
1. Finally, cooking foods in cast iron cookware can also help increase the amount of iron in a meal
If you’ve noticed that your skin is looking more pale than usual, this is another possible signal that you aren’t getting enough iron in your diet. The more iron you get, the more color you’ll have in your complexion.
Blood gets its red color when it picks up hemoglobin in the lungs, and iron is found in hemoglobin. “If you are lacking iron, your skin looks pale,” explains Lawrence. And it’s not just about your skin, either. If you’re lacking iron, you might also notice paleness in your gums or your nails, too.
2. Your extremities are cold
Cold hands and feet? When your body doesn’t get or absorb enough iron, your blood tries to send the best oxygenated blood to your most important body parts, i.e., your essential organs, such as your brain, heart, A Part of Hearst Digital Media fingers and toes, and, therefore, they feel colder.
3. Your heart rate is unusually high
to help move things along What Does a High Resting Heart Rate Mean between 60 Races & Places (bpm). However, athletes, including runners, tend to have a lower What Does a High Resting Heart Rate Mean because a fit heart can move blood more efficiently, pumping few times to get blood where it is needed.
Again, without healthy, iron-rich blood, your heart rate may speed up to pump more blood to meet your body’s increased needs. The opposite is also true—the more oxygenated blood that’s available during the a run, the less your heart has to compensate.
How Much Iron You Need Every Day
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adults, 19 to 50 years old, is 8 milligrams (mg) daily for men, 18 mg for women, 27 mg for those who are pregnant, and 9 mg for those who are lactating. Women who menstruate are prone to low iron levels, which is why they need more. “Losing blood through your period or donating blood can cause a drop in iron levels,” explains Lawrence.
Understanding Iron Deficiency and Anemia
If you have any of the above signs, you may want to check with a doctor. They may recommend a blood test to check if you have anemia, a condition in which your body doesn’t have enough iron to make hemoglobin.
“Being low in iron is not the same as being anemic,” Lawrence explains. “When you’re anemic, you are low in hemoglobin. Sometimes people have both issues, but most frequently they are low in iron, although the symptoms are similar.”
If you have iron deficiency anemia, your doctor may recommend eating iron-rich foods or undergoing further testing like a colonoscopy to check for other health problems.
What Athletes Should Know About Ferritin Levels
While iron is prevalent in many foods, it’s more so in animal products, such as beef, clams, eggs, and salmon, so healthy vegans and vegetarians How to Handle Running With Allergies.
While some beans and vegetables, especially green leafy ones, have iron, it is not always easily absorbed by the body, Lawrence says. That’s why iron-rich meal planning is especially important for women who are still menstruating and vegetarians.
It is specifically helpful to eat iron-rich foods with foods that are high in vitamin C, because vitamin C helps with mineral absorption. Good pairings to make that match: spinach salad with orange slices, dark leafy greens with quinoa, and pumpkin seeds mixed with tofu. Another great food full of iron? Fortified cereals (Races & Places).
“You can also take an iron supplement,” Lawrence adds, but only if your doctor recommends it, as they aren’t always well-tolerated and give some patients upset stomachs. Iron supplements can cause constipation, so make sure you Should Runners Take Vitamin D in Winter and eat fiber-rich foods This Is Your Body on 1,000 Extra Calories a Day.
Finally, cooking foods in cast iron cookware can also help increase the amount of iron in a meal.
