28. REDs recovery with Kaia Schmid

"REDS: Nobody told me about it, I didn't know that losing your period was a problem.. the team asked if I had my period and I said no. That's when they raised a red flag and said that is something you should address" Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) is incredibly common amongst both male and female cyclists, resulting in multiple negative consequences to short and long term health and performance. A few worth highlighting include compromised peak power, lowered immune function, low testosterone, menstrual disturbances, reduced metabolic rate and even losses in muscle and bone mass. For female cyclists, a major red flag indicating REDs is when she has an irregular or completely absent period and menstrual cycle. Unfortunately many female athletes are unaware of this or are wrongly informed that this is ‘normal’. Kaia Schmid is a female pro cyclist who experienced and has subsequently recovered from REDs early in her racing career. Kaia joins us on the podcast to share her story discovering she had REDs, how it impacted her health and performance and what recovery looked like for her. Listen to learn why she is so passionate to help other riders fuel their bodies and overcome REDs. Episode show notes: www.gemmasampson.com/podcast/28 You can find Gemma at www.gemmasampson.com www.instagram.com/drgemmasampson www.youtube.com/@drgemmasampson