124: Overcoming Amenorrhea + RED-S Resources

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with former elite athlete and Running For Real podcast host Tina Muir. Tina is the founder and CEO of Running For Real, mother of two, and passionate advocate for RED-S. Tina shares her personal story with disordered eating, amenorrhea, and RED-S as an elite runner. We discuss often overlooked signs and symptoms of RED-S: insomnia, constant coldness, and gut issues; you can have RED-S without a history of injury, eating disorders, and being underweight. 

Tina talks about going “all in” with RED-S recovery, stopping running completely while she healed her hormones and regained her period. We discuss recovery timelines and expectations based around how much you are willing to put in, alongside the challenges of resting more and honoring increased hunger cues. We remind listeners that body and weight changes are not inevitable nor constant: once you’re fueling optimally, your body will find where it's meant to be. We talk about Tina’s mission to help anyone curious about RED-S and the free RED-S resources she has developed: over 50 free YouTube videos, interviews with experts, community support, and more, which we highly recommend you check out.

For more on RED-S, check out Episode 2 “What is RED-S?” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-is-red-s/id1537395854?i=1000499401138 and Episode 110 “Understanding RED-S From Two Registered Dietitians” https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/understanding-red-s-from-two-registered-dietitians/id1537395854?i=1000591577336 

Find FREE RED-S resources https://recovery.mykajabi.com/ and here on YouTube

Check out Tina’s book “Overcoming Amenorrehea. Get Your Period Back. Get Your Life Back” (paperback edition)

Learn more about Tina and Running For Real and tune into her podcast

Follow Tina on Instagram @tinamuir88 and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition 

We have a huge announcement! We are launching patreon! Female Athlete Nutrition podcast patreon is now LIVE and we are excited to offer our community unique perks. Join today and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition 

Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation? 

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In this episode we talk about:

4:15 Becoming an elite runner and Tina’s athletic childhood

6:50 Coming from England to America to run in college

9:00 Tina’s history with amenorrhea and other red flags

13:00 Relative energy deficiency in sports (RED-S)

17:00 Tina’s experience with RED-S during her professional running career; signs and symptoms of RED-S including chronic insomnia and always feeling cold

23:50 Life and your body after RED-S recovery 

27:00 Tina's struggles with weight, body image, and disordered eating 

30:00 Leaning into our instincts and intuition 

37:25 Sharing publicly about RED-S and recovery; reaching breaking point and going all in with recovery  

40:00 Recovery challenges: resting more and increased hunger

45:40 RED-S recovery timelines, regaining periods and healthy hormones 

48:35 Advocating for RED-S awareness and recovery 

49:40 Tina’s free RED-S resources on YouTube and her website

55:00 End of the podcast questions 

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