Do you often feel like you are needlessly fatigued? Maybe you
cannot run up hills like you used to be able to do? Are you
dragging yourself through your workouts? If this sounds
familiar, you certainly want to consult with your doctor and get
your blood tested to rule out anemia. Because you are an
athlete, ask your doctor to measure your serum ferritin. That’s
your stored iron. The iron in your blood can be at a normal
level but if your iron stores are depleted, you can feel
needlessly tired during exercise. • An estimate 50% of female
athletes have iron-deficiency, as indicated by low serum
ferritin stores. (In the general population of women, about 14%
are iron deficient.) • A study with college-age male runners
suggests that 21% of male cross-country and distance runners had
low serum ferritin. Just think how much better all of these
athletes could perform if they were not iron-deficient! These
days, many athletes are avoiding red meat (an excellent source
of iron), and they have stopped eating iron-enric