In part two of our series, dietitian Fiona Sutherland explains the role of periods, hormones and bones.
How important are your bones for dancing? Well, aside from your skeleton holding you together, any dancer who has had problems with their bones will tell you that keeping them healthy is absolutely critical. We are understanding more and more about the role of nutrition, and now hormones, in helping our bones grow properly and stay as healthy as possible, for as long as possible.
In the last edition of Dance Australia (August/September) we spoke about the role of hormone health and the reasons why missing periods can be a signal that your body isn’t getting the energy it needs – most commonly due to combinations of under-eating, over-exercising and stress. Essentially, not getting a period (or being irregular) means that oestrogen (a female hormone) is not high enough in the body for menstruation to occur. And it’s not just your period that can be affected, in fact hormone health may only be one of the factors which pop up . . .
This is an extract from an article by dietitian Fiona Sutherland, in the October/November issue of Dance Australia, out now! Don't miss out! Buy a copy from your favourite retail outlet or on line here or never miss an issue by subscribing here.