Everyone knows exercise for all people of all ages is very important for physical, emotional and mental health.

When we focus specifically on female athletes, we see that regular physical activity is important because it:

• helps build and maintain bone strength,
• lowers blood pressure and cholesterol,
• decreases the development of depression and anxiety,
• avoids unhealthy weight gain and
• helps to build lean muscle.

These are all positives, of course. But when strenuous exercise– especially the type of strenuous exercise associated with professional female athletes- is combined with poor diet, serious health issues may develop:

• A female athlete’s menstrual cycle may be disrupted or stopped if her estrogen levels are lowered by exhaustion and poor diet. This disruption of the body may also affect muscle function and reproduction.
•  Inadequate calorie consumption is sometimes a frequent mistake made by female athletes. This condition may occur when there are not enough calories left over in the body after strenuous exercise. Lack of calories reduces and depletes energy, which results in no reserve calories for rebuilding strength. If this is a continuing occurrence, growth and reproduction can be affected.
• Too frequently, female athletes do not understand how their diet and hydration works with the very strenuous activity involved on the basketball court or in any other physical activity. Not following through, however, to fill the daily menu with adequate proteins, calcium, etc. can lead to bone density problems which can then leave the athlete at high risk for injury on the court.

Each and every athlete, no matter what race, gender or sport, must pay great attention to the physical demands and do what is necessary to replenish and protect her body.

That even applies to your wife, daughter or mom who is playing basketball on the Goalrilla Basketball Goal home court in your yard.

Good training is a life-long endeavor that begins the day you make a purchase from the Basketball Goal Store. Every athlete counts – it doesn’t matter if that athlete is the casual basketballer, amateur, semi-pro or professional. Take care of yourself and those you love who play!

-Pat of the Basketball Goal Store Blog Team